Minority and Unique Veterans

The NADL program helps eligible Native American Veterans finance the purchase, construction, or improvement of homes on Federal Trust Land or reduce the interest rate on such a VA loan. Native American Veterans may use these direct loans to simultaneously purchase and improve a home or refinance another VA direct loan made under NADL to lower the interest rate.

Learn more about the Native American Direct Loan Program (NADL)

Native Veterans represent the highest proportion of rural Veterans in the country. The often isolated and dispersed nature of rural Native Veterans presents significant barriers for access and quality of care. In response to these challenges, the Office of Rural Health established the Native Domain to serve as a national resource on healthcare issues for rural Native Veterans.
A variety of projects were developed to support implementation, identification and dissemination of information on culturally-competent best practices for rural Native (American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander) Veteran clinical care and outreach.

Learn more about the Office of Rural Health

The Tribal Reimbursement program provides a means for tribal health facilities to receive reimbursement from the federal VA for direct care services provided to American Indian and Alaskan Native eligible veterans.

For more information visit Federal VA: Tribal Health Care Benefits

Tracking Women Veterans Needs – Take Survey 

The American Military Partner Assocation connecting, supporting, honoring, and serving the partners and spouses of America’s LGBT service members and veterans – our nation’s modern military families.

This organization is dedicated to full and equal rights and equitable treatment for all present and former members of the U.S. Armed Forces, especially the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender current and prior military personnel who have been historically disenfranchised by armed forces policy and discriminatory laws governing military service and benefits.

For more information visit American Veterans For Equal rights

Congress has authorized the correction of records when it is considered necessary either to rectify an error or to remove an injustice. DD Form 214 does not list gender, but it does list your name. While for most non-transgender people a service record showing a former name does not communicate any sensitive information, for transgender people disclosure of the former name can be equivalent to disclosure of transgender status. This can be considered an injustice, and will be the strongest basis for your request to update your name on the DD 214.

Generally speaking, to update your DD 214 military discharge record, you will need two things: a completed DD Form 149 (Application for Correction of Military Record) and evidence to support your name change request. If possible, this evidence should include proof of your legal name change and gender transition, such as a U.S. passport, driver’s license or government-issued ID card showing your updated name and gender.

For information and assistance with this process, visit Transgender People and Military.

In a proactive approach, The Transgender American Veterans Association works in conjunction with other concerned gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) organizations to ensure that transgender veterans will receive appropriate care for their medical conditions in accordance with the Veterans Health Administration’s Customer Service Standards promise to “treat you with courtesy and dignity . . . as the first class citizen that you are.” Further, TAVA will help in educating the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) on issues regarding fair and equal treatment of transgender and transsexual individuals. Also, TAVA will help the general transgender community when deemed appropriate.

The Veterans Health Administration is the largest integrated health care system in the United States and strives to be a national leader in providing care to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender veterans. In 2012, the VHA's Office of Patient Care Services created the LGBT Health Program, which provides policy recommendations, provider-education programs and clinical services to support personalized, pro-active, patient-driven healthcare for LGBT veterans.

For more information visit LGBT Veteran Patient Care.

Two VA programs provide certain elderly Veterans with an additional monetary amount, if eligible for or receiving and VA pension benefit.

Housebound – an increased monthly pension amount paid if one is substantially confined to their immediate premises because of a permanent disability. A home-bound Veteran can receive up to $15,725 annually if approved for this program.

Aid and Attendance (A&A) – is an increase monthly pension amount paid for one of the conditions listed below. A Veteran can receive up to $21,466 annually if approved for this program.

• Required help performing daily functions, which may include bathing, eating or dressing.
• Are bedridden
• A patient in a nursing home

Eyesight is limited to a corrected 5/200 visual acuity or less in both eyes ; or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less.

For more information or to find out if you qualify for these benefits visit Aid & Attendance and Housebound

Geriatrics is health care for elderly Veterans with complex needs. Extended care – also known as long term care – is a program for Veterans of all ages who need the daily support and assistance of another individual. Elderly Veterans can receive geriatric and long term care programs at home, at VA medical centers, or in the community.

Geriatrics Program – Geriatrics is the field of health care that serves elderly Veterans with complex needs. Extended care – also known as long term care is a program for Veterans of all ages who need daily support and assistance of another individual. Elderly Veterans can receive geriatric and long term care programs at home, at a VA medical centers, or in the community.

Long Term Care – The VHA offers many long term care services to Veterans enrolled in the health care system.

Eligibility for Long Term Care – Includes a wide range of services such as help with everyday tasks and support for managing disabilities and illness.

• Is provided for an extended period when someone is not able to do everyday tasks independently.
• Can be provided in many settings, such as a person's home , community sites, residential settings and nursing homes,
• May include support for family members or other care givers who help people are ill or living with a  disability.

Home Based and Community Services – These services help chronically ill or disabled Veterans of any age remain in their homes. A Veteran can receive more than one service at the same time.

Nursing Home and Residential Care – Some of the services listed on the home and Community Based Services, such as Hospice and Palliative Care, can also be provided in Residential Settings and Nursing homes.

Geriatrics Research – The purpose of the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Centers is to increase the basic knowledge about the aging process and how diseases of the elderly are best managed, transmit this knowledge to health care providers, and improve the quality of care delivered to elders.