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How To Reach Us and links of Interest
Dale Keen, Director of Veteran Services
Email Address: keend@leoncountyfl.gov
Mattie Carney, Administrative Associate III
Email Address: CarneyM@leoncountyfl.gov
Kim Tober, Office Manager
Email Address:
ToberK@leoncountyfl.gov
Mike Matulis, Counselor
Email Address: MatulisM@leoncountyfl.gov
Feel free to call us at (850) 606-1940
Our mailing address follows:
Veteran Services Division
Leon County Courthouse
918 Railroad Ave.
Tallahassee, FL 32310
INTERNET LINKS
Veteran information is available from numerous websites. The following is not intended to be a comprehensive or all-inclusive list of veteran reference information. Additionally, websites listed here are not specifically endorsed or approved, and we make no claim, actual or inferred, regarding content of any of the listed sites. Rather, this list of available websites simply presents common veteran-related websites for easy reference by our veteran community. If you have suggestions regarding this site
or a request to add a website that you’ve found to be helpful, please feel free
to contact us at (850) 606-1940.
The U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs website is the primary source of information. The website at
www.va.gov provides access to the following major areas of interest:
www.va.gov/health_benefits/ for Health Benefits and Services
www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/index.htm for Compensation and Pension Benefits
www.homeloans.va.gov/
for Home Loan Guaranty Services
http://www.gibill.va.gov/ for Education Benefits
www.va.gov/vbs/bva/ for appeals to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals
http://www.insurance.va.gov/ for the VA Life Insurance Program
www.vba.va.gov/bln/vre/index.htm for Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Services
www.cem.va.gov/ for Burial and Memorial Benefits
Additionally, the VA website has the following important topics available:
http://vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp/main.asp
has online applications and instructions which makes filling out VA forms much easier
http://vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp/other_partners.asp provides access to state and county organizations who can assist you
Looking for a veterans service organization to join or to assist with a benefit issue, check out those listed at this address:
www.va.gov/vso/default.asp
Want information on special programs such as those for disabled, homeless, minority, or women veterans, select www.va.gov/spec_prog.htm
http://www.va.gov/spec_prog.htm
If you need statistical data, then the website for you is
www.va.gov/vetdata/ . This site has a wide variety of selections regarding veteran population demographics.
Need to review federal regulations, veteran legislation, or contact the VA about a claim, benefits, or services, then contact the Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs at
www.va.gov/oca/
You can also contact the VA at 1-800-827-1000 [Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) 1-800-829-4833]. You can e-mail specific questions about your disability compensation or pension claim to the VA Regional Office at
stpete.query@vba.va.gov . Always note your VA file number when you contact the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA).
The Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs (FDVA) has an excellent website at
www.floridavets.org
www.floridavets.org/nursing/nursing.asp provides information about state nursing homes.
State and federal benefit information is available at
www.floridavets.org/benefits/benefits.asp .
www.floridavets.org/organization/cvso.asp allows you to search for county veteran service offices. The Leon County Veteran Services Division is listed and is available to assist local veterans – please call (850)
606-1940 to talk with a counselor or schedule an appointment.
To sign up for e•floridavets News or review archived editions of the electronic news please see
www.floridavets.org/news/newsletter.asp .
Two outstanding benefit guides are available. These booklets are easy reading and cover a vast amount of veteran-benefit information. The "Florida Veterans Benefits Guide" can be found at
http://floridavets.org/benefits/FDVABook.pdf. "Federal Benefits for Veterans and Dependents" can be found at
http://www.va.gov/opa/vadocs/current_benefits.htm
Want to request copies of military personnel records, such as your DD Form 214? Check out the online ordering capability at
www.archives.gov/research_room/vetrecs/index.html. You can also send a Standard Form 180 via regular mail to request copies of military personnel records.
Like to read your service-specific newspaper again? Try the following links:
www.airforcetimes.com/
www.armytimes.com/
www.marinecorpstimes.com/
www.navytimes.com/
The Department of Defense has several Internet addresses for news updates. You can subscribe to an e-mail service for frequent updates, as well. Check out the following websites:
Subscribe/Unsubscribe:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/dodnews.html#e-mail
DoD News:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/dodnews.html
News Releases:
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/
Today in DoD:
http://www.defenselink.mil/today/
Press Advisories:
http://www.defenselink.mil/advisories/
Photos:
http://www.defenselink.mil/photos/
Contracts:
http://www.defenselink.mil/contracts/
Transcripts:
http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/
Biographies of Senior Defense Officials:
www.defenselink.mil/bios/
There are a few military oriented websites for Leon County veterans. You may want to review the following sites.
www.nettally.com/MOAA/ is the website for the Tallahassee Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA). The national MOAA website has an outstanding section to assist you in communicating with members of Congress and the President. The national MOAA site is www.moaa.org/.
www.mowwtal.org/ is home to The Military Order of the World Wars, Tallahassee Chapter #181.
Are you a retired military member or annuitant? Here are some important websites and telephone numbers:
The Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) website is
http://www.dod.mil/dfas/.
DFAS e-mail is accessible at
http://www.dod.mil/dfas/ . Telephone 1-800-321-1080. Fax 1-800-469-6559. Mail: Defense Finance and Accounting Service, U.S. Military Retirement Pay, P.O. Box 7130, London, KY 40742-7130
Retired and Annuity Pay Contact Center – 1-800-321-1080. Customers should be prepared with pen and paper as well as Social Security Number(s). Business hours are 7:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. You can also e-mail pay inquiries at
http://www.dfas.mil/retiredpay.html .
You can also set up Internet-based access at
https://mypay.dfas.mil . Initially, you will have to establish a Personal Identification Number (PIN) at
https://mypay.dfas.mil or by calling 1-877-363-3677.
Retiree deaths are reported to DFAS at 1-800-269-5170. Provide the retiree’s name, Social Security Number, date of death, and contact information for the next of kin/beneficiary.
Other important telephone numbers:
Air Force Personnel Center 1-800-558-1404
Air Force Reserve Center 1-800-525-0102
Army Reserve Personnel Command 1-800-318-5298
DEERS 1-800-538-9552
Delta Dental 1-888-336-3260
HQ Marine Corps 1-800-336-4649
National Personnel Records Center 1-314-538-4141
Naval Reserve Personnel Center 1-800-535-2699
Navy Retired Activities Branch 1-800-255-8950
Veterans’ life insurance programs 1-800-669-8477
OSGLI 1-800-419-1473
Social Security 1-800-772-1213
U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs 1-800-827-1000
VA Burial Benefits 1-800-697-6947
The following website has a massive number of links. The website has a comprehensive list of organizations, contains information on women’s veteran organizations, recreation centers, MWR lodging, commercial airlines and car rental agencies, military "Space A" gateway travel locations, and a host of other items. Just for fun, try out some of the links at
http://www.sflistteamhouse.com/index1.htm .
SPECIAL PROGRAMS
Combat-Related Service Connection (CRSC)
This is a Department of Defense program, rather than a VA program. Section 636 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 authorized this new compensation program as the result of pressure from those who were attempting to gain concurrent receipt authorization. Public Law 107-314 became effective May 31, 2003, and payments for qualified retirees will accrue beginning June 1, 2003. You must apply for this benefit via a DD Form 2860, Application for Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC).
CRSC eligibility information and a "fillable" Adobe PDF application form are available online at
http://www.defenselink.mil/prhome/mppcrsc.html.
To be eligible:
must be a military retiree with at least 20 years of service for retired pay computation, and
have at least a 10% disability from combat injuries for which you have been awarded the Purple Heart, or
have at least a 60% disability rating because of armed conflict, hazardous duty, training exercises, or mishaps involving military equipment, and
must be enrolled in DEERS to access certain websites and/or apply.
Questions should be referred to your respective service at the following numbers:
Air Force 1-866-229-7074
Army 1-866-281-3254
Navy and USMC 1-877-366-2772
Presumptive disability issues resulting in VA disability compensation will be similarly treated for CRSC (based on service-connected exposure to hazards that are clearly combat-related). Presumptive issues include Agent Orange, Gulf War illnesses, radiation exposure, mustard gas, and lewisite.
Mesothelioma
www.mesotheliomaweb.org
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