Frequently Asked Questions

Hancock Veterans > Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I locate a buddy who I served with in the military?

The VA cannot release personal information about a veteran without that person’s permission. However, the VA can forward a message to the veteran, providing the VA has a current address on record. Write your message to your friend and place it in an unsealed, stamped envelope. Include a note to VA explaining who you are trying to reach and provide as much identifying information as possible. Place everything in another envelope and address it to the nearest VA RO. If the veteran is in VA records, the message to your friend will be sealed and the envelope will be sent to the address on file.

I have lost my discharge. Can I get a replacement copy?

Yes. We may have a copy in our office or it may be at the County Recorder’s Office. We also have a number of sources we can check in the State of Ohio for your discharge. In many cases for veterans who were discharged after 1991 we may be able to obtain a copy of your discharge papers within 24 hours or less. If all of the above systems did not produce your record then we will go through an electronic request with the National Personnel Records Center.

My father was a veteran. Does that make me eligible for benefits from VA or your financial assistance?

Not necessarily. VA benefit for dependents vary based on the benefit to which the sponsor (parent) was entitled. Surviving spouses and children of veterans may be eligible for financial assistance from our office in very limited circumstances.

My ex-spouse was a veteran. Am I entitled to benefits?

Generally, the answer is no. The end of the marriage normally means the end of eligibility for benefits.

I am a veteran. VA will pay for my funeral and burial expenses, right?

No. Only veterans who are receiving monetary benefits at the time of death qualify for the payment of burial and/or funeral expense. Even in those cases, VA payments will not come close to paying for the average funeral and burial expense.

I got hurt when I was in the service. That means I am service connected.

No – you are not “service connected” until the VA adjudicates your formal claim and grants service connection. It is a formal, legal process and we can assist you with it every step of the way.

I was told I cannot file a claim for service connection because I have been out too long.

Not true – it may be harder to get your claim approved, but there is no time limit for filing a claim for service connection. We recommend you file as soon as possible after release from active duty, because the effective date of your claim is determined by when you file, and the start payment date is the same. If you got out in 1958 and your claim is approved in 2010, you will be paid only from the date you filed your claim – not back to your discharge.

I don't want to go to Toledo or Ann Arbor for medical care; I would rather go to Dayton. Can I get transportation for my medical care appointments through your office.

Yes. We currently transport for medical care appointments Ann Arbor MI, Toledo, OH, Dayton OH, Lima OH, Columbus OH, Fort Wayne, IN, and Marion, OH.

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