A Guide to Homeless Veterans Disability Benefits

Over half of homeless veterans suffer from a disability.

If you know a homeless vet, then you already know that a lot of veterans need help. A disproportionate number of people in the homeless community are veterans. This makes connecting veterans with services they need a challenge.

If you are uncertain where to begin getting veterans’ support, this guide is an excellent place to begin. Read on to learn more about what you can do to help get them off the streets and into the secure lifestyle they deserve.

Help for Homeless Veterans

When attempting to house homeless veterans, there are several challenges to overcome. Help is not easy to provide when treating service-connected disabilities. Nor is it easy to contact vets for information when applying for disability benefits. Keeping homeless vets connected with legal counsel for applying for any VA homeless program is often difficult. 

Common Disabilities for Homeless Veterans

First and foremost, there are a few common disabilities that result in veterans suffering from homelessness. It’s essential to understand what these disabilities are and the unique challenges they pose when applying for VA disability.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

PTSD and its symptoms often stop many veterans. This creates challenges for holding steady employment and providing for oneself or family. This disability creates lifestyle difficulties, which often prevent homeless veterans from working.

The symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder vary from person to person. Each can impact the ability to work, providing for self or family. Symptoms can range from:

• Difficulty in sleeping, including night terrors and insomnia
• Flashbacks of traumatic events
• Hypersensitivity and hyperarousal (i.e., anxiety, nervousness)
• Paranoia and hypervigilance, such as chronic fear
• Difficulty concentrating and memory impairment
• Irritability or angry outbursts

PTSD often results in other mental health issues that may qualify for more disability benefits. It may overlap with substance use, which is also a typical result of managing chronic pain.

Here, one of our VA disability lawyers talks about how to get 100% TDIU for PTSD.

Chronic Pain and Substance Use

Veterans with chronic pain are, unfortunately, common. The vast majority of vets who served in the Middle East, as well as those over 50, suffer from chronic pain.

Chronic pain is often treated with heavy opioids, narcotics, barbiturates, and stimulants. These substances are habit-forming and highly addictive.

Most substance use disorders have short-term and long-term effects. The symptoms are physical and behavioral and include:

• Drowsiness, nausea, constipation, and slowed breathing
• Extreme sleepiness or loss of alertness
• Anxiety, insomnia, and muscle tremors
• Seizures and convulsions
• Slowed or slurred speech
• Disorientation and mood changes
• Low blood pressure, stupor, or coma
• Suicidal or violent tendencies
• Excessive vomiting and sweating
• Irregular heartbeat or heart failure
• Dangerously high body temperatures

All of these symptoms can impair a veteran’s daily life, let alone if he or she has dependents relying upon them. The biggest challenge when facing substance use disorders is acknowledging the addiction in the first place.

Although chronic pain is a leading cause of substance use disorders, PTSD, major depressive disorders, and other mental health disabilities can result in abusing substances. Fortunately, helping homeless vets is possible, no matter the disability.

Preparing for a Gulf War Syndrome C&P Exam

VA Homeless Programs

When looking for ways to help homeless veterans, there are several programs offered by the VA. These programs include services for homeless vets. These services include:

• Workforce aid
• Rehabilitation and healthcare services
• Housing support, for families and veterans

These are some of the programs available to homeless veterans. After they apply for disability benefits with the trusted legal services of Woods and Woods, their needs can be met.

Specific programs help homeless veterans in transition from homelessness to shelter. Other plans are specifically for those without any sort of housing at all. For those in a transitional housing situation, work programs exist to ease the needed support for any homeless vet.

Here one of our clients talks about he almost got his benefits cut by 50% and we were able to help him out.

Department of Housing and Urban Development – VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH)

HUD-VASH is a collaborative program between HUD and the VA. It provides rental assistance vouchers for privately owned housing to homeless veterans. HUD-VASH houses the highest number of vets with long-term or repeated homelessness.

Supportive Services of Veteran Families (SSVF)

SSVF provides housing for homeless veterans with very low income, who also have families.  This VA homeless program is primarily preventive for those veterans in unsuitable living conditions, or at an imminent loss of a home.

Referrals, direct outreach, nonprofits, and community cooperatives provide time-constrained housing and case management support.

Homeless Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Program

GPD provides funds for housing homeless veterans through state, local, and tribal governing bodies. This VA homeless program is transitional and time-constrained. It offers shelters for up to 24 months. GPD aims to move homeless veterans into permanent housing.

Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans (DCHV) Program

DCHV provides structure to homeless vets who suffer from multiple challenges to their independence. This transitional program offers help for homeless veterans who are sheltered or unsheltered and need a variety of clinical care.

Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV)

HCHV provides a variety of medical treatment and outreach opportunities for homeless veterans. It provides both physical and mental health case management for those veterans in transition to permanent housing.

HCHV also includes the Substance Use Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Residential Rehabilitation and Treatment Program.

Homeless Veterans Community Employment Services (HVCES)

VA Medical Centers hire career development specialists to increase job opportunities for veterans. HVCES works within a homeless vet’s community. The aim is to provide job placement and transition from military to civilian work.

What benefits are available to 100% disabled veterans? Here one of our Veterans’ Disability Lawyers goes over some of the details.

Compensated Work Therapy (CWT)

CWT is another facet of a VA homeless program for homeless veterans in transitional housing. It supports job placement as HVCES does.

Community Resource and Referral Centers (CRRC)

CRCCs offer homeless and disabled veterans charity with one-stop access to local services in their communities. Their multiagency services support both VA and non-VA benefits. This includes help for homeless widows of disabled veterans. 

Help for Homeless Veterans Beyond the VA

Even with the large number of programs available from the VA, there are several community organizations and nonprofit agencies at your disposal. When considering external support, it is essential to verify the credibility of any claims for assistance in disability benefits. Avoiding organizations such as the Association for Homeless and Disabled Veterans is important. Stick with recommendations from your VSO (such as the American Legion) and experienced veterans or their caregivers.

Contacting Homeless Veterans

One of the most significant barriers to helping a homeless vet determine his or her disability benefits is in communication. Free help for homeless veterans exists, and is not exclusive to veterans, either. If you know a homeless vet that you want to help, consider gathering information on his or her behalf.

No longer do you have to worry about a referral to the local community center. In the past, you might have to follow-up repeatedly to help one homeless vet. These resources change that.

National Call Center for Homeless Veterans

Trained counselors are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide free help for homeless veterans. The National Call Center for Homeless Veterans is all about accessibility. 

Of course, homeless veterans, as well a those at-risk of homelessness, can call. When veterans reach out, their needs are immediately assessed. Then they are connected with a qualified VA staff person who can help.

Family members, friends, and supporters can also call on behalf of veterans. Additionally, any VA staff, governmental partners, or community agencies and providers to veterans can call on their behalf. 

If someone besides a veteran calls, they receive information about available programming and services for homeless vets and can opt to provide contact information for follow-up.

Veterans Crisis Line

Veterans in crisis may use this resource to reach qualified responders at the VA. Those concerned about a homeless vet may also reach out to provide immediate support to any service members in need. The most crucial step is getting them in touch with services to support them.

Getting Disability Benefits to Homeless Veterans

Even with every VA homeless program available, the biggest challenge in getting disability benefits to homeless veterans is their homelessness. Staying in contact to provide them the support and quality legal counsel they need is the first step in offering help for homeless veterans. Fortunately, there are resources for overcoming this obstacle, too.

The Application Process

First and foremost, any homeless veterans need to be put in touch with legal counsel to determine their disability benefits. With Woods and Woods disability benefits calculator, it is simple to get started in applying for benefits.

Use our VA disability calculator to estimate your
combined VA rating and monthly payment

1. Consultation

Woods and Woods offer a free consultation to discuss options for your VA disability benefits claim and conditions. If for any reason, we cannot help your specific needs, we may even recommend other veterans benefits law firms.

2. Application Help

You may not even need to apply for a benefits appeal, but if you do, Woods and Woods can help. Just as with the consultation, we won’t charge you for phone calls or any of our work until we win your case. Then we charge a flat percentage of your backpay.

Usually, any application help we provide often corrects previously misfiled applications, which may forego evidence, relevant legal arguments, or secondary conditions.

3. Legal Team

If for whatever reason, your VA disability benefits rating is not satisfactory, we can help. Our legal team can help you through the appeals process, which can be lengthy and complicated. A legal team assigned will comprise of a lawyer, case managers, team leaders, doctors, psychiatrists, and the necessary support staff.

4. Records Request

After we have assembled a legal team, we will begin to gather evidence to support any disability benefits claimed. The legal team will collect medical and service records to win a claim and support you.

5. Case Plan

After gathering the best evidence possible to support a disability benefits claim for any homeless vet, we create a case plan to ensure every necessary step is taken. We follow this up with a thorough examination of all records to connect any disabilities to military service.

6. Gathering Supporting Details

If any medical records are missing, which are critical to supporting a disability benefits claim, our medical team will provide a nexus letter to explain how military service and disabilities are connected.

Woods and Woods will also include any related mental conditions claimed as service-connected. If necessary, we will also gather statements from fellow service members to prove events that occurred as claimed.

7. Legal Brief

Once the legal team and lawyer have all the needed evidence, and the case plan is complete, we craft a legal brief. The brief is the most critical piece of information for making or breaking your disability benefits claim with the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (BVA).

8. BVA Decision

The BVA determines whether your benefits claim will be approved or denied. Woods and Woods may continue to work the claim if we feel there is any missing back pay. If your claim is rejected or remanded, we will work on alternatives to get homeless veterans their benefits.

Here one of our VA disability lawyers talks about the importance of the Nexus Letter for your appeal or initial application.

Legal Services for Homeless Veterans

We at Woods and Woods are here to help. Not only do we want homeless veterans to receive the fullest amount possible for their disability benefits, but we only accept payment if the appeal is won. You won’t get any bills from us from consultation to application. 

Even after we have appealed your disability benefits claim, and the appeal is unsuccessful, veterans do not have to pay anything. We do not charge for case expenses, either. If your claim is approved, we only charge a small percentage of the back pay; we never touch future benefits.

Woods and Woods is here for you, and any homeless vets you know need help. Do not hesitate to contact us today to get fair compensation for disability.