Finding Help Outside of Government
For many reasons, about half of all veterans do NOT go to the VA for treatment or even file for compensation. In fact, in many of our colleges in California, half the veteran students don’t even take government money to pay for their education.
We have good news for all you vets who do not want to have anything to do with the government, as well as all non-vets, who need help and want to find local community services, whether free or paid.
If you go to our Self Help page and click on any Know A Vet (KAV) page, toward the bottom you will find a list of articles and service providers in your area.
Know A Vet presents this information and these national resource directories, not as a recommendation of any specific service or provider, but as a starting point for your own research based on your particular circumstances.
In addition, there may be other federal, state and local government or private resources for your individual needs. A VSO counselor may be able to help you find them.
Resources That Seem to Be Universally Helpful
- Exposure.ed, is the most complete listing of every disease and illness that we may have contracted from things we knew and didn’t know we were exposed to sortable by when you were wherever you were. It is a start to therapy and compensation.
- Find Help.org to find free or low-cost professional help
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) offers information a Helpline at 800-950-NAMI – Or in a crisis, text “NAMI” to 741741
- HelpPro has a therapist locator.
- Information and resources from the US Department of Health and Human Services can be found.
- Veterans Families United list help resources for many of our most pressing issues.
- Psychology Today has a list of therapists across the country.
- State and County Departments of Social Services
- National Resource Directory.gov NRD.org is a resource website that connects wounded warriors, Service Members, Veterans, their families, and caregivers to programs and services that support them.
- United Way
- Goodwill
- Salvation Army
- Red Cross
- FEMA
- VFW, DAV, VVA, Amvets, etc.
- AND, even if you are dead set against working with any level of government, that doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of the vast amounts of research, data and information available at VA.gov It is the most complete set of information specific to veterans and our families, including all the illness causing materials we were unknowingly exposed to.
It’s just that simple. Go ahead, try it for yourself or to research help for a friend or relative.
Non-VA Local Help
Know A Vet? presents this information and these national resource directories, not as a recommendation of any specific service or provider, but as a starting point for your own research.
Please feel free to use the check sheets Before, During and After the Medical Appointment and Choosing a Medical Service Provider to help you in your search for the best help for your individual circumstances.
In addition, there may be other federal, state and local government or private resources for your individual needs.
VA, Government, and Organization Help
Know A Vet? presents this information and these national resource directories, not as a recommendation of any specific service or provider, but as a starting point for your own research.
Clicking here will bring you to a database of other VA services you can locate by zip code.
Please also check out our page on Filing Claims. We recommend that you do NOT file claims on your own. If you do not file exactly the way the VA looks for information, it can take literally years for your claim to go back and forth before approval or denial.
The other resources listed, such as your local Veterans Service Office (names vary by county), VSO counselor, VFW, etc., will help you determine what you are eligible for and file correctly for results in as little as a few weeks.
Learn More – Get More
Learn more about what it feels like to live your best life. Go to our Self Help page to explore other issues that can bring you “All The Way Home.”
Also, check out the Claims and Appeals topic to maximize compensation and benefits for yourself AND your loved ones.
It’s your turn to get your best life back! You EARNED it with your service!
