CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Veterans sacrifice a lot during their time serving our country, and as such they are entitled to benefits through the Department of Veteran Affairs. But accessing those benefits can be far from a straightforward process.

Thankfully, BrightStar Care of Charlottesville and American Legion Post 74, the local chapter of the national veteran’s organization, is here to help older veterans access the critical benefits they are entitled to. Malina Rivers, Chief Operating Officer of BrightStar and a former RN in the Air Guard, said that education is important because veterans often don’t know what benefits they are entitled to.

“You have to have an expert come and sift through that and help you navigate through the paperwork — and by the way, there is a lot of paperwork,” she said.

Conditions may occur much later in life

One of the reasons why many veterans may not realize the benefits they are entitled to is because they may have developed conditions much later in life that are tied to their service. Rivers said she’s worked with veterans who didn’t experience any mental or physical health issues during their time in the service. Some were even exposed to chemicals like Agent Orange or radioactive material and didn’t realize until decades later.

“You might’ve lived your entire life not realizing you were going to have issues,” she said.

As veterans get older, if they begin to suffer from injuries or conditions tied to their time in the service, that qualifies them for health care coverage as well as disability payments. Rivers said this makes working with an expert even more important.

Receiving help from experts

Veteran Service Officers can provide that invaluable assistance for veterans looking to access their benefits. From American Legion Post 74, local veterans can receive help from Gerald Lafon, a VSO with the post and a Marine Corp veteran himself. Lafon said his role is to help veterans start a claim for any medical issue that may have stemmed from their service, using a computer system to help input their information and begin the process.

Navigating that process can be complicated, which is where BrightStar makes sure to take time out in the community helping veterans understand how it works.

“A big thing for us is making sure we go out to the community, and we can provide all of that education and just get rid of some of that fog,” BrightStar Community Outreach Specialist and Army veteran Geoff Foster said.

Going out to the community

To help spread the word, Lafon will be touring with BrightStar to its collaborating facilities to make connections with veterans in the area and allow them to ask important questions about their benefits. Rivers also encouraged people to reach out directly to BrightStar, which can help connect them directly to Lafon.

“This little bit of disability, even if it’s 35% or 40%, it’s oftentimes more than people what people think — the percentage of disability they qualify for,” River said. “[Lafon will] be so helpful to these people, especially when they’re on fixed income.”