In Crisis?

You are not alone...

Call the crisis line below and get help now!

***

In Crisis? You are not alone... Call the crisis line below and get help now! ***

Veterans Crisis Line

In Crisis? Get Help Now.
Call 988 and Press 1 | Text 838255 | Chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net

Free, confidential support available 24/7.

Call Now
Text Now
Emblem of the American Legion featuring a gold star, laurel wreaths, and the text 'American Legion' with the letters 'U.S.' in the center.
Emblem of the American Legion featuring a gold star, laurel wreaths, and the text 'American Legion' with the letters 'U.S.' in the center.

Resources

An elderly man wearing glasses and a black cap with a patriotic patch, smiling and talking to another veteran.

Veteran Resources

  • Veterans Assistance Commission (VAC) of Will County
    2400 Glenwood Ave.
    Joliet, IL 60432
    815-740-8389

    IL Dept on Veteran Affairs (IDVA)
    Ken Bonner
    815-730-4334

    • Compensation. VA can pay you monthly compensation if you are at least 10% disabled as aresult of your military service.

    • Pension. VA can pay you a pension if you are a wartime veteran with limited income and you are permanently and totally disabled or are 65 or older.

  • Enrique Cabrera
    Joliet
    815-730-435

    • Post-9/11 GI Bill. Available to those who served on or after September 11, 2001. It pays tuition and fees up to the most expensive, public, in-state undergraduate program rate, provides a monthly housing allowance, and a stipend for books and supplies. It also provides an option for servicemembers to transfer benefits to a spouse or child.

    • Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP/Chapter 1607) is available to persons who were activated under Federal authority for a contingency operation and served 90 continuous days or more after September 11, 2001.

    • Survivors' & Dependents' Educational Assistance is available to some family members of certain disabled or deceased veteran.

  • Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital
    5000 South 5th Avenue
    Hines, IL 6014
    708-202-8387

    The Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service provides outreach, motivation, evaluation, counseling, training, employment, and other rehabilitation services to service-connected disabled veterans. Counseling, assessment, education programs and, in some cases, rehabilitation services are available to the spouse and children of totally and permanently disabled veterans as well as to the surviving spouse and children of certain veterans.

    • Vocational training and rehabilitation services are available to children with spina bifida having one or both parents who served in the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam War, or served in certain military units, in or near the demilitarized zone in Korea, between September 1, 1967, and August 31, 197

    • VA guarantees loans to eligible servicemembers, veterans, reservists, and certain surviving spouses to purchase a home, condominium or manufactured home, and for refinancing purposes. The loans are actually made by private lenders, but the VA guaranty generally means the lender will not require any down paymen

Close-up of a person wearing a military uniform with medals being held for support.

Additional Resources

  • Veterans Assistance Commission (VAC) of Will County

    2400 Glenwood Ave.
    Joliet, IL 60432
    Phone: 815-740-8389
    IDVA Ken Bonner
    815-730-433

    Disability and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is payable to survivors of:

    • Servicemembers who died on active duty Veterans who died from service-related disabilities

    • Certain veterans who were being paid 100% VA disability compensation at time of death

    • Death Pension is payable to some surviving spouses and children of deceased wartime veterans. The benefit is based on financial need

  • Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital
    Hines, IL 60141
    708-202-8387

    • Hospital, outpatient medical, dental, pharmacy and prosthetic services Domiciliary, nursing home, and community-based residential care

    • Sexual trauma counseling

    • Specialized health care for women veterans

    • Health and rehabilitation programs for homeless veterans

    • Readjustment counseling

    • Alcohol and drug dependency treatment

    • Medical evaluation from military service exposure to Agent Orange, radiation, or other environmental hazards, including service in the Gulf War Combat Veterans-

    • VA provides free health care for veterans who served in a theater of combat operations after November 11, 1998, for any illness possibly elated to their service in that theater. Time Limits - You have five years from date of discharge from active duty, if you were discharged from active duty on or after January 28, 2003. You have until January 27, 2011, if you were discharged from active duty before January 2B, 2003, and were not enrolled as of January 28, 2008

  • Veterans Assistance Commission (VAC) of Will County

    IDVA Ken Bonner
    815-730-4334

    • Headstone or Marker. VA can furnish a monument to mark the grave of an eligible veteran.

    • Presidential Memorial Certificate (PMC). VA can provide a PMC for eligible recipients.

    • Burial Flag. VA can provide an American flag to drape an eligible veteran's casket.

    • Reimbursement for Burial Expenses. Generally, VA can pay a burial allowance of $2,000 for veterans who died of service-related causes. For certain other veterans, VA can pay $300 for burial and funeral expenses nd $762 (this amount can vary slightly depending on veteran's date of death) for a plot.

    • Burial in a VA National Cemetery. Most veterans and some dependents may be buried in a VA national cemetery.