The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the California Department of Veterans Affairs jointly publish a Guidebook for California Incarcerated Veterans. That Guidebook’s primary objective “is to assist Veterans in preparation for release.”
Because the Guidebook largely overlooks incarcerated veterans who do not yet have a scheduled release date or are incarcerated without the possibility of parole, I have prepared, and my organization published here, a tailored Guidebook supplement for them.
Disability compensation is often the best VA benefit for which currently-incarcerated veterans might be eligible. The supplement describes what it is, the eligibility requirements, and how it might help both now and after release.
The supplement addresses the following Guidebook shortfalls with specific information and suggestions for preparing and supporting a claim:
I was a Chief Warrant Officer Four when I retired after thirty years active duty. I’m also a former Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) employee who worked in evidence collection for disability compensation claims. And I’m a 100% disabled veteran myself.
Decades ago, while he and I were on active duty, one of my fellow service members was arrested and convicted. I recently learned he is still incarcerated. When I began visiting him in prison he told me there is no veteran as forgotten as an incarcerated one.
Since re-connecting with him I learned that very few incarcerated veterans know they may be eligible for VA benefits. My organization sees this as a great unmet need, and is attempting to remedy that in some measure.
Of those who were offered a chance to review the draft, five currently-incarcerated veterans were the only ones who provided feedback. They were unanimous- all said they wish they’d had this information years—or even decades—ago.
The supplement is not a federal publication, but in keeping with federal policy regarding copying federal publications, permission is hereby granted to copy or quote the Guidebook supplement, either in its entirety or any part of it, including in prison print shops.
MPA, CWO4, retired
No personal information is collected here.
No one accessing this site is required to create a user name or password- there are no personal accounts.
Cookies are not used here.
Nothing is for sale here, so no financial information is collected or stored here.
Financial contributions are neither sought nor accepted here, so no personal or financial information can be passed through any third party.
Email::CWO4@CWO4MPA.org
Mail: CWO4 MPA
PO Box 321
Novato, CA 94945
Powered by GoDaddy