Lawton veterans and their families get a rare chance at one-stop help this month. The Lawton Indian Health Service and the VA are hosting“Your Service. Our Mission: Bringing VA Benefits Home”on Sept. 23 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Lawton Farmers Market, 77 SW 4th. The event is free and open to all Oklahoma veterans, their spouses, and surviving spouses of veterans who may have presumptive disabilities.
Veteran Service Officers will be on hand to help complete VA disability claim paperwork, and onsite Compensation and Pension exams are available in select cases. Attendees can also get toxic exposure screenings and replace expired VA ID cards. The PACT Act of 2022 expanded VA health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxins. A presumptive disability is a condition VA presumes is related to military service even if it develops after discharge, and surviving spouses may qualify for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation in those cases.
Representatives from the Oklahoma City VA Health Care System, the Muskogee VA Regional Office, the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs, local vet centers, tribal and Indian Health Service programs, and nonprofit partners will all be available to answer questions and assist with enrollment. Bring your DD-214, medical records, and any service history documents you have. Do you know a veteran or surviving spouse in Lawton who should be in that room on Sept. 23?
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Local Lawton
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