See whether you qualify for veteran benefits
To schedule an appointment with a Marion County veteran service officer, call 317-327-8387 or email veteran.services@indy.gov.
You can also attend office hours every first and third Thursday of the month at the Indiana Veterans Center, 777 N. Meridian St., or every second and fourth Wednesday of the month at American Legion Post 34, at 2210 E. 54th St.
When Dee Franklin went to a veterans resource fair on the west side, he found the number of state and federal benefits available eye-opening.
Franklin was among nearly three dozen veterans and their family members at the fair July 24 at the Wayne Township Government Center. He never served in the military, but he was gathering information for several brothers and cousins who did.
He heard about a large array of state and federal benefits that exist for veterans and their families — hundreds of thousands of dollars in home loans, a free or discounted college education for veterans’ children, property tax deductions, health benefits — and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
“It was a little overwhelming because I had no idea that that many benefits were actually available,” Franklin said. “And I think that’s probably the same for a lot of veterans.”
In 2023, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs delivered $163 billion in benefits — more benefits than ever before — but many veterans are still missing out on benefits they have earned through their service.
“There’s not a lot of knowledge of what’s out there,” said retired Navy Master Chief Petty Officer Joe Murphy, a veterans advocate with the nonprofit Veterans Resource Team. “When veterans leave the military, their main focus is getting out. They don’t get taught how to file VA claims or get other benefits.”
For some veterans, like Franklin’s family members, the claims process can be confusing.
“Just getting the right person to find information can be frustrating, and I would imagine that’s when people just give up,” Franklin said.
Events like Wayne Township’s fair help spread the word to veterans that there are professionals dedicated to helping them navigate the often-confusing world of veterans benefits.
In Marion County, veterans and their families can speak to veterans service officers at a city agency dedicated to veterans, the Indianapolis Office of Veterans Services. The office serves about 2,000 veterans, but many more are eligible.
“(We) veterans don’t know what we don’t know,” said Ron Rice Jr., an Air Force veteran and director of the Indianapolis Office of Veterans Services. “Our job is to be your advocate. We do it for free. There’s no guarantee for everybody (to get the benefits they think they deserve), but we give you a much better chance of making that happen.”
Marion County veteran service officers, like Navy veteran Kristen Bertrand-Glomski, work to fight misconceptions about benefits and help veterans get what they deserve.
“One of the reasons people don’t try (to get their benefits) is because they think that they have to have been to combat, and it’s not true,” she said.
According to Bertrand-Glomski, the best way to find out what benefits you are eligible for is to speak to an accredited veteran service officer through the city or through service organizations such as the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars or the Vietnam Veterans of America.
Bertrand-Glomski warns that veterans should avoid unaccredited companies, known as “claim sharks,” that charge veterans money to submit claims.
“A lot of the time, people end up paying thousands of dollars and get nothing for it,” she said.
To check whether an attorney, claim agent or veteran service officer is accredited through the VA, veterans can check the VA Office of General Counsel Accreditation Database.
Mirror Indy reporter Enrique Saenz covers west Indianapolis. Contact him at 317-983-4203 or enrique.saenz@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @heyEnriqueSaenz
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