Westchester County Department of Veterans

Burial benefits in a VA national cemetery include the gravesite, the headstone or marker, opening and closing of the grave, and maintenance of the grounds.

• National cemeteries maintained as national shrines
• Symbolic expressions of remembrance (headstones and markers)
• Presidential Memorial Certificates
• Burial flags
• Burial of veterans and eligible family members in a VA national cemetery

Reimbursement of burial expenses
Veterans who, at time of death, were entitled to receive a pension or compensation or who would have been entitled to compensation but for receipt of military retirement pay. Eligibility also maybe established when death occurs in a VA facility, a nursing home under VA contract or a state veterans nursing home. Additional costs of transportation of the remains may be paid.

Partial exemption from real property tax is based on condition of service, with additional benefits based upon degree of service-connected disability. Applications must be filed before Taxable Status Day. Qualifying widow(er)s may file for this benefit based on their spouse's service. The exemption applies to local and county property taxes.

Every municipality is different when it comes to applying for this exemption and all filings must go through your local tax assessor. Should you encounter any difficulties during the filing process, please contact our office at the Westchester County Veterans Service Agency by phone (914) 813-5145/5146.

Veterans may be eligible for a variety of other benefits. We'll do our best to keep you updated on new benefits and benefit changes.

Specially Adapted Homes
Disabled veterans may be entitled to a grant from VA for a home specially adapted to their needs or for adaptations to a house.  Two types of grants are available:

$60,000 Grant
VA may approve a grant of not more than 50 percent of the cost of building, buying or remodeling adapted homes or paying indebtedness on those homes already acquired, up to a maximum of $63,780. Veterans must be entitled to compensation for permanent and total service-connected disability due to one of the following:

• locomotion without the aide of braces, crutches, canes or a wheelchair.
• light perception, plus (b) loss of use of one lower extremity;
• residuals of organic disease or injury, or (b) the loss or loss of use of one upper extremity, which so affects the functions of balance or propulsion as to preclude locomotion without using braces, canes, crutches or a wheelchair.

$12,000 Grant
VA may approve a grant for the actual cost, up to a maximum of $12,756, for adaptations to a veteran's residence that are determined by VA to be reasonably necessary. The grant also may be used to assist veterans in acquiring a residence that already has been adapted with special features for the veteran's disability. Veterans must be entitled to compensation for permanent and total service-connected disability due to:

• blindness in both eyes with 5/200 visual acuity or less, or
• anatomical loss or loss of use of both hands.

Supplemental Financing: Veterans with available loan guaranty entitlement may also obtain a guaranteed loan or a direct loan from VA to supplement the grant to acquire a specially adapted home.

Automobile Assistance
Veterans and service members qualify for this benefit if they have service-connected loss or permanent loss of use of one or both hands or feet, or permanent impairment of vision of both eyes to a certain degree. Veterans entitled to compensation for ankylosis (immobility) of one or both knees, or one or both hips, also qualify for adaptive equipment for an automobile. There is a onetime payment by VA of not more than $11,000 toward the purchase of automobile or other conveyance. VA pays for adaptive equipment, and for repair, replacements, or reinstallation required because of disability, and for the safe operation of a vehicle purchased with VA assistance.

Clothing Allowance
Any veteran who is entitled to receive compensation for a service-connected disability for which he or she uses prosthetic or orthopedic appliances may receive an annual clothing allowance. The allowance also is available to any veteran whose serviced-connected skin condition requires prescribed medication that does irreparable damages to the veteran's outer garments.
 

With a VA guaranty, the lender is protected against loss up to the amount of the guaranty if the borrower fails to repay the loan. VA loan guaranties are made to service members, veterans, reservists, and unmarried surviving spouses to buy a home, town house, manufactured home, lot or certain types of condominiums.

VA also guarantees loans for building, repairing and improving homes. If you already have a mortgage, VA may be able to help you refinance your loan at a lower interest rate.

• No down payment required for most home loans
• Specially adapted housing grants for severely disabled veterans