Office of Military & Veterans Affairs

The mission of Office of Military & Veterans Affairs is to provide professional services for military veterans and their dependents and survivors who are entitled to benefits from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the State of California, and other agencies as applicable.

The Office of Military & Veterans Affairs was established in 1974, to serve the veteran population of San Diego County, which has the second largest veteran population in the state. The office assists veterans and their dependents and survivors to obtain benefits from the federal, state and local agencies administering programs for veterans, and provides advocacy to the veterans community regarding entitlement rights to federal, state and local benefits programs.

If you are unsure of where to find help, need aid to get started, or are just unsure of your entitled benefits, you can obtain assistance by calling the Office of Military & Veterans Affairs. An accredited Office of Military & Veterans Affairs Representative will assist you or direct you to the appropriate resource. The Office of Military & Veterans Affairs provides outreach services if veterans, their dependents and survivors cannot come to the office because of a disability.

Services offered through the Office of Military & Veterans Affairs:

  • Comprehensive benefits counseling
  • Claims preparation and submission
  • Claims follow-up to ensure final decisions
  • Initiate and develop appeals when appropriate
  • Networking and advocacy with federal, state and local agencies

Information and referral for the following:

  • Public assistance
  • Veterans Affairs medical care
  • Military installations Retired Activities Office
  • Homeless issues
  • Disability transition assistance counseling at the Naval Medical Hospital, San Diego
  • Certification of discharge papers (DD-214) for filing claims with the VA.

Assistance offered in filing for the following benefits:

  • Compensation (service-related injuries or disease).
  • Re-open compensation claim for increase or re-evaluation.
  • Dependency and Indemnity Compensation for survivors (based upon service-connected disability or death).
  • Nonservice-connected pension (for war era veterans only).
  • Death pension (for survivors of wartime era veterans only).
  • Admission to the State Veterans Homes of California (California Department of Veterans Affairs).
  • Request for military records and decorations.
  • Discharge upgrade and correction of military records.
  • Vocational Rehabilitation.
  • VA home loan guarantee eligibility.
  • Education benefits (VA).
  • Disability life insurance and waiver of premiums
  • Payment of proceeds of VA life insurance.
  • Burial benefits (VA).
  • Medical care/dental care at VA facilities.
  • Cal-Vet Loans.
  • Approving agency for the State College Tuition Fee Waiver program for dependents of eligible veterans.

 

Facilities where this service is offered:

For more information call 1-866-726-8831 or send us an email.

Making an Appointment

The following Appointment Checklist and Care Expense Statement will help you gather the information you will need for filing fully developed Compensation, Pension, Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) and Survivors Pension claims.

Once ALL materials have been gathered, please call 1-866-726-8831 or email sdcvso.hhsa@sdcounty.ca.gov to make an appointment.

San Diego Military and Veterans Advisory Council

The function of the San Diego Military and Veterans Advisory Council is to advise, consult, and provide public outreach for the Board of Supervisors regarding issues important to active-duty service members, veterans, and family members.  The Council’s main purpose is to serve as an information resource to the Board of Supervisors on issues related to military, veterans, and family members in San Diego County. 

Hidden Heroes

The County of San Diego is proud to support military and veteran caregivers, our community’s hidden heroes, as an Elizabeth Dole Foundation Hidden Heroes City. Founded by Senator Elizabeth Dole in 2012, the Elizabeth Dole Foundation and it’s Hidden Heroes Campaign brings vital attention to the untold stories of military caregivers and provides a network for military caregivers to connect with their peers and access carefully vetted resources. If you are a military or veteran caregiver, please visit hiddenheroes.org to discover hundreds of carefully vetted resources and an online peer support community exclusively for caregivers. Linked here is the Hidden Heroes Toolkit. The toolkit walks you through each step you can take to get the county more engaged by providing information about the campaign, public service announcement videos featuring Tom Hanks, and many more additional resources the county can utilize.
 

Additional Resources    

OMVA No Hero Left Behind Newsletter

Vet Connect Flyer

Veterans Benefit Resources

CalVet Veteran Resource Book

VA General Benefit Information

Healing for Heroes and their Families

 

Military Parole in Place Program image

MILITARY PAROLE IN PLACE PROGRAM

The Military Parole in Place (MIL-PIP) program provides some members of U.S. military families temporary permission to remain in the United States while seeking permanent residency. The program is a temporary immigration status allowing spouses, widow(er)s, parents, and children of the U.S. service members to stay, work, and travel freely in the United States. 

2-1-1  

Additional resources may be found from 2-1-1.

Courage to Call

Click here to speak with a fellow Veteran who knows what it means to serve and who can connect you with the help you need.

VA San Diego Healthcare System

 

For more information call 1-866-726-8831 or send us an email.