Veterans Benefits That Can Help After a Natural Disaster

When disaster strikes, it’s natural to feel overwhelmed. How can you protect your family? Is it safer to hunker down or evacuate? What if you and your family aren’t hurt, but your house is so severely damaged that it’s uninhabitable?

In the wake of severe weather like tornadoes, floods, or hurricanes, it’s important to know the resources available to you and how to access them. During those tough times the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) do offer services aimed at helping you and your family get your life back on track.  

Below, we look at what the VA offers you if:

• Your home is badly damaged or destroyed
• You no longer can stay at your original address to access your benefits
• You require assistance for home caretakers
• You receive VA employment benefits 
• You may need possible adjustments to your allowances or assistance benefit payments  

Access to Benefit Payments After a Natural Disaster

If you cannot get a benefit payment after a disaster, contact the VA National Call Center at 1-800-827-100. Make sure to ask for a special one-time payment.

If natural disasters affect your ability to receive VA paperwork regarding any claims you’re making, know that the agency will not penalize you for subsequent mail delays. You may also submit claims and upload any other relevant information through your VA.gov account.

Note: Update your contact and direct deposit information to avoid delays in receiving your benefits. Use your VA.gov account to make updates, or visit your local VA Regional Office for assistance.

The VA often sets up Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) in areas under a disaster declaration. These centers can help with housing or healthcare needs. 

Resources If Your Home is Damaged

If your home is damaged during a natural disaster, make sure you and your family have a roof over your head following a natural disaster. There are a few options that can help. 

• Contact your insurance provider to see what assistance you can receive, or
• Find housing assistance through FEMA, or
• Contact the VA and your lender about pausing mortgage payments.

Housing Assistance Options

You can contact FEMA using the agency’s online form, calling 1-800-621-3362, or speaking with FEMA officials if they’re set up at a site near your community. In disaster declaration areas, FEMA may offer short-term assistance with housing or shelters. 

Next, you can contact your home insurance provider to determine what your policy provides for housing assistance during an emergency.

You can call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans if you’ve encountered obstacles with any of the previously listed options. It is available 24/7 to provide immediate assistance. Just call 1-877-4AID-VETS (1-877-424-3838) for help. 

VA Loan Mortgage Assistance During Disasters

Once you have housing situated immediately after a storm or disaster, the next thing is to look for mortgage assistance. If you have a VA home loan, the VA can ask your lender to place a 90-day foreclosure freeze or waive late charges. The VA may also be able to work with your servicers or loan holders to apply pre-payments already made to your upcoming payment.

We’ve also gone deeper into VA loan situations with either disasters or foreclosure concerns here. 

VA Healthcare Following a Natural Disaster

After a storm hits a community, the VA sometimes sets up mobile support vehicles for particularly hard-hit areas. You can use the Find VA Locations tool online or on your phone to see if any are up in your area. 

You can also go to any VA facility to continue care if your region’s care center is damaged or closed due to storms or disasters. If a DRC is set up in your community, talk to an official there for more healthcare guidance. 

Veterans facing a crisis during this time are also encouraged to contact the VA’s National Call Center. You can also dial 988, then press 1, send a text to 838255, or chat with someone online at the Veterans Crisis Line Chat. If you’re deaf or hard of hearing, call 1-800-799-4889 for support.

Assistance with Adapted Housing and Automobiles

If your damaged home or vehicle had special adaptations through a VA program, help is available. The VA Specially Adapted Housing Program may be able to assist with home repairs after FEMA and insurance coverage. Call 1-877-827-3702 for more information.

Caregiver Support

If you’re a caregiver for a veteran, the VA provides resources to help you, especially during tough times like a natural disaster. Contact the Caregiver Support Line at 1-855-260-3274 for assistance. 

If you have any other healthcare-related questions, call the VA Health Benefits Hotline at 1-877-222-VETS (8387) Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.

Natural Disasters Affecting Education or Employment Benefits

If you’re a student utilizing the GI Bill and storms temporarily close your school, the VA will continue your payments for up to 28 days or until the end of the term. A GI Bill specialist can also help you; just call 1-888-442-4551. 

If you receive employment services through Veteran Readiness & Employment (VR&E), you may qualify for an additional two months of Employee Adjustment Allowance (EAA) if a disaster has displaced you. Contact your local VA Regional Office to speak with your VR&E Specialist.

Final Points

The most important thing to focus on during and following a national disaster is your and your family’s safety. Please don’t put yourself or them in a situation that may be unsuitable for living because there are options out there. 

The next point is to be sure to check every available option when considering clean-up, assessing damage, finding somewhere to live, etc. Call your insurance agent and get a claim. Closely follow any FEMA updates, especially if command posts are set up in your community. Those command posts help people like you if you’ve lost your home. When it comes to any extra needs, services, or benefits from the VA, use them. You earned them, and they’re there to help you. 

Finally, regarding benefits, the VA can and will help you determine what you need to know. But make the call! Thinking something couldn’t or wouldn’t affect you may leave you getting less than what you’re entitled to. 

Be sure to update your address and other personal contact information if your home is destroyed because you’d hate to lose a month of benefits or run into issues not being able to receive valuable paperwork. Also, be sure to utilize the benefits of the VA’s online portal when it comes to benefits. It helps update your information quickly in moments like this. 

For general VA-related questions, you can always reach out to MyVA411, which operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Simply call 1-800-698-2411, or use the “Ask VA” tool online.