Program Description
VA provides a Vocational Rehabilitation and
Employment program for natural children diagnosed with spina bifida (except
spina bifida occulta) born to certain Vietnam
veterans.
This program enables a
qualified child to prepare for and attain suitable employment. Services may
include counseling and rehabilitative services, education, training, and
employment services leading to suitable employment. VA pays for the cost of
these services.
A vocational training
program may not begin before a child's 18th birthday or the date of
completion of secondary schooling, whichever comes first. Depending on the
need, a child may be provided up to 24 months of full-time training.
Entitlement to vocational training is
based on eligibility determinations made by the VA Regional Office.
Claimants submit applications on VA Form 21-0304. If the VA Regional Office
grants a monthly monetary award for an individual with spina bifida, the
individual should contact the local VA Regional Office to request vocational
training.
General Program Requirements
In order to be considered for this benefit
program, you must be the biological child of a veteran who served in Vietnam
or on the Korean demilitarized zone during certain periods in the 1960s or
1970s. You must have been conceived after the veteran served some time in
one of those two
places.
Military Service
Rules The veteran parent must have—
- Served
in Vietnam during the period beginning January 9, 1962, and ending May 7,
1975, OR
- Served
at or near the Korean demilitarized zone (DMZ) during the period beginning
September 1, 1967, and ending August 31, 1971.
The
Gender of the Veteran Parent The rules for Spina Bifida
are different from the rules for other covered birth defects:
- If
you have Spina Bifida, you may qualify if either your father
or your mother served in one of the
situations described
above.
- If you have
another kind of birth defect, you qualify only if it was your mother who
served in one of these
situations.
Your
Own Disability You must be suffering from
Spina Bifida or another covered birth
defect.
Application Process For more information, see the Program Contact Information below.
Program Contact Information
If you have any questions or need additional information, you can call us toll free at 1-800-827-1000.
You can download an application to receive monthly payments (and to qualify as a VA birth defects beneficiary) at this address:
http://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/21-0304.pdf
Managing Agency
Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA)
http://www.vba.va.gov
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