Dad spent 6 years in the Air Force reserves in the 60's. He does not receive any benefits. He says his entire unit was discharged 1 day before they were eligible. Apparently this was a thing.

Does this sound right? Can that rule be changed other than by Congress?

Does he have a DD-214?

Yes he does

Rules changed in the 80's I know. Their weekends, boot camp and summer drills all counted as eligible days. He's adamant that they needed 1 more day to be eligible.

He's 86 who knows if his memory is right.

He never got called up for active duty. This was all
Before Vietnam got hot and heavy. He had a job, wife and babies and didn't want to get drafted I suppose.

That's still the case for a lot of guard folks; if you do your enlistment but never deploy, you don't get the good benefits.

Maybe new guy will change that? Dad was young and ignorant I guess. He was a medic but somehow lost a good bit of hearing during his time there. This all came up when I was getting him the good hearing aids. Veterans get the good stuff cheap. As they should.

He should still be eligible for VA benefits if any of his hearing loss or other ailments are service connected.

maverick2076 said:

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Your best bet is to contact a Veterans Service Officer and talk to them about your Dad's service. They will be able to get you good answers for his situation. You can find one through the DAV, the Texas Veterans Commission, or your county's veterans office.

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This is the correct answer. Let them figure it out, they know the details.

Build It said:

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Rules changed in the 80's I know. Their weekends, boot camp and summer drills all counted as eligible days. He's adamant that they needed 1 more day to be eligible.

He's 86 who knows if his memory is right.

He never got called up for active duty. This was all
Before Vietnam got hot and heavy. He had a job, wife and babies and didn't want to get drafted I suppose.

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His memory is probably correct. IIRC, those reserve contracts were deliberately structured to preclude the cost of paying post-separation benefits and people were briefed on the terms when they signed up. No trickery involved.

For service-related disabilities, he should contact the VA for an authoritative answer, but even if eligible it will be very difficult to establish a claim if his hearing loss wasn't documented while still serving or in his separation physical.

He's 86, he can afford his hearing aids. Supposedly it's on some medical form at discharge about the hearing loss. Not trying to get something he doesn't deserve. The good Docs at Baylor brought it up as they do with all the old folks trying to help them with the cost.

Here is some info that should help but need to be service connected and seems like he may be but have to prove it to VA. I'm not a Dr or anything connected to these groups but just passing some current info based on living similar stuff.

• Stay away from companies that charge five to six times of his monthly award and have you sign contracts. If he got a $150 monthly award they want $900+ as soon as it is awarded.
• There are some good YouTube videos such as CivDiv or Combat Craig, Allot of free stuff and do not need to join or pay.
• Talk to a local VSO or someone at VFW, etc that can help locate one. I did not use one so not sure contacts info and some are good but have heard horror stories on others. They should help fill out the forms the VA disability site requires.
• VA is about to change criteria for tinnitus and hearing loss around April of this year and may not be as favorable to some vets.
• You need to go online and create an Intent to File (ITF) asap. It is pretty simple and gets you under current program criteria. You have 1 year to file claim with details etc but the intent to file is a must do quickly even if don't use it for some time.
• He probably has tinnitus (buzz, ringing in ears, etc) and that is the gateway/cause to other issues he may have along with hearing loss. Again the YouTube videos are very helpful.
• Needs DD214 (it will be short but a must have).
• Copy of medical records and a VSO might help get them quicker.
• He needs his MOS (what he trained on in reserves and what he did for training, drills etc.) Was probably around jets taking off, flight line, ordnance explosions, loud trucks, motor pool, etc. If he was in an office and never got out it is a little harder to prove but can be done.

Hope this helps but educate your self or dad with YouTube videos.

I did 6 in the AF, then 15 in the ANG, so I had my 20 for retirement. It's been quite a while since I left, and things can change. The rules for Guard/Reserves are somewhat complicated. You have inactive duty days (drill weekends) and active duty days (summer camp). There was a certain amount of participation required to have a "good year". It used to be the case that one must serve 181 consecutive days of active duty to be eligible for veterans benefits. You could also do 20 years of monthly drills and your two weeks annual training to retire and have benefits.

My wife served for 10 years in the Guard, but only did drills and annual training. She is not eligible for any benefits. We both want to be buried when the time comes (hopefully not soon) at Fort Sam. She is eligible as my spouse, but not based on her own service. Pisses me off, but plan to have "Major, USAFR" on her headstone.

I work at the VA.

Agreed, with what was mentioned above. Never go directly to the VA to seek service connected compensation first.

Go through a VSO. I went through TVC. DAV is another good one.

If you have further questions feel free to PM me or just ask me here.

As long as your dad served in the reserve August, 5th 1964 and after then he served during a time of war, which unlocks more benefits