The American Legion Veterans Resources

Below is a list of resources provided by The American Legion for veterans and their families. However, the best way to take advantage of the resources of The American Legion is to join our organization and stand shoulder to shoulder with other veterans in our common cause. For a listing of VA Resources click here . To get a 'quick listing' of phone numbers and website addresses click here . 

Veterans Emergency Financial Assistance Program (VEFAP)

For questions pertaining to the Veterans Financial Emergency Assistance Program, please contact Maine Bureau of Veterans Services at 207-287-7019 or Veterans Forward at 207-835-8910 Ext. 0 | 844-653-0316 or Email Veterans Forward/FEDCAP

Veterans Forward (VEFAP) Application

Maine State Veteran's Benefits Directory   This directory may include grants and scholarships, special exemptions or discounts on fees and taxes, home loans, veteran's homes, free hunting and fishing privileges, veteran's license plates, Maine veterans memorial cemeteries, and more. 

Maine Veterans' Benefits Resource Guide 2024

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VA Disability Compensation
207-623-5726  Contact the Department's Service Officer
The American Legion has representatives throughout the country available to assist veterans who have suffered or aggravated a disease or injury during military service. The Department of Maine's Service Officer can help with the filing of disability claims and benefits paperwork.

Temporary Financial Assistance
Contact Department Headquarters
Families of deployed servicemembers who have minor children at home can apply for cash grants through The American Legion's Temporary Financial Assistance Program.  To learn more about TFA click on the link below for a copy of the TFA Brochure. TFA Applications are available through Department Headquarters .
Temporary Financial Assistance Brochure

The American Legion
National Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation Commission
1608 K St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20006
1-202-861-2700 

Financial Guide for Maine Veterans

Operation Comfort Warriors
The American Legion delivers comfort items to military hospitals, warrior transition units, and other facilities worldwide, bringing hope and support to our service members during their recovery. https://www.legion.org/get-involved/community-programs/operation-comfort-warriors

The National Resource Directory www.nrd.gov   - a website that provides access to services and resources at the national, state, and local levels, unveiled an updated design and layout this week. The updates were implemented to make the site more user-friendly for the thousands of service members, veterans, and family members who use the Directory each month. 

The National Resource Directory has been an invaluable collection of resources for our service members, veterans, and their families, said James Rodriguez, deputy assistant secretary of defense, Office of Warrior Care Policy. "Improving the site and expanding its capabilities was an easy decision."  

Enhancements to the Directory include a refreshed appearance, updated search engine, and behind-the-scenes software updates that will improve the speed and accuracy of managing the programs and services listed. Also included in the redesign is the addition of widgets­, a stand-alone application that organizations can use to enable access to Directory functions through their own websites. 

"The National Resource Directory is a great place for everyone to find vetted and organized resources, but it can be particularly helpful for those professionals and other organizations helping to coordinate care for our wounded, ill, and injured service members," said Rodriguez. "For our Recovery Care Coordinators, those men and women who are working each day to support wounded, ill, and injured service members, the updates to the National Resource Directory will allow them to find and connect service members with appropriate resources more efficiently."  

The Directory continues to be one of the largest online collections of government and non-government resources specifically designed for service members, their families, military caregivers, and veterans. With a unique collection of more than 18,000 organized and vetted resources, the Directory provides information covering a variety of topics, including benefits and compensation, education and training, family and military caregiver support, health, homeless assistance, housing, and other services and programs. 

"The Directory's participation policy uses crowdsourced data points from watchdog organizations in addition to government data sources to ensure the quality of resources on the site." 

Military Discharge Requests

If you are a veteran whose home of record at the time of entry into the service was the State of Maine then a copy of your DD-214 (or equivalent) may be on file at the Bureau of Veteran's Services. 

Please click on the Application Request for Military Discharge link below if you are requesting a discharge from the State of Maine and mail the application to the Bureau of Veteran's Services for processing.  For more information, please visit www.maine.gov/dvem/bvs/military_discharges.htm 

Application Request for Military Discharge

or 

The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) has provided the following website for veterans to gain access to their DD-214s online: http://vetrecs.archives.gov

This may be particularly helpful when a veteran needs a copy of his DD-214 for employment purposes. NPRC is working to make it easier for veterans with computers and Internet access to obtain copies of documents from their military files.

Military veterans and the next of kin of deceased former military members may now use a new online military personnel records system to request documents. 

Other individuals with a need for documents must still complete the Standard form 180, which can be downloaded from the online website.  Because the requester will be asked to supply all information essential for NPRC to process the request, delays that normally occur when NPRC has to ask veterans for additional information will be minimized.  The new web-based application was designed to provide better service on these requests by eliminating the records center's mailroom and processing time. 

Please pass this information on to former military personnel you may know and their dependents. 

If you are not severely injured and are in need of general transition assistance or support, you can contact your American Legion Department Service Officer (DSO) or your local American Legion  post.