Services for Veterans

Veterans Claims and Benefits 
    
The Red Cross provides assistance and information in preparing, developing, and obtaining sufficient evidence to support applicants’ claims for veterans’ benefits and also assists claimants who seek to appeal to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (BVA).  Red Cross staff at the BVA and a network of State Work-Share Representatives who are accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs work on behalf of the Red Cross to assist claimants.

To request this assistance, please contact an American Red Cross Military Caseworker at 1-877-272-7337. 

Department of Veterans Affairs

State of North Caronlina Department of Administration

Emergency Financial Assistance  
    
The American Red Cross works under partnership agreements with the Air Force Aid Society, Army Emergency Relief, Coast Guard Mutual Assistance, and Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society to provide quality, reliable financial assistance to eligible applicants 24/7/365. Types of assistance include financial assistance for emergency travel, burial of a loved one, and assistance to avoid privation (food, temporary lodging, urgent medical needs, or the minimum amount required to avoid eviction, utility shut off, etc.)

For assistence, please contact an American Red Cross Military Caseworker at 1-877-272-7337.

Full name
Rank/rating
Branch of service (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard)
Social Security Account number or date of birth

Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service 
    
Red Cross volunteer services to U.S. veterans date back to World War I and are consistent with the mission of its congressional charter. Today, the Red Cross is proud to maintain its commitment to the sick and disabled men and women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Volunteers from Red Cross chapters and Red Cross offices on military installations serve in 153 VA hospitals around the nation. It is their way of saying thank-you to that special group of men and women who answered their country’s call and who are now cared for each day in VA medical centers. The opportunities for volunteers to meet the great needs in thesecenters include:

-Transporting patients to and from treatment sessions
-Working in libraries, bringing magazines, books, and comfort items to patients
-Providing companionship and personal services to patients
-Working in hospital offices, laboratories and at information desks
-Raising funds to support veterans’ activities and material needs
-Participating in outreach opportunities in community-based outpatient clinics, nursing homes and home visitations

Both youth and adults can volunteer on a regularly scheduled basis or on an occasional basis working on special projects. Youth volunteers are especially welcome and are offered the same opportunities as adults. Regardless of how one serves, being able to reach out to these men and women has special rewards.
Click here for more information on how to volunteer with the Red Cross

The Veterans History Project 
    
Every veteran could tell a rich story about their military experience, but how often are they asked to share them? These stories are an important part of our national history and the Red Cross is dedicated to helping to provide a forum for them to be told.  Partnering with the Library of Congress, Red Cross chapters across the nation are participating in the Veterans History Project .

In VA Medical Centers and Military Hospitals, such as our own Durham VA Medical Center, Red Cross volunteers document the oral histories of veterans not only to ensure that they are archived and made a permanent part of our American History, but as a way of honoring veterans for their service.  

View Veterans History Project Flyer