American Legion Post 642 (Stevens Creek) Cupertino, California

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Veterans Benefits Newsletter

April 2026

VA helps Veterans maximize their GI Bill education benefits. 

The Department of Veterans Affairs is making it easier for eligible Veterans to maximize use of their GI Bill education benefits in the wake of two recent court rulings.

The rulings (Rudisill v. McDonough and Perkins v. Collins) potentially enable millions of Veterans to receive additional education benefits under both the Montgomery GI Bill and the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Veterans may be eligible under either court decision for an additional 12 months of benefits, up to a total of 48 months. 

Learn more about how these decisions may impact you. 

VALife: Protect Those Who Matter Most 

Have you ever felt that life insurance is too expensive? VALife provides guaranteed acceptance whole life coverage from $10,000 to $40,000, with easy and convenient payment options.  Learn more about it today. 

Spring Home Buying Season

With Spring comes the home buying and building season. VA offers great home loan options for those seeking to buy a new home. If you are considering building a home, VA offers construction loans for Veterans to build their dream homes. 

Learn more about construction loans.

Object 2: Bounty Land Warrant

From the American Revolution through the aftermath of the Mexican War, the United States awarded more than 61 million acres of public land to Veterans and their heirs through bounty land warrants. For a nation with limited financial resources, the bounty land warrants served as an invaluable tool to encourage and reward military service.

Read more about Object 2 in the History of VA in 100 Objects digital exhibit.

Financing the Future: Unlocking Growth with SBA

Veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs can leverage the SBA 504 Loan Program to access long-term, fixed-rate financing for major business investments. The 504 program helps fund real estate purchases, facility expansions, and equipment upgrades, giving you affordable capital to scale with confidence. With support from Certified Development Companies and participating lenders, the 504 program is designed to fuel stable, sustainable growth for your #VetBiz: sba.gov/504.

Paralyzed Veterans of America

Since 1946, Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) has been on a mission to change lives and build brighter futures for our seriously injured heroes. PVA membership opens up a world of programs and services designed to help you live your best life: assistance with your earned VA benefits; help with employment and higher education; sports and recreation opportunities; and a window into PVA's important research and advocacy efforts. Learn more about PVA's support services.

Change Your VA Direct Deposit Information

If you receive disability compensation, pension, or education benefits from VA, you can update your direct deposit information in your VA.gov profile. You’ll need your bank’s routing number and account number to make the updates.

Easy exercises for back pain

Is back pain making your life harder? We have exercises from a VA physical therapist to help strengthen your core.
Try these exercises for back pain relief

Share your health data–and keep it secure

Smart watches and other digital devices make it easy to track helpful heath stats. Now there’s an easy way to review this all in one place—and share it securely with your VA health care team.
Learn more about safely sharing your health information

Try the Veterans Health Library web tutorial

The Veterans Health Library (VHL) is a trusted source for health information. But it’s more than just articles. Take a tour of all the helpful tools on VHL, including decision aids, a medications library, videos, and more. Learn how to get the most out of VHL

#VetResources is a weekly newsletter for Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors. Connect with Secretary Collins on X

FASTER CLAIM PROCESSING WITH HIGHER ACCURACY AT VA

VA has significantly reduced processing times for Veterans' claims and benefits, while boosting accuracy to 94%. These improvements ensure Veterans and their families receive benefits faster and more reliably, reflecting ongoing efforts to serve those who served.

VA Secretary Collins further expands how VA has drastically reduced the benefits backlog and is keeping it down. Veterans stepped up and answered the call to serve. Now it’s our turn to ensure VA delivers for them.

$16M IN GRANTS BOOST VETERAN ADAPTIVE SPORTS PROGRAMS

Organizations have until May 13 to apply for grants that create local adaptive sports and recreational opportunities promoting healing, camaraderie, and an active lifestyle for Veterans with disabilities.

DO YOU KNOW ABOUT VA HEALTH CONNECT?

This YouTube short explains how VA Health Connect allows you to speak with a nurse to determine the right course of action for non-emergency medical services. It is available 24/7 nationwide, and Veterans enrolled in VA health care automatically have access. 

VA RESOURCES

• For any questions or requests,1-800-MyVA411 (1-800-698-2411) is always the right number.
• Veterans Crisis Line: 988 and press 1 , Chat, or Text 838255
• Vet Centers: 1-877-927-8387
• Homeless Veteran Resources: 1-877-424-3838 or Chat
• Ask VA
• Schedule a 1-on-1 Appointment with a VA Benefits Expert
• Find a VA facility near you

For non-urgent questions, you can reach VA using the VA Health & Benefits App or MyHealtheVet secure messaging to schedule an appointment, refill prescriptions, and access your medical records.

VA HOME LOAN SECRETS

In this episode, the SITREP sits down with a renowned lending professional to break down what Veterans really need to know before using their VA Home Loan benefit.

VETERAN BUDDY LINK

Connect with Veterans in your neighborhood for friendship or support through Together We Served’s Free Veteran Buddy Link service.

EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNTS FOR VETERANS

The Alpha Coffee spring discount is back! Use code VA2026 and save 30% off your next order. This Veteran-owned small business has donated over 22K bags of coffee to deployed troops and over $150K to Veteran non-profit organizations. 

This one-time use code expires on 12/31/2026 and cannot be combined with other offers. Veterans are able to save 10% year-round on Alpha Coffee through GOVX.

From The California Legionnaire, 

Our top Veterans news beats over the last week, starting with… President Trump signed an executive order this past weekend directing federal agencies to expedite research into psychedelic drugs as mental health treatments, particularly for Veterans suffering from PTSD and related ailments. The move complements and streamlines a process for VA research into drugs like MDMA already underway in California and other states.

The order also sets aside $50 million to support research and expand access if discovered treatments are deemed safe.


President Trump's order follows recent research that suggests that while psychedelics may have potential for treating mental health, they are not without risk.

More details in the links below.

More Articles This Week

• A federal panel hosted by the National Academies is asking Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans to offer their perspective as it examines possible links between military service and neurological conditions that develop years or even decades later. Our feature article has more details, and statements can be submitted via the National Academies’ portal.

• A trio of bills are making their way through Congress that would reduce restrictions and update compensation for Gold Star Spouses and families. Supporters claim the programs have not kept pace with other federal programs that are routinely updated with cost-of-living adjustments.

Quick California Veterans News Bites

• Per the Los Angeles Times, the VA’s 2027 budget does not include provisions to develop permanent housing for Homeless Veterans on its West LA Campus despite assurances from President Trump that the project would be completed before his term expires. Funds do appear to be allocated to renovations for existing infrastructure on the campus. Our team at The California Legionnaire is looking into this story and will post an update later this week.

• War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that Service Members will no longer be required to receive annual flu vaccinations. Vaccines will, however, remain available for all Service Members who elect to receive one.