How benefits and services for veterans work in AtlantaA short guide: who to call first and what to expect.
In a crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. That is the Veterans Crisis Line, open day and night.
Never pay anyone to file a VA claim. Service officers approved by the VA do it for free. The American Legion Department of Georgia, 678-289-8883, can connect you with one, and so can the DAV, the VFW and the Georgia Department of Veterans Service. Bring your DD-214. If you lost it, they can request a copy.
For health care, enroll with the VA at 877-222-8387 or va.gov. The Atlanta VA Medical Center is at 1670 Clairmont Road in Decatur, with clinics around the metro area. Enroll even if you have other insurance.
For counseling, the Atlanta Vet Center in College Park, 770-994-6700, offers free, private counseling for veterans and their families. You do not need to be enrolled in VA health care or have a disability rating. The Emory Healthcare Veterans Program, 888-514-5345, treats veterans who served after September 11, 2001, for free.
If you have no place to live or are about to lose it, call 877-424-3838 any time. In Atlanta you can walk into the VA's center for veterans without housing at 1701 Hardee Avenue SW, at Fort McPherson. Ask about HUD-VASH, a rent voucher that comes with a case manager. The Veterans Empowerment Organization houses veterans, and HOPE Atlanta helps with rent and utilities.
If your discharge keeps you from benefits, you can ask for an upgrade. Law school clinics and legal aid offices help with that for free. Ask your service officer where to go.
This is the VA Public Health program on military exposures. It helps Veterans learn about health problems linked to things like Agent Orange, burn pits, Gulf War service, radiation and embedded fragments. It offers free registry health exams, screening, and information on VA care and benefits.
This is the VA health care system for veterans in the Atlanta area. Its main medical center is at 1670 Clairmont Road in Decatur, and it has many clinics around the area. It offers primary care, mental health care, a pharmacy, emergency care, women's health care, and social work help.
Paralyzed Veterans of America is a national group that helps veterans, especially those with spinal cord injuries or diseases. Its trained service officers help with VA benefit claims and appeals for free, and it has lawyers, a career program, and caregiver support.
American Legion Bolton Post 156 is a veterans post at 2352 Bolton Rd NW in Atlanta. It offers help with filing disability claims and rents its hall and 35 acres of grounds for events. It also holds community events such as a Friday fish fry and a business networking afternoon.
This is the Georgia state agency that helps veterans and their families, caregivers, and survivors get the benefits they are owed. Trained service officers at field offices around the state help people file and appeal claims. The agency also runs two state veterans homes and two veterans cemeteries.
This is the main VA hospital in Decatur for the VA Atlanta Health Care System. It serves Veterans with primary care, pharmacy, mental health care, women's health care and emergency care that is open all day and night. It also offers social work help, nurse advice by phone, and a clinic for same-day mental health help.
This is the VA benefits office in Decatur. Staff help Veterans, service members, and their families with VA benefits like disability pay, job and school help, pensions, and home loans. You can walk in or make an appointment.
Veterans Empowerment Organization (VEO) helps veterans in Atlanta who are homeless or at risk of being homeless. It offers emergency and transitional housing, affordable apartments just for veterans, mental health support, and job and money classes.
DAV is a national nonprofit that gives veterans and their families free help. Its benefits advocates help with VA claims and appeals. It also runs free volunteer-driver rides to VA medical places, caregiver support, and job help. You enter your ZIP code on its website to find the nearest office.
Wounded Warrior Project is a national group for veterans and service members who were hurt, became ill, or were injured on or after September 11, 2001. Their families and caregivers can get help too. They offer mental health, physical wellness, VA benefits help, career help, money coaching and peer connection at no cost to registered warriors and families.
Soldiers' Angels is a national nonprofit that helps military members, veterans, and their families. In Atlanta it runs a monthly food giveaway at the Atlanta VA Arcadia Clinic in Decatur and a food pantry on Lawrenceville Highway. You have to register first, and you register again each month.
The Emory Healthcare Veterans Program gives no-cost mental health care to veterans and service members who served at least one day after September 11, 2001. It treats post-traumatic stress, brain injury, military sexual trauma, anxiety, and depression. The main treatment is a two-week accelerated program, offered in person or online, and the program says it covers travel, lodging and meals too.
HOPE Atlanta’s Veterans Services helps veterans and their families who are homeless or may lose their homes. Staff help people find housing, get rent and utility assistance, and connect with benefits and other support. Help depends on eligibility and available resources.
I Will Survive, Inc. is a nonprofit led by veterans. It helps military-connected families who are at higher risk for breast cancer or are living with it. Help includes money support such as paying housing costs, wellness workshops, and mentoring with a peer who has been through it.
The Atlanta Vet Center is a small VA counseling center for veterans, service members, and their families. It offers free, private counseling for things like PTSD, depression, grief, and military sexual trauma. It also helps people move back to civilian life and connects them to VA and community help.
The Atlanta Vet Center is a small counseling center in College Park for Veterans, service members, and their families. It offers free, private counseling for things like PTSD, depression, grief, and military sexual trauma. It is not a medical clinic, and you do not need to be signed up for VA care to use it.
The Warrior Alliance is an Atlanta nonprofit for service members, veterans, and their families. You fill out a short form, and a navigator works with you on a personal plan. They then connect you with partner groups for things like health care, jobs, school, housing referrals, benefits, legal help, and money skills.
Belinda Boldoe is a Veterans of Foreign Waves (VFW) service officer for the state of Georgia. She works at the VA Regional Office in Decatur. She helps veterans and their families file benefit claims and appeal claim decisions, at no cost to the veteran.
The Willie F. Ash Organization is a nonprofit that helps veterans move from military to civilian life. It serves all veterans, with a main focus on women veterans and their families. It helps with VA benefits claims, food and clothing, street outreach to homeless veterans, and youth mentoring.
This is the housing voucher office of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA). It helps very low income people and families pay rent for homes in the private market. DCA pays part of the rent straight to the landlord. It also runs special vouchers for groups such as young adults leaving foster care, veterans, and people who are homeless.
