134 organizations
How veteran services work in Atlanta
Rule one: never pay anyone to file a VA claim. County and state Veterans Service Officers, plus organizations like the American Legion and DAV, file claims free and know the system cold.
The landscape: the Atlanta VA Health Care System (main campus in Decatur, clinics around the metro) covers health care — enrollment is worth it even if you don't plan to use it weekly. If you're homeless or close to it, ask specifically about HUD-VASH (housing vouchers plus case management) and call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans (1-877-424-3838, 24/7); Atlanta's Veterans Empowerment Organization houses and feeds veterans while paperwork moves. A discharge status that blocks benefits can sometimes be upgraded — legal aid veterans' clinics handle these free.
What to expect when you call: have your DD-214 if you can find it (and if you can't, say so — VSOs request copies all the time; it's step one, not a dead end).
Another Chance of Atlanta is a nonprofit that helps people who are homeless or struggling to keep their housing. They run a free food pantry every Friday and offer housing help, rent and eviction help, emergency motel vouchers, supportive housing for veterans, and job-readiness support across metro Atlanta. They serve anyone in need, including families, men, women, and veterans.
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The Carl Vinson VA Medical Center is a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Dublin, Georgia that provides free or low-cost health care to military Veterans. It offers primary care, mental health counseling, women's health, pharmacy, rehabilitation, long-term nursing care, and housing help for Veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. It is the main hospital for the VA Dublin system, which also runs outpatient clinics in Macon, Albany, Brunswick, Milledgeville, Tifton, and Kathleen.
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Acre & Herd Ranch is a small veteran-owned farm in Griffin, Georgia that raises pasture-raised Katahdin lamb using regenerative farming. It is a for-profit business that sells lamb meat directly to customers and also rents out its sheep to graze and manage weeds at solar farms. It is not a free food or assistance program.
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Blackyard Chickenz, run by Reec Swiney through the nonprofit Positive American Youth and Swiney Farms, is a small farm and licensed farm-animal rescue that teaches kids and families about raising chickens and other animals. They bring rescued animals to schools, host a petting zoo and learning center, and run sensory programs for children with autism or learning disabilities and healing programs for veterans with PTSD. They also sell pasture-raised eggs and baby farm animals.
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House Proud Atlanta is a nonprofit that makes free, no-cost home repairs for low-income seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities who own their homes. They fix things like roofs, heating and cooling units, porches, wheelchair ramps, and handrails so people can stay safely in their homes. The work is done by licensed contractors and volunteers at no charge to the homeowner.
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This is the Atlanta VA's program for Veterans who are homeless or about to lose their housing. They help with shelter and permanent housing, mental health and substance use treatment, medical and dental care, jobs, and help getting back on your feet after jail. You can call the free National Call Center for Homeless Veterans any time, day or night.
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The Joseph Maxwell Cleland Atlanta VA Medical Center in Decatur is the main hospital for the Atlanta VA Health Care System, serving Veterans across northeast Georgia. They provide free or low-cost health care to enrolled Veterans, including primary care, 24/7 emergency care, mental health, surgery, and specialty services. They also run a Women Veterans Health Program with routine screenings, gynecology, pregnancy care, and support for military sexual trauma.
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The Atlanta Vet Center is a free U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs counseling center for veterans, active-duty service members, National Guard, Reserve, and their families. They offer confidential individual, group, and family counseling for things like PTSD, depression, grief, and military sexual trauma, plus help connecting to VA benefits and other services. Counseling is private and is not shared with other VA offices or the military without your permission.
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HOPE Atlanta (the programs of Travelers Aid of Metropolitan Atlanta) is one of the oldest homeless-services agencies in metro Atlanta. They help people who are homeless or about to lose their housing with street outreach, case management, rent and utility help, and housing placement. They run special programs for veterans and their families and for people living with HIV/AIDS. (Note: this record is filed under the name 'Atlanta Recovery Center,' but the website, phone, and address all belong to HOPE Atlanta — a different organization.)
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Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) helps veterans who have a spinal cord injury or disease, MS, or ALS. Their service officers help veterans, dependents, and survivors file for VA benefits and appeal denied claims for free, and the chapter also offers job help, disability rights advocacy, and adaptive sports. The benefits office is located inside the Atlanta VA Regional Office in Decatur.
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Southern Crescent Veteran Services is a veteran-run nonprofit in Stockbridge, GA that helps veterans and their families facing financial or emotional hardship. They offer temporary help with rent, mortgage, and utilities, plus job assistance, housing support, and benefits/claims help, and they run a program for homeless veterans. They mainly serve the Southern Crescent area south of Atlanta.
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This is the Senator Johnny Isakson VA Atlanta Regional Office in Decatur, the local office of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that handles veterans' benefits (not medical care). Staff help veterans and their families file for disability compensation and pensions, get job training and career help through Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E), apply for home loans, and find help if they are homeless or at risk. You can make an appointment online or walk in, or call the national VA benefits line at 1-800-827-1000.
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This is the Augusta Spinal Cord Injury & Disorders (SCI/D) Center at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center, one of the VA's national centers for veterans with spinal cord injuries or disorders. They provide lifelong, coordinated care including rehabilitation, an inpatient SCI unit, primary care, mental health support, and specialty clinics. Special services include an assistive technology lab, driver training, aquatic therapy, adaptive sports, vocational rehab, and a seating and mobility clinic. Note: this center is in Augusta, GA, about 2.5 hours east of Atlanta.
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This is the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which helps veterans with a service-connected disability pay to buy, build, or modify a home so they can live more independently. Through Specially Adapted Housing (SAH), Special Home Adaptation (SHA), and Temporary Residence Adaptation (TRA) grants, the VA can cover things like wheelchair ramps, widened doorways, and roll-in showers. The Atlanta Regional Office at 1700 Clairmont Road in Decatur helps local veterans apply for these and other VA benefits.
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Veterans Home Care runs the VetAssist Program, which helps wartime veterans and their surviving spouses apply for the VA's Aid and Attendance pension so they can pay for in-home care. They guide you through the paperwork, can advance money with an interest-free loan while your claim is processed, and arrange caregivers for help with daily tasks like bathing, dressing, meals, and companionship. It is a national company (based in St. Louis) that serves the Atlanta area by phone.
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Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) has a National Service Office at the Atlanta VA in Decatur that helps veterans with disabilities — especially spinal cord injury, MS, and ALS — get the VA benefits they earned. Their accredited service officers help you file claims, fight denials, and access health care, prosthetics, home modifications, and disability ratings, all for free. They also run a free career program that helps veterans, transitioning service members, and spouses find jobs.
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The VA's Parkinson's Disease Research, Education and Clinical Centers (PADRECC) is a national VA program that gives veterans with Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders specialized care, including doctors, medicine, physical and speech therapy, and deep brain stimulation. Georgia and Atlanta-area veterans are served through the Southeast (Richmond) center and a local Parkinson's consortium clinic at the Joseph Maxwell Cleland Atlanta VA Medical Center in Decatur. You must be enrolled in VA health care and get a referral from your VA provider to use it.
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The Veteran Staffing Network is a national nonprofit job placement and career service run by Easterseals. It helps veterans, their caregivers, and current and former military spouses find work through free one-on-one career coaching, resume help, and interview training, plus a job board that connects them with employers who want to hire veterans. Services are offered virtually, so people anywhere — including the Atlanta area — can use them.
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NVLSP's Lawyers Serving Warriors program gives free legal help to veterans and service members anywhere in the country. Volunteer lawyers help with four military (DOD) issues: discharge upgrades, medical retirement, Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC), and TSGLI traumatic injury insurance claims. It is a national phone- and mail-based service, not a local Atlanta office.
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Veterans Angels, Inc. is a national nonprofit that helps senior veterans and their surviving spouses understand and apply for VA benefits that pay for the cost of care, such as the Aid & Attendance pension. Their accredited claims agents do this by phone and email, and the help is completely free. They are based in Las Vegas, Nevada, and assist veterans across the country, including the Atlanta area.
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