Who is a Veteran?

There are two key requirements that defines who is a veteran. 

1.  The servicemember must have served and completed “active military, naval, air, or space service.

2.  Second provision is that a servicemember must be discharged from service under “other than dishonorable conditions.”  A “Bad Conduct Discharge” or “Dishonorable Discharge” will make you ineligible for VA benefits.

Active Duty
Veterans who entered service prior to September 8, 1980, were not subject to a minimum length of service requirement for VA benefits eligibility except for certain programs, such as the Vietnam-era educational benefits. Prior to September 8, 1980, servicemembers needed one day of active military service to qualify for VA benefits. Individuals who initially enlisted (not including officers) in the service on or after September 8, 1980, and who do not have service-connected disabilities are generally required to have a continuous 24-month length of service to be eligible for VA benefits. The same requirement applies to officers and enlisted servicemembers who (1) entered active military service after October 16, 1981, and (2) had not already completed a previous 24-month period of active military service.

Reserve Component
A member of the reserve components who is activated for federal military service and either serves the entire activation period or meets the length of service requirement is generally considered a veteran for purposes of VA benefits. In addition, a member of a reserve component who has not served on active duty can establish veteran status in limited situations during active duty training or inactive duty training.

National Guard
A “Honorary” veteran status is granted to those National Guard and reserve members with 20 or more years of service but no active duty. The law does not grant access to any VA benefits as stated in Section 305 of the law.