The state of Alabama has a long and proud history of serving the nation through military service and today, the state is home to more than 412,000 veterans, with 170,000 of these are age 65 and over. There are many benefits available to Alabama veterans, including state-of-art facilities and a full structure of support to help them get the most benefits that their service has earned them.

Alabama features four state-of-the-art Veterans Homes that offer affordable, round-the-clock care and services to the state’s aging veterans. The goal of these homes is to provide care and dignity for those who bravely served our country, for a small monthly fee to eligible veterans. The Bill Nichols State Veterans Home in Alexander City has helped hundreds of veterans since its opening in 1989. In July 1995, Alabama opened the Floyd E. "Tut" Fann State Veterans Home in Huntsville and the William F. Green State Veterans Home in Bay Minette. In November 2012, the Colonel Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home opened in Pell City. These homes offer 24-hour nursing care along with onsite occupational, physical, and speech therapy, a physician on-call, and pharmacy services. Applications may be obtained from your local Veterans Service Office or by contacting the facility, or you may download the application from the Alabama VA site.

The Alabama Department of Veterans’ Affairs (ADVA) has Veterans Service Offices in 50 counties throughout the state of Alabama, with the goal of assisting eligible veterans, their families, and survivors in accessing any and all benefits to which they may be entitled from the U. S. and State governments. The ADVA hosts multiple programs for veterans in all states of life. For example, veterans facing homelessness or looking to recover from homelessness can access assistance through the Homeless Veterans Program or the VA Compensated Work Therapy program. For veterans looking to pass on his or her GI Bill benefits to their dependents, the department offers information and counseling.

For veterans looking for health care services, there are VA hospitals in almost every corner of the state. The Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System is comprised of two main hospitals – the West Campus in Montgomery and the East Campus in Tuskegee. Along with two community-based outpatient clinics, these four sites serve more than 134,000 veterans. These facilities provide general health care services as well as providers focusing on specialized areas, as well as care for homeless veterans, returning service members, women veterans, and caregivers.

Another great resource for Alabama veterans is the Alabama Veterans of Foreign War and local posts. The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is a national, nonprofit veterans service organization comprised of eligible veterans and military service members from the active, guard, and reserve forces. Alabama has 75 local posts in cities across the state, and in addition to hosting regular networking and social events, each post also has a trained officer who can assist you in filing or refilling claims with the VA.

Alabama is also home to the first Veterans Day Parade, held in 1947, and continues to host an impressive event each November 11.  In 1945, World War II veteran Raymond Weeks, a resident of Birmingham, had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans (it had previously celebrated those only from World War I). Weeks led a delegation to Washington, D.C., urging then-Army Chief of Staff General Dwight Eisenhower to establish such a holiday; Eisenhower would later sign legislation formally establishing the new national holiday in 1954 during his presidency. After his visit to D.C., Weeks went home to lead the first National Veterans Day Parade in 1947 in Alabama, and continued the tradition annually until his passing in 1985. Today the Veterans Day parade is the largest in the nation, with additional community-wide events leading up to the parade, including a fun run, award ceremonies, dinners and luncheons, and special memorial services.

To find out what veterans benefits exist in other states in the U.S. please visit our complete Veterans Benefits by State guide here.

Alabama Veterans Benefit for Assisted Living

ADVA services also include the processing of compensation and pension applications; appealing VA decisions; filing for survivors death benefits; applying for the Aid & Attendance housebound benefits; certificating of claim documents; requesting military service records; upgrading military discharges; applying for special veteran license plates and more.

The Aid and Attendance pension benefit is available to senior veterans and their spouses to help pay for senior care like assisted living, home care, or nursing home care. Here is more information on how the Aid and Attendance benefit helps Alabama veterans.

Written By Megan Hammons