“Below you will find answers to some of the most common questions asked of my office on Veterans Affairs. If you do not find an answer to your question here, please feel free to contact my district offices. My staff will be more than happy to assist you in dealing with Federal agencies. If you require immediate assistance, my Saratoga Springs office can be reached at (518) 581-8247."

- Congressman Scott Murphy (NY-20)

To access the online application form for medical benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs, please go here.

The VA has toll free numbers for the convenience of veterans and dependents.

VA Benefits: 1-800-827-1000

Health care: 1-877-222-8387

Education: 1-888-442-4551

Life Insurance: 1-800-669-8477

Debt Management: 1-800-827-0648

Mammography Hotline: 1-888-492-7844

Telecommunication Device for the Deaf (TDD): 1-800-829-4833

CHAMPVA: 1-800-733-8387

Headstones/Markers: 1-800-697-6947

Gulf War/Agent Orange/Project 112/Shad: 1-800-749-8387

Sexual Trauma Hotline: 1-800-827-1000 

Disability Compensation: A monthly monetary benefit paid to veterans who are disabled by injury or disease incurred in or aggravated during military service. This is considered to be “service-connected.”

Disability Pension: A monetary benefit paid to veterans of a period of war who are permanently and totally disabled for reasons not the result of their own willful misconduct and not related to their military service. This benefit is income-dependent.

There are Four Types of claims:

• Original Claim: The very first claim for disability benefits (compensation or pension) filed by a veteran. All original claims must be filed on VA Form 21-526.

• Claim for increase: A claim for increased compensation for a disability already found to be service-connected.

• New Claim: A claim for compensation for a disability not part of the original claim. Also known as a supplemental claim.

• Reopened Claim: A claim asking for reconsideration of an issue previously considered and finally disallowed by VA (after more than one year has passed).The type of claim determines how much development is required by VA and/or the nature of the supporting evidence the veteran must submit in support of the claim. The processing time for a claim varies depending on the type of claim and the supporting evidence provided by the veteran.

For copies of military service records, you may contact the National Personnel Records Center:

National Personnel Records Center

9700 Page Avenue

St. Louis, MO 63132-5100

For further guidance on requesting military service records, please visit the veterans section of the National Archives website.

My office has been very successful in working for veterans of all branches of the service that were awarded medals, but never received them, or in securing replacement medals that have been lost.  Please call my Saratoga Springs Office at 518-581-8247 for assistance. 

For members who were in the Army or Air Force, the National Personnel Records Center handles requests for replacement medals:

National Personnel Records Center

9700 Page Avenue

St. Louis, MO 63132-5100

For Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard requests, the Retired Records Section of Navy Personnel Command is the point of contact:

Navy Personnel Command

Liaison Office Room 5409

9700 Page Avenue

St. Louis, MO 63132-5100

If you require any assistance in acquiring replacement medals, please contact my Saratoga Springs office at 518-851-8247.

Each of New York’s 62 counties has an office concerned with veterans’ issues.

Delaware County Department of Veterans Affairs:

NYS Division of Veterans Affairs 

Civic Center 

21 Liberty Street 

Sidney, NY 13838

Tel:(607) 563-2002 

Delaware County Veterans Service Agency 

1 Gallant Avenue 

Highway Annex, Suite A 

Delhi, NY 13753

Tel: (607) 746-2334

Fax: (607) 746-2385

Dutchess County Department of Veterans Affairs: 

NYS Division of Veterans Affairs 

Hudson Valley Health Care System 

P. O. Box 633 

Building 15, Room E102 

Castle Point, NY 12511

Tel: (845) 831-2000, Ext. 5449

Fax: (845) 838-2864

Dutchess County Veterans Service Agency 

22 Market Street 

Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

Tel: (845) 486-2060

Fax: (845) 486-6452

Columbia County Veterans Service Agency:

NYS Division of Veterans Affairs 

County Office Building 

401 State Street 

Hudson, NY 12534

Tel: (518) 828-9511

Fax: (518) 828-6149

Columbia County 

401 State Street 

Hudson, NY 12534

Tel: (518) 828-9511

Essex County Department of Veterans Affairs:

NYS Division of Veterans Affairs 

7551 Court Street 

P. O. Box 217 

Elizabethtown, NY 12932

Tel: (518) 873-3488

Greene County Department of Veterans Affairs:

NYS Division of Veterans Affairs 

Columbia/Greene Medical Arts Building 

159 Jefferson Heights, Suite A104 

Catskill, NY 12414

Tel: (518) 943-3703

Fax: (518) 943-1928

Greene County Veterans Service Agency 

159 Jefferson Heights, Suite A-104 

Catskill, NY 12414

Tel: (518) 943-3703

Otsego County Department of Veterans Affairs:

NYS Division of Veterans Affairs 

242 Main Street 

Oneonta, NY 13820

Tel: (607) 432-4190

Otsego County Veterans Service Agency 

County Office Building 

197 Main Street 

Cooperstown, NY 13326

Tel: (607) 547-4224

Rensselaer County Department of Veterans Affairs:

NYS Division of Veterans Affairs 

County Office Building 

1600 Seventh Avenue 

Troy, NY 12180

Tel: (518) 270-2761

Rensselaer County Veterans Service Agency 

County Office Building 

1600 Seventh Avenue 

Troy, NY 12180

Tel: (518) 270-2760

Fax: (518) 270-2956

Saratoga County Department of Veterans Affairs:

NYS Division of Veterans Affairs 

Malta Commons Business Park 

100 Saratoga Village Boulevard, Suite 13C 

Malta, NY 12020

Tel: (518) 899-6148

Fax: (518) 899-5052

Saratoga County Veterans Service Agency 

152 W. High Street 

Ballston Spa, NY 12020

Tel: (518) 884-4115

Fax: (518) 884-4185

Warren County Department of Veterans Affairs

NYS Division of Veterans Affairs 

County Municipal Center Annex 

Lake George, NY 12845

Tel: (518) 761-6343

Warren County Veterans Service Agency 

Waren County Municipal Center Annex 

1340 State Route 9 

Lake George, NY 12845

Tel: (518) 761-6342

Washington County Department of Veterans Affairs

Veterans Service Agency 

Municipal Center 

383 Broadway 

Fort Edward, NY 12828

Tel: (518) 746-2470

Fax: (518) 746-2473

Your experiences can help inform future policies and programs to support veterans in NY State!  The RAND Corporation is currently conducting outreach to learn about the post-deployment and reintegration needs of veterans and their families residing in New York State.  Over the coming weeks, RAND will be doing confidential interviews with randomly selected veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan.  Participants will be paid for their time.   If contacted by RAND, we encourage you to participate in this important new initiative. This effort is funded by the New York State Health Foundation and is being implemented in coordination with the New York State Division of Veterans Affairs.  The findings from this outreach assessment will help inform how programs and policies are shaped for NY veterans.  For more information about this study, please contact NYVetStudy@rand.org