Veterans Affairs
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) does not maintain a local representative in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. To assist veterans and their dependents abroad, the
Veteran Affairs website
offers information, application forms, and a list of
frequently asked questions
regarding VA benefits.
Contact the VA
Telephone: +1 800-827-1000 (U.S. number)
Veterans Affairs Website
eBenefits Home Page
E-mail inquiries
Applications for benefits
Applications for VA compensation and /or pension benefits, Education benefits and Vocational Rehabilitations benefits can be
submitted online
. Most claims from the RMI are handled at the Pittsburgh PA Regional Office. Pension claims are handled at the Philadelphia PA Pension Maintenance Center and Educational claims are handled by the Buffalo NY Regional Office. If you need to contact the VA to follow up on the status of a claim, you can use the
VA Facilities Locator
.
Reporting Non-Receipt of a monthly check
Occasionally, there may be delays in the mail system which prevents beneficiaries from receiving their benefits in a timely manner each month. The VA will not issue replacements for lost or missing checks until the last week of the month.
VA benefit checks not received by the end of the month should be reported directly to the VA at +1-800-827-1000 or you can
email them directly
. You may also contact the VA Benefits Counselors office in Pittsburgh PA which have access to the main VA computer database and can initiate the check replacement process. They can be reached at +1-412-395-6272 between the hours of 8:30am-4:00pm (US EST). When calling or writing, please provide the following information to the VA:
- Name of the beneficiary (veteran, widow, child of veteran, parent of veteran);
- VA claim number or Social Security number of the veteran and the payee number if known;
- Date of the check that is missing;
- Type of benefit (pension, compensation, education, etc.) if known; Current address of claimant; and
- Any other pertinent information.
If an address was changed since the previous check was issued, the VA will input the new address in their main computer systems. The Department of Treasury’s payments systems needs to reconcile with the VA’s systems. Once this is done, the Dept of Treasury will reissue the check to the correct address. A change of address must be processed by the 15th of the month to be effective on the next check. If not, please ensure that the postal service has a forwarded address for your mail. Replacement checks can take several weeks to a month to be issued. If the replacement check is returned, benefits may be suspended immediately.
Death of a VA Beneficiary
To report the death of a beneficiary in receipt of a VA pension, please contact the
Consular Section
of the U.S. Embassy in Majuro. When calling, please have available the beneficiary’s full name, date of birth, Social Security Number and date of death. Please also have available the beneficiary’s “Next of Kin” details; name, contact telephone number and address.
Upon receipt of this information, the U.S. Embassy will inform the VA of the passing. Depending on the veteran’s military service, the next of kin may be entitled to benefits. Information regarding this should be discussed when reporting the death of the beneficiary.