Veteran Monthly Assistance Allowance
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee supports military veterans with physical and visual disabilities in their efforts to represent Team USA at the Paralympic Games and other international competitions. Wounded, ill and injured veterans who demonstrate exceptional sport skills and the commitment necessary to pursue elite-level competition are given guidance on securing the training, support and coaching needed to qualify for Team USA and achieve their Paralympic dreams.
Through a partnership with the Veterans Affairs, the VA National Veterans Sport Programs & Special Events Office helps to provide a monthly assistance allowance for disabled Veterans of the Armed Forces, as authorized by section 703 of the Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act of 2008.
Through the program, the VA will pay a monthly allowance to a Veteran with a service-connected or non-service-connected disability if the veteran is classified in the sport and meets the minimum military standard or any higher standard (i.e. emerging, national team) in his/her respective sport at a recognized competition.
Athletes must also have established training and competition plans and are responsible for turning in monthly and quarterly reports in order to continue receiving the monthly assistance allowance.
Current VMAA Standards#
Sport standards differ from sport to sport. Evaluative criteria can vary from open tryouts, invitation-only tryouts, world rankings, achievement standards or a combination of standards and tryouts. The National Team and Military Standard for each sport is determined by the respective National Governing Body (NGB) or High Performance Management Organization (HPMO) based on the sport and/or international competitive analysis and existing athlete pipeline.
In order to be eligible for the VA monthly assistance allowance an athlete must be classified nationally or internationally in the sport. To find information on U.S. Paralympics and International Paralympic Committee classifications, please follow the links below:
- U.S. Paralympics classification information
- International Paralympic Committee (IPC) classification information
To learn more about the specific sport standards or the monthly assistance allowance, contact the U.S. Paralympics division via email at VAstipend@usopc.org.