The Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) administers a Blind Veterans Pension program to help veterans who experience service-connected blindness. The program provides eligible Pennsylvania veterans with a $150 per month pension. Any veteran with service-connected blindness may apply for this benefit.

Eligibility criteria to receive the pension includes a veteran who served in the military honorably, was a resident of Pennsylvania upon entering the military, and experienced a service-connected injury or contracted a disease that resulted in loss of vision. To start the application process, veterans are advised to contact the county veterans affairs director in the county where they reside.

To speed up the application process, veterans should have several items of documentation ready when they apply. These include a copy of their DD-214 for their most recent military service, proof of Pennsylvania residency upon entering the military, and a United States Department of Veterans Affairs disability claim number.

To learn more about the Blind Veterans Pension program, including eligibility, visit http://www.dmva.pa.gov and select Veterans Affairs and then Blind Veterans Pension.