Help with Vietnam Era Vet Moving OCONUS
Hi everyone,
Looking for some advice on a crazy situation.
My grandfather is an old Vietnam era Navy guy. He says he never filed a claim, never did any paperwork, anything.
He’s got the whole book of medical issues (many I firmly believe we can connect- just need to get the paperwork together).
Here is my catch. He’s losing his mind, dementia is unkind. He’s lucid enough that legally I have to let him make his own choices- and due to some conflict with my grandmother he’s decided he’s going back to SE Asia to live the remainder of his life.
I want to help him get the benefits he’s entitled to, but I’m not sure what the right path is. If we start the claim documents ourselves (not a deal breaker)- what if they schedule an appointment in a location he isn’t in? [Moves in June]. He’ll be here with me for a week (most I can convince him). Is this firmly VSO territory over in the new spot and I just do what I can to start trying to get everything together as far as records? What do you recommend?
Thanks in advance.
For clarity, I am also a vet who has had good success with claims on my own but I really want to do the right thing for him and I’m trying to be as kind as I can given his mental declines. Dementia brings shame, and he is having terrible anxiety and psychological issues from his service time.