Free help exists in St. Louis, and the people who give it differ in accreditation, caseload, and how they handle paperwork. The first call or visit tells you more than any brochure. Use it to compare offices on the same questions before anything is signed.

Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.

Who the free desks are

Veterans service officers work through county and state offices. Several veterans organizations also accredit representatives who help veterans at no charge. The names most people meet first are the VFW, the American Legion, and DAV. What matters is individual accreditation, not the name on the door. Check it yourself on VA's accreditation search.1

Five questions for the first call

Ask each office the same five questions and write down the answers.

Are you accredited, and whose name is on the accreditation? Ask for the name of the person who will handle Dad's file, not only the office.

What do you charge? A county service office or an accredited organization representative should answer plainly. Any office asking for money to file a pension claim needs a close look against the fee rule on this desk.

Who sees the paper? Ask whether the file passes through one person or several, and whether you receive a copy of every page sent to VA.

How do you track the claim? Ask how the office learns of VA letters, how it records the claim number, and how it handles a request for more evidence.

How many claims does the officer carry, and who covers when that person is out? You want a named backup, not a general promise.

Red flags

Pressure to sign before you have read the paper, a promise of a particular approval or dollar amount, a request for an upfront payment, and an office that will not name the person who will act for Dad all count against it. So does any refusal to put the answers in writing.

Once you choose an office, keep your call notes with the claim binder. For the order in which to handle the rest of this material, start with Start Here: The Order to Read, and for the offices themselves, see Local Help: St. Louis Offices.

1 VA.gov, accreditation search for claims representatives and recognized organizations.