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Posted by The Huron Hub
April 17, 2020

The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) is launching a new initiative called “Check on MIVet,” to get veterans, Michigan National Guard and Reserve members connected to the benefits and services they earned for their service.

Through the initiative, anyone concerned about a veteran, Guard or Reserve member can simply fill out an online form requesting that a representative from MVAA or one of our partner organizations check in on them through a phone call.

Guard and Reserve members are eligible for many of the same benefits and services as their active component counterparts. 

“The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency is committed to providing the best resources for support, care, advocacy and service to veterans, Guard and Reserve members and their families who live and work in our communities,” said Maj. Gen. Paul Rogers, Adjutant General and Director of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. “The ‘Check on MIVet’ program is another means of ensuring the path to these resources is clear.”  

Check on MIVet is not a mental health line or a “wellness” check; veterans experiencing a crisis should call the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255.  

Instead, the initiative aims to ensure veterans receive employment, healthcare, quality of life and other benefits they need to thrive.

MVAA is available 24/7 through its 1-800-MICH-VET hotline to answer questions and connect veterans to benefits and services. 

The agency is Michigan’s central coordinating agency for Michigan’s 600,000 veterans and their families, according to MVAA. 

“Michigan is committed to serving our veterans through all phases of their lives, whether that means helping them obtain education benefits, find a job, secure long-term care or get connected to the federal and state benefits they earned for their service,” said MVAA Director Zaneta Adams. “Through ‘Check on MIVet,’ MVAA can be that resource that veterans need to stay connected – not just to their benefits, but to a person on the other end of the phone who cares about their well-being.” 

The MVAA can also help veterans with emergency needs during these challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic – and throughout the year. This assistance includes grants for eligible veterans through the Michigan Veterans Trust Fund for emergent issues such as a temporary inability to pay the mortgage or utility bills.  

To access the Check on MIVet form, visit bit.ly/34EvO4B – or go to the top of the MVAA website, michiganveterans.com, and click on the “Check on MIVet” banner. 

Forms can be submitted by email to MVAAResourceCenter@michigan.gov or the information can be relayed to a technician with the MVAA’s Veteran Resource Service Center at 1-800-MICH-VET.