Veterans Health Programs
Blind Rehabilitation
It is estimated that more than 160,000 veterans are legally blind, which is defined as having corrected vision of 20/200 or less in the better eye. Blind veterans are eligible for services at VA health facilities to help them adjust to life with low or no vision. Services are provided by 10 Blind Rehabilitation Centers across the country and by visual impairment service teams at each VA health care facility.
Veterans currently receiving disability compensation may also be eligible to receive vision aid from the VA, such as:
- Blindness adjustment training
- A health and benefits' review
- Guide dogs
- Grants for specially adapted housing or adaptations to an existing home
- Electronic and mechanical aids and training in their use
-
Books on tape and Braille literature
The 10 VA Blind Rehabilitation Centers offer inpatient rehabilitation for legally blind veterans. Veterans are in class eight hours a day, learning life skills to help them live as independently as possible. Services include orientation and mobility training, adjustment-to-blindness counseling, and living skills and manual skills training. Veterans may stay at a rehabilitation center anywhere from four to eight weeks, depending on the severity of their blindness, their motivation, and their emotional and general health.
The rehabilitation centers also have special programs to help some low-vision veterans learn to operate special vision devices to enhance their quality of life. If a veteran receives guide dog coverage, it includes training the veteran to use a guide dog, as well as medical care for the dog.
