BVA was founded in 1945 by a group of war-blind World War II veterans to advocate for the needs of America’s blinded and visually impaired veterans. BVA reaches out directly to blinded veterans in need through our Field Service Program, which is free to any blinded veteran in need. BVA employs seven Field Service Representatives, all blinded veterans themselves, in regions across the country. The Field Reps assist veterans with navigating their VA claims, finding support groups and participating in adaptive sports clinics. If the veteran is ready to re-enter the workforce, their Rep can assist them in locating employment training and placement. The Field Reps services are free to any blinded veteran, whether they were blinded while on active duty or afterwards. Since all of the Field Reps are legally blind veterans themselves, they can be effective role models in demonstrating that fellow veterans can take charge of their lives. Our motto has always been “Blinded Vets helping Blinded Vets,” and our Field Reps are proud to live up to that ideal. There are an estimated 156,000 veterans currently living with some form of vision loss, whether due to old service injuries or age and disease, and BVA has only reached a fraction of them.
 
BVA was recently awarded a grant from the Reader’s Digest Partners for Sight Foundation to travel directly to the thirteen VA Blind Rehabilitation Centers which serve blind veterans around the country. With this grant, BVA can reach a large group of veterans we never have before and connect them with services, and other blinded veterans in their area who can provide social interaction and emotional support.

If you are aware of a blinded veteran in need in your community, please let BVA know at bva@bva.org or call at 1-800-669-7079 so that we can connect them with the many services and benefits they may be entitled to. You can also learn more about BVA through their website www.bva.org.