Is FortSource a VA website?
No. FortSource is independent. It is not VA, not DoD, and not a government site. The header shield is a FortSource mark, not a U.S. government seal. Every apply button leaves this site for the live official page.
Home / FAQs
FAQs
Short answers for the questions the catalog itself does not stop to explain. Crisis help is the bar at the top of every page — 988, then press 1.
Do you file my VA claim?
No. No claim is filed on anyone’s behalf. FortSource maps the official form or how-to page. Free accredited help is a separate door: find an accredited representative on VA.gov. That person can file with you. We cannot.
Why doesn’t a row have a button?
If FortSource cannot confirm a current official program page — HTTPS, not an agency homepage — there is no button. An empty result is honest. A guessed homepage is not. If you have the live program URL, report it.
Do I need an account or my DD-214?
No. There is no FortSource login and you do not upload a DD-214 here. The official agency may ask for those after you leave for their page.
Where is my service profile stored?
On this phone or computer only. Other visitors do not see it. FortSource does not use it to file anything. Use Clear saved answers on the catalog if you want it gone.
I just left the service. Where do I start?
Use Just got out: VA.gov login, health care, an intent to file if you will claim, GI Bill, Veteran ID, then a home-loan certificate — then your state. That page is a short order of operations, not the whole catalog.
Does this cover my state?
Yes — all 50 states, DC, and U.S. territories. Set the state in the catalog profile. Federal programs still show. State rows are the extra layer VA does not run: tax, tuition, plates, homes, cemeteries, a local officer. Each verified program has a FortSource URL on program doors.
What is the Official Wire?
FortSource’s own headline mix from official agencies (VA Press Room, VA OIG, Military OneSource, and the Social Security COLA notice when it applies). Titles, dates, and official links only — not copied article bodies. You already see that mix at the top of the catalog. It is not an email list, and it is not one agency’s homepage. People who already use a news-reader app can follow the same headlines from fortsource.com/feed.xml.
Are store and restaurant discounts VA pay?
No. Those are company offers. FortSource lists them only when the company still publishes an official page. Terms, locations, and ID rules are the vendor’s. Veterans Day menus change every year.
Is a donation tax-deductible?
No. FortSource is not a 501(c)(3). Optional gifts on Support pay hosting and catalog upkeep. They do not buy a sponsor listing and they do not change what you see.
What are sponsors?
Paid yearly ads on the Sponsors page only: name, short description, link, optional logo. Equal size, A–Z. Never mixed into apply buttons. Claim mills, payday traps, and fake government tools are declined.
How do I report a broken link?
Use Contact. Send the row name and the URL that failed. Do not send Social Security numbers, DD-214s, or claim files. This inbox cannot process claims.
Is this legal or benefits advice?
No. Eligibility lives on the issuing agency’s page. FortSource is a map. If you need help filing, use an accredited representative — not this site. Mission is the longer version of that line.
What does Checked October 2026 mean?
That is the month FortSource last confirmed the official page for that catalog row. It sits next to Bring and Timing. It is not a claim deadline, not a VA stamp, and not today’s date. If a row has no month, we did not invent one.
What is checked off?
The box on a catalog row. Marked rows stay dimmed on this phone or computer. The checked off number opens only those names, each with a link back to the official page. Put back returns a row to the catalog. Nothing is uploaded. There is no FortSource account.