About Us
Since its inception as a state department in 1944, the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs (LDVA) has provided a broad array of services geared toward connecting Louisiana’s veterans with all available benefits.
The mission of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs is to provide comprehensive care and quality service to Louisiana’s veterans and families with regard to health care, education, disability benefits, long term care, and burial honors.
Many veterans are surprised to learn of all the state and federal benefits they have earned through their military service. LDVA believes making sure LA veterans have this information, is crucial, as the federal VA provides a host of services ranging from disability benefits to health care services and education options. The importance of connecting LA veterans with the federal benefits they have earned is the reason Governor Jindal charged LDVA Secretary Lane Carson and staff with the vital task of reaching out and engaging the state’s veterans in to ensure access to their veterans benefits.
Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs
The Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs was elevated to Cabinet level in 2003. The current Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs is Lane A. Carson.
Secretary Carson is a Vietnam war veteran and a former legislator. From 1976 to 1982, Secretary Carson served in the Louisiana House of Representatives, representing New Orleans. He was the first Vietnam War veteran to serve in the legislature, and he served on the House & Governmental, Civil Law and Health and Welfare Committees, and the Veterans and Elderly Sub-Committees. In 2001, Secretary Carson was appointed to the Louisiana Veterans Affairs Commission representing the Military Order of the Purple Heart.
Secretary Carson was commissioned as a second lieutenant through LSU Army ROTC in 1970, and later served as a combat platoon leader in Khe Sahn, South Vietnam. He was wounded by North Vietnamese artillery during the Dewy Canyon II operation, resulting in a six-month hospitalization.
Secretary Carson has been awarded the Purple Heart, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge. His father is a war veteran of WWII, and his son is currently serving in the U.S. Navy. Secretary Carson has a bachelors of science in public administration from LSU and a law degree from Tulane University.
Eligibility Criteria
To qualify for most Louisiana state veterans’ benefits, programs, or services, a veteran must first establish general eligibility for Louisiana state veterans’ benefits. Eligibility criteria for Louisiana state veterans’ benefits, programs, and services, including exceptions to minimum military service requirements,
is set in state law (LA Revised Statues, Chapter 29).
General eligibility consists of two broad requirements:
- Military Service (character; type; duration)
- Louisiana State Residency
Specific programs/benefits may have additional requirements.
Veterans with other than honorable discharges may be eligible for LDVA benefits if they qualify for certain federal benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Spouses and dependents of deceased veterans who met the LDVA eligibility requirements also may be eligible for certain programs and services.
For additional information, please call 1-877-GEAUXVA or visit your local parish veterans service officer. For a list of parish service offices across the state, please click here.
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