American Legion Veterans Service Organization Overview

The American Legion is America’s largest wartime veterans’ service organization. AL was founded by Congress in 1919. The organization advocates for patriotism and honor. AL promotes the need for strong national security, is committed to mentoring youth and sponsors programs in local communities. AL evolved from a group of World War I veterans into one…
Advertising Disclosure.

Advertiser Disclosure: The Military Wallet and Three Creeks Media, LLC, its parent and affiliate companies, may receive compensation through advertising placements on The Military Wallet. For any rankings or lists on this site, The Military Wallet may receive compensation from the companies being ranked; however, this compensation does not affect how, where, and in what order products and companies appear in the rankings and lists. If a ranking or list has a company noted to be a “partner,” the indicated company is a corporate affiliate of The Military Wallet. No tables, rankings, or lists are fully comprehensive and do not include all companies or available products.

The Military Wallet and Three Creeks Media have partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. The Military Wallet and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. For more information, please see our Advertising Policy.

American Express is an advertiser on The Military Wallet. Terms Apply to American Express benefits and offers.

The American Legion is America’s largest wartime veterans’ service organization. AL was founded by Congress in 1919. The organization advocates for patriotism and honor. AL promotes the need for strong national security, is committed to mentoring youth and sponsors programs in local communities.

AL evolved from a group of World War I veterans into one of the country’s most influential nonprofit groups. Current membership stands at almost two million, with more than 12,000 posts in the U.S. AL posts are organized into 55 departments. There is one post for each state and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, France, Mexico and the Philippines.

In 1921, World War I veterans’ efforts helped create the U.S. Veterans Bureau, which was the predecessor of the current Department of Veterans Affairs. Today, AL continues its original mission by lobbying for adequate funding to cover medical, disability and education benefits for veterans.

How Does the American Legion Support Our Military Community?

The AL is committed to helping veterans and their families understand and apply for Veterans Affairs benefits. In addition to this, the AL is committed to improving the quality of life of the communities where veterans reside. Unlike other veteran organizations like WWP, DAV or even AMVETS, AL offers several types of youth programs, ranging from baseball to debate clubs.

Community programs sponsored and curated by the AL focus on how the lives of veterans and their families can be directly improved. This includes providing resources, such as family support, an amateur radio program, an initiative for homeless veterans and more.

On a national level, AL is committed to advocating for veteran rights. This also includes a decided interest in flag preservation, voting programs and citizenship lobbying efforts.

ADVERTISEMENT

How Does the American Legion Help with Veterans Benefits Claims?

AL provides the services that guide veterans to the benefits assistance they need.

Service Officers

Service officers help connect veterans with appropriate resources to help them file claims.

Benefits Calculator

The AL’s benefits calculator is available to help individual veterans understand the benefits that might be available to them. There is a state benefits calculator that lists veteran benefits by state.

Centers

Veterans Career Center helps veterans connect with employers who understand the skills veterans can bring to their new civilian roles.

Education Center is a college search engine powered by CollegeRecon for veterans interested in exploring higher education.

Veteran Health Center explores the services available to veterans and advocates for timely, high-quality care.

Family and Support Center of the AL knows that service members do not do it alone and provides the following family support services:

For female veterans, the AL offers resources relating to military sexual trauma (MST) and gender-specific health care information.

Discounts

Discounts for active-duty and retired service members and their families help veterans and service members get the best prices possible for items they routinely use. These military discounts include everything from vehicle rentals to moving and relocation fees to retail discounts and travel options.

Who is Eligible for American Legion Membership and Services?

Honorably discharged veterans who have served in the military in some capacity since Dec. 7, 1941, or active duty service members are eligible to join. Service members from the National Guard or Reserves whose units were activated until Title 10 orders are also eligible to participate.

Each local post determines the cost of its dues. New members who join through the national headquarters are offered discounted intro rates and are automatically placed in the state headquarters post in the state in which they reside. The national average for dues is around $40 annually. Find out more here.

ADVERTISEMENT

How Does the American Legion Compare to Similar Organizations?

The AL is as much about helping veterans as it is about working hard to create communities. In addition to the offer of benefit assistance, the AL exists because of grassroots efforts to keep improving the lives of veterans and their families. While other organizations, such as DAV and AMVETS, are directly focused on veteran assistance claims, the AL extrapolates on that mission and tries its best to reach veterans, both when they are in need and when they are not.

About Post Author

Get Instant Access
FREE Weekly Updates! Enter your information to join our mailing list.

Posted In:

Reader Interactions

Leave A Comment:

Comments:

About the comments on this site:

These responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

The Military Wallet is a property of Three Creeks Media. Neither The Military Wallet nor Three Creeks Media are associated with or endorsed by the U.S. Departments of Defense or Veterans Affairs. The content on The Military Wallet is produced by Three Creeks Media, its partners, affiliates and contractors, any opinions or statements on The Military Wallet should not be attributed to the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, the Dept. of Defense or any governmental entity. If you have questions about Veteran programs offered through or by the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, please visit their website at va.gov. The content offered on The Military Wallet is for general informational purposes only and may not be relevant to any consumer’s specific situation, this content should not be construed as legal or financial advice. If you have questions of a specific nature consider consulting a financial professional, accountant or attorney to discuss. References to third-party products, rates and offers may change without notice.

Advertiser Disclosure: The Military Wallet and Three Creeks Media, LLC, its parent and affiliate companies, may receive compensation through advertising placements on The Military Wallet. For any rankings or lists on this site, The Military Wallet may receive compensation from the companies being ranked; however, this compensation does not affect how, where, and in what order products and companies appear in the rankings and lists. If a ranking or list has a company noted to be a “partner,” the indicated company is a corporate affiliate of The Military Wallet. No tables, rankings, or lists are fully comprehensive and do not include all companies or available products.

Editorial Disclosure: Editorial content on The Military Wallet may include opinions. Any opinions are those of the author alone, and not those of an advertiser to the site nor of  The Military Wallet.

Information from your device can be used to personalize your ad experience.