Blinded Veterans Association — BVA
BVA is the one organization in this directory built by and for a specific wound: veterans who lost their sight in service. Its accredited National Service Officers provide practical assistance with VA claims and appeals at no cost, and its Auxiliary exists for the family members and caregivers who live the blindness alongside the veteran.
- Founded: March 28, 1945, at Avon Old Farms, Connecticut; chartered by the U.S. Congress August 27, 1958
- Status: Congressionally chartered veterans service organization; not-for-profit, 501(c)(3)
- Headquarters: Washington, D.C.
- Size: BVA does not publish a membership total on its own site (NOT-STATED)
- Website: bva.org
Who it serves
Membership is defined in BVA’s current bylaws: any person having honorably served, or currently serving, in the Armed Forces of the United States who qualifies for the VA’s Blind Rehabilitation Service (BRS) is eligible for membership. Membership is held as Life Member (Legally Blind) or Life Member (Low Vision). The board may also extend honorary membership.
The family’s door is the BVA Auxiliary (BVAA) — in BVA’s own words, a group “comprised of the family members and friends of veterans blinded during the line of duty,” and, in its brochure, of “family members, caregivers, friends, and supporters.” BVA also runs scholarships open to the spouses, dependent children, and grandchildren of blind and low-vision veterans.
What it does
- Veterans Service Program — a dedicated team of Accredited National Service Officers providing practical assistance with VA claims and appeals at no cost; BVA publishes a claims hotline, (844) 250-5180.
- Advocacy — a policy team on Capitol Hill; current stated priorities include caregiver-benefit eligibility for catastrophically blinded veterans, funding for VA Blind Rehabilitation Service and vision research, guide- and service-dog protections, and VA accessibility compliance.
- Care Review Program — working with the VA, comprehensive evaluations of the continuum of care at medical centers.
- Ambassador Program — peer mentors who help blinded veterans reach the benefits, services, and support they have earned.
- Scholarships — annual awards defraying tuition, books, and fees for qualified family members of blind and low-vision veterans.
- Team BVA and VetTech — adaptive recreation and peer community, plus weekly webinars and podcasts on the assistive technology blinded veterans use daily.
How a family uses it
- Start at bva.org — national office: 202-371-8880; for claims help, the Veterans Service Program hotline is (844) 250-5180.
- If you are the spouse, child, parent, or caregiver of a blinded veteran, the BVA Auxiliary is your membership; the scholarships above are for the veteran’s family whether or not you join.
- If your veteran is losing his sight and is not yet connected to the VA’s Blind Rehabilitation Service, that qualification is also the BVA membership test — ask BVA’s service officers how to get the VA evaluation started.
Facts on this page are drawn from BVA's own published materials (bva.org), checked October 2026. Membership and program rules change; the organization's own site governs. Corrections: care@bowmanwebservices.com.