How to Join Vfw

NotCzar

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posted on 5 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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The Veterans of Foreign Wars organization (VFW) is a group that provides community to certain United States military veterans. While similar to the American Legion organization, VFW only accepts members that have a campaign medal, proof of receiving Imminent Danger or Hostile Fire Pay, or proof of service in Korea. While joining this national organization only requires you to fill out an application, you have to wait for your local VFW post to vote on your membership application. If you aren’t a veteran of a foreign war but are closely related to someone who is, consider joining the VFW Auxiliary organization instead. After submitting an application to their head office, wait for your membership to be approved.

Steps

Applying for VFW Membership

Prove your citizenship before joining the organization. Find your birth certificate, passport, or any other document that proves your United States citizenship. Since VFW is an American organization, you must be an American citizen in order to join. Your SSN is also sufficient proof of your citizenship. If you’re a veteran from another country, consider joining the World Veterans Federation, which provides membership to military veterans worldwide.

Show that you received a campaign medal or Imminent Danger Pay. Search for any documentation that officially awards you with a campaign medal for honorable service in a foreign war. Additionally, check for payment forms that prove you received Imminent Danger or Hostile Fire Pay from the government. If you have either of these documents on hand, you’re eligible to apply for VFW membership. If you were in Korea for 30 straight days or 60 non-consecutive days, you also qualify for membership. If you meet these requirements but don’t have the paperwork on hand, call (314) 801-0800 for assistance or go to this website: https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records.

Fill out an application online or mail one in. Print out or fill out a digital form with your relevant personal information. You’ll need to specify your name, address, state, country, zip code, email, birthday, phone number, SSN, and gender. After submitting the form, check your email for confirmation. You can find the application on this site: https://oms.vfw.org/newmember.aspx. If you’re planning on mailing in your form, use the document on this site: http://www.vfwpost369.com/MailMemberApp.pdf. Mail any printed applications to: Membership Department, VFW National Headquarters, 406 West 34th Street, Kansas City, MO, 64111.

Wait for your local post to vote on your application. In a few weeks, expect to hear back from VFW with your application status. If you don’t hear back in a relatively short amount of time, call or email the organization to check on the status of your application. You can reach the organization at (816) 756-3390 or (202) 543-2239. Even if you don’t plan on joining a local section of VFW, your local post will still vote on your membership. National members are also known as Members at Large. If your application is rejected, feel free to submit a new one after 12 months.

Pay the annual $45 fee to become a member. Solidify your membership to VFW by paying your annual dues, which also include a magazine subscription. If you’d prefer to get more benefits, subscribe to the VFW Life membership, which lets you avoid due renewals and grants you discounts in the official VFW store. The cost of life membership depends on your birth year. If you were born after 1989, the cost of Life Membership is $425. If you were born between 1939 and 1948, your membership is $225.Did you know? The American Legion and VFW aren’t mutually exclusive organizations. If you qualify for both, you can be a member of both!

Becoming a VFW Auxiliary Member

Check that you meet the legal qualifications for joining. Search for documents that prove that one of your close loved ones, like a parent, spouse, grandparent, child, or sibling is a veteran of a foreign war. Look for documents that indicate that your family member received a campaign medal, or that they received Imminent Danger or Hostile Fire Pay. Additionally, see if your veteran family member ever served in Korea for 30 straight days or 60 non-consecutive days. Your veteran family member must be an American citizen with the documentation to prove it. If your family member doesn’t qualify for VFW, then you won’t qualify for VFW Auxiliary. Step-children or step-parents and half-siblings qualify for this type of membership. Unfortunately, military connections with nieces or nephews, cousins, in-laws, uncles or aunts, and great-relatives don’t qualify you for VFW Auxiliary membership.

Submit an application to join a national or local post. Decide if you’d like to stay active in your local community, or if you’d prefer to keep a more general membership. Feel free to apply as a national member, or Member at Large, which requires you to contact the organization’s National Headquarters. If you’d prefer a more low-key membership, apply to join a Local Auxiliary Post. The requirements and fees for local groups will differ. Check out this website to find your nearest local group: https://vfwauxiliary.org/auxiliary-locator. To apply to be Member at Large, fill out this form: https://vfwauxiliary.org/national-member-at-large-application-form.

Submit an annual payment of $50.00 to the national office. Once your Auxiliary membership is confirmed, send a payment to the organization’s headquarters. If you’re a member of a local group, ask the local leader how much you owe in annual dues. National payments can be sent to: 406 W. 34th St., 10th Floor, Kansas City, MO, 64111.