How do I know if I am eligible to join?
You must be related to a veteran who has
served overseas in a location of foreign conflict, earning the campaign medals
eligible. That veteran can be a living or deceased spouse, parent, child,
sibling, grandparent or grandchild.
Step- and adopted parents, children, siblings
(and half-siblings), grandparents and grandchildren are considered the same as
biological parents, children, siblings, grandparents and grandchildren and may
join the VFW Auxiliary under their VFW-eligible veteran.
How can I prove my veteran is eligible?
The most common document is a DD 214, which
will list the veteran’s dates of service and campaign medals. But you can also
use other separation documents, such as documents showing service in Korea,
Hostile Fire or Imminent Danger Pay on pay records, and also sometimes other
documentation if you don’t have one of these.
How can I find some of these documents if I or my veteran don’t have them?
Check out our Eligibility Information page for links
and resources to help you. If you’re stumped, contact us at National Headquarters and
we’ll do our best to help you.
Does my veteran have to be retired from the military?
No, your veteran is eligible the moment he/she
earns the accepted campaign medals for overseas service.
The IRS determines the degrees of separation
from the veteran that qualify for membership in a veterans’ service
organization auxiliary. The relationship must be within two degrees of
"consanguinity” in order to be eligible. That means two generations
back (i.e. parents or grandparents) or forward (i.e. children or
grandchildren).
If I am a veteran who is VFW eligible and want to join the Auxiliary, can I?
After the change in Auxiliary eligibility
opened to men in 2015, the VFW determined that any veteran who is eligible for
the VFW cannot join the Auxiliary. Some dual members exist from before the
change, and they must maintain their eligibility in order to stay members of
both organizations.
Do I have to belong to a local Auxiliary?
No, you can belong as a National or Department
(state) Member At Large. Check out your options on the Become A Member page.
Can I order directly from the VFW Store without being an Officer?
Yes, any member – and even a non-member – can
order items from the VFW Store, www.vfwstore.org.
Is the website (MALTA) behind Member Login only for Officers?
No, we invite all members
to create a MALTA login/account and
explore the tools and resources available to them such as Auxiliary Officer
contact information, forms, documents and the Online Auxiliary Academy. Create a MALTA login/account here.