Matthew Lowe left the Navy in March and didn’t know for months he could receive free health care for five years after defending his country aboard the USS Denver.

The 29-year-old Trenton man found out by chance about the Department of Veterans Affairs benefit through word of mouth.

Lowe isn’t alone: About 26 percent of veterans who served in connection with Iraq and Afghanistan tours of duty don’t have health insurance, according to a McClatchy News Service analysis of VA data.

The 2010 National Survey of Veterans, released by the VA, showed 21.2 percent of veterans under the age of 65 did not have health insurance compared to 13 percent of veterans from all eras. The survey also reported 42 percent of veterans had never used VA health care and weren’t aware of the benefits and 26 percent did not know how to apply.

“I consider myself a relatively intelligent individual and I explored every possible class and every possible event to make sure I had all the information I needed to transition to civilian life,” he said. “I think the real issue here is with veterans not having health insurance is we don’t know.

“I sent the word out to all the guys that were veterans out here,” he said. “Some of them knew, some of them didn’t. Most of them did not.”

A federal law requires the military to pass on information about veterans services to departing service members, but some legislators have called for servicemen to be signed up automatically.

Combat veterans qualify for free VA health care for five years after they leave the military, according to the VA. After that, the amount a veteran pays for VA health care varies depending on income and service-connected disabilities, among other considerations.

The number of affected veterans in Ohio could be substantial. The state has 76,000 service members or veterans who served since Sept. 11, 2001, and nearly 870,000 veterans, according to the Ohio Department of Veterans Services.

“I think there are a lot of benefits veterans do not know they qualify for,” Lowe said. “It was a complete shock to me that I got free health care.”

He was treated for back and foot problems, among other medical issues. Even so, he said he’s had to navigate a frustrating network of VA red tape and unanswered phone calls and questions.

Kimberly D. Frisco, a Dayton VA spokeswoman, said the VA tries to let veterans know about health care benefits through service organizations and spreading the word at public events.

“The Dayton VA has been working very hard to put outreach efforts together to find those veterans and get the message out,” she said.

Ohio Department of Veterans Services representatives meet returning military units, and uses social media, advertising, and media reports for the same purpose, said Michael McKinney, an agency spokesman in Columbus.

“Our biggest role at the state level is connecting veterans to the benefits they have earned,” he said. Each county in Ohio has a veterans service commission. Commission employees aid veterans with finding benefits and navigating paperwork, he said.

A federal law enacted last year requires departing service members to attend classes that include information about veterans benefits. But before attendance at the Transition Assistance Program became mandatory, the VA reported 12.8 percent of the veterans it surveyed showed up for the classes. TAP is a joint program with the VA, Department of Defense, Department of Labor, and the Department of Homeland Security.

At Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, departing airmen participate in five days of TAP classes on what to expect and what benefits are available, said David Bourgeois, a TAP community readiness specialist.

The class expanded to five days from three and a half when the Veterans Opportunity to Work Act took effect. The base offers the classes 28 times a year. Typically, about 40 service members who are six months to a year away from leaving the military attend each session, he said.

“What we try to do is provide them with as much information as we can to help them make a decision on what direction they want to do post-military, and what they need to do while they are still in the service to better meet their goals,” he said.