Tax Refunds & Burn Pits Oh My

Over 133,000 Veterans Who Got Military Disability Are Due Tax Refunds

According to an article on Military.com last month, the Department Of Defense started sending notifications to more than 133,000 veterans who may qualify for a refund of federal taxes paid on disability severance pay dating back to January 17, 1991.

Under federal law, veterans who suffer combat-related injuries and who are separated from the military are not supposed to be taxed on the one-time lump sum disability severance payment they got from the military.

For years DOD improperly withheld taxes on these payments from thousands of unsuspecting veterans, who were typically unaware that their benefits were being improperly reduced.

In 2016 Congress passed the Combat-Injured Veterans Tax Fairness Act which directed DOD to identify veterans who have been separated from service for combat-related injuries and had taxes improperly withheld from their severance payments.

The law also required DOD to determine how much these veterans are owed so they can recover the withheld amounts, notify them of their eligibility for a refund, and tell them how to get that refund from the IRS.

Eligible veterans will have a year after they receive the notice from DOD to file a claim for the refund.

Court Determines Military Burn Pits Caused Lung Disease in Troops

A number of veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, told me about burn pits that dot the landscape and are used to destroy all sorts of items. One veteran ascribed a burn pit as a Dante’s Inferno. “You name it and it has been thrown into a pit.” the veteran said. “Desks, chairs, ammunition cases, used oil, plastic barrels. I even saw a truck rolled into the pit.” Jet fuel is often used to ignite the pit. If you are not familiar with burn pits, there are a number of videos posted on You Tube that are very informative.

Thousands of U.S. military personnel and private contractors whose health was compromised by the dense black smoke of burn pits -- and who were then denied proper treatment -- may finally be vindicated by a recent court ruling.

A judge under the U.S. Department of Labor's Office for Workers' Compensation Programs decreed last month that open-air burn pits -- where thousands of chemicals were released into the air after trash and other waste were incinerated at American military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan -- are connected to lung disease.

The decision marks a victory for the nearly 64,000 active service members and retirees who have put their names on a Burn Pit Registry created by the Veterans administration (veteran.mobilehealth.va.gov/AHBurnPitRegistry/#page/home), bringing them one step closer to getting adequate medical coverage, something that has never been guaranteed. Private contractors who were also exposed to the burn pit toxins also have been denied coverage.

"This case has legitimized the disease," former contractor Veronica Landry of Colorado Springs, whose case was a part of the recent ruling, told Fox News. "There are many people out there who are still not getting the treatment they need.”

Soldiers have fallen gravely ill or even died from exposure to burn pits in Afghanistan and Iraq, but they are not the only ones who have gotten sick. Civilian workers and private contractors like Landry are also suffering an array of maladies including cancer, respiratory problems and blood disorders and, like military victims, they say they are being ignored.

But private employees don't even have the Veterans Administration to lean on. Landry filed her case with the Labor Department for this very reason.

Landry said in her testimony that she was exposed to smoke from the burn pits "every day" while working at Mosul Air Force Base in Iraq for Kellogg, Brown, and Root [KBG], and that "every plastic water bottle that every soldier drank out of was also burned in the burn pits."

Landry was sent home early after developing PTSD and making matters worse, she started to develop problems with her lungs and other ailments such as migraines, chills and dangerously low blood pressure. She has been in out of hospitals for nearly ten years.

New Year & Maybe Some New Choices

It's the start of a new year, a new administration and a new head of Veterans Affairs. What the coming years will bring is anyone's guess. There are a few changes in the pipeline that could effect veterans and their families.

For Indiana veterans there a couple things you should know. If you have a 10% or higher VA or DOD rated disability you can apply for a tax deduction on your home. If there is any credits left, they can be deducted from your license plates. Note: your home can not be assessed for more that $175,000. The assessment was increased in 2017 from $143,160 to $175,000. If you rent, you can receive a $70 deduction on your license plates.

Effective July 1, 2016, the Military Family Relief Fund is available to all veterans that served on active duty during a national conflict or war time period. The emergency grants may be used by the families for needs such as food, housing, utilities, medical services, transportation and other essential family support expenses which have become difficult to afford. Grants up to $2,500 may be awarded.

Over 33,000 women veterans reside in Indiana. They served in every war period, including World War II, and 1,087 of them are military retirees. Today, there are a few thousand women on active duty not including those serving in the Indiana National Guard or who are members of a Reserve unit. Indiana has established a registry for Hoosier Women's Veterans.  The purpose of the registry is to serve as an informational bridge to connect women veterans to the numerous resources and benefits that are available and that you are entitled to. To register go to www.in.gov/dva/2344.htm. or go to the Veterans Service Office in the Henry County Courthouse.

On the national side, VA seeks to expand the time limit that veterans of the Gulf War may claim disability benefits for the chronic multi symptom illness known as Gulf War Syndrome from December 31, 2016 until December 31, 2021. Gulf War Syndrome is defined by the VA as a cluster of medically unexplained chronic symptoms that can include fatigue, headaches, joint pain, indigestion, insomnia, dizziness, respiratory disorders, and memory problems. Veterans can register to receive a comprehensive health exam. This includes an exposure and medical history, laboratory tests, and a physical exam. A VA health professional will discuss the results face-to-face with the Veteran and in a follow-up letter.

Many veterans want to have an ID card to take advantage of discounts and benefits that are available from many retailers and restaurants. Any veteran who requests such card and is neither entitled to military retired pay nor enrolled in the VA system of patient enrollment. Requires such card, among other things, to: (1) display their name and photograph, and (2) serve as proof that the veteran honorably served in the Armed Forces and has a DD-214 form or other official document in their personnel file that describes their military service. A small fee, as yet defined, will be payable to receive the ID card.

For questions and information you can contact my office at 765-529-4305 or jguglielmi@henryco.net

Navy in Vietnam / Brown & Blue

A US Navy veteran came to my office over a year ago to file a VA claim. As we sorted through the paperwork, he told me he joined the Navy to beat the draft. From 1940 until 1973, men were required to register for the draft. Uncle Sam would send you a letter stating where and when to report for military service. Now the military is all volunteer.

"I decided to join the Navy and see the world." He didn't want to be drafted into the US Army and end up fighting his way through the jungles of Vietnam. "After basic training, I expected to be assigned to a ship and see the world. Instead I ended up piloting a Swift Boat up and down the waterways of Vietnam." 

A Navy Swift Boat on patrol.

Patrol Craft Fast (PCF), also known as Swift Boats, were all-aluminum, 50-foot long, shallow-draft vessels.  "Every day we could hear the bullets pinging off the side of the boat."  These ships became part of the Brown-Water Navy.

Destroyers and the many other Navy ships that supported our troops in Vietnam, are classified as the Blue-Water Navy. Now why is this important to Navy vets filing claims with the VA? 

Sailors who manned small gunboats and patrol boats used in rivers, along with some of the larger ships that supported them as "mother ships," are assumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange. Thus Brown-Water.

Larger vessels operating off the coast of Vietnam in the deep waters of open oceans are considered Blue-Water and their sailors not exposed to Agent Orange.  But what if the sailors went ashore on a three day pass or to deliver supplies?  

There are still many questions as to who was exposed and who wasn't exposed. A veteran needs documentation (evidence) when filing a claim for a disability relating to Agent Orange exposure. To explore a list of diseases related to Agent Orange check out the VA web pagewww.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/conditions/.

Another site that has a large amount of information about Blue-Water ships is www.bluewaternavy.org. 

My office is located on the first floor of the Henry County Courthouse. My  hours are 7 am till noon, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Email jguglielmi@henryco.net or 765-529-4305.

Service Connected Disabilities, File Now

The VA is similar to a tree with many branches. They offer health care at clinics and hospitals, educational benefits, a variety of pensions, VA home loans and disability benefits, among other things.

The majority of veterans who come in asking about disability benefits served in Vietnam.  Most want to file an Agent Orange claim. The VA defines the defoliant as " a blend of tactical herbicides the U.S. military sprayed from 1962 to 1971 during Operation Ranch Hand in the Vietnam War to remove trees and dense tropical foliage that provided enemy cover."

The name “Agent Orange” comes from the orange stripe painted on the 55-gallon drums the pesticide was stored in. Vets were sprayed with it while on combat operations,  around perimeter of bases. Overspray drifted onto ships that were supporting troop operations in the Mekong Delta and inland waterways. It was everywhere.

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Thousands of vets eventually came down with medical conditions as a result of contact with AO.  Now they are in need of help and medical care. Type II diabetes, ischemic heart disease, pancreatic cancer, neuropathy are some of the medical conditions that are related to Agent Orange.

Then there are injuries and wounds that are a result of combat operations or accidents that occur will serving.  If a vet was awarded a Purple Heart, they are entitled to full medical benefits from the day of discharge.

If you feel you have a medical condition or service connected injury that occurred while in the military, stop by my office in the Henry County Courthouse and we can talk about it. Please bring a discharge (DD-214) and any relevant evidence.

My office hours are 7 am till noon, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. E mail jguglielmi@henryco.net or 765-529-4305.

Decades Later, Agent Orange Catches Up with Vietnam Veterans

Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, KY | Feb 28, 2016 | by Don Wilkins

Snow fell outside the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 696 as its members held their monthly meeting Feb. 9.

Although attendance was down, most of those present were Vietnam veterans receiving some percentage of disability benefits from their exposure to Agent Orange -- a herbicide sprayed by the United States military during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971.

Among them were Billy Milan, Lou Drawdy and Terry Stinson.

They were like thousands of other Vietnam vets who returned home unaware that they had been exposed to the same toxic dioxin that was meant to combat their enemies -- the Viet Cong guerrillas and the North Vietnamese Army, known as "Charlie" to US forces.

Now, decades later, Agent Orange is catching up with Vietnam veterans, leading to debilitating and deadly health problems that range from heart disease to various forms of cancer.

The three men said they were proud veterans but, like many of their comrades, struggle with their Vietnam experience because they live every day with a multitude of illnesses stemming from Agent Orange exposure.

"It was bad enough that you were over there, and Charlie didn't like you," said Drawdy, 73, who served as a Marine and whose diabetes has been attributed to Agent Orange. "... Then you find that all of the hazards that you were exposed to, that maybe, the US government didn't like you."

Stinson, 64, served in Vietnam from 1970 to 1971 as an Air Force aircraft mechanic, working and flying on planes that sprayed Agent Orange.

"I started showing signs when I was 26 years old," said Stinson, who is a severe diabetic due to his exposure. "...Now, here I am 64 years old and I'm taking seven insulin shots a day. ... I can't feel my feet anymore."

Milan, 73, served several tours in Vietnam as part of the Army's Special Forces, 173rd and 101st Infantry Divisions. His first tour was in 1962 and his last in 1971.

"I thought I was a resident of Vietnam," said Milan, who receives 100 percent service-connected disability benefits for high blood pressure, an irregular heart beat and post traumatic stress disorder. "... I knew something was wrong because when the planes flew over to spray for mosquitoes and (the foliage) there was a different smell to it. ...So I had a taste of the Agent Orange."

Lasting Agent Orange Effects

It wasn't until 1991 that Congress passed the Agent Orange Act that gave the Department of Veterans Affairs the power to declare certain health conditions as "presumptive" to dioxin exposure.

The VA, however, doesn't have an accurate count of how many Vietnam veterans suffer from Agent Orange exposure.

"I can't get the Agent Orange statistics because it's not a general diagnosis," said Beth Lamb, Marion, Illinois VA public affairs spokeswoman.

In Daviess County, there is no shortage of Vietnam veterans who are either suffering or dying from exposure to the herbicide.

John Yates used to be involved with local veterans organizations such as the VFW, but his health has declined to the point that he rarely leaves his Cedar Hills home.

He now draws 100 percent disability benefits from his service-connected congestive heart failure and diabetes.

He served in Vietnam as a Navy hospital corpsman with the Third Marine Division from 1968 to 1969.

"I was out in the bush all the time," Yates, 71, recalled. "...I slept on the ground and drank from the streams. The Agent Orange was all over."

He now functions by taking a daily regimen of medications used to control his plethora of health problems he says were caused by his exposure.

"The medications help, but you still hurt and you still suffer," said Yates, whose calendar is filled with doctors' appointments.

To help flag any changes in her husband's condition, Cecelia Yates tracks his medical information by recording it in a notebook daily.

The Yateses blame the Agent Orange effects for John Yates' early retirement from his job as an educator in 2007.

"He's frustrated and angry because he feels like he was robbed," Cecilia Yates said. "He loved teaching, and that just broke his heart when he had to quit."

Agent Orange -- named for the color of the metal drums in which the chemical was stored -- was the main herbicide the US Air Force used to reduce the jungle canopies as part of "Operation Ranch Hand."

An estimated 19 million gallons were sprayed over 20 percent of Vietnam in an attempt to uncover roads and trails used by the Viet Cong.

Sharon Westerfield watched her late husband, Larry Westerfield, struggle with the effects of Agent Orange for the last seven years of his life. Larry Westerfield died in 2012 at age 63 of congestive heart failure.

He served in Vietnam from 1969 to 1970 as a member of the Army's 14th Engineer Battalion.

"After they sprayed the Agent Orange, he went in with a dozer and knocked down the foliage," Sharon Westerfield said. "So it was all over him."

According to Sharon Westerfield, it wasn't until 2005 that her husband discovered that there was something wrong.

"He had stubbed his big toe," she said. "...And one morning about 3 o'clock, he said, 'I think you're going to have to take me to the hospital.' So when I looked at his toe, it was black. ...They were able to save his leg but they took his big toe and part of his foot. He had trouble with that forever. He was at the wound center all the way up to the day he died."

Sharon Westerfield said her husband was then diagnosed with diabetes and learned through an Internet search that Agent Orange exposure was a related cause.

"It was like a domino effect," said Westerfield after her husband's diabetes diagnosis.

Larry Westerfield underwent open heart surgery for five bypasses in 2006, followed by bladder failure in 2009 and skin cancer in 2010.

Before dying two years later, Sharon Westerfield said her husband's congestive heart failure would cause fluid to build up throughout his body.

"His was so bad that his legs would swell up, and water would seep out," she said. "He couldn't sleep in a bed from 2005 until he passed. He slept in a recliner because he was unable to lie down."

Disabled American Veterans Aiding Vietnam Vets

It's through local Disabled American Veterans organizations that Vietnam veterans are finding help with medical and financial coverage for their illnesses associated with Agent Orange. The DAV aids veterans in filling out their disability claims to the VA.

Ross Jewell, a volunteer service officer for the Owensboro DAV, said there are many Vietnam veterans out there suffering but are only now coming forward.

"... I just helped a (Vietnam) veteran who's had heart problems since he was 28," Jewell said. "And he just passed away in January a week after receiving his (financial) award from the VA. The one thing he wanted was to make sure that his wife was taken care of."

Jewell said there are still Vietnam veterans who are unaware of what the DAV can do for them and others who have been disheartened from previous denials from the VA.

"The people who come in here tell me the stories they're not willing to tell their doctors or their families," Jewell said.

Jewell recommended that any veteran who has an illness or injury that could be service-related should visit their local DAV.

The Owensboro DAV can be contacted at 270-684-6790 and is open Tuesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon at 1809 Grimes Ave. -- the former Chautauqua Park caretaker's home.

"The majority of the people who come through here today are Vietnam-era veterans," said Jewell about those who are filing VA disability claims. "...It's a painless process with a lot of painful memories."

Diseases recognized by the VA as Agent Orange related:

• --AL amyloidosis: A rare disease caused when an abnormal protein, amyloid, enters tissues or organs.
• --Chronic B-cell leukemias: A type of cancer that affects white blood cells.
• --Chloracne (or similar acneiform disease): A skin condition that occurs soon after exposure to chemicals and looks like common forms of acne seen in teenagers. Under the VA's rating regulations, it must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of exposure to herbicides.
• --Diabetes mellitus type 2: A disease characterized by high blood sugar levels resulting from the body's inability to respond properly to the hormone insulin.
• --Hodgkin's disease: A malignant lymphoma (cancer) characterized by progressive enlargement of the lymph nodes, liver and spleen and by progressive anemia.
• --Ischemic heart disease: A disease characterized by a reduced supply of blood to the heart, that leads to chest pain.
• --Multiple myeloma: A cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell in bone marrow.
• --Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: A group of cancers that affect the lymph glands and other lymphatic tissue.
• --Parkinson's disease: A progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects muscle movement.
• --Peripheral neuropathy, early-onset: A nervous system condition that causes numbness, tingling and motor weakness. Under the VA's rating regulations, it must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of herbicide exposure.
• --Porphyria cutanea tarda: A disorder characterized by liver dysfunction and by thinning and blistering of the skin in sun-exposed areas. Under the VA's rating regulations, it must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of exposure to herbicides.
• --Prostate cancer: Cancer of the prostate; one of the most common cancers among men.
• --Respiratory cancers (includes lung cancer): Cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea and bronchus.
• --Soft tissue sarcomas (other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, or mesothelioma): A group of different types of cancers in body tissues such as muscle, fat, blood and lymph vessels and connective tissues.

Source: The US Department of Veterans Affairs

Discharges: No One Should Be Without Theirs

Where is your Discharge?

   On a sunny wind blown morning in 1966, I stopped by the administration building at Walker Air Force Base in Roswell, New Mexico to process out of the Air Force. A clerk pulled my records and starting typing. Within half an hour, I was loading my belongings into my English Ford and driving off the base for the last time. In my possession was my honorable discharge. Proof that I had served four years in the US Air Force. 

   A discharge is the most important piece of paper a veteran should have in his or her possession. You can't file a disability claim, get health care, apply for a VA mortgage or sign up for the GI Bill without it. That DD-214 or discharge is the key that will unlock the door to many benefits. If you already have your discharge, have certified copies made and store them away safely. You can go to you county recorders office and have them copy the discharge. If you need more copies, go back and the recorders office can issue certified copies.

   If you misplaced or had your discharge destroyed, have no fear. You can go online at www.archives.gov and apply for another one. This is the National Archives in St. Louis. When you fill out the request, you will end up printing out a form that must be signed and sent to St. Louis. All fax and mailing information is on the form.

Sample of a DD-214

   Indiana National Guard members can contact National Guard HQ in Indianapolis where discharges are stored. 

   You can also have a Veteran Service Officer help you fill out and send the request. VSOs are county employees and do not work for the VA. Every county in the Indiana has such an office. Check with the courthouse in your area.

   That discharge is the key that will unlock the process of applying for VA benefits. 
  A discharge can also be a tool to discover a father, grandparent, or great-grandparent's past history. When a relative was in the service, where they served, what battles they were in, the ship or ships they served on and what awards and decorations they earned. 

   Ask relatives if they have a copy of their discharge. If they don't, offer to obtain a copy for them. 

   Our offices work with regional VA offices to help veterans file claims of all types and help vets sign up for the VA Healthcare System.

   Please call me at 765.529.4305 or email you questions to jguglielmi@henryco.net.

Find A Veteran Service Officer to File Claims

Trying to comb through the claims process with the VA is daunting enough. If you try to go it alone, you might end up dazed, confused and waste valuable time. Seek out a Veteran Service Officer in the county you live in. We are trained and accredited by the VA to help veterans check what benefits are available, help complete the proper forms, gather the evidence needed and submit the claims through an accredited service organization. The American Legion, DAV, VFW and the Marine Corps League are just a few that serve veterans. To find a VSO you can go to www.va.gov or www.nacvso.org.

The following is an NPR story about Veteran Service Officer Bob Kelly in Indiana and the work he does for veterans.

Grant County Veterans Service Officer Bob Kelley, right, works with World War II Army veteran Frederick Kern at the Grant County Government Building in Marion, Ind., on Monday.

Aaron P. Bernstein for NPR

NPR — along with seven public radio stations around the country — is chronicling the lives of America's troops where they live. We're calling the project "Back at Base." This story is Part 2 of a three-part series about veteran benefits.

The latest data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs show Indiana — which has the 35th highest number of veterans in the U.S. — receives $4,935 per veteran each year. If they received as much as Utah — which has the 35th highest return — Indiana vets would receive on average another $558. And if they received the national average of $6,088, that's another $1,153.

Retired Brig. Gen. Jim Bauerele has spent years working to match veterans with their benefits.

"I think Indiana has neglected veterans," he says. "I think veterans are uneducated as to what their benefits are, and there has been little effort undertaken to communicate and get that to veterans."

Source: NPR analysis of Department of Veterans Affairs data

Credit: Robert Benincasa and Alyson Hurt/NPR

Back in 2010, a VA survey found that nationwide fewer than half of veterans understood their benefits, whether it was medical care, college tuition or pension and disability payments.

There are all sorts of reasons why veterans in one area may not receive as many benefits as veterans in another. Veterans from different eras, such as Vietnam or Iraq, can receive different amounts. Older vets might receive more benefits.

VA applications are also notoriously difficult to complete. Vets don't always get the help and guidance they need.

Bauerele says one reason for the poor showing in Indiana can be traced to what are called veterans service officers (VSOs). County-level VSOs are part of a system operating in 28 states, and they're supposed to help vets get the benefits they've earned. Some VSOs operate on the state level, and veterans groups like the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars have their own VSOs, which operate in most states.

Some county-level VSOs in Indiana operate on a shoestring.

"Some counties have an officer who is part-time, works three days a week, part-time and doesn't even have an office or a computer," Bauerele says.

So depending on where they live, one vet might find an office with a full-time staff trained to file paperwork with the VA, while another might find a closed office, or a VSO who can't navigate the system.

And without help, filing a VA claim can be tough.

Tom Nichols, a 29-year-old Indiana National Guard veteran, has struggled to file his disability claim. After returning from Iraq in 2010, he became addicted to drugs and alcohol. Eventually, he landed in treatment for PTSD.

Not only does Nichols not understand his benefits — he doesn't really know the best way to get them, either. He hasn't tried a VSO because he says it's too much trouble.

"I've got to go to some VFW to track down this guy, and it's only the first Thursday of every month," Nichols says.

Pamphlets detailing services available to veterans are displayed in VSO Bob Kelley's office in Marion, Ind.

Aaron P. Bernstein for NPR

So he filled out the paperwork himself. To some of the medical questions, he just wrote "ask my doctor," which could be part of the reason his claim didn't go through. Advocates say the VA rejects claims for reasons as simple as using an outdated version of the form.

"It's basically on me to go out there and receive this," Nichols says.

But a trained VSO can cut months and years off the time it takes veterans to receive benefits from the VA.

"You never want to apply for benefits on your own, unless you have some experience with it," says Bob Kelley, the VSO for Grant County, one of the Indiana counties receiving the most from the VA.

The VA's own data show vets who give VSOs power of attorneyreceive more than double the disability benefits of vets who file their own claims.

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David McLenachen, acting deputy undersecretary for disability assistance for the VA, agrees that VSOs routinely help the system work.

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"It can be overwhelming for somebody to prepare a claim and submit it," he says. "The VSOs can be very successful at helping with the claim process."

Kelley also goes to nursing homes and Veterans of Foreign Wars halls to tell veterans about their benefits, often on his own time. He would do more, but his county won't pay for an assistant until January.

"It's not a career," Kelley says. "In the state of Indiana, it's not a career. When I retired from the military after 25 years, I was hired on at $28,000, and that's the average salary."

But the state is trying to give VSOs more resources in order to ensure all veterans have access to them.

For Veterans

Veterans Coming Home, made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, is a collection of resources and public media stories aimed at helping veterans returning back to civilian life.

Looking for a veterans service officer? Visit theNational Association of County Veterans Service Officers to find links to yourstate VSOs and state benefit resources. Ordownload a directory from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

In the past year, the state paid for software and training so county VSOs could file claims electronically. And for the first time, the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs set up workshops to explain federal benefits to vets.

Bauerele is part of the Military Veterans Coalition of Indiana, which is pushing to reform the system in Indiana. He'd like to see better pay for county officers, and he wants the state to offer more help. VSOs like the American Legion already process thousands of VA claims.

"Every dollar you give a veteran is new money from outside the state coming into the state," Bauerele says. "That'll pay for a lot of Cadillacs, a lot of homes."

VA Expands Patient-Centered Community Care

VA Expands Patient-Centered Community Care (PC3) Contracts to Provide Access to Primary Care

WASHINGTON -- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that primary care has been added to the services available to Veterans through VA’s Patient-Centered Community Care (PC3) contracts, a key and evolving part of the non-VA medical care program.  Eligible Veterans are already able to access inpatient specialty care, outpatient specialty care, mental health care, limited emergency care and limited newborn care for female Veterans following childbirth under PC3.

“With the addition of primary care services, VA Medical Centers can now use PC3 to provide additional types of care in order to reduce wait times,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert A. McDonald.  “This modification is another example of how we are working to ensure Veterans get the care they need, when they need it and where they want to be seen.”

This modification supports VA’s Accelerated Care Initiative, helping to move Veterans off of waitlists and into care. Additionally, reduced commuting standards will require that contracted providers schedule appointments closer to the Veterans’ homes.

The initial PC3 contracts were awarded in September 2013 to Tri-West and HealthNet and have been used as part of the non-VA medical care program to purchase care in the community.

“PC3 is part of the overall non-VA medical care program,” said Dr. Carolyn A. Clancy, VA’s Interim Under Secretary for Health.  “We look forward to expanding our ability to provide timely access to health care services to our Veterans.”

VA Medical Centers have the ability to purchase non-VA medical care for Veterans through contracted medical providers when they cannot readily provide the needed care due to geographic inaccessibility or limited capacity. This additional option is available to purchase non-VA medical care when required Veteran care services are unavailable within the VA medical facility, or when Veterans benefit from receiving the needed care nearer to their homes. In addition, VA is reviewing how PC3 may be used to help implement the newly enacted Veterans Choice, Access, and Accountability Act of 2014.

Through PC3, Veterans can expect to receive high-quality health care that is coordinated with their VA providers. For more information on PC3, visit http://www.nonvacare.va.gov/PC3/index.asp.

VA Dental Plan Now Available

Pilot Program For Vets With No Dental Care  

WASHINGTON – VA is partnering with Delta Dental and MetLife to allow eligible Veterans, plus family members receiving care under the Civilian Health and Medical Program (CHAMPVA), to purchase affordable dental insurance beginning Nov. 15, VA officials announced today.  

“VA continues to explore innovative ways to help Veterans get access to the care and services they have earned and deserve,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “This new dental program is another example of VA creating partnerships with the private sector to deliver a range of high-quality care at an affordable cost, for our Nation’s Veterans.”

More than 8 million Veterans who are enrolled in VA health care can choose to purchase one of the offered dental plans.  This three-year pilot has been designed for Veterans with no dental coverage, or those eligible for VA dental care who would like to purchase additional coverage.  Participation will not affect entitlement to VA dental services and treatment. 

There are no eligibility limitations based on service-connected disability rating or enrollment priority assignment.  People interested in participating may complete an application online through either Delta Dental, www.deltadentalvadip.org or MetLife, www.metlife.com/vadip beginning Nov. 15.  Coverage for this new dental insurance will begin Jan. 1, 2014, and will be available throughout the United States and its territories. 

Also eligible for the new benefits are nearly 400,000 spouses and dependent children who are reimbursed for most medical expenses under VA’s CHAMPVA program.  Generally, CHAMPVA participants are spouses, survivors or dependent children of Veterans officially rated as “permanently and totally” disabled by a service-connected condition.

Dental services under the new program vary by plan and include diagnostic, preventive, surgical, emergency and endodontic/restorative treatment.  Enrollment in the VA Dental Insurance Plan (VADIP) is voluntary.  Participants are responsible for all premiums, which range from $8.65 to $52.90 per month for individual plans.  Copayments and other charges may apply.

Historically VA’s free dental services have gone to Veterans with dental problems connected to a medical condition that’s officially certified as “service connected.”  Free dental services will continue for those Veterans. 

For more information on VADIP, visit www.va.gov/healthbenefits/vadip, or contact Delta Dental at 1-855-370-3303 or MetLife at 1-888-310-1681.

Veterans who are not enrolled in the VA health care system can apply at any time by visiting www.va.gov/healthbenefits/enroll, calling 1-877-222-VETS (8387) or visiting their local VA health care facility.