An eBenefits Accounts Is A Plus

Dealing with the VA or any federal government organization can have its moments. There are rules, regulations, updates, forms, certified documents, wet signatures, DD-214s, evidence and a myriad of other hoops you have to jump through. Oh, wet signatures you ask. They are original signatures. Not copies, reproductions or electronic signatures.

When becoming involved with the VA, an eBenefits account is a good way to keep track of a multitude of things. Any veteran can create an eBenefits account. If you file a claim for disabilities or pension, you can follow the progress of your claim. You can add evidence to your claim. You can add or subtract dependents to your claim.

When you claim is approved, you can track your monthly payments. Which are tax free by the way. Change your address, update your bank account information, print out an VA Award letter (a letter from the VA stating what percentage you have been awarded depending your disability). If you want to apply for a VA mortgage, you need a COE (certificate of eligibility) to go with your application. Print it from eBenefits.

Want to use your GI Bill to go to school? The steps and forms are available here. How about batteries for hearing aids or set up an appointment for eyeglasses.

How about health care? Besides my family doctor, I have been going to the VA for healthcare for about three years. I can check my appointments, ask for prescription refills, read notes from my VA doctor's visits and print out a complete list of my blood tests. I give my family doctor a copy of all this information.
Go to www.ebenefits.va.gov <http://www.ebenefits.va.gov>  to get started. The home page will give a nice rundown of all the information you can access. Click the Register button and you are asked a series of questions. 

Questions are:

Select registration method:
I have a Common Access Card (CAC) with accessible card reader. 
I have a Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) myPay account. 
None of the above conditions apply, however at least one of the following conditions is true:

I am a Veteran
I am a Dependent of a Veteran
I am a Survivor of a Veteran
I am registered in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS)

Just follow the prompts and account you too can have your very own eBenefits account. It is well worth the time and effort.

For questions or information contact me at 765-529-4305 or jguglielmi@henryco.net. My office hours are 7 am till noon, Tuesdaythrough Friday room 114 in the old Henry County Courthouse.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is approaching quickly and activity has been picking up in my office as American flags are picked up by service organizations and individuals. Henry County makes available the funds to purchase over 5,000 graveside flags. Every veteran grave in Henry County has a flag placed beside it before Memorial Day. This is just one way our veterans are honored.

Many schools invite veterans to attend Veterans Day programs. Restaurants give veterans discounts or free meals. Stores give discounts on purchases with proper ID.  A military Honor Guard is present at most veterans funerals.  These are just  a few ways that our veterans are remembered.

But what makes a veteran?  He is the teenager that crossed the ocean in the bowels of a transport ship to fight the Germans during WW II.  The young lady that cared for wounded soldiers at the battle front as they were brought into field hospitals. The young B-25 belly gunner who had his canopy shot from under him by German fighters planes and ended up hanging under the plane in his harness. The bomber continued to the target and returned to its airfield in England safely. The young lieutenant who led his platoon through the jungles and swamps of Vietnam looking for Viet Cong.

The young woman Marine who traveled across Iraq from village to village promoting good will and handing out soccer balls to children. The Air Force crew chief  who flew aboard bombers that dropped atomic bombs during Operation Teapot in the 50's. The teenage sailor who was aboard a warship that was sunk during a WW II sea battle in the Pacific.  Was rescued, assigned to another ship that was torpedoed. Survived still again, and yes, his last ship was sunk. All these veterans are Henry County residents and have done things a non veteran can't imagine. 

Not all of us were involved in combat but were an important element that supported the troops in harms way: supply, medical, training, intelligence, finance, chaplains, flight crews, electronics, mechanics, judicial, munitions, technicians, etc. The list goes on and on.

The young mother of two in the checkout line, or the elderly gentleman sharing coffee and conversation with friends at a local restaurant just might be veterans. Think about that this Memorial Day and everyday.
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A documentary about PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is coming to Indianapolis  on Tuesday May 24 at 7 p.m. for one night only. "Soledad O' Brian Presents: The War Comes Home - The New Battlefront." This film follows two veterans on the edge of suicide as they attend a life-changing boot camp. Healing, meditation and team-building exercises are part of the treatment over the course of five days, with the cameras recording their recovery.

The documentary will be shown at AMC Indianapolis 17 at 4325 South Meridian St., Indianapolis, IN. Call (317) 784-0989 for ticket information.

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.

Short and To The Point: Filling Out Claim Forms

  Many times when a veteran or his spouse comes into my office to file a claim, but they want to take the forms home. They have another appointment, don't have the information with them, etc. I try to help everyone I can plow through the paperwork on site, but that is not  always possible.

   My advice to anyone filling out their own forms goes like this:
   
        Read each question carefully.
                   Don't guess at the answers. If you are not sure, bring the forms to you Service Officer.
     
        Print all your answers plainly. Do not use cursive.
                  You may know what you have written but the VA Grader that processes your claim might not be able to read your scribbles.
     
        Fill in all the blanks.
                  Example: Many VA forms ask for morning & evening phone numbers. Today it is common for people to have cells phones and no home phone. They put their cell phone number in the 'morning' box and same in the 'evening' box. Put the number in both boxes.

        Get all your financial information together before completing claims that require it.

        Gather up the necessary certificates you might need: discharge, death, marriage, etc.

        Know your doctor's full name, address and phone number and what they treated you for.

        Disability comp claims require What, When, Where & Why types of information.
                  Their needs to be a cause and effect. Yesterday a vet came in and wanted to file an "Agent Orange" claim. There is NO such thing. You have to have a disability related to you time in Vietnam, on the ground or serving in the Blue or Brown water Navy.

   When you have completed the forms and gathered all the necessary documents together, bring them to your county Veteran Service Office so they can check them over before they are shipped off to your Regional VA Office.

   The people that rate claims are not sitting waiting for your claim to land on their desk. They already have a stack of folders they are working on. If they have not their morning coffee or were stuck in traffic on the way to work, they not be in the best frame of might when they look at your claim that is full of scribbles and missing forms. They already have a stack of claims on their desk that they can turn to.

    Be concise, neat and have everything you need. If not sure, go to your VSO office and ask.  
 
  Remember www.va.gov  or email me at jguglielmi@henryco.net with you questions or write a comment on this blog.         

       

     

     
     

     

Henry County, Indiana Veterans Information

Veterans of Henry County, Indiana have access to information and benefits they might be eligible for through the Veterans office located in the Henry County Courthouse Room 114. I, John Guglielmi, am the Veterans Service Officer for Henry County. My position is to help Veterans research information, file claims and help them fill out the many forms that are required when working with any federal and state entity.


The Veterans Administration in Washington, D. C. can be found at http://www.va.gov/ and is a wealth of information and updates about what is going on with and for Veterans. The state of Indiana has a comprehensive site at www.in.gov/dva.


The Veterans is open Tuesday thur Friday from 7:00 a.m. till 12:00 p.m. My email is jguglielmi@henryco.net and phone is 765 529-4305.