|
Financial Hardships If you are a Veteran who is suffering from financial distress, struggling to pay your VA copays, lost your
job or currently face a significant decrease in your household income, VA has programs that can assist you. Additionally,
VA’s Medical Care Hardship program could help Veterans qualify for VA enrollment for health care services if they had
a recent change in their income, even if they were previously denied enrollment based on their household income. Veterans
who have not applied for VA enrollment because they thought their income was too high may want to reconsider applying if their
projected current year’s income is lower. Hardship determinations may be approved if the Veteran’s current year
income is substantially reduced from the prior year. Personal circumstances, such as loss of employment, sudden decrease in
income or increases in out-of-pocket Veteran or family health care expenses, factor into VA’s hardship determination.
If you are a Veteran and unable to pay your copay charges, you should discuss the matter with the Revenue
Office at the VA health care facility where you received your care.
You must contact the facility where you received the care to
request one of these options or call VA at 1-877-222-VETS (8387) between the hours of 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM ET, Monday - Friday.
Veterans Crisis Line
The Veterans Crisis Line is a toll-free, confidential resource that connects
Veterans in Crisis and their families and friends with qualified, caring VA responders.
Veterans and their
loved ones can call 1-800-273-8255
and Press 1, chat online at www.VeteransCrisisline.net or send a text message to 838255 to receive free, confidential support 24 hours a day, 7
days a week, 365 days a year, even if they are not registered with VA or enrolled in VA health care.
The professionals at the Veterans Crisis Line are specially
trained and experienced in helping Veterans of all ages and circumstances—from Veterans coping with mental health issues
that were never addressed to recent Veterans struggling with relationships or the transition back to civilian life.
Updating
Your Information Using the Automated Health Benefits Renewal Form
Already enrolled and need to update your information? Enrolled Veterans
may now automatically submit updates to their address, phone number, health insurance and financial information using the
automated online VA Form 1010EZR, Health Benefits Renewal Form available at
www.1010ez.med.va.gov/sec/vha/1010ez/Form/1010ezrpdf
If you need help filling out the form while online, you may call 1-877-222-VETS (8387) between the hours
of 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM ET, Monday - Friday, or click on the “chat online with representative” button located on
the website and a representative will assist you. Veterans may update their information at any time - whenever their
financial or personal information changes, by completing VA Form 10-10EZR. Submitting the information online is the fastest
way to update information and no signature is required. Other ways to update information are by phone at 1-877-222-VETS (8387)
between the hours of 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM ET, Monday - Friday, by mail or in person. If mailing the form, be sure to sign and
date the form. National Call Center for Homeless Veterans
VA has founded a National Call Center for Homeless Veterans to ensure that homeless
Veterans or Veterans at-risk for homelessness have free, 24/7 access to trained counselors. The hotline is intended to assist
homeless Veterans and their families, VA Medical Facilities, federal, state and local partners, community agencies, service
providers and others in the community. To be connected with a trained VA staff member call 1-877-4AID VET (877-424-3838). Call
for yourself or someone else - Free and confidential
- Trained VA counselors to assist
- Available
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
We have information about VA homeless programs and mental health services in your
area that can help you.
More information can be found at www.va.gov/HOMELESS/NationalCallCenter.asp. Family Caregivers Program
On May 5, 2010, Public Law 111-163, Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 was signed
into law. The purpose of the caregivers benefit program is to provide certain medical, travel, training, and financial benefits
to caregivers of certain veterans and Servicemembers who were seriously injured during service on or after September 11, 2001.
VA began accepting 10-10CG (Caregiver) applications on May 9, 2011. VA’s Family Caregivers Program provides support
and assistance to caregivers of post 9/11 Veterans and Service Members being medically discharged. Eligible primary Family
Caregivers can receive a stipend, training, mental health services, travel and lodging reimbursement, and access to health
insurance if they are not already under a health care plan. For more information, contact your local VA medical facility and
speak with a Caregiver Support Coordinator, visit
www.caregiver.va.gov or dial toll-free 1-855-260-3274. VA Health
Care Enrollment Applying for Enrollment
is Now Easier and Faster than ever…
No more signing the application or mailing it in...applying is now easier and faster than ever! We’ve
even shortened the form to make it easier to apply. When applying online at
https://www.1010ez.med.va.gov/sec/vha/1010ez/, Veterans simply fill out the application online and electronically submit it to VA for processing. No need for
additional documents to verify military service - if the Veteran was recently discharged, we will get that information. Applying
online significantly reduces the processing time for enrollment for Veterans to be able to access their medical benefits.
Apply online now at https://www.1010ez.med.va.gov/sec/vha/1010ez . If you need help filling out the form while online, call 1-877-222-VETS (8387) between the hours of 8:00 AM and
8:00 PM ET, Monday - Friday, or click on the “chat online with representative” button located on the website and
a representative will assist you.
The application form can be downloaded from the website above, or if
you prefer, to complete the application over the phone, or have a paper copy mailed to you, you may do so by calling 1-877-222-VETS
(8387) between the hours of 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM ET, Monday - Friday. You may also apply in person at any VA Healthcare Facility.
Once you have submitted your application, you will be notified via letter of the status of your enrollment and priority group
assignment.
Once you enroll in the VA health care system, you will receive either an enrollment letter or a Veterans
Health Benefits Handbook. Each customized handbook includes VA health care benefit information, based on the Veteran’s
specific eligibility factors, in an organized, easy-to-read format. The handbook provides a current description of VA health
care benefits available to each enrolled Veteran. It also includes information on the Veteran’s preferred facility,
copay responsibilities, how to schedule appointments, ways to communicate treatment needs, patient rights, how to obtain copies
of medical records and more. For more information, visit www.va.gov/healthbenefits/vhbh. Veterans Identification Card VA provides eligible Veterans a Veterans Identification Card (VIC) for use at VA health care facilities.
This card provides quick access to VA health benefits. VA recommends all enrolled Veterans obtain a card.
VA health
care facility. Once the Veteran’s enrollment has been verified, the card will be mailed to the Veteran’s mailing
address, usually within 5 to 7 days. Veterans may call toll-free 1-877-222-VETS (8387) to check on the status of their card.
In the event the card is lost or destroyed, a replacement card may be requested by contacting the VA where the picture was
taken.
NOTE: VICs cannot be used as a credit or an insurance card and it does not authorize or pay for
care at non-VA facilities.
The VIC does not contain any sensitive, identifying information such as the Veteran’s
Social Security number or date of birth on the face of the card. However, that information is coded into the magnetic stripe
and barcode. For that reason, VA recommends that Veterans safeguard their VIC as they would a credit card. Obtaining an Appointment
You may request a doctor’s
appointment at the time you apply in person, or by checking ‘yes’ to the question asking if you want an appointment
on the application for enrollment. An appointment will be made with a VA doctor or provider and you will be notified via mail
of the appointment. If you need health care before your scheduled appointment, you may contact the Enrollment Coordinator,
your clinic contact, Urgent Care Clinic or the Emergency Room at your local VA medical facility.
Medically Related Travel Benefits
Veterans may qualify for mileage reimbursement if they fall
into one of the following categories:
Have a service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or more
Are
traveling for treatment of a service-connected condition
Receive a VA pension, - Are traveling for
a scheduled compensation or pension examination
- Does not have income that exceeds the maximum annual VA pension rate
Veterans meeting the above conditions may also be provided special mode travel (e.g., wheelchair van, ambulance)
based on a clinical determination of need (authorization is not required for emergencies if a delay would endanger their life
or health). More information on mileage rates and deductibles can be found on the internet at
www.va.gov/healthbenefits
Travel benefits are subject to a deductible. Exceptions to the deductible
requirement include: 1) travel for a compensation and pension examination; and 2) travel by an ambulance or a specially equipped
van. Because travel benefits are subject to annual mileage rate and deductible changes, we publish a separate document detailing
these amounts each year. You can obtain a copy at any VA health care facility. Your Personal VA Health Information Online
VA offers Veterans, Servicemembers, their dependents and caregivers
their own Personal Health Record through My HealtheVet, found at www.myhealth.va.gov.
My HealtheVet’s free, online Personal Health Record is available
24/7, wherever there is Internet access. If you are a VA patient and have an upgraded account (obtained by completing the
one-time In-Person Authentication* process), you can:
- Participate in Secure Messaging with your participating
VA health care team members
- View key portions of your DoD Military Service Information
- Get your VA Wellness
Reminders
- View your VA Appointments
- View your VA Lab Results
- View your VA Allergies and Adverse
Reactions
- PLUS, participate in future features as they become available
With My HealtheVet,
you can access trusted health information to better manage your health care and learn about other VA benefits and services.
My HealtheVet helps Veterans partner with your VA health care teams by providing
tools to make shared, informed decisions. Simply follow the directions on the website to register. If you are a VA patient
registered on My HealtheVet, you can begin to refill your VA medications online. You can also use
the VA Blue Button to view, print, or download the health data currently in your My HealtheVet account.
You can share this information with your family, caregivers or others such as your non-VA health care providers. It puts you
in control of your information stored in My HealtheVet.
Accessible through My HealtheVet
VA Blue Button also provides Veterans who were discharged from military service after 1979 access to your DoD Military Service
Information. This information may include Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) codes, pay details, service dates, deployment,
and retirement periods.
*To access the advanced My HealtheVet features, Veterans
will need to get an upgraded account by completing a one-time process at their VA facility called In-Person Authentication
. Visit My HealtheVet at http://www.myhealth.va.gov/, register and learn more about In-Person Authentication PLUS the many features and tools available to you
24/7 anywhere you have Internet access. If you have any questions about My HealtheVet, contact the
My HealtheVet Coordinator at your local VA facility.
Veterans Choose the VA Facility
As part of the enrollment process, Veterans will be given
the opportunity to select the VA health care facility or Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) to serve as his/her preferred
facility
Enter supporting content here
|
