VA Medical Benefits Registration
The rumors are true! You DO need to go and register at a VA Hospital to ensure that you remain eligible to receive your VA medical benefits.
Under the VA health care eligibility reform act signed into law in October 1996, Veterans are required to "enroll" at their local VA hospital to ensure that they remain
eligible for health care and medical benefits. The bill requires the VA to quantify how many veterans need care. We will be divided into seven eligibility categories and
VA funds allocated to service those with the most pressing needs. The VA is currently in a test period to determine the scope of the need. The test period ends 1
October 1998. YOU need to register prior to October 1 this year.
The wording of the VA rules for Health Care enrollment state that "after October 1, 1998, some veterans may still be treated without being enrolled."
Unless you are severely disabled as a result of a service related injury, you can bet that it will be easier to enroll now than to convince somebody under budget
constraints that you are one of the "some" that need to be an exception to policy.
I have not yet managed to get registered at the Atlanta VA hospital. There are certain hours (which change with the day) for registration. All staff members contacted
by phones advised me to bring a copy of my DD214. You don't need a certified copy, just certain data elements from the form. The Atlanta VA center told me that I
have to fill out a VA Form 10-10F financial worksheet which requires information on your spouse and children, their individual yearly incomes, and you and your
spouses assets including value of home, IRA, stocks, bonds, and other real properties and your debts. They also sent me a copy of VA Form 10-10 (RS), a four page
form that includes most of the same things listed on the financial disclosure form.
A VA Consumer Affairs representative sent me an e-mail that explained that the form required was the VA Form 10-10 which can be downloaded from their web site,
http://www.va.gov. You will also find copies of the VA public affairs announcements at this web site. The information on the web site leads me to believe that
re-registration will be required every year. This makes sense since people's incomes/assets are subject to change.
Hopefully the process will get easier. Don't get too frustrated if the guidance and forms change. It's evident that they are still busy trying to write the administrative
rules to implement the law.
The VA Center in Birmingham served me well before I moved to Atlanta. They had good people with a caring attitude and improvements will appear as the VA works
the bugs out. But we certainly need to pass the word to all our fellow veterans to register. The VA will never be adequately funded unless they can clearly document
the needs of their customers. JAYHAWK!
UPDATE: As a follow-up to the above information, I managed to go to the Atlanta VA hospital on Friday, 17 April. The Atlanta VA wanted none of the forms sent to me
earlier by either the VA Consumer Affairs representative or the Atlanta VA hospital. But they did have all of my service data loaded into their computer files. I asked
(again) what was needed to register so I could tell my co-workers. I was told that all the veteran had to do was come in, OR, that I could confirm their registration if I
knew their Social Security number.
Well, I know my wife's social security number. The lady punched it in, asked me if I knew my wife's birthday and retirement date and then told me that her data was on
file. She then asked me if I wanted to register her. I replied "sure." The VA rep made four keystrokes and said it was done.
The Atlanta VA hospital representative said that registration was important to ensure that each individual hospital gets its share of the annual budget. I still
recommend that you take the time to go register.
Lee Brame MAJ (Ret)
The rumors are true! You DO need to go and register at a VA Hospital to ensure that you remain eligible to receive your VA medical benefits.
Under the VA health care eligibility reform act signed into law in October 1996, Veterans are required to "enroll" at their local VA hospital to ensure that they remain
eligible for health care and medical benefits. The bill requires the VA to quantify how many veterans need care. We will be divided into seven eligibility categories and
VA funds allocated to service those with the most pressing needs. The VA is currently in a test period to determine the scope of the need. The test period ends 1
October 1998. YOU need to register prior to October 1 this year.
The wording of the VA rules for Health Care enrollment state that "after October 1, 1998, some veterans may still be treated without being enrolled."
Unless you are severely disabled as a result of a service related injury, you can bet that it will be easier to enroll now than to convince somebody under budget
constraints that you are one of the "some" that need to be an exception to policy.
I have not yet managed to get registered at the Atlanta VA hospital. There are certain hours (which change with the day) for registration. All staff members contacted
by phones advised me to bring a copy of my DD214. You don't need a certified copy, just certain data elements from the form. The Atlanta VA center told me that I
have to fill out a VA Form 10-10F financial worksheet which requires information on your spouse and children, their individual yearly incomes, and you and your
spouses assets including value of home, IRA, stocks, bonds, and other real properties and your debts. They also sent me a copy of VA Form 10-10 (RS), a four page
form that includes most of the same things listed on the financial disclosure form.
A VA Consumer Affairs representative sent me an e-mail that explained that the form required was the VA Form 10-10 which can be downloaded from their web site,
http://www.va.gov. You will also find copies of the VA public affairs announcements at this web site. The information on the web site leads me to believe that
re-registration will be required every year. This makes sense since people's incomes/assets are subject to change.
Hopefully the process will get easier. Don't get too frustrated if the guidance and forms change. It's evident that they are still busy trying to write the administrative
rules to implement the law.
The VA Center in Birmingham served me well before I moved to Atlanta. They had good people with a caring attitude and improvements will appear as the VA works
the bugs out. But we certainly need to pass the word to all our fellow veterans to register. The VA will never be adequately funded unless they can clearly document
the needs of their customers. JAYHAWK!
UPDATE: As a follow-up to the above information, I managed to go to the Atlanta VA hospital on Friday, 17 April. The Atlanta VA wanted none of the forms sent to me
earlier by either the VA Consumer Affairs representative or the Atlanta VA hospital. But they did have all of my service data loaded into their computer files. I asked
(again) what was needed to register so I could tell my co-workers. I was told that all the veteran had to do was come in, OR, that I could confirm their registration if I
knew their Social Security number.
Well, I know my wife's social security number. The lady punched it in, asked me if I knew my wife's birthday and retirement date and then told me that her data was on
file. She then asked me if I wanted to register her. I replied "sure." The VA rep made four keystrokes and said it was done.
The Atlanta VA hospital representative said that registration was important to ensure that each individual hospital gets its share of the annual budget. I still
recommend that you take the time to go register.
Lee Brame MAJ (Ret)
Veterans Health
Links
Gulflink-Office of the Assistant for Gulf War Illnesses
Provides online access on-line access to medical, operational, and intelligence documents from the 1990-1991 Gulf War
http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/
United States Department of Veterans Affairs My HealtheVet (MHV)
Gateway to veteran health benefits and services. VA Medical benefits registration. As a veteran you should register at a VA Hospital
to ensure that you remain eligible to receive your VA medical benefits. More about your rights as a veteran here.
http://www.myhealth.va.gov/
Studies
Current Status of Army's Position on Evidence of Exposure to Chemical Agents in the Gulf War
Comprehensive Clinical Evaluation Program (CCEP)
Links
Gulflink-Office of the Assistant for Gulf War Illnesses
Provides online access on-line access to medical, operational, and intelligence documents from the 1990-1991 Gulf War
http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/
United States Department of Veterans Affairs My HealtheVet (MHV)
Gateway to veteran health benefits and services. VA Medical benefits registration. As a veteran you should register at a VA Hospital
to ensure that you remain eligible to receive your VA medical benefits. More about your rights as a veteran here.
http://www.myhealth.va.gov/
Studies
Current Status of Army's Position on Evidence of Exposure to Chemical Agents in the Gulf War
Comprehensive Clinical Evaluation Program (CCEP)
| VII Corps Desert Storm Veterans Association (DSVA) |
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| 2008-2009 (C) VII Corps Desert Storm Veterans Association (DSVA) |
