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Where to start re: VA Medical benefits.

timbo

timbo

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Hey all…

As I am getting along in age (60) and thinking about semi-retirement in a few years, I am trying to get some of my ducks in a row…particularly with regards to medical stuff etc.

I am wondering how to sign up for VA Medical in NH (NH, I found out, is one of the few states that doesn’t have a VA hospital). Is this something I can do on line or do I need to go to a VA facility somewhere?

I am a Viet Nam era vet…. I never served in combat but I was in during the very end of the war, enough time to be considered a Viet Nam "era" vet.

What are my options? Where do I start?

Looking for suggestions from those that have walked this path already.

Thanks
 
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Start with the state of NH's VA department. They are a state department whose only job is to maximize their citizen's veteran's benefits. http://www.nh.gov/nhveterans/


https://www.nh.gov/nhveterans/contactus/index.htm

I worked with Jamie. She was extremely helpful. Here is what I did:

1. FOIA for everything. Medical records, personnel records, etc.
2. PCP medical records. I got every scrap of paper, then compared to the injuries I sustained in the CG, and put everything in order myself. I then scanned all of that paper onto 5 DVDs. When I met with Jamie, I had everything both on paper and on DVD. I gave her the DVD with everything that she asked for and kept the paper.

Make sure you make your medical appointments!

I went through the system. Took less than 120 days from beginning to end. I do not use the VA Medical center in Manchester or the clinic in Tilton, yet, but it is in my longterm care plan (I'm 45).

Keep a journal! I kept a journal every day of anything that happened during the process.

As for regular health care at that VA, walk in, find the eligibility office and see what they can do for you. You may have to have a co-pay (until or unless you are rated above 50%) but it is coverage.

If you need more, shoot me a PM and we can converse via email.

Best,

Ron
 
Artie said:
Manchester has a VA, although not considered a big hospital. I went to the Enrollment dept at W.Rox VA with a dd214, insurance card and license. They gave me a form to fill out. Unsure if you can do it online.

VA FORM 10-10EZ, MAR 2015

https://www.va.gov/vaforms/form_detail.asp?FormNo=10EZ
Click to expand...

Thanks...I'll check that out when I get home today.

BTW, I love your avatar. I get a chuckle out of it pretty much every time I see it...the faces are priceless.
 
CoastieRon said:
Start with the state of NH's VA department. They are a state department whose only job is to maximize their citizen's veteran's benefits. http://www.nh.gov/nhveterans/


https://www.nh.gov/nhveterans/contactus/index.htm

I worked with Jamie. She was extremely helpful. Here is what I did:

1. FOIA for everything. Medical records, personnel records, etc.
2. PCP medical records. I got every scrap of paper, then compared to the injuries I sustained in the CG, and put everything in order myself. I then scanned all of that paper onto 5 DVDs. When I met with Jamie, I had everything both on paper and on DVD. I gave her the DVD with everything that she asked for and kept the paper.

Make sure you make your medical appointments!

I went through the system. Took less than 120 days from beginning to end. I do not use the VA Medical center in Manchester or the clinic in Tilton, yet, but it is in my longterm care plan (I'm 45).

Keep a journal! I kept a journal every day of anything that happened during the process.

As for regular health care at that VA, walk in, find the eligibility office and see what they can do for you. You may have to have a co-pay (until or unless you are rated above 50%) but it is coverage.

If you need more, shoot me a PM and we can converse via email.

Best,

Ron
Click to expand...

Thanks CoastieRon...will definitely PM you when questions arise. Right now I am still employed and have good insurance coverage but one never knows when the hammer may fall and even if I stay employed until I voluntarily retire, I will eventually need something to cover my ass.
 
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timbo said:
Thanks CoastieRon...will definitely PM you when questions arise. Right now I am still employed and have good insurance coverage but one never knows when the hammer may fall and even if I stay employed until I voluntarily retire, I will eventually need something to cover my ass.
Click to expand...

I would get to it sooner rather than later, and here is why. If you are awarded any type of disability rating at all, it is retroactive to the day you filed, plus one year. I was a bit shocked when mine was finished up. I actually called and asked if it was all right to spend the money.....
 
CoastieRon said:
I would get to it sooner rather than later, and here is why. If you are awarded any type of disability rating at all, it is retroactive to the day you filed, plus one year. I was a bit shocked when mine was finished up. I actually called and asked if it was all right to spend the money.....
Click to expand...

Good to know...as far as I know, I probably am not eligible for any disabilities...I got out pretty much as healthy as an ox. About the only thing that they may find is hearing loss...flight deck ops and working around jet aircraft contributed to that but....I also have played in rock bands and shooting, not on Navy time.

I am planning on start this process in the next couple of weeks...
 
Start here to get enrolled with the VA. https://www.va.gov/healthbenefits/apply/

Next is to go to the closest VA to get your VA ID made and to get an appointment with a primary care. https://www.va.gov/directory/guide/state.asp?STATE=NH&dnum=1

If you want to start a compensation claim for your hearing loss/tinitus or any other service related injury or ailment go here. https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/homepage The VA is not going to look for service related issues in you. it is up to you to bring those forth to the VA.
 
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nutsym16 said:
You are a Viet Nam Vet only if you served in Viet NAM!
Click to expand...

That's why I said "era". I totally understand the difference as I have many friends that fought in country and lost a couple as well during the Tet Offensive.
 
Once you are in the system you are in for life wether you use it or not. I would follow the above advice and start now it took me months to get my initial visit and there are several tests and pre initial appointments. I am era as well and sometimes this makes a difference at the state level as to if you are a "veteran" or not.
 
best thing you can do is take your DD214 to a VSO, whether it's your town, Amvets, DAV, American Legion (if you're a member) to get this ball rolling.

PS: i'm not shooting from the hip. 60% (and counting) service-connected. i filed for my main issues while i was tracking down medical records in the interim. i have another C&P later this month.

https://www.vets.gov/healthcare/eligibility/

Can I get VA health care coverage?
You may be able to get VA health care if you served on active duty and separated under conditions other than dishonorable.
You probably qualify for VA health care if at least 1 of these applies to you:
You receive financial compensation (payments) from VA for a service-connected disability
You were discharged for a disability resulting from something that happened to you in the line of duty
You were discharged for a disability that got worse in the line of duty
You’re a recently discharged Combat Veteran
You get a VA pension
You’re a former Prisoner of War (POW)
You’ve received a Purple Heart
You get (or qualify for) Medicaid benefits
You served in Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975
You served in Southwest Asia during the Gulf War between August 2, 1990, and November 11, 1998
You served at least 30 days at Camp Lejeune between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987
If none of the above apply to you, you may still qualify for care based on your income. Learn more about how the amount of money your family makes can affect whether you qualify for VA benefits. Learn more about income limits.
If you separated under a dishonorable discharge, visit healthcare.gov to find out if you qualify for health insurance. Go to healthcare.gov.
 
Manomet said:
He is in NH there are no town VSO's in NH
Click to expand...

oh,

i didn't know that. Manchester does have a VBA office. *apply online (last resort). you def. want to talk to a person, get a name (for when you have to file a complaint with your elected officials... LOL (New England isn't as bad as other states)... but the VA system overal is crazy!
 
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Massachusetts is the only state in the US offering Veterans benefits and a VSO in every community. I would strongly recommend you use a VSO (American Legion, VFW, DAV,AMVets, etc.) to file any and all paperwork and never respond to the VA without speaking to them first. The computers send out letters that if responded to will bump you to the back of the line.
 
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CoastieRon said:
I would get to it sooner rather than later, and here is why. If you are awarded any type of disability rating at all, it is retroactive to the day you filed, plus one year. I was a bit shocked when mine was finished up. I actually called and asked if it was all right to spend the money.....
Click to expand...

The sooner you sign up for VA benefits the better, herd Ron's advice for the reason he cited. Also too, don't freak out if you are given a disability rating of zero. Zero is a number in the VA system. Let's say you have a medical condition that the VA rates as zero. If you filed your claim at age 45 it's on file and has been established. Periodically you can get your rating adjusted so by the time you are sixty five your condition might give you a 20 or 30 percent rating.

From what I have observed, the longer you wait to establish a claim the harder it is to validate it. Start as young as you can, remembering too that you may need witnesses to corroborate your story. Every month I read personal ads in the back of the VFW magazine where some geezer (I qualify for that term reluctantly) is looking for Lt Brown or Sgt Smith who witnessed a training accident at Ft Riley, Kansas back in 1959. Don't be one of those people.
 
nutsym16 said:
You are a Viet Nam Vet only if you served in Viet NAM!
Click to expand...

Your ignorance is showing and it's offensive. The OP said he was a Vietnam Era Vet not a Viet Nam Vet. This is a legitimate term that is used. In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts anyone who is a Vietnam Era Vet, (whether having served in country or not) has a preferred status just like other minorities. Whether you think it's right or not is irrelevant, it's fact.

Virtually anyone of us who served during that time potentially was a candidate for that theater of operations. Some of us were fortunate enough that we were sent to other places. It's true that some volunteered for Viet Nam, but for most it was the luck of the draw and the whim of some personnel clerk somewhere.
 
mark056 said:
Your ignorance is showing and it's offensive. The OP said he was a Vietnam Era Vet not a Viet Nam Vet. This is a legitimate term that is used. In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts anyone who is a Vietnam Era Vet, (whether having served in country or not) has a preferred status just like other minorities. Whether you think it's right or not is irrelevant, it's fact.

Virtually anyone of us who served during that time potentially was a candidate for that theater of operations. Some of us were fortunate enough that we were sent to other places. It's true that some volunteered for Viet Nam, but for most it was the luck of the draw and the whim of some personnel clerk somewhere.
Click to expand...

and the key words being...."whim of some personnel clerk."[rofl][rofl][rofl][rofl]
 
To mark056. What I posted is a simple statement of fact. You are the ignorant one. What I find offensive is people like you are quick to judge others when can not read nor comprehend what is written.
From a twice wounded Viet Nam Vet.
 
To mark056. What I posted is a simple statement of fact. You are the ignorant one. What I find offensive is people like you who are quick to judge others when you can not read nor comprehend what is written.
From a twice wounded Viet Nam Vet.
 
nutsym16 said:
To mark056. What I posted is a simple statement of fact. You are the ignorant one. What I find offensive is people like you who are quick to judge others when you can not read nor comprehend what is written.
From a twice wounded Viet Nam Vet.
Click to expand...

Not sure where you're getting your information from. I'd suggest you read some more about it.

The Definition of a Vietnam Era Veteran
By Robert L. Hanafin on July 28, 2009
By Bob Hanafin, Staff Writer

A "Vietnam Era" Veteran is defined as any Veteran who served during the official time frame of the Vietnam War anywhere in the world as defined by Congress and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

I would assume that even National Guard members who have achieved official Veterans status as defined by the VA would be considered Vietnam Era Veterans.

I’m basically familiar with this, because most of the VA benefits I applied for and got when I served during the war were because I was a Vietnam Era Vet. However, I know that Congress passed a law in 1996 just after I retired from the Pentagon that changed the definition as it applied to those who served in-country Vietnam proper, and those Veterans who served elsewhere. The time frames are different.



Those who served in-country Vietnam have a longer period of time in which they qualify to be a Vietnam Era Veteran (from 1961 to 1975) while those who did not serve in-country havOfficial Definition of a Vietnam Era Veteran – Google Searche a shorter timeframe in which they can be considered Vietnam Era Veterans (from 1964 to 1975).

The Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act of 1996, Public Law (P.L.) 104-275, Section 505, enacted October 9, 1996. REFERENCES: Title 38, U.S.C., Chapter 1, Section 101 (29) and Chapters 41 & 42, Sections 4101, 4211 and 4212.

From a once wounded Vietnam Veteran
 

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