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Hank Gotard |
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VA Facility Opens Onboard Lejeune |
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December 9th the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
opened the doors of a joint facility onboard Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, which for
separating military personnel, will significantly reduce the time involved in applying for
and obtaining VA Benefits. The Lejeune facility is the result of an ongoing DOD/VA initiative which is in the process of being implemented across the nation. The basis of the new policy is to promote completion of a VA compensation and pension disability evaluation physical examination before discharge of separating or retiring service members, who are expected to or might file claims for service connected disability, VA compensation and VA health care benefits. Previous procedures required two separate examinations several months apart. Until now, military personnel had to have a DOD physical exam prior to discharge from active duty. These personnel usually had to undergo a second exam by the VA after filing claims for disability compensation because of the differences between VA and DOD protocols. According to Dr. Kenneth Kiser, former VA Under Secretary for Health who spearheaded the new national policy, " This change will help us avoid unnecessary or redundant physical exams, improve the quality of the examination process and improve service for separating servicemembers by eliminating lengthy delays in claims, decisions and health care eligibility determinations. We are hopeful the new process will enhance ongoing efforts to reduce the time it takes to process compensation claims and further, it should reduce costs." In pilot tests of the dual-purpose exam at Army facilities, claims processing time was reduced to less than one-third of national levels under the existing system. Needless to say, any way one looks at this initiative; it's good news. 2000 Eligibility Verification Reports With 1999 ending, those veterans and widows receiving VA pensions, and having unreimbursed medical expenses for calendar 1999, in excess of 5 percent of their basic pension rate, should calculate their 1999 medical expenses and apply for reimbursement of unreimbursed medical expenses as soon as practical, since the VA is on a calendar year reporting basis, January 1 through December 31, 1999, instead of a fiscal year. An important note is that, like last year, we have been led to believe that only those pension recipients who have reported income other than Social Security will be sent an Eligibility Verification Report (EVR). The bottom line is that a pension recipient who receives only Social Security has to take the initiative, and on his/her own accord, file for unreimbursed medical expenses if he or she would like to obtain partial reimbursement for medical expenses incurred during calendar year 1999. If the above is applicable to your particular situation, you should gather together your medical expenses, including those of your spouse and dependent children(s), and contact the County Veterans Service Office and they will gladly assist you in completing the paperwork required for your request for medical expense reimbursement. Since the office anticipates a significant number of veterans and widows applying for this reimbursement, it will be doing requests of reimbursements by appointment, to preclude long waits at the Veteran's Services Office. Call 728-8440 to set up a time that is convenient. If there are questions concerning what medical expenses should be considered, the VSO Office has a listing of medical related expenses that can be utilized as a checklist. Call 728-8440 or e-mail ccvso @ coastalnet.com for a copy of this checklist. VA Claims Processing Times The question always comes up of how long does it take to process a VA Regional Office claim. Below are the average processing times for compensation and pension claims.
For information, the above data was provided by
the North Carolina Division of Veterans Affairs State Service Office. |
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