VA Changes Healthcare Copayments

 In a recent press release the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that new regulations were being implemented that would affect veterans in certain income categories who presently are making copayments for VA outpatient health care.

The new regulations establish a three-tier copayment system.  The first tier will be for preventive care visits and will cost the veteran nothing.   Services for which there will be no copayments include:  flu shots and other immunizations, laboratory tests, electrocardiograms, certain radiology/x-ray services, hypertension and Hepatitis C screenings, and other types of preventive services.

Primary care outpatient visits comprise the second tier and will require a copayment of $15.   In the past, for certain veterans this outpatient copayment was $50.80.

The third tier is specialty outpatient care and includes:  surgical consultative services, radiology services requiring the presence of a physician, audiology, optometry, cardiology, magnetic resonance imagery (MRI), CAT scans, nuclear medicine studies and ambulatory surgery.  These services will cost $50 per visit.

The copayments do not apply for the treatment of service-connected conditions, for Purple Heart recipients, former POW's, and other veterans who in the past had not been required to make copayments for primary/specialty care.  For nonservice-connected care, the outpatient copayments apply primarily to veterans enrolled in Priority Group 7.

In regard to inpatient hospital copayments, no changes were effected.  Presently, some veterans (Priority Group 7) pay $792 for each 90 days of hospital care plus a $10 per diem charge.  For each additional 90 days of care in the same fiscal year, the charge is $396, or one-half the cost of the first 90 days.

Another change will increase the copayments made by some veterans for outpatient medications from $2 to $7 for each 30-day supply of each medication, with the maximum annual out-of-pocket payment of $840 for veterans in certain enrollment priorities.

A note, every dollar collected from outpatient/medication copayments is turned around and returned to the VA Health Care Center where the veteran received his/her medical care.   The copayment collections are used to improve medical care for the veterans served. 

The new regulations changing outpatient care copayments went into effect December 6, 2001 and the medication copayment regulation will go into effect February 4, 2002.

For a copy of this important news release and an informative copayment handout, contact Carteret County Veterans Services at (252) 728-8440.

Locating Active Duty Service Members

Each military service has an office which deals with the worldwide location of active duty service members.  The offices are listed below.

                                                Service         Telephone Number

                                                Air Force         (210) 565-2660

                                                Army                (703) 325-3732

                                                Coast Guard   (202) 267-2229

                                                Navy                (901) 874-3388

                                                Marine Corps   (703) 784-3942

There is no locator system for discharged personnel for any service.   That said, Veterans Services has a few ideas on how one might find an old service buddy.  Call Veterans Services at (252) 728-8440 and they will provide you with a handout with some good hints to assist one in this type of search.

Presidential Memorial Certificates

Did you know that Presidential Memorial Certificates bearing the signature of the President are issued honoring deceased veterans, expressing our nation's recognition and gratitude for his/her service to our country.  Eligible recipients include next of kin and other loved ones.  The award of a certificate to one eligible recipient doesn't preclude the award of certificates to other eligible recipients.  The veteran may have died at any time.  As one would expect, there are no associated charges.  To establish honorable service, a discharge or DD Form 214 must accompany the request for a certificate.  Carteret County Veterans Services at (252) 728-8440 will gladly assist in applying for these handsome certificates.

Military medals and ribbons make a nice memory.