COASTAL LIVING
      

July  2001

A VA Clinic for the Crystal Coast

For over five years the Carteret County Veterans Council and our elected officials, in coordination with VA officials, have actively and very diligently pursued a VA Community Based Outreach Clinic (CBOC) for the veterans of Carteret County.  That dream will soon become reality with Congress’ recent approval of a Havelock/ Morehead City Community Based Outreach Clinic (CBOC).

While available details concerning the clinic are limited, the following paragraphs include excerpts from VA correspondence with some key points about this clinic.

The VA Medical Center Durham is the agency with the responsibility for setting up and then overseeing the daily operation of our clinic.  The first step that the VA Medical Center will be taking will be a contracting process to identify the exact location for the clinic and, in turn, who will be providing the clinic’s medical services.  This process is expected to take at least three months.  Needless to say, additional time will be needed for set-up before treating patients.

The clinic will provide Primary Care services and Mental Health services.  Veterans who are enrolled in the VA health care system will be eligible for care there if it is the location closest to their home and if their medical needs are ones that can be appropriately managed in a community clinic setting.  Those veterans with an ongoing need for specialty care will continue to receive their care at the VA Medical Center at Durham or Fayetteville.  Concerning getting enrolled into the clinic and getting a Primary Care physician, any patient who is currently on the Primary Care waiting list and who lives closest to the Havelock/ Morehead City area will be automatically notified once the clinic is ready to open its doors.  It is not necessary to enter another Primary Care consult.  For those veterans already being treated at the Greenville Clinic, we have been told that those veterans will be afforded the opportunity of being treated at Greenville or the Havelock/Morehead City Clinic.

The VA further stated that as the stand up of the clinic approaches, they will initiate public service announcements with details and amplifying instructions.   In the interim, the VA encourages veterans to continue with their current source of health care.

For further information on the clinic, contact County Veterans Services at (252) 728-8440.

VA Health Care Enrollment

Whether a veteran spent one year or thirty on active military duty, was service connected or non-service connected for a disability, and regardless of personal income or assets, he/she should look into the opportunities for VA health care, especially with a local VA clinic on the horizon and access to care no longer an issue.

In late 1996, the Veterans Health Care Eligibility Reform Act was passed and it led the way for the creation of a Uniform Health Care Benefits Package, a standard health benefit plan available to all veterans.  Not only were health care services opened up to all veterans, the application process was simplified and streamlined.  These changes have made it significantly easier than ever before for veterans to receive care.

For details on this important entitlement, a good resource is the Carteret County Veterans Services Office located at 613 Cedar Street in Beaufort.  Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, telephone (252) 728-8440, email address ccvso@coastalnet.com.

TRICARE for Life (TFL),
a new benefit for our military retirees

Once TRICARE for Life is implemented on October 1, 2001, the average Medicare-eligible military retiree and spouse can expect to save $3,000 a year on medical insurance premiums.  Factor in an average annual cost of $1,500 per couple for prescription medications and one can see that our military retirees have received quite an entitlement, the fulfillment of the promise for lifetime health care.

For a copy of a very informative overview of this benefit, contact County Veterans Services at (252) 728-8440.

Accelerated Death Benefits for Certain VA Life Insurances

Did you know that veterans insured under the Service Group or Veterans Group Life Insurance (SGLI or VGLI), if terminally ill (prognosis of nine months or less to live) may apply for up to 50 per cent of the coverage amount in advance?  For additional details, contact the VA Insurance Center in Newark, New Jersey at 1-800-419-1473 or County Veterans Services at (252) 728-8440.

Something Special for Our Korean War Veterans