COASTAL LIVING
      

May 2003

 For those of us who have had a dream of a Carteret County Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC), that dream is one giant step closer to reality with the very recent signing of a formal contract, and with clinic building and site preparation in the works.

In a letter from Michael B. Phaup, Director of the Durham VA Medical Center, he states that the VA has signed a contract with Bill Brown of Pond Properties, Inc. for the construction and lease of a clinic in Morehead City.  (A note, while the letter stated that contract signing was by Bill Brown, Larry Styron is a co-owner of Pond Properties). The 9,000 square foot facility will be located at 5420 Highway 70 West, which is on the northeast side of Highway 70 in close proximity to the entrance to Brandywine Bay.  It is anticipated that the clinic will be completed in the September/October 2003 timeframe.

The facility will provide both primary care and mental health services to veterans enrolled in the VA Health Care System, in Carteret, Craven and Pamlico Counties.  These three counties equate to a veteran population base of approximately 24,200.

To place this event in context, North Carolina has a veteran population of approximately 727,300 with the largest grouping of veterans in a demographic belt formed between Charlotte and Winston-Salem (242,000 veterans).  The state has four VA Medical Centers, with the closest one to the center of Carteret County being about 150 miles (one way) of hard road.  Primary Care Clinics are located in Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Raleigh, Wilmington, Jacksonville, and Greenville.  The bottom line, this clinic will significantly improve our veteran’s access to primary care, offering health care services focusing on prevention, early diagnosis and care up front.

More to follow on this important issue.   

VA Health Care Enrollment

For a veteran not enrolled in the VA Health Care System, the preceding paragraphs beg questions concerning VA health care eligibility and enrollment.  For information on participation in this program, call the Durham VA Medical Center toll free at 1-888-878-6890 or the VA Health Benefits Service Center toll free at 1-877-222-8387.  If you have internet access, information and forms on enrollment can be found on the World Wide Web.  http://www.va.gov/health/elig/.  A local service that will gladly assist you in determining eligibility and in assisting in enrollment is the Carteret County Veterans Services Office at (252) 728-8440. 

Concurrent Receipt a Military Retiree Issue and a Case of Bad News/Good News 

The bad news is that in the Congress, a House Senate Conferee Group working the 2004 Federal Budget Resolution, did not approve a phase-out of the ban on concurrent receipt for VA disabled military retirees. That said, on Capital Hill, for sure, it is not over until it is over.

The good news is that Combat Related Special Compensation (CRSC) did pass and is equivalent or equal to concurrent receipt for those retirees with disabilities for which they received the Purple Heart and for those retirees with disabilities rated higher that 60% that are directly related to combat, combat training, hazardous duty, or conditions simulating combat.

The Department of Defense (DoD) is developing the CRSC applications and will be mailing them around May 1, 2003 to approximately 60,000 potential eligible disabled military retirees as identified by the VA.  First payments are expected to be in July 2003, retroactive to June 1, 2003.

For a comprehensive update on this complex subject, contact Veterans Services at (252) 728-8440. 

                                                           Memorial Day Observance

The Carteret County Veterans Council will host a Memorial Day Service at Courthouse Square in Beaufort at 11:00am on Saturday, May 24, 2003.  All are invited to this observance to remember and to honor those members of our armed forces who courageously served and who unselfishly gave their lives in defense of our Country.  Details concerning this Memorial Day Service will be provided later this month.

Military Medals and Decorations 

Did you know that military medals awarded while in active duty will be issued by ones individual military service if requested by the veteran or by the next of kin of a deceased veteran.  Requests for the issuance or the replacement of military service medals and decorations should be directed to the specific branch of the military in which the veteran served.  For assistance in obtaining these awards, contact the Veteran Services Office at (252) 728-8440.