Posted on 03/07/2024 8:27:49 AM PST by rktman
No they’re not.
You have to have a service connected disability or pension to enroll in VA care. Then you’re divided into priority groups:
VA Priority Group 1
Veterans with service-connected disabilities rated by VA as 50% or more disabling.
Veterans determined by VA to be unemployable due to service-connected conditions.
Veterans who have been awarded the Medal of Honor (MOH).
VA Priority Group 2
Veterans with service-connected disabilities rated by VA as 30% or 40% disabling.
VA Priority Group 3
Veterans who are former Prisoners of War (POWs).
Veterans who have been awarded a Purple Heart medal.
Veterans whose discharge was for a disability that was incurred or aggravated in the line of duty.
Veterans with service-connected disabilities rated by VA as 10% or 20% disabling.
Veterans who have been awarded special eligibility classification under Title 38, U.S.C., § 1151, “benefits for individuals disabled by treatment or vocational rehabilitation.”
VA Priority Group 4
Veterans who receive aid and attendance or housebound benefits from VA.
Veterans who have been determined by VA to be catastrophically disabled.
VA Priority Group 5
Veterans with a nonservice-connected or non-compensable service-connected disability and Veterans rated by VA as 0% disabled and who have an annual income below the VA’s geographically-adjusted income limit (based on your resident ZIP code).
Veterans receiving VA pension benefits.
Veterans eligible for Medicaid programs.
VA Priority Group 6
Veterans with a compensable 0% service-connected disability.
Veterans exposed to ionizing radiation during atmospheric testing or during the occupation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Project 112/SHAD participants.
Veterans of the Mexican border period or of World War I.
Veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam between Jan. 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975.
Veterans of the Persian Gulf War who served between Aug. 2, 1990, and Nov. 11, 1998.
Veterans who served on active duty at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days between Aug. 1, 1953, and Dec. 31, 1987.
Currently enrolled Veterans and new enrollees who served in a theater of combat operations after Nov. 11, 1998, and those who were discharged from active duty on or after Jan. 28, 2003, are eligible for the enhanced benefits for five years post discharge.
Note: At the end of this enhanced enrollment priority group placement time period, Veterans will be assigned to the highest PG for which their status at that time qualifies.
VA Priority Group 7
Veterans with gross household income below the geographically-adjusted VA income limit for their resident location and who agree to pay copayments.
VA Priority Group 8
Veterans with gross household incomes above the VA income limits and the geographically- adjusted income limits for their resident location, and who agree to pay copayments.
You are correct about today’s qualifications for coverage for those who served from 1980 or later.(see in link below)
It used to be “free” as long as you served, I think, > than 180 days.
I think the move to priority groups began under Pres. GHW Bush.
The legislation was eventually signed by Pres. Clinton in 1996.
decent info here(Not sure how current it is) https://www.veteransaidbenefit.org/va_healthcare_system.htm
The funding of VA also changed.(also noted at the link above)
Back in the day, group health insurance would not cover treatment by the V.A.
Today, V.A. is considered a secondary payer.
They will go after any group insurance and I think Medicare first.
anecdotally
I went to the VA shortly after I got out(1971) and promised never again. Treated like a number in a meat market.
That changed when they sent me notice of hearing aids in 2010.
My doctor closed his practice and I decided to have V.A. as my health care provider.
I signed up for VA in 2012. Got the hearing aids.
The treatment of and the deference to the veteran was and is way different than it was in 1971.
It took approx. a little over 1 month to be approved for my disability. Once approved, the disability becomes effective back to the filing date.
They have been great. Hines, Il uses Loyola Medical personnel. I think the standard of care is outstanding.
I can’t say enough about them today.
I wish you luck on your claim and to getting better !!
Not now. Thanks to branDUHn. Go back and read the VA News post I made. Looks like everyone can get in.
I never made it to a float. East coast, West coast, and Japan...
At one point, I had orders for Bahrain (via a 2 day layover in Rota, Spain)... but those got cancelled and I ended up in Japan instead... Go figure...
That was meant for madddog........
Pensions can do that. Be aware the VA’s definition of income is not the IRS’s.
For example, sale of a primary residence that generates capital gains . . . regardless of the exclusion . . . this is not income in the VA’s definition.
But extraction from a Roth IRA is income in their definition.
And as I said, if you were ever rated for an active duty injury (and given all those years you were in, you likely had at least some injury that remained after retirement) then that injury can get rated 10 or 20 or whatever % by the VA. Even a 10% injury/disability means you are immune to the income thresholds. It moves you to Priority Group III which has no income measurement.
Baloney.
My friend Randy was in Vietnam.
He developed leukemia.
BY LAW, all veterans who served in Vietnam and developed leukemia were to have that disease to be considered “service connected”.
The Veterans Benefits Association (VBA) intentionally broke the law and denied his claim.
He died from his leukemia.
May every employee of the Veterans Benefits Association suffer the same lingering, painful death that my friend suffered.
Read Your own post.’ Or read here
https://www.va.gov/health-care/eligibility/
Lots of screw ups at the VA. Sorry about your friend.
Heads up, people. There is incorrect information in this thread. In general do the reading and the studying.
1) If you qualify as a veteran (and the definition is in the VA webpages, DO THE WORK) and you do not have any service connected disability(injury) then you CAN STILL get VA healthcare — provided you pass the requirements on maximum income. If you are over the income threshold, then no.
2) If you qualify as a veteran, have a minimum 10% disability/injury rating from VA, then you qualify for VA healthcare . . . FREE . . . regardless of income. Meds will not be free. There will be a copay — unless
3) If you qualify as a veteran and are Priority Group I via very large disability % or Congressional Medal of Honor or other PG I criteria, then even meds will have no copay.
Guys who make claims for service connected injury/disability will have a delay. How could it be otherwise? There are 100s of guys who lie about this stuff.
The local programs for veterans homeless support will walk into generic homeless shelters and ask people if they are veterans. If so, they can come to the veteran homeless support shelters which are 1000% superior to the generic city homeless shelters.
The homeless all know this. They will stand up and lie about being veterans every single time.
So don’t complain if your claim is delayed, especially if you didn’t fill out the forms correctly or provide solid medical evidence. It’s not easy to meet requirements because it can’t be easy. If it was easy, it would be abused.
Perhaps Carmela “fweedumb” hawiss helped word the doc to make it easy to understand. But in the opening it does say ALL veterans within ...... Somebody knows.
Not every veteran is eligible. Only if they were exposed to toxins during their service. Millions weren’t and there’s a specific toxins list...
This expansion also covers many Veterans who never deployed as a part of a conflict but were exposed to toxins or hazards while serving in the U.S. Specifically, under this expansion of care, any Veteran who participated in a toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) – at home or abroad – is
eligible for VA health care. VA has determined that Veterans who were exposed to one or more of the following hazards or conditions during active duty, active duty for training, or inactive dutytraining participated in a TERA: air pollutants (burn pits, sand, dust, particulates, oil well fires,
sulfur fires); chemicals (pesticides, herbicides, depleted uranium with embedded shrapnel, contaminated water); occupational hazards (asbestos, industrial solvents, lead, paints including chemical agent resistant coating, firefighting foams); radiation (nuclear weapons handling,
maintenance and detonation, radioactive material, calibration and measurement sources, X-rays,
radiation from military occupational exposure); warfare agents (nerve agents, chemical and biological weapons); and more. VA will use all available information to determine if Veterans participated in a TERA, including military records and service connection.
It requires a service connection associated with whatever condition you’re claiming..in other words you must show a connection, you get a disability if approved and then healthcare.
One of my friends died last month from leukemia. He was in Vietnam too.
The POS Biden tried to shut down the only VA hospital in all of southern Ohio. I really believe it was to become an immigrant welcoming center. I was secretly hoping it would be shut down, just so no one like me suffered at the hands of these morons ever again.
sorry to hear of your troubles...
It’s very expensive if you do not have a service connected disability. The last provider I saw wore a hijab.
It’s disrespect to those who died in Muslim countries “for democracy”. I didn’t go back for both of those reasons.
Hmmm
IF you served in a theater of combat operations you are eligible.
If not but are a veteran you still get care but pay co pays
like regular health insurance.
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