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Did You Know? Free tickets for the University of Wyoming football game against the U.S. Air Force Academy, in War Memorial Stadium, September 6, 2014, are available to Wyoming veterans. Veterans can request two tickets per veteran by contacting the Wyoming Veterans Commission at 307-777-8152. Veterans will need to provide their name, mailing address, phone number, and some basic proof of their veteran status, such as a veterans service organization membership card, VA health care identification card, or a retired military identification card. All requests for tickets must be received by the close of business on August 28, 2014, and will be awarded on a first come, first served basis. Tickets will be mailed as the orders are filled.
New York Burial Benefits Finally, another law will provide families of servicemembers from New York wounded in combat but died from injuries away from the combat zone to qualify for a supplemental burial allowance.
CBO Examining Ways to Decrease Disability Claims Stars & Stripes reporter, Veterans’ Disability Compensation: Trends and Policy Options. The report looks at way in which disability claims can be decreased and monitored. According to Philpott, CBO prepared its report, Veterans’ Disability Compensation: Trends and Policy Options, at the request of the ranking Democrat on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Rep. Mike Michaud of Maine. As with most CBO reports, it offers only “objective, impartial analysis” and options, not recommendations. But the options for easing the river of VA compensation claims are, as expected, controversial. Many will be unpopular with veterans and condemned by powerful veteran service organizations, which would seem to make adoption by the Congress or VA unlikely outside of a larger bipartisan package of federal entitlement reforms. For example, CBO floats three options to alter policies on identifying service-connected conditions and to conduct long-term monitoring of disability ratings. One would impose a time limit on filing initial claims. CBO notes that in 2012, roughly 43 percent of first-time recipients of disability pay had filed claims while 55 or older, even though most had left service by age 30. Seven percent of new claimants that year were 75 or older. (see report)
Medicare Medicare is health insurance provided by the federal government to individuals age 65 and older, as well as some adults with disabilities. All U.S. citizens and permanent residents 65 and older are eligible. To ensure the lowest monthly premiums, veterans must enroll within three months before or after their 65th birthday. Medicare and TRICARE work together—there is a branch of TRICARE called “TRICARE for Life” that becomes available when you enroll in Medicare Parts A and B (basic Medicare). Medicare becomes your primary insurance and TRICARE pays for any co-insurance and deductible. Medicare and VA benefits, however, do not work together. Medicare does not pay for any care received at VA facilities, but it will cover care at a non-VA facility.
Former Ineligible Veterans May Qualify A new federal policy could help veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and who are presently ineligible for benefits, get the medical care and benefits they need. The Department of Defense set down new guidelines to work with veterans who are trying to upgrade discharges to get medical help. This new set of guidelines is for veterans who have been diagnosed with PTSD or who do not realize they have PTSD. The DOD says this is in large part for veterans from the Vietnam War who were discharged without any record of having PTSD because it wasn't understood in that time. So, unless they get diagnosed by a private doctor, they cannot be reinstated for help with their PTSD if they were declared ineligible with their discharge. The new guidelines don't mean every single veteran will get their benefits. It just means a review board will take PTSD cases under special consideration. Without these guidelines it was nearly impossible to get benefits reinstated after they were denied.
Benefits App 311VET is VBA’s new benefits app, and it answers a wide range of questions about Veterans benefits, including what benefits you may be entitled to, how to apply for benefits, how different benefits are defined, and where to go to get more information about VA services. 311VET can provide information about most VA benefits, including pension, education, health, disability, loan, burial and career benefits. Download is FREE and available today.
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