For Your Benefit
For and about Hawaii's military
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At-risk vets get diabetes testing
Question: If I am a veteran with diabetes, how can the Department of Veterans Affairs help me?
Answer: If you are enrolled in VA health care and have any risk factors or possible symptoms of diabetes, your physician will order a test of blood sugar level in your routine examination. If you are at risk of diabetes, VA physicians will see that you have eye exams, foot inspections and urine protein evaluations. If you are found to have diabetes, your doctor will regularly have your blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol tested to prevent serious complications. For information on patient education programs, including diabetes, at the VA Medical Clinic, call 433-7676.
Q: I understand the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific is closed for burials. Is it possible for a new national cemetery to be created here?
A: Because land purchases and construction require multiple congressional appropriations, over several years' budgets, the entire process requires about five years to complete.
The VA creates a new national cemetery through a six-step process. Each step requires that congressionally approved funds are available. The steps are site selection, environmental assessment, land acquisition, master planning and design development, preparation of construction documents and construction. The VA identifies a geographic area with a large veteran population unserved by a national or state veterans' cemetery. The top sites chosen are assessed to determine the impact of a cemetery on the environment. In some instances, land is donated to VA. In other cases, land is transferred to VA from federal and state agencies at no cost. Otherwise, land is purchased at the fair market value.
The National Cemetery of the Pacific, while closed for burials, will be able to accept cremated remains for many years after the columbarium was enlarged. For more information on Punchbowl, call 532-3720.
If you have questions about your benefits as a veteran, call Fred Ballard at the Veterans Affairs at 433-0049 or visit the VA Web site at
www.va.gov/hawaii or the Star-Bulletin at 529-4747.