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For Your Benefit
For and about Hawaii's military
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VA must bill private health insurance
Question: Does the Department of Veterans Affairs bill private health insurance companies?
Answer: The VA is required to bill private health insurance providers for medical care and services, supplies and prescriptions provided for veterans' nonservice-connected conditions.
Generally, the VA cannot bill Medicare for medical services provided to veterans; however, the VA can bill Medicare supplemental health insurance for medical services covered by the supplemental insurance but not by Medicare.
All veterans applying for VA medical care are required to provide information on their health insurance coverage, including coverage provided under policies of their spouses.
Veterans are not responsible for paying any remaining balance of VA's insurance claims that is not paid or covered by their health insurance, and any payment received by the VA may be used to offset "dollar for dollar" a veterans' VA copayment responsibility.
Q: Is the 2006 VA Benefits Handbook available yet?
A: The release of the 2006 edition of the "Federal Benefits for Veterans and Dependents" handbook has been delayed and should be available in May or June. The handbook details federal payment rates and outlines a variety of programs and benefits for American veterans.
The 2005 handbook is still available and can be downloaded at www1.va.gov/opa/feature/index.asp.
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.
