Call center will handle bill queries

Question: Where do I call for answers to my VA billing statements?

Answer: You can now call a centralized call center at (866) 347-2353. The center is open Monday to Friday from 2 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hawaii time. The call center is staffed by VA employees at the VA Health Revenue Center in Topeka, Kan. VA employees will use a computer system to view information about a veteran's bill. Because of this change, veterans may receive their VA billing statement in the mail at a different time of the month then when they had normally received it in the past.

Q: I want more information about a new employment training and job placement program for disabled veterans.

A: The Purple Heart Service Foundation administers this new program. Veterans who qualify for the training receive $11 an hour during the 600-hour educational process. Qualifications are simple: A veteran must have a VA-assigned disability rating, and a copy of his or her DD-214. A Purple Heart award is not required. After 15 weeks of training, veterans are able to work at home via the Internet and earn from $15 to $22 an hour. Major companies have been hiring veterans who have completed the program, including Home Depot, FedEx, JetBlue and Dell Computer.

If interested, call the Purple Heart Service Foundation at (800) 720-9596 or go online at www.purpleheartfoundation.org/job_training.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.

Gregg K. Kakesako, who covers military affairs for the Star-Bulletin, can be reached by phone at 294-4075 or by e-mail at gkakesako@starbulletin.com. See also: In The Military