For Your Benefit
For and about Hawaii's military
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New VA health program targets weight problems and diabetes
Question: What is the Department of Veterans Affairs doing to help veterans combat obesity and diabetes?
Answer: The VA's new health care assessment is part of a campaign called MOVE -- Managing Obesity/Overweight for Veterans Everywhere. Patients enrolled in VA's health care program can complete an online questionnaire about their health status, nutrition and exercise. Based on their information, veterans and family members receive a custom report with health information and instructions for follow-up with our medical center staff. People not enrolled in VA's health care program can log on to www.move.va.gov and answer 23 questions. They will receive an individualized report with suggestions about making changes in their eating and physical activity and referring them to materials on the Web site.
Q: Can a VA home loan guaranty be given to a spouse?
A: A VA loan guaranty to acquire a home may be available to an unmarried spouse of a veteran or service member who died as a result of service-connected disabilities, a surviving spouse who remarries after age 57, or to a spouse of a servicemember officially listed as MIA or who is currently a POW for more than 90 days. Spouses of those listed MIA/POW are limited to one loan. For additional information on VA home loan guaranties, contact the VA at (800) 827-1000, and follow the dialing instructions to reach the home loan department.
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.