For Your Benefit
For and about Hawaii's military
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Passport free to kin visiting GI cemetery
Question: I am a military widow whose husband was killed in World War II and is buried in France. I would like to visit his grave site and take my children to see his final resting place; however, the cost of passports is beyond my means. Is there a way to do this without that cost?
Answer: "No-fee" passports are available for family members visiting graves or memorial sites at World War I and World War II overseas American military cemeteries. Eligibility is limited to surviving spouses, parents, children, sisters, brothers and guardians of the deceased who are buried or commemorated in American military cemeteries on foreign soil. For additional information, write: American Battle Monuments Commission, Courthouse4 Plaza II, Suite 500, 2300 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201, call (703) 696-6900, or visit http://www.abmc.gov/home.php.
Q: Are there any visits to the VA medical center that do not require a co-payment?
A: Co-pays do not apply to publicly announced VA health fairs or outpatient visits solely for preventive screening and/or immunizations, such as immunizations for influenza and pneumococcal, or screening for hypertension, hepatitis C, tobacco, alcohol, hyperlipidemia, breast cancer, cervical cancer, colorectal cancer by fecal occult blood testing, education about the risks and benefits of prostate cancer screening, and smoking cessation counseling (individual and group). Laboratory, flat film radiology, and electrocardiograms are also except from co-pays.
In addition, to be considered for the low-income exemption, you must agree to provide income information to VA. VA compares your income to the limit set by law every year. If your income level is below this limit, you are exempt from the medication co-payment. If your income level is higher than this limit, you are not exempt. Additionally, certain veterans with short-term financial hardships may be eligible for a waiver of the co-payment. To obtain information regarding cop-payments, or a waver and how to apply for a low-income exemption, call the VA Medical Center at 433-0600.
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.