For Your Benefit
For and about Hawaii's military
See also: In The Military
VA study reviews services
at health care facilitiesQuestion: I read an article in the Star-Bulletin a week or so ago that mentioned some Veterans Affairs hospitals might close. Would that affect Hawaii?
Answer: The short answer is no because Hawaii does not have a VA hospital. The article you read was from an interview with the deputy secretary of Veterans Affairs, Dr. Leo Mackay Jr. It announced the start of the Phase II CARES, or Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services, process.
In CARES, the VA looks at where veterans will be living in the next two decades; where VA facilities are located; and what veterans' future health care needs will be. The attempt is to shift care where it is most needed; expand availability to more veterans; and examine outmoded buildings to find other uses for them.
CARES is a realignment study, not a closure study. An independent commission will review the plans in each area to develop a national plan that will be presented to the secretary for his decision. That presentation is over a year away.
The article stated that the VA is shifting its focus to outpatient care, which is what the Spark M. Matsunaga Ambulatory Care Center is all about. The bottom line is that the VA doesn't know what the outcome of CARES will be for some time. The purpose of CARES is to expand services to more veterans in more locations, not reduce health care services.
Q: I am interested in obtaining a VA loan guaranty. Do I have to live on the property?
A: Veterans must certify that they plan to live in the home they are buying or building with a VA guaranty. A veteran who wants to refinance or improve a home with a guaranty also must certify to living there at the time of application. A spouse may certify occupancy if the buyer is on active duty.
In refinancing a VA-guaranteed loan solely to reduce the interest rate, veterans need only certify to prior occupancy.
For more information on home loans, call the Honolulu VA's benefits and services number, 433-1000.
If you have questions about your benefits as a veteran,
call Fred Ballard at the Veterans Affairs at 433-0049
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.
