For Your Benefit
For and about Hawaii's military
See also: In The Military
Benefits may be available
for care at non-VA facilityQuestion: I have a veteran friend who is concerned about emergency treatment at a local hospital because he has no insurance or way to pay the bill. Can the VA help?
Answer: The VA does reimburse non-VA hospitals for emergency services provided to eligible veterans who have no other means of payment. To qualify, veterans must be enrolled in VA health care; have been seen by a VA health care professional within 24 months; and carry no other form of health insurance, including Medicare or Medicaid. If any third party pays all or part of the bill, VA cannot provide reimbursement. It is strictly for emergency care and when no other VA or federal facility is available. For eligibility for care rendered at non-VA medical facilities, the veteran or his/her relative or representative should contact the VA at 433-0024. For more information concerning emergency care benefits, call 433-0600.
Q: What is the deadline for veterans who want to be seen in a Vet Center? Whom does it affect?
A: There is no deadline for veterans who served in a combat zone and who want to take advantage of the readjustment programs offered by VA's 206 Vet Centers. However, veterans who served in the military during the Vietnam War but who weren't assigned to Vietnam have until Jan. 1, 2004, to be seen at a Vet Center.
Eligibility has recently been expanded to include veterans who served in the global war on terrorism. Also eligible are those veterans who experienced sexual trauma or harassment in the military (war zone service not required). The only scheduled eligibility change applies to Vietnam-era veterans (Aug. 5, 1964 to May 7, 1975) who served in the military during the Vietnam War but were not assigned to the war zone. Vet Centers are located in Honolulu, Hilo, Kailua-Kona, Lihue and Wailuku. For help, call 973-8387.
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.
