For Your Benefit
For and about Hawaii's military
See also: In The Military
Orders document
Guard active dutyQuestion: If a National Guard member wants to claim VA compensation for an injury received while activated, what documents should he or she expect would show the federal nature of their service?
Answer: VA's evaluation of benefit claims made under such circumstances is made much easier by inclusion of military orders stating that the service was performed under a specific section of Title 10 of the U.S. Code and, if available, copies of a presidential proclamation or executive order directing such service.
If injured while performing "active service" in the National Guard and the injury is compensable, a federally activated member will meet VA's definition of a veteran if discharged or released from active service.
In submitting a claim, the Guard member should include information that documents the call to active duty, the time actually spent on active duty and release from active duty. This is normally accomplished by submitting all copies of the individual's military orders, a copy of his or her most recent military leave and earning statement and the member's release papers, which also may provide documentation of the federal nature of the call to duty.
Also, the Guard member should submit military and civilian medical records relevant to the injury.
For more information, contact the VA at 433-1000.
Q: The last time I visited the VA for a doctor's appointment, someone who was not a doctor saw me. Do people other than doctors treat patients?
A: Other qualified health-care providers such as physician assistants, nurse practitioners and clinical pharmacists provide medical care. The VA Medical Center has strong affiliation with the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine. As part of that affiliation, medical students and doctors complete primary care and specialty training work in our VA Ambulatory Care Center. Treatment teams may include these individuals.
If you have any questions, please call the clinic 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.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.
