For Your Benefit
For and about Hawaii's military
See also: In The Military
Some veterans can
get Parkinson’s treatmentQuestion: Does the Department of Veterans Affairs treat veterans with symptoms of Parkinson's disease?
Answer: To qualify for VA disability compensation for Parkinson's, a veteran must have a current diagnosis of the disease and evidence that it was acquired in service. Normally, this means that symptoms began or worsened on active duty or within a year of discharge.
Veterans with Parkinson's disease are eligible for VA health care and are exempt from co-payment requirements for hospital and outpatient medical services if they are receiving compensation for any service-connected disability or if their income is at or below the income limits. Exempted from medication co-payment requirements are veterans whose service-connected conditions are 50 percent or greater, whose medication is for the service-condition or whose income is at or below the pension threshold.
For more information on eligibility for VA health care relating to Parkinson's disease, call 433-0600. If you believe the disease is related to your time in service, contact the Honolulu VA Regional Office at 433-1000 for information on applying for a service-connected disability.
Q: I heard the VA is offering two years of free VA health care for combat veterans. When can the service member apply, and does this care establish proof of a service-connected disability?
A: The two-year time period begins when the military member is discharged or retires from active duty. The care is designed to meet the medical needs of combat veterans for two years after they leave active duty. It is expected that during this time veterans' claims for disability compensation for these injuries, illnesses, or medical conditions will be adjudicated. If veterans' claims are approved as service-connected, they will be placed in the appropriate priority group and continue to receive their care without a co-payment. If their claim is disapproved, they may still be able to receive care, but they may be required to make a co-payment for the services. For more information concerning this benefit, contact VA at 433-0600 or the regional office at 433-1000.
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.