For Your Benefit
For and about Hawaii's military
See also: In The Military
Purple Heart recipients
eligible for certain benefitsQuestion: Is someone who has been awarded the Purple Heart eligible for eyeglasses through the Department of Veterans Affairs?
Answer: The VA has been authorized to provide sensorineural aids (i.e., eyeglasses, contact lenses, hearing aids) to seven specific groups of veterans. The first four groups consist of veterans with the highest priority for care under VA's enrollment system, generally those with compensable service-connected disabilities, former prisoners of war, and those receiving increased VA pension based on their being housebound or in need of regular aid and attendance.
Since the original rule was first published, Congress changed the law to provide that veterans awarded the Purple Heart should have priority equal to former POWs under VA's enrollment system.
For further information, contact the VA at 433-0600.
Q: I have been pursuing a teaching career and am looking at applying for a national certification. Will the VA reimburse the cost of obtaining the National Board Certification?
A: The VA will reimburse eligible veterans up to $2,000 for the National Board Certification fees, for each first-time or retake assessment.
The National Board Certification is the highest credential in the teaching profession. To receive this benefit, veterans must be eligible for the VA's Montgomery G.I. Bill -- active duty, the Veterans Educational Assistance Program or Dependents' Education Assistance programs. The VA will provide reimbursement once a candidate submits an application along with a copy of his or her score report and a receipt showing the amount paid for the exam.
The effective date of this benefit was April 1, 2003, so candidates who received their National Board Certification scores last November are eligible to apply.
The VA will also reimburse fees associated with retake portions of the assessment if candidates do not obtain a certification on their first attempt.
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.