Insurance carriers
billed for some care

Answer: By law, VA is obligated to bill health insurance carriers for services provided to treat nonservice-connected conditions.

To ensure that current insurance information is on file -- including coverage through employment or the veteran's spouse -- VA staff is required to ensure that veterans' health insurance information is updated during each visit.

Identification of insurance information is essential to VA since collections received from insurance companies help supplement the funding available to provide services to veterans. For additional information or to update your insurance information, contact the VA clinic at 433-0600.

Q: I suffered a spinal-cord injury while on active duty. Can the VA help me with this type of injury?

A: Yes. Currently the VA pays disability compensation to about 25,000 veterans for service-related disabilities in which the spinal column or nearby structures are affected.

About 60 percent of veterans with spinal-cord injuries are eligible not only for health care but also for monetary or other benefits because they have a service-connected disability, meaning that it occurred or worsened during military service.

A veteran rated by VA as 100 percent disabled may receive additional compensation if the injury resulted in loss of use of hands or feet or in other disabilities. Their disability rating may include other service-connected disabilities not related to their spinal injury.

Many veterans with service-connected disabilities are also entitled to vocational counseling, grants for adapted housing and automobiles, a clothing allowance, and payment for home and attendant care. VA coverage for this type of injury integrates vocational, psychological and social services and addresses changing needs throughout the veteran's life.

VA provides supplies, preventive health care and education for veterans with spinal-cord injuries and maintains their medical equipment. Veterans with spinal-cord injuries need to contact the VA at 433-1000 to start the disability claim process.