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Visiting veterans
can use Tripler

Question: My husband is a veteran on disability. When we travel to visit, twice a year, can we use the Tripler hospital? What other clinics can we use that the Department of Veterans Affairs will pay for?

Answer: Visiting veterans eligible for VA health care should always make sure they carry their VA identification card with them.

If an eligible veteran experiences health problems while visiting Hawaii that would not be considered a life-threatening emergency, he or she should contact the VA Medical Center during working hours. After hours or on weekends, the veteran can seek help at Tripler Army Medical Center, which works closely with the VA.

If it is an emergency requiring an ambulance, the veteran can be taken to Tripler or the closest civilian medical facility.

While VA approval is not required to obtain non-VA emergency services, notification to the nearest VA health care facility must be made within 48 hours if hospitalization is required.

Since VA payment is limited up to the point your condition is stable for transportation to a VA facility, transfer arrangements should be made as soon as possible.

Keep in mind that you are eligible for emergency care at non-VA facilities if the non-VA emergency care is for a service-connected condition, or, if enrolled, you have been provided care by a VA clinician or provider within the past 24 months and have no other coverage or ability to pay for the services.

Also, it must be determined that VA health care facilities were not feasibly available, that a delay in medical attention would have endangered your life or health, and that you are personally liable for the cost of the services.

To qualify for routine non-VA care at VA expense, you must first be given specific authorization. Included among the factors in determining whether such care will be authorized is your medical condition and availability of VA services.

For further information contact the VA at 433-7604, or for information on urgent care, 433-0852.

Q: Can a former member of the armed forces of a country who was associated with the United States during WWII be eligible for VA care?

A: VA is authorized to provide medical care to certain veterans of nations allied or associated with the U.S. during World War II. Such treatment is available at any VA medical facility if authorized and reimbursed by the foreign government.

VA also is authorized to provide hospitalization, outpatient and domiciliary care to former members of the armed forces of Czechoslovakia or Poland who participated during WWII in armed conflict against an enemy of the United States, if they have been citizens of the United States for at least 10 years.

For additional information contact the VA at 433-7604.