| Editor’s Note: Following are typical questions answered daily by VA counselors. Full information is available at any VA office. |
Q. Is it true that VA has changed a long-standing policy and now will fill prescriptions by non-VA doctors?
A. VA recently announced a program to fill prescriptions written by non-VA physicians for some veterans waiting to see a VA doctor. To be eligible, veterans must have enrolled in VA’s health care system and requested their first primary care appointment before July 25, 2003. Also, they must have been waiting more than 30 days on Sept. 22, 2003, when the benefit goes into effect.
Veterans will be charged a VA copayment of $7 if the medicine isn’t for a condition related to their military service. This benefit does not apply to veterans who have seen a VA primary care provider or those waiting for appointments with specialists or follow-up appointments. VA will mail instructions to eligible veterans. For more information, call the toll-free number on VA health benefits: 1-877-222-8387.
Q: I have heard that military service members held as prisoners of war (POW) for less than 30 days do not qualify for VA POW benefits. Is that true?
A: Current federal law requires that a former POW must be detained for at least 30 days in order to qualify for the full range of POW benefits. Responding to the needs of service members who were POWs during Operation Iraqi Freedom, President Bush proposed legislation that would eliminate that 30-day requirement.
The proposal also would improve dental care eligibility and exempt former POWs from current co-payments for medications unrelated to service-connected conditions. VA maintains a Web site with detailed information on its benefits for former prisoners of war at http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/Benefits/POW/.
Q: What is VA’s “national shrine commitment”?
A. When Congress transferred the national cemetery system from the Army to VA in 1973, it declared these veterans cemeteries “shall be considered national shrines as a tribute to our gallant dead.” VA-run national cemeteries are places where the grounds are a beautiful and inspiring tribute to those who sacrificed for the nation’s freedom. The “National Shrine Commitment,” begun in 2001, is a VA initiative to enhance appearance and maintain a respectful setting in VA national cemeteries. Through 2002, VA had renovated 98,000 gravesites and cleaned or aligned 356,000 headstones or markers.
For further information about VA financial payments, call 1-800-827-1000.
For information about VA health care, call 1-877-222-8387.
Or visit VA’s web-page at www.va.gov.
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Reporters and media outlets with questions or comments should contact the Office of Media Relations at vapublicaffairs@va.gov
Veterans with questions about their health care and benefits (including GI Bill). Questions, updates and documents can be submitted online.
Veterans can also use our chatbot to get information about VA benefits and services. The chatbot won’t connect you with a person, but it can show you where to go on VA.gov to find answers to some common questions.
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