[MILRETVET-INFO] VA Eliminates Net Worth as Health Care Eligibility Factor

From: RETVET-INFO@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: <RetVet-Info@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2015 22:15:59 -0500
March 17, 2015, 02:01:00 PM

VA Eliminates Net Worth as Health Care Eligibility Factor

Elimination of Net Worth Makes More Veterans Eligible for Health Care

Washington - The Department of Veterans Affairs is updating the way it
determines eligibility for VA health care, a change that will result in more
Veterans having access to the health care benefits they've earned and deserve.

Effective 2015, VA eliminated the use of net worth as a determining factor for
both health care programs and copayment responsibilities. This change makes VA
health care benefits more accessible to lower-income Veterans and brings VA
policies in line with Secretary Robert A. McDonald's MyVA initiative which
reorients VA around Veterans' needs.

"Everything that we do and every decision we make has to be focused on the
Veterans we serve," said VA Secretary Robert A. McDonald. "We are working every
day to earn their trust. Changing the way we determine eligibility to make the
process easier for Veterans is part of our promise to our Veterans."

Instead of combining the sum of Veterans' income with their assets to determine
eligibility for medical care and copayment obligations, VA will now only
consider a Veteran's gross household income and deductible expenses from the
previous year. Elimination of the consideration of net worth for VA health care
enrollment means that certain lower-income, non-service-connected Veterans will
have less out-of- pocket costs. Over a 5-year period, it is estimated that
190,000 Veterans will become eligible for reduced costs of their health care
services.

In March 2014, VA eliminated the annual requirement for updated financial
information. VA now uses information from the Internal Revenue Service and
Social Security Administration to automatically match individual Veterans'
income information which reduces the burden on Veterans to keep their healthcare
eligibility up to date. That change better aligned VA's health care financial
assessment program with other federal health care organizations.

Veterans may submit updated income information at
<http://www.1010ez.med.va.gov/> www.1010ez.med.va.gov/, or by visiting their
nearby VA health care facility.  For more information, visit
www.va.gov/healthbenefits <http://www.va.gov/healthbenefits>  or call VA
toll-free at 1-877-222-VETS (8387).

NOTE:  People wishing to receive e-mail from VA with the latest news releases
and updated fact sheets can subscribe to the
<http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/opa_listserv.asp> VA Office of Public Affairs
Distribution List.

 

 

SOURCE:  VA News Release at
http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=2684

 

 

 

 

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[MILRETVET-INFO] VA Eliminates Net Worth as Health Care Eligibility Factor

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