VA benefits....In service or not you qualify...

[POPO367]

I just found out 2 years after my accident that I qualified for VA benefits because of my spinal cord injury. It does not matter if your injury occured in service or not, a spinal cord injury automatically qualifies you for VA care. In fact as a veteran you qualify for VA care in one way or another. If you are a veteran find out what you qualify for, if you know someone that is a veteran and is having health issues let them know.


I am by no means the smartest man in the world but I have had to fight my insurance company every step of the way to get anything. I am pissed off because no one ever told me about my VA benefits. I recieved treatment at St Jude Hospital, Fullerton, a spinal cord hospital. You would think that as a spinal cord hospital that would have been one of the first questions, "Hi, are you a veteran?, Guess what you qualify for Va benefits, yes, because you automatically qualify because you are a veteran and you have a spinal cord injury." Well guess what no one ever told me, not the social services gal or any of the nurses. I called them the other day and told them that it was unacceptable that they did not bother to pass on that information. Spinal Cord Hospital 101. I also becamse a member of the PVA, which I think any paralized veteran should join, a lot of good information and you get PN magazine for free. The magazine is good but it confused me even more, because all they talk about is service connected injuries. Well in the VA as far as spinal cord injuries go, they are all seen as service connected. You are not treated different.

I went to the VA in Long Beach and the spinal cord center has their own building! Very impressive, completely devoted to you and to spinal cord care, there is a role in clinic that is completely seperate from the main hospital so you don't have to wait. There are PVA reps in the hospital that will help you fill out any paperwork you will need to access your benefits.

KLD if there is anything that I am missing please let me know.

So please pass on the information to anyone else that is fighting the BEAST.

[ac06]

Thanks POPO367. I got injured 15 years out of service, and I was told that I won't qualify for any VA benefits because of that. I figured it kind of made sense so I didn't check into it any further. I'll have to check again.

[POPO367]

Go to the PVA website....
http://www.pva.org/site/PageServer

and find out where your local chapter is located. There should be a person that works for the PVA that will be able to walk you through the process. If they can't help you let me know, the National rep in Long Beach, knows her stuff and I can pass on your information to her.

I like yourself never thought that I would qualify because my injury was not in service, but it is there and you have earned the right to use it.

[Pluto64]

Yes this is true. My VA rep helped me out alot. Talk to you VA rep about the details. They are more than helpful and they helped me in my case.

[SCI-Nurse]

Yes, so many veterans do not know that having a spinal cord injury (or other "catastrophic disability") qualifies them as a Category 4 priority veteran (as long as you had an honorable discharge), which means you are entitled to care at a VA SCI Center for initial rehab and annual evaluations and specialty care, and for routine care through a VA SCI Spoke Support Clinic at your local VA (if that is closer to your home). Every VA hospital is required to have a SCI Coordinator (a social worker) whose job it to help you get into the system and negotiate the VA SCI system of care.

You do NOT need to be "service connected" to get Prosthetics (DME) or other services through the VA, although you may have a small co-payment for inpatient or outpatient care/medications if your income is high.

VA SCI care is a model for spinal cord injury care as it follows you from "injury to grave" and provides specialty SCI care in a comprehensive coordinated fashion, with attention to maintaining wellness and maximizing function.

It is sad how many social workers and discharge planners at major and small hospitals do not know about VA SCI Care and often mislead veterans about their eligibility (or lack there of).

When in doubt, ALWAYS contact your PVA National Service Officer (NSO) (http://www.pva.org/site/PageServer?pagename=benefits_nsos) to help you with eligibility applications and advocacy for you. You will do much better dealing with them than with VA employees in the Member Services/Eligibility office, as they are not always very familiar with criteria for Category 4 eligibility. PVA (http://www.pva.org) membership is free for eligible veterans.

Here is a little more information about the VA SCI System of Care:

http://www1.va.gov/opa/fact/spinalcfs.asp#VA_SCI_Fact_sheet_VA_SCI_Centers_and _Information (http://www1.va.gov/opa/fact/spinalcfs.asp#VA_SCI_Fact_sheet_VA_SCI_Centers_and _Information)

We will soon have a Veteran's forum here and a former PVA NSO will be one of the moderators.

(KLD)

[Mona~on~wheels]

We will soon have a Veteran's forum here and a former PVA NSO will be one of the moderators.

(KLD)

Wow that'll be great KLD!

Thanks for the info & telling everyone POP.

[NorthQuad]

Geeze, I bet you could've used these benefits a hundred times by now. That would be a hard one to take when finding out.

[quadvet]

This should be a sticky so maybe KLD won't have to keep repeating it. A separate forum should prove to be interesting.

[skippy13]

I've been out for thirty five years and only found out I qualified for service connected disability this year. Would have been nice to know earlier, but I'll take it. Now in priority group one and getting all medical taken care of. I'm glad the VA is there.

Amy

[RAFS]

Yes, so many veterans do not know that having a spinal cord injury (or other "catastrophic disability") qualifies them as a Category 4 priority veteran (as long as you had an honorable discharge), which means you are entitled to care at a VA SCI Center for initial rehab and annual evaluations and specialty care, and for routine care through a VA SCI Spoke Support Clinic at your local VA (if that is closer to your home). Every VA hospital is required to have a SCI Coordinator (a social worker) whose job it to help you get into the system and negotiate the VA SCI system of care.

You do NOT need to be "service connected" to get Prosthetics (DME) or other services through the VA, although you may have a small co-payment for inpatient or outpatient care/medications if your income is high.

VA SCI care is a model for spinal cord injury care as it follows you from "injury to grave" and provides specialty SCI care in a comprehensive coordinated fashion, with attention to maintaining wellness and maximizing function.

It is sad how many social workers and discharge planners at major and small hospitals do not know about VA SCI Care and often mislead veterans about their eligibility (or lack there of).

When in doubt, ALWAYS contact your PVA National Service Officer (NSO) (http://www.pva.org/site/PageServer?pagename=benefits_nsos) to help you with eligibility applications and advocacy for you. You will do much better dealing with them than with VA employees in the Member Services/Eligibility office, as they are not always very familiar with criteria for Category 4 eligibility. PVA (http://www.pva.org) membership is free for eligible veterans.

Here is a little more information about the VA SCI System of Care:

http://www1.va.gov/opa/fact/spinalcfs.asp#VA_SCI_Fact_sheet_VA_SCI_Centers_and _Information (http://www1.va.gov/opa/fact/spinalcfs.asp#VA_SCI_Fact_sheet_VA_SCI_Centers_and _Information)

We will soon have a Veteran's forum here and a former PVA NSO will be one of the moderators.

(KLD)
Thanks KLD. That will be great that the moderator of the Veterans forum will be a former PVA NSO as he/she will have extensive knowledge of the VA rules & regulations. Looking forward to it starting.

[POPO367]

I think a seperate thread would actually be very beneficial for everyone......thanks for everyone's response. We have to look out for each other, I am going back to the two hospitals that I was at and speaking to the social workers. They really dropped the ball on this one and I will not let them screw over another vet.

[skippy13]

I think a seperate thread would actually be very beneficial for everyone......thanks for everyone's response. We have to look out for each other, I am going back to the two hospitals that I was at and speaking to the social workers. They really dropped the ball on this one and I will not let them screw over another vet.

Now why would a hospital want to cut themselves out of the money loop when most of them collect thousands and thousands of insurance dollars for treating you/us?

I am obviously very cynical about their motivations, but if its just a matter of ignorance, then they should be educated that an option exists for the SCI patient and inquire about the veteran status of all patients.

[Herco16]

I've been fortunate to be in the VA system for 3 1/2 years now. BY FAR, it is the best system around!!

Dave

[RAFS]

I've been fortunate to be in the VA system for 3 1/2 years now. BY FAR, it is the best system around!!

Dave
I share the same sentiment as Herco16. Couldn't have said it better myself. I've been in the VA system for over 20 yrs. Got tired of all the doctors bills dealing with private physicians on the outside. I've even had surgery at the VA & wouln't hesitate to do it again. I find the medical personnel to be very compassionate & helpful in a lot of ways.