How does the VA determine whether a Veteran is eligible for (Free or with co-pays) VA Health Care? Part 2

Continued – Eligibility/Enrollment

By Larry Dandridge

This is Article 2 in a series of five on this subject.

Eligibility requirements

Veterans can find the eligibility requirements for VA healthcare on the VA webpage “Eligibility for VA Health Care” at https://www.va.gov/health-care/eligibility/. All veterans who meet basic service and discharge requirements and who were exposed to toxins and other hazards while serving our country, at home or abroad, are now eligible for VA healthcare. This includes all veterans who served in the Vietnam War, Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, or any other combat zone after 9/11.

How to Apply for VA healthcare

According to the VA webpage “How to Apply for VA Health Care” at https://www.va.gov/health-care/how-to-apply/, veterans can apply for VA healthcare in five ways.

  • By Phone. Veterans can apply by phone by calling the VA’s toll-free hotline at 877-222-8387 to get help with their application. The VA is there Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
  • By Mail. Fill out an Application for Health Benefits (VA Form 10-10EZ at https://www.va.gov/forms/10-10ez/). Send the completed application to: Health Eligibility Center, PO Box 5207, Janesville, WI 53547-5207.
  • In Person at your local VA Medical Center or Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC). Call before going to the nearest Eligibility and Enrollment Office. Find your nearest VA Medical Center or CBOC using the VA search tool at https://www.va.gov/find-locations/.
  • Online. Apply for VA Health Care online at https://bit.ly/4cmuTsv. Veterans can apply online anytime, 24/7. Veterans need the following information to apply: Social Security numbers for the veteran, spouse, and dependents; insurance card information for coverage the veteran receives through a spouse or significant other (including Medicare, private insurance, or insurance from an employer). The veteran can also provide his or her military service information and details about exposure to toxins or hazardous materials, a copy of his or her DD214/other separation documents, income information for the veteran, the veteran’s spouse, and any dependents, and deductible expenses that the VA can subtract from the veteran’s income.
  • With the help of a trained professional. Veterans can work with a VA-accredited attorney, VA-accredited claims agent, or Veterans Service Organization (VFW, AL, DAV, AMVETS, VVA, FRA, etc.) representative, who would be a VA-accredited Veterans Service Officer (VSO) to get help applying for health care benefits. Learn more at the VA webpage “VA accredited representative FAQs” webpage at https://bit.ly/4c8hR39 and the “Get Help from a VA Accredited Representative” webpage at https://bit.ly/4mwl4x1. VSO services are free, while Attorneys and claims agents can (and usually do) charge for their services.
Check application status

If a veteran has already applied, they can also check their application status at https://bit.ly/4dLPpp4.

The Free Services at County Veterans Affairs Offices (Also called County Veterans Services Offices)

Each County in North Carolina and South Carolina (and most other states) has a Veterans Service Office with one or more VA-accredited VSOs to assist veterans, their family members, caregivers, and survivors. VA-accredited VSOs must: 1) be sponsored by a Veterans Service Organization (like the VFW, AL, AMVETS, VVA, DAV, FRA, etc.), 2) pass a background investigation, 3) pass a comprehensive examination, 4) take annual training classes, and 5) swear an oath to provide honest and ethical services to veterans, military members, and their families. Find S.C. County VSOs at https://bit.ly/3qbLVSL. Find North Carolina County VSOs at https://bit.ly/4ghZqHW. Find Georgia County/Regional VSOs at https://bit.ly/44KMVA7.

Search for VSOs nationwide

Veterans and their families can also search for VA-accredited representatives (VSOs, Attorneys, and Claims Agents) nationwide at the VA’s “Accreditation Search” webpage at https://bit.ly/3QnCk5M.

VSOs at Veterans Benefit Administration (VBA) Regional Offices

Veterans can also search for VA-accredited VSOs who are co-located at Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) Regional Offices at https://bit.ly/3WQp0e3.

Columbia, S.C., VSOs co-located with the VBA Regional Office frequently travel throughout the state to help veterans. Contact them at:

  • Disabled American Veterans (DAV) – 803-647-2422.
  • American Legion/SCDVA – 803-647-2434.
  • Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) – 803-647-2443.
  • Paralyzed Veterans (PVA) – 803-647-2432.

Winston-Salem, N.C., VSOs are co-located in the N.C. Regional VBA Office. Located at 251 N. Main Street, Winston-Salem, N.C. 27101. Contact phone numbers are available online at https://bit.ly/48spzCU. Contact them at:

Savannah, Ga., Veterans Field Service Office. Located at 1170 Shawnee Street, Savannah, Ga. 31419, Office Manager: Miguel Rivera, Phone: 912-920-0214, Ext. 412191, Email: Miguel.rivera@vs.ga.gov and VSO Sheri Shellman, Phone: 912-920-0214, Ext. 412194, Email: sheri.shellman@vs.ga.gov.

Find Veteran Service Organization VSOs

There is no one place to find a listing of all VA-accredited VSOs. However, the website for each Veteran Service Organization will indicate whether it offers VA-accredited VSO services and provide contact information for its VSOs. A few examples of the more than 43 Congressionally-chartered Veteran Service Organizations and more than 15 other Veteran Service/Related Organizations include, but are not limited to:

  • American Legion VA-accredited VSOs at https://bit.ly/4vrW5in.
  • Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) VA-accredited VSOs at https://bit.ly/4tJXI9q.
  • Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) VA-accredited VSOs at https://bit.ly/4tLIn8v. American Veterans (AMVETS) VA-accredited VSOs (called National Service Officers – NSOs) at https://amvetsnsf.org/nso/.
  • Fleet Reserve Association (FRA) VA-accredited VSO (there are 63 FRA VSOs) at https://bit.ly/483e8l4.
  • Disabled American Veterans (DAV) VA-accredited VSOs at https://bit.ly/4t3gmJw.
Veterans benefits advisors

Most Veteran Service Organizations (VFW Posts, American Legion Posts, etc.) have changed the titles of their local Chapter and Post Service Officers to “Veterans Benefts Advisors.” They are also encouraging veterans to use only VA-accredited VSOs to represent them before the VA and state agencies when filing for benefits and services.

Veteran Service Organization Chapter and Post Veteran Benefit Advisors are advised not to represent themselves as VA-accredited VSOs, unless they actually are a VA-accredited VSO, and to limit their assistance to helping veterans, military members, and their families, caregivers, and survivors to prepare to meet with a VA-accredited VSO.

Applying for VA and state benefits and appealing VA decisions are too important, too complicated, and too complex to be done without the help of a VA-accredited VSO, Claims Agent, or Attorney.   Veterans’ benefits are too valuable to be managed by anyone other than the veteran and their VA-accredited and appointed representative.

Continued next week.

Larry Dandridge is a Vietnam War wounded warrior, a combat and 100% service-connected disabled veteran, an ex-Enlisted Infantryman, an ex-Warrant Officer Pilot, and a retired Lt. Colonel. He is a former Veterans Service Officer, a Patient Adviser at the RHJ VA and Durham VA Medical Centers, a Fisher House Charleston Goodwill Ambassador, and the Veteran Benefits Advisor for the AUSA Coastal Carolina Chapter, MOPH Chapter, MOAA Triangle Chapter, and VFW Post 7383. Larry is also the author of the award-winning Blades of Thunder (Book One) and a contributing freelance writer with the Island News. Contact him at LDandridge@earthlink.net or 843-276-7164.

Editor’s note

This article is the second in a series of five.