By Larry Dandridge
Editor’s note: This article is the second in a series of four.
Continuing our series on managing debt related to VA benefits, this article will answer four important questions about managing debt to the VA. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/46ASJxB and refer to the VA and The Island News web pages in last week’s article.
Question 1
Why do veterans sometimes owe money to the VA? Veterans could owe the VA money for varied reasons. Two of the most common reasons include:
Copayments: If you have received care at a VA health facility and you’re in a priority group that requires copayments, you might be liable. Some veterans are exempt from copays due to their disability rating, income level, or special eligibility factors. To learn more about VA copay rates, visit https://bit.ly/3N9vBP8, and for information on VA Priority Groups, visit https://bit.ly/41UB9Rp.
Benefit overpayments: The VA paid a veteran, or his/her school, more than they were eligible to receive for a VA benefit payment. An overpayment can happen for any of these reasons:
- If a veteran did not report a life change that affects their eligibility, or
- If a veteran reports a change, but the VA cannot update the veteran’s benefit amount before his or her next payment, or
- Because of an error, like a double payment
If you’re unsure why you owe the VA money, don’t hesitate to contact the VA. The related VA benefit or health care office is there to help. Find their contact information at https://bit.ly/44xIyHq.
Question 2
How can a veteran or military member find out how much debt they owe to the VA?
Online Check: If you’re a veteran or military member, you can check your VA debt balance online for these benefits:
- VA disability compensation;
- VA non-service-connected pension;
- GI Bill or other VA education benefits.
You’ll need a DS Logon, My HealtheVet, or ID.me account to sign in. If you don’t have any of these accounts, you can create one at https://bit.ly/46L2GIQ. The VA is moving to a more modern sign-in experience by removing the My HealtheVet option after January 31, 2025, and the DS Logon option after September 30, 2025. At this time, spouses and dependents of Veterans or service members cannot check the status of their VA debt online.
Learn more about managing your VA debt for benefit overpayments and copays at https://bit.ly/4coewcX, which explains what to do if they get a letter about suspended pension debt and how to:
- Review their benefit debt and copay bills online;
- Make a payment now;
- Request financial help or dispute charges; and
- Ask questions about VA debt.
Veterans can also check their VA debt balance by phone:
- For VA benefit debts, call the VA Debt Management Center at 800-827-0648 (or 1-612-713-6415 overseas), Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time (ET).
- For VA health care copay debt, call our Health Resource Center at 866-400-1238 or 800-698-2411, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.
- If you have hearing loss, call Text Telephone (TTY): 711.
Question 3
What should a veteran or military member do if they think their VA benefit debt is due to an error?
If a veteran or military member gets a debt collection letter from the VA’s Debt Management Center and thinks there is an error, “contact the VA right away.” When a veteran or military member contacts the VA within the “time limit” in their first debt letter, “they can avoid collection actions.”
Send the VA a letter to dispute the debt in 1 of 2 ways:
- Online through Ask VA (see https://bit.ly/4dBahwp and https://ask.va.gov), or
- By mail at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Debt Management Center, PO Box 11930, St. Paul, MN 55111.
Tell the VA why you think your debt is an error and provide any supporting information. For example:
- If you disagree with the VA decision that resulted in this debt, you can appeal the decision. Learn more about the VA appeals process at https://bit.ly/4dk4xGR.
- If you have questions about the cause of your debt, call your VA benefits office. You can find helpful VA phone numbers at https://bit.ly/44xIyHq. The Columbia, S.C. Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) Regional Office is at 6437 Garners Ferry Road, Columbia, S.C. 29209, Phone: 800-827-1000.
- If you have questions about debt collection, call our Debt Management Center at 800-827-0648 (1-612-713-6415 from overseas) (TTY: 711), Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET.
Dispute copay charges
Veterans and military members can find out how to dispute their VA copay charges at the VA’s “Dispute your copay charges” webpage https://bit.ly/3SGqF67.
Request financial hardship assistance
If you lost your job, experienced a sudden decrease in income, or increased out-of-pocket family health care expenses, the VA can help. Read the VA webpage at https://bit.ly/3AfQaoI to learn how to request help with current VA copay bills or an exemption from future copays.
Question 4
What should a veteran do if they cannot repay all or part of a VA debt?
Contact the VA within the time limit listed in their first debt letter. The VA will help the veteran to understand his or her repayment or relief options. By requesting help within the time limit, the veteran can avoid late fees, interest, or other collection actions.
- For VA benefit debt: Call the VA Debt Management Center at 800-827-0648 (or 1-612-713-6415 from overseas), Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET, or contact the VA online through Ask VA. If you are a veteran or service member, you can also request help with some VA benefit debts online. By following the instructions at https://bit.ly/3WPhDpX and submitting VA Form 5655.
- For VA health care copay debt: Call the VA Health Resource Center at 866-400-1238, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.
If the veteran gets monthly VA benefit payments, the VA will keep all or part of the veteran’s payments unless we approve another repayment or relief option.
If the VA referred the veteran’s debt to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the veteran should call the number on his or her letter “right away.”
Continued next week.
Larry Dandridge is a Vietnam War wounded warrior, disabled veteran, ex-Enlisted Infantryman, ex-Warrant Officer Pilot, and retired Lt. Colonel. He is a past Veterans Service Officer, a Patient Adviser at the RHJ VA Hospital, the Fisher House Charleston Good Will Ambassador, and the VP for Veteran Affairs for the local Army Association Chapter. Larry is the author of the award-winning book Blades of Thunder and a contributing free-lance writer with the Island News. Contact him at LDandridge@earthlink.net or 843-276-7164.
