Christian McTarnaghan: Hi everybody!  Welcome to another edition of CCK live.  

Today, we are going to be talking about VA  benefits that all disabled veterans qualify  

for. I think a lot of people will know that when  you are service connected, and you get a rating,  

you are going to get a certain amount of money  per month. But we want to cover some of the topics  

that maybe people do not know as much  about and other benefits that are there  

on the table that you should take advantage  of if you need them and if you want them.  

So, before we jump into the substance of this, my  name is Christian McTarnaghan. Today, I am joined  

by Alyse Phillips and Lindy Nash. One of the  things that we are going to keep talking about  

in this segment is more detail that we have on  our blogs and on our website. Because there are  

a lot of rules to these. We are going to go over  most of them. But the most detail that you are  

going to find are on those other postings that are  available to you. Just one quick caveat, we have  

a whole other CCK live on what other benefits are  available for veterans who are rated at a hundred  

percent. Today, we are going to focus on benefits  that are available to veterans when they are just  

service connected even at a non-compensable  rating. So, let us jump right in. Lindy, will  

you talk a little bit about VA healthcare? Lindy Nash: Sure. First, just to give you a  

little bit of background information, the Veterans  Health Administration, otherwise known as the VHA,  

is the largest integrated healthcare system  in the United States. So, it is massive.  

It provides care at over one thousand two hundred  healthcare facilities and helps over nine million  

veterans. So, it is expansive and there are many  different facilities across the country. One of  

the great things about these healthcare centers  is that they employ people who are called Patient  

Advocates. Sometimes, I tell my clients that if  you have any questions about your healthcare or  

whether one of the things we are going to talk  about today which are hearing aids or vision  

disability benefits or dental care, if you have  questions about that, the Patient Advocates are  

great person to go to at the medical center. Lindy: They are highly trained professionals who  

can help with any concerns you have regarding  healthcare and can answer any questions for you  

regarding those specific things. So, that is  one thing to point out. But the big question  

here that you are probably asking is, "Am I  eligible for VA healthcare? What allows me  

to take part in this healthcare system?" So, one  of the key factors is your discharge. If you did  

not receive a dishonorable discharge, and you have  some sort of disability rating, whether it is zero  

percent or fifty, it does not matter. If you  have some sort of rating, you can likely qualify  

for VA healthcare. Even if you are not rated for  anything, you should still get in touch with them  

because you still might be qualified depending  on some other factors. But that one big initial  

thing should be looking at your discharge. And  if you did not receive a dishonorable discharge,  

you should be eligible. But there are some other  kind of smaller requirements to investigate as  

well. So, if you enlisted after September seventh  nineteen eighty, or you entered active duty  

after October sixteenth nineteen eighty-one,  there is a continuous service requirement.  

Lindy: So, you must have served twenty-four  continuous months or the full period for which  

you were called to active duty. So, there is that  one kind of time period requirement. However,  

just to make things extra complicated, you do  not always need to hit that continuous monthly  

requirement if you were discharged for disability  that was caused or made worse by your service,  

you were discharged for a hardship or early  out, or you served prior to September seventh  

nineteen eighty. So, if you have any of those  situations, you do not need to hit that continuous  

twenty-four-month requirement. So, yeah. That is  a little bit of general background. Should I get  

into the priority groups, Christian? Christian:  

Yeah, I think that makes sense. Maybe just a  quick overview. Because if I were a veteran,  

and I was assigned a priority group, I probably  would not know what that meant. So, maybe to give  

people some context or at least where to start  about understanding that, you may continue.  

Lindy: Definitely. So, it is important when we  are talking about VA healthcare to explain the  

priority groups. So, VA assigns each veteran a  priority group when they apply for healthcare. It  

would be a number system. It is one out of eight.  So, you would be assigned either number one, two,  

three, four, five, six, seven, or eight, and that  would be your priority group. This system helps to  

make sure that veterans who are in immediate need  and have a serious disability going on or really  

need that immediate care to be seen quickly  and efficiently. So, the priority group that  

you are assigned may affect how soon your signed  up for benefits and how much, if anything,  

you will have to pay toward the cost of care. Christian: You said one through eight, right?  

Lindy: Yes. Christian: So, although one is the lowest number,  

that is the highest priority group. Correct? Lindy: Yes. If you are given a priority group  

one assignment, that would mean you are  in the most immediate need for care,  

and you should be treated first before someone  who is in priority group six or seven.  

Christian: Okay, great. Well, thank you  very much, Lindy. Anything to add before we  

move on to Alyse and vision benefits? Lindy: I was just going to mention that  

again. You should check out our blog which is  cck-law.com because we have some awesome graphics  

that lay out what each priority group  means and how you fall into each group.  

They are just helpful. I am a visual person  and it helped me understand the priority groups  

just by looking at these great graphics that we  must explain what the groups mean. So, I would  

suggest going there and checking it out. Christian: Alright. So, we just went over  

healthcare. Alyse, a lot of veterans who qualify  for VA healthcare also can get a portion or all  

their vision care through the VA, right? Alyse Phillips: Correct. So, as you just said,  

basically everything that Lindy had just covered,  if you qualify for those things, then you are  

most likely going to be able to qualify for some  type of vision benefits. Whether it is complete  

coverage or just partial, that is going to depend  on your circumstances. But what vision benefits  

really means and what that covers is going to be  your routine eye exams. So, when you go to the  

eye doctor, and they test your vision, but also  preventative testing such as a glaucoma test.  

Whether eyeglasses are covered is a slightly  different exam. So, eyeglasses are covered  

for veterans that have compensable ratings. But  veterans that do not have compensable ratings can  

still get coverage for eyeglasses if they fit into  certain categories. There are a lot of categories,  

and we have them all listed on our blog. So,  I am not going to go through them all just  

because there are a lot, but I will give you guys  some examples. For example, if you are a former  

prisoner of war, if you are awarded a purple  heart, if you are receiving benefits under  

38 US code 1151, or if you have received increased  pension based on being permanently housebound or  

in need of regular aid and attendance, those are  all examples of ways somebody might be qualified  

to have their eyeglasses covered if they do not  have a compensable rating. Like I said, if you  

have a compensable rating or ten percent or above,  you are going to get those glasses covered.  

Christian: So, if you have a zero, but you  are awarded a purple heart, I am not exactly  

sure how that would work. I am assuming it is  certainly possible. It is unlikely, but then your  

eyeglasses are going to be covered. But if you  have a ten, your eyeglasses are covered, right?  

Great. Unfortunately, another disability that  we see frequently in our practice are auditory  

disabilities or hearing disabilities. A lot of  these hearing disabilities happen for a variety  

of reasons, but most that I have seen in my  practice is going to be due to exposure to noise.  

So, certain veterans qualify for hearing aids that  are paid by VA. And again, you are going to have  

to bear with us. We are listing and making a lot  lists here, but we just want you to be aware of  

the information so you can know basically whether  or not you qualify and then dig into it a little  

bit more in contact VA about it. Again, veterans  with any compensable service-connected disability  

which is a ten or more would not be a zero or  non-compensable. A lot of the qualifications  

are mostly the same as vision benefits. So,  I am not going to get into all the specifics.  

There are a lot of ways that you can  potentially qualify for hearing aids. I  

am not going to bore you with an exhaustive  list, so we highly recommend that you check  

out VA’s website for more information. Christian: But, there is always a little bit of a  

"but" in VA, if the hearing aids are recommended  by the Audiology and Speech Pathology Clinic,  

the hearing aids themselves, the repairs,  and future batteries will be at no cost to  

you as long as you maintain your eligibility.  So, that is an important thing to recognize.  

You can request new batteries via the mail,  over the phone, or via your eBenefits page.  

So, in order to get hearing aids  through VA, you are going to have to  

register at the health administration enrollment  section of VA Medical Center. You can do that in  

person. You can do it by filling out form 10-10ez.  There is always a form. We are still in VA. Or by  

mailing that form directly to the medical centers  of your choice. And so, those are a couple of  

ways that you can be entitled to get hearing  aids to help with your hearing loss from VA.  

Alright. So, we have done healthcare, we have  done vision, and we have done hearing aids.  

There is sort of like a big subsection in terms of  health benefits that are left. Lindy, do you want  

to talk to us a little bit about dental care? Lindy: Yeah, definitely. So, this is a question  

we get all the time from our clients seeking  dental care with the VA and whether they qualify.  

Unfortunately, qualifying for dental care can  be difficult. The requirements are strict and  

sometimes tough to achieve. I will not go through  all of them. But for example, you may need to  

have a service-connected dental disability or  condition or be a former prisoner of war to  

qualify for any needed dental care. There are some  other requirements as well, but those are just to  

give you an example of how difficult it is to get  dental care. We wanted to bring to your attention  

that there is an alternative insurance option  available to veterans with any disability rating.  

You do not need to be rated at a hundred percent.  You can have a zero percent rating and still  

qualify for this alternative insurance option.  You just need to be enrolled in VA healthcare,  

or your dependents need to be in time of  VA. The alternative option to be in dental  

care is called the VA Dental Insurance  Program. So, V-A-D-I-P. Basically, the  

VADIP is a program that offers discounted private  dental insurance for veterans and their family  

members who meet certain requirements. It is  much more accessible. Again, you do not need  

to have a service-connected dental condition.  You do not need to be a former prisoner of war.  

You do not need to have a hundred percent rating.  There are no requirements like that. It is much  

more accessible, and it is a standard VA dental  benefits plan which is just easier to achieve.  

Christian: I sort of think about  that like a private company is  

allowing you to buy dental insurance to be sewn  through their policy, right? You pay a little bit,  

and it helps you get excuse me discounted  treatments and maybe some money towards  

any of those more serious teeth problems. Lindy: Yeah. Exactly. So, the VADIP  

plan covers many common dental procedures  such as diagnostic services, preventive care,  

root canals, dental surgery, and any emergency  dental care which is fantastic. So, do not give  

up hope just yet with dental care if you do  not hit those certain requirements. You should  

check out this other insurance provider. Christian: Alright, great. Another benefit that  

is afforded to veterans can be life insurance.  So, we are sort of moving away from the standard  

thinking about health care that is taking  care of your body. Alyse, do you want to talk  

about life insurance a little bit? Alyse: Yeah. So, there is a certain  

life insurance plan that is called the  Service-Disabled Veterans Life Insurance  

or SDVI, which is basically a low-cost life  insurance that is eligible to veterans.  

In order to qualify, you need to have  been released from active duty on or after  

April twenty-fifth nineteen fifty-one and  have not been discharged dishonorably.  

So, any discharge other than dishonorable  will qualify you. You need to have at least  

one service-connected disability. It does not  need to be compensable. So, what that means  

is it can be a zero percent combined rating, and  you can still qualify for this plan. When you do  

pick up this life insurance plan, you  need to be in good health except for any  

service-connected conditions. So, you might not  be in good health because of service-connected  

conditions, but so long as there is not  something that is not service connected,  

that would qualify you as not in good health.  That seems like it might be a little bit of a  

big term. But so long as you do not have something  maybe like cancer that is not service connected,  

you can qualify for this life insurance  plan. If the cancer is service connected,  

again, you can also still qualify. You also  need to apply within two years of the date  

which you are granted your new service-connected  disability. So, that is important to keep in mind.  

If you do want to pick up this plan, and  you get a new service-connected disability,  

you would have a deadline attached to that. Christian: Great. Thanks, Alyse.  

I think VA is known for this but there are  burial benefits that are available to veterans  

specifically for veterans who did not receive  a dishonorable discharge. If that is the case,  

you can qualify for a gravesite at one of VA's  national cemeteries with available space, opening,  

and closing of the grave. This is all specific  but just to give you a sense of what costs of the  

funeral and the burial will VA pay for, it is also  outlined on VA’s burial benefits website clearly.  

Burial liner, headstone marker, ongoing care of  the grave, these are all things that VA would  

pay for. It is also possible to be reimbursed  for some of the funeral expenses for burial  

costs with the veterans with a disability rating  if certain other requirements are met. Again,  

we are trying to avoid lists on lists here. So,  going to the VA’s website would be the best way  

to find out what those exact requirements are.  The amount eligible for reimbursement depends on  

the veteran's situation and  the unfortunate cause of death.  

Some burial expenses are reimbursed for a  veteran whose death was not caused by service,  

higher amount if the veteran was  hospitalized at the time of death,  

and highest amount if the veteran's death was  unfortunately due to service-connected conditions.  

And again, we just point you to VA’s website for  the specific dollar amounts and other eligibility  

requirements. We just want you to be aware that  those are out there and something that you can  

take advantage of if you want. As we typically do  on CCK live, before we are wrapping up, are there  

any closing thoughts that you, Alyse or Lindy,  would like to add before we wrap up here today?  

Alyse: I think that this is an important  topic because a lot of times in veteran’s law,  

we are so focused on that compensable rating and  getting a higher rating. This is a reminder that  

even if you do not have a compensable rating, you  still are entitled to benefits through the VA.  

They are not necessarily super easy to  understand, so we obviously encourage  

you to investigate your specific situation. But  it is not only about getting that compensable  

rating. Sometimes there are other things that  can attach to being service connected.  

Lindy: I would just say that as you may have  picked up, a lot of these different areas  

and benefits do require you to have not received  a dishonorable discharge. So, if you did receive  

a dishonorable discharge, there are ways  to fight that. If you look at VA’s website,  

they have our resources for you there. So, if you  think that the discharge was incorrect or there is  

something in error there, I would encourage you  to try to get that fixed so that you are able to  

get one of these benefits for you. And then the  one other thing is that, I mentioned it in the  

beginning, utilize the Patient Advocate at the  VA Medical Centers. They can be helpful. If you  

have questions about your hearing aids or dental  care or vision or whether you even are eligible,  

they are a great resource for  you. So, I would suggest that  

you reach out to them for more information. Christian: Yeah. I will just close by saying in  

addition to these benefits from VA, there are  also a lot of state benefits that are available  

to veterans. Lots of states have veteran benefit  specific websites within their state website. So,  

check those out and see if there is  anything else available to you. So,  

thank you very much, Alyse and Lindy. Thank you  for joining us. That is all for us today.