VetsLady Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 (edited) My VSO rep filled out the papers and shes a old lady. She is going to retire this summer. Shes a sweet old lady but I not sure she should be representing veterans. Some of the things she told me were incorrect. I was hopeing I could get champ VA for my wife and son. I'm on medicare and have never applied for VA medical. This is all new to me. This site has been very helpful. baca ! Congratulations on receiving your decision and for dealing with your panic disorder. I have a bit of panic disorder myself (I'm not a Veteran) and your church comment made perfect sense to me ....... now I understand WHY I don't like going through drive through fast food places (which is rare, rare) --- I can't get out of line ! But, going through the bank drive through is fine for me as I don't like going into the bank .... I was robbed once and well, thats more likely than not when the panic disorder started. You have full care at any VAMC, dental at the VAMC, no charge for RX, travel expenses paid for round trip to doctor appts at the VAMC, minus an $8 co-pay, not sure what the mileage $ is, someone here might know. I know for us, we get $8.11 for a round trip visit. ChampVA is available for your wife and children. When you get your official notice from VA on the decision, there will be information in there for ChampVA and what to do. You'll have to enroll them into the program AND you can receive retroactive reimbursements for ALL medical and/or prescription costs you incurred for your spouse and children, minus the premiums....or, if they were uninsured and you incurred costs, you would still be eligible for reimbursements. THIS was a HUGE surprise to me when I enrolled......and you betcha, that was one of the first things I did after I was enrolled..... Life insurance, first 10K premium waived. You'll have to apply ..... it will be in your benefit notification. Base privileges - like commissary, base exchange. You will need to get your card first, and when you do...ask exactly what information you need to get a card for your wife and make an appt. Educational Benefits for your family, your wife and children. And, some states waive the tuition and the VA will pay them to attend college. Many states also waive or greatly reduce your vehicle licensing fees and will reimburse you for the prior year. Also, if you own your home, many Counties offer reduced property taxes for 100% sc Veterans. State and National Park pass - no charge. Fishing and hunting license, no charge or reduced. Once Again, Congratulations on receiving a favorable decision and I wish you continued wellness in dealing with your health and the sense of security you now have for your family is immeasurable. Edited June 1, 2011 by VetsLady VetsLady and, Proud to Be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baca Posted June 1, 2011 Author Share Posted June 1, 2011 baca ! Congratulations on receiving your decision and for dealing with your panic disorder. I have a bit of panic disorder myself (I'm not a Veteran) and your church comment made perfect sense to me ....... now I understand WHY I don't like going through drive through fast food places (which is rare, rare) --- I can't get out of line ! But, going through the bank drive through is fine for me as I don't like going into the bank .... I was robbed once and well, thats more likely than not when the panic disorder started. You have full care at any VAMC, dental at the VAMC, no charge for RX, travel expenses paid for round trip to doctor appts at the VAMC, minus an $8 co-pay, not sure what the mileage $ is, someone here might know. I know for us, we get $8.11 for a round trip visit. ChampVA is available for your wife and children. When you get your official notice from VA on the decision, there will be information in there for ChampVA and what to do. You'll have to enroll them into the program AND you can receive retroactive reimbursements for ALL medical and/or prescription costs you incurred for your spouse and children, minus the premiums....or, if they were uninsured and you incurred costs, you would still be eligible for reimbursements. THIS was a HUGE surprise to me when I enrolled......and you betcha, that was one of the first things I did after I was enrolled..... Life insurance, first 10K premium waived. You'll have to apply ..... it will be in your benefit notification. Base privileges - like commissary, base exchange. You will need to get your card first, and when you do...ask exactly what information you need to get a card for your wife and make an appt. Educational Benefits for your family, your wife and children. And, some states waive the tuition and the VA will pay them to attend college. Many states also waive or greatly reduce your vehicle licensing fees and will reimburse you for the prior year. Also, if you own your home, many Counties offer reduced property taxes for 100% sc Veterans. State and National Park pass - no charge. Fishing and hunting license, no charge or reduced. Once Again, Congratulations on receiving a favorable decision and I wish you continued wellness in dealing with your health and the sense of security you now have for your family is immeasurable. Thank You VetsLady for the info. A few years ago I had to sell my home and a lot of my personal property. It took 2.5yrs to get approved for SSDI. About 2yrs. ago my doctor encouraged me to file a VA claim. I never knew I could. I had trouble getting my medical records from the Army. They said only a doctor could interpet them. So we sent for them again and in Jan.2010 my doctor got them or part of them. I got more of them from the VARO this year. The lady at the local VA said she had never seen them refuse to give a service member their records before. I hired a lawyer in March thinking this could take years I'm glad its almost over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRRRR5 Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Congratulations to you. I'm surprised that they offered you a choice of paper check or direct deposit with the upcoming mandate on any new federal benefits within the next few years; interesting. DAV Life Member - Thanks to all Veterans for your selfless service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baca Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 Just wanted to add that I'm 50yrs old and was discharged 27yrs ago. I didn't file a claim to get rich or so I could be lazy. I've worked hard my whole life. 60hrs. a wk. to earn a good check. My doctor suggested I file a claim. I was already disabled before I knew I could file a claim and only got my service medical records 1.5 yrs ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan'sGrandma Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Interesting post, IMO. Congratulations on your due benefits!! Please forgive me, but I didn't notice anybody on here suggesting anything you're talking about in this post, nor do I expect they would. I've not been around here too long, but it seems to me, most people are just as plain helpful as they can be, just sharing their gained knowledge. So, in my confusion, I don't understand why you felt you needed to add the "rich" or "lazy" part and "worked hard my whole life," etc. I know that some people do think that about any benefits, be it VA, SSDI, or whatever, so the least said to nobody needing to know our business, the better it is, many times over. However, some people on here, from what I've noted, are here to ask about claims, others are on here to give whatever help they can. So, not here to judge anybody, just asking & passing on knowledge, so just makes me wonder. Again, so glad for the decision on your claim!! Just wanted to add that I'm 50yrs old and was discharged 27yrs ago. I didn't file a claim to get rich or so I could be lazy. I've worked hard my whole life. 60hrs. a wk. to earn a good check. My doctor suggested I file a claim. I was already disabled before I knew I could file a claim and only got my service medical records 1.5 yrs ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baca Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 (edited) Edited June 30, 2011 by baca Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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