Pharmacy Co-pay

[sbrewer]

My husband was awared an increase from 10 to 50% and on the letter it said effective date may 1.

He took the letter to whoever at the VA for them to put the effective date into the system.

Now, we are still receiving pharmacy bills. I called for the may bill and they took care of it. Then another bill comes for the month of June, I call and they take care of it. Oh by the way, I call the National Pharmacy number on the bill. Anyway, so we get another bill for the July charges with a late fee of 1.78, so I called and the woman called back today and said they ran a HINQ (whatever this is) and they said the combined effective date was 6-1. I asked what that meant and she said he had more than 1 disability and I said No he doesn't.

My question is would the effective date on the letter for 5-1 be the correct effective date? Does anyone else have this problem or know what the combined date is they're talking about?

Thanks,

sbrewer

[Guest jstacy]

Take a copy of the award letter to the desk at the VA where a Veteran does his yearly means update. Sit down with them and have them input the information in the computer. Take a copy to the billing office and have someone update the file. The Effective date of thje award from regional office outweighs any date a Billing office has.

[carlie]

If the dates don't work out in the vets favor see if VA will waive that fee.

[john999]

VA bills my private insurance for NSC drugs even though I am IU. If I did not have insurance they would have to eat the whole thing. This seems unfair because I pay for the insurance out of a disability pension.

VA bills my insurance for just about everything. I resent it even if it is legal.

[Guest rickb54]

John999,

If the va is billing your insurance for payment and you are IU then the va is wrong, If I were you I would notify my insurance company of the illigal billing. I would also tell the va I had no insurance, an dto stop the billing. The law says anyone 50% or more pays nothing! I wonder why people with insurance even use the VA?

[john999]

Rick

Thanks for advice. I got the same advice from another Hadit member. I use the VA because I still save money on drug copays. I don't have to make the copay but they still bill my insurance which I resent. I will probably always go to the VA just to document all my medical conditions. I want to make sure if I croak form any secondary condition due to DMII before I get my ten years on IU in that my wife can collect for DIC. Who knows what will happen with my insurance in the years to come. If my BCBS goes out of sight I will be hurting because I have to keep it for my wife's sake until she gets medicare. A medical meltdown is the biggest expense I have to fear in the future. I don't want to give up any part of my backup systems. If I remember correctly, Rick, you were a postal worker?? My insurance premium eats up half of my disability pension and that can only go higher.