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Veterans
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Through a Federal Register notice, VA announced a 30-day comment period to hear from stakeholders on whether and how PCAFC should be refined to support Veterans and their family caregivers.
“With this opportunity, VA is following through on our promise to provide better service and improve consistency for the program,” said VA Secretary Dr. David J. Shulkin. “We’ve heard participants’ concerns and encourage them to share their personal experiences and perspectives to help us make changes.”
VA will use feedback, requested through responses to questions, to guide any future regulatory modifications to support family caregivers of Veterans most in need, while also improving the program under the current law.
Through PCAFC, VA provides support for certain family caregivers of eligible Veterans seriously injured in the line of duty on or after Sept. 11, 2001, including a monthly stipend, access to health-care for eligible caregivers, counseling, training and respite care.
For information about how to submit comments, visit the Federal Register notice.
More information about the VA Caregiver Support Program is available at www.caregiver.va.gov.
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The current regulation, Section 501.2 on eligibility determination, was written when California operated only one veterans home.
Today, CalVet provides housing and care for about 2,200 veterans, spouses, domestic partners, widows and widowers at eight homes in Yountville, Barstow, Chula Vista, Lancaster, Ventura, West Los Angeles, Fresno and Redding. There is high demand for admission and limited space available.
The proposed changes will update the department’s regulations to align with revisions made to the Military and Veterans Code (MVC) in 2017 by the California State Legislature and Governor. The regulation defines the eligibility requirements for admission to the Veterans Homes and explains certain aspects of the process.
Some of the key changes will:
– Authorize CalVet to do a criminal background check on applicants whose backgrounds suggest areas of concern that need to be reviewed in more detail because the person would be moving into a communal setting. The areas include elder abuse, assault or theft, currently serving on probation or parole, or being required to register as a sex offender. The regulation provides for an exception on a case-by-case basis.
– Authorizes CalVet to do a financial background check in order to establish a thorough understanding of the applicant’s income. By law, income is the basis of residents’ monthly fees.
– Requires residents to maintain medical insurance throughout their residency. This change updates the regulation to align with revisions made to the MVC in 2017.
You can find all of the proposed changes to the Eligibility Determination regulations, including reasons for the changes, on CalVet’s Web site at https://www.calvet.ca.gov/about-us/laws-regulations.
A public hearing on this proposed regulatory action will begin at 8 a.m. Friday, Jan. 12, at CalVet Headquarters, Medal of Honor Hall, 1227 O Street, Sacramento.
California Veterans Homes provide residential and long-term care services in a home-like environment, where veterans are treated with dignity and respect.
Residents enjoy numerous activities, including social events and outings, dances, patriotic programs, volunteer activities, arts and crafts and computer access.
There are four levels of care: domiciliary, residential facility care for the elderly, intermediate facility care, and skilled nursing facility care (including skilled nursing memory care).
These homes serve aged or disabled veterans and their spouses and domestic partners and widows of Medal of Honor recipients.
They are certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA) and U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and are licensed by the California Department of Public Health and the California Department of Social Services.
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The actions will address the issue of delayed payments head-on and produce sustainable fixes that solve ongoing payment issues that affect Veterans, community providers and other VA partners.
“It is vital to the health of our network of providers that we provide payment in a timely and consistent fashion,” said VA Secretary Dr. David J. Shulkin. “Our outside providers are an essential part of our network and we need to improve our system of payments for their services.”
VA will immediately take the following short and long-term actions to improve payments to community providers.
Short-term actions include:
– Publish a list identifying providers with high dollar value of unpaid claims, to be published the week of Jan. 8 at the following Web site: https://www.va.gov/COMMUNITYCARE/providers/ .
– Create rapid response teams to work on the ground with these providers to reach financial settlement within 90 days.
– Increase the number of claims processed by vendors by 300 percent in January 2018 and by 600 percent in April 2018 with a goal of 90 percent clean claims processed in less than 30 days.
– Establish multiple entry points for providers to check the status of their claim, including a dedicated customer service team and VA’s Vendor Inquiry System (VIS) located at https://www.vis.fsc.va.gov .
In addition, long-term actions include:
– Deploy multiple IT improvements within the first six months of 2018 that streamline the claims submission and payment process to reduce time for payments significantly.
– Align on concurrent performance improvement goals with VA’s existing Third Party Administrators to improve multiple aspects of their performance rapidly to ensure Veterans have continued uninterrupted access to care.
– Award four new contracts in 2018 for implementation in 2019 to establish the new Community Care Network that includes elements designed to ensure prompt payment of claims.
– Work with Congress to consolidate and simplify all VA community care programs, including provisions for prompt payment of claims.
– Ensure transparency with VA’s claims processing performance by publishing VA’s claims processing timeliness on a monthly basis.
– VA’s current Third Party Administrators, Health Net Federal Services and TriWest Healthcare Alliance are committed to working with VA to improve the timeliness of payments to community providers. Health Net and TriWest manage VA’s community care networks and process payments to community providers.
“It is an honor and responsibility to serve the Veteran community,” said Billy Maynard, CEO of Health Net. “We remain committed to partnering with VA to improve the claims payment process.”
David McIntyre, president and CEO of TriWest said, “We could not be more pleased at the aggressive focus on this critical topic. We look forward to continuing to reach the industry- leading performance level we all desire and expect.”
Improving timeliness of payments to community providers is a critical element in VA’s goal of building a community care program that is easy to understand, simple to administer and meets the needs of Veterans and their families, community providers and VA staff.
Resources for community care providers are available at https://www.va.gov/COMMUNITYCARE/providers/resources.asp.
Learn about the new community care network at https://youtu.be/v45WAGdCaEc.
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Now in its 12th year at VA national cemeteries and state veterans cemeteries, the Wreaths Across America campaign was created by the Worcester Wreath Co. when it began donating wreaths to VA’s national cemeteries and state veterans cemeteries in 2006.
The ceremonies also will take place across several cemeteries in Lake County, Calif., on that day.
“This annual tribute to our nation’s veterans is more than just a patriotic activity,” said VA Secretary Dr. David J. Shulkin. “Wreaths Across America is an opportunity for VA to partner with key organizations as we honor those laid to rest in VA’s cemeteries.”
Each year, VA’s 135 VA national cemeteries receive the following: at least seven wreaths, to include one for each of the five branches of the military, one for the Merchant Marines and one for Prisoners of War and those Missing in Action.
Additionally, community and veterans service organizations as well as local businesses have raised money for additional holiday, or “remembrance wreaths” for gravesites.
The Wreaths Across America ceremonies align with VA’s National Cemetery Administration’s mission to increase public awareness by sharing the stories of America’s veterans through research, education and community commemoration.
All are encouraged to visit a VA national cemetery Dec. 16 to help place wreaths and honor the nation’s veterans this holiday season.
For a listing of Wreaths Across America ceremonies at VA’s national cemeteries, visit https://www.cem.va.gov/ceremony/2017_Wreaths_Across_America.asp.
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MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Thanks to Will Peterson Well Drilling and funding from the Home Depot Foundation’s Veteran Repair Program, Habitat for Humanity Lake County has been able to help veteran Jim Carreker replace the contaminated well upon his property in Middletown.
Carreker and his family were recipients of a Habitat home earlier this year but it was necessary to wait for funding and schedules to come together in order to tend to the well issue.
“We have been so blessed by everything Habitat for Humanity has done for us, and we are grateful to Will Peterson and Home Depot for their help too,” said Carreker. “Having good water is one of those things we take for granted until we don’t have it.”
If you would like to assist low-income military veteran homeowners with repairs to their homes, please contact Habitat for Humanity Lake County at 707-994-1100 or come by the office at 15312 Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake to donate to the Veteran’s Repair Program or to volunteer.
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“These enhancements are another key step in modernizing VA’s benefits delivery to Veterans to a fully digital operating environment,” said VA Secretary Dr. David J. Shulkin. “With electronic claims processing as a foundation, VA’s innovation will improve service to Veterans, their families and survivors.”
In addition to claims for increased disability compensation (commonly known as claims for increase), veterans will now be able to file certain claims for direct service connection, presumptive service connection and secondary service connection.
Additionally, surviving spouses will be able to file certain claims for dependency and indemnity compensation, and transitioning service members will be able to file pre-discharge claims less than 90 days from leaving the military.
Veterans who choose to submit their claim under DRC can expect to receive a decision within 30 days from the time VA receives the claim.
To file under DRC, veterans must work with an accredited veteran service organization representative, who will ensure all supporting evidence – such as medical exams, military service records, etc. – is included with the claim submission.
This advance preparation by the VSOs allows claims to be assigned immediately to claims processors for a quick decision.
In the future, VA aims to expand the DRC program, where possible, to ensure more veterans can get faster decisions on their claims.
For more information about DRC or to find an accredited VSO representative, visit https://www.benefits.va.gov/compensation/DRC.asp.
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The hub will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the American Legion Hall, 14770 Austin Drive in Clearlake.
Numerous veterans resources will be offered in one place: community services, social networking, benefits, health care and veterans organizations.
A veterans’ identification or DD214 is required to receive services.
Lunch will be provided.
All veterans and their families are encouraged to attend.
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This announcement represents the latest example of VA’s commitment to working closely with nonprofit organizations and other community partners to identify new and innovative ways to support veterans’ health and well being through this initiative.
“There are many benefits to pet ownership both for veterans in need of companionship and for animals in need of good homes,” said VA Secretary Dr. David J. Shulkin. “The greatest benefit for both can be a more fulfilled quality of life. We are pleased to work with the Humane Society on this important initiative and excited about its potential to create more opportunities to serve.”
Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, also hailed the new alliance.
“The partnership between animal welfare groups and VA is an important program for our veterans and for homeless animals,” Pacelle said. “We know the power of the human-animal bond, and I can’t think of a better way to see it expressed than in helping our nation’s heroes.”
VA and the Humane Society of the United States will build model programs and networks with community organizations in order to establish connections with local VA medical facilities, making it easier to link veterans with animals ready for adoption in their local communities.