To get enrolled into the VA health care system, veterans must complete the 10-10EZ form, which is the application form for
Health Benefits. This form may be obtained from any VA office and for those in Cumberland County, NC, the easiest way to get
enrolled is to visit the VA Hospital on Ramsey Road in Fayetteville and fill out the form with their assistance. You may also
go online to Online 10-10EZ to get the form.
You do not have to be enrolled if you have a service connected disability of 50% or more, or if you only want care for a service
connected disability.
Priority Groups
Due to a high demand for VA health care and limited resources, VA has divided veterans into eight priority groups. The determination
of access to VA health care will depend on the current availibility of resources and space at a given VA facility, as well as
the priority group a particular veteran is assigned to. This means that it is a continuously changing issue. A priority group
seven veteran may not be able to receive healthcare in Durham, NC, but be eligible to receive assistance in Chicago, Il. Next year,
the same veteran may be eligible for care in Durham.
- Priority Group 1 -
- Veterans with service connected disabilities rated 50% or more
- Veterans determined by VA to be unemployable due to service connected conditions
- Priority Group 2 -
- Veterans with service connected disabilities rated 30-40%
- Priority Group 3 -
- Veterans with service connected disabilities rated 10-20%.
- Veterans who are
former POWs
- Veterans who were awarded a Purple Heart
- Veterans who have been awarded special eligibility for disabilities incurred in treatment or participation in a VA
Vocational Rehabilitation program
- Veterans, whose discharge was for a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty
- Priority Group 4 -
- Veterans receiving aid and attendance or housebound benefits
- Veterans determined by VA to be catastrophically disabled
- NOTE: some veterans in this group may be responsible for copayments
- Priority Group 5 -
- Veterans receiving VA pension benefits or eligible for Medicaid programs
- Veterans with non-service connected disabilities and zero percent service connected veterans whose annual income and net
worth are below the established VA means test threshold
- Priority Group 6 -
- World War I veterans
- Veterans seeking care solely for conditions associated with exposure to radiation
- Veterans seeking care solely for conditions associated with esposure to Agent Orange
- Veterans seeking care solely for disorders assiciated with the Gulf War
- Veterans seeking care solely for any illness related to combat service in a war after the Gulf War, or during a period
of hostility after November 11, 1998
- Veterans seeking care solely for any illness associated with participation in test conducted by the DoD as part of Project
112/Project SHAD
- Priotery Group 7 -
- Non-service-connected veterans and 0% service-connected veterans with income and net
worth above the financial statement (Means Test) threshold, who agree to pay specified co-payments.
SPECIAL HEALTH CARE PROGRAMS
Veterans eligble for participation in any of the VA registries may receive free, registry medical examinations, including
laboratory and other diagnostic tests deemed necessary by an examining clinician. Eligible veterans do not have to be enrolled in VA
Health Care to particpate in registry examinations. Detailed information can be found at the VA Envrironmental Agents Website.
Agent Orange Registry
This registry is provided for Vietnam veterans, who might have been exposed to dioxin or other toxic substances
in herbicides used in Vietnam between 1962 and 1975. It is also available for veterans, who served in Koread in 1968-69, or anyone
involved in the testing, transportation, or spraying of herbicides for the military.
The benefits of joining the registry, is that you will receive an in depth physical examination by medical
personnel with an expertise in Agent Orange related problems. This serves two purposes. One is that you may discover a
condition that you were unaware of and the earlier it is detected, the easier it will be to treat. The second benefit, is that
all the data goes into a huge database on Agent Orange. This information is studied by the medical profession to better detect
problems associated with Agent Orange and possible treatments.
To get on the registry, contact your nearest VA Health Care facility. If you would like further information on this
subject you can go to the VH Handbook on the Agent Orange
Registry.
Gulf War Registry
This registry is for veterans, who served in the Gulf War and Operation Iraqi Freedom from August 2, 1990,
to a date not yet established. The Gulf War Registry allows veterans who served in the Gulf War to receive a full physical
examination. The results of the physical examinations and tests given during the physical will then be mailed to Washington D.C. for evaluation.
In return, the results of these physical examinations are used to assess and examine the cause(s) of the Gulf War Syndrome.
The updates and results from these tests will be published on the internet You may also read the VA Gulf War Registry Handbook for further basic information.
Ionizing Radiation Registry
This registry if for veterans, who were possibly exposed to atomic radiation during the following
activities:
- Participation in test involving the atmospheric detonatin of a nuclear device
- Occupation of Hiroshima or Nagasaki from August 6, 1945, through July 1, 1946
- Internment as a prisoner of war in Japan during WW II
- Serving in official military duties at the Dept. of Engergy gaseous diffusion plants at Paducah, KY or Portsmouth, OH
- Serving in official military duties at the K-25 area at Oak Ridge, TN, for at least 250 days before February 1, 1992
- Serving in official military duties at the Longshot, Milrow, or Cannikin underground nuclear tests at Amchitka Island,
Alaska before January 1, 1974
- Treatment with nasopharyngeal (NP) radium during military service
For further information on this registry you may look at the online Ionizing Radiation Registry handbook.