Congress passed an emergency spending bill that covers a nearly $3 billion shortfall for the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to the American Legion. Had the measure not passed, more than 7 million veterans stood likely to see delays in VA disability benefits payments after Oct. 1.
The measure calls for about $2.9 billion in additional funding for the VA, of which about $2.3 billion would go toward the Veterans Benefits Administration for compensation and pensions. Roughly $597 million would be put toward readjustment benefits.
The department will also need an additional $12 billion or more beyond its current budget recommendation for the next fiscal year to meet fast-rising demand.
VA enrollment increased 34% in 2024, attributable largely to the increased number of veterans eligible for benefits and care under the PACT Act of 2022, which opened the system up to more than 3.5 million veterans exposed to toxic contamination while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces
Congress must immediately fund the looming $15-billion VA budget shortfall
This shortfall is primarily due to an increase in military veterans using VA services, driven by the PACT Act, which expanded eligibility for VA health care and benefits. The VA expects a $3 billion shortfall for the rest of this year and a $12 billion shortfall for fiscal 2025.
Multiple veterans service organizations gathered in the nation’s capital to draw attention to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ massive budget shortfall and call on Congress to pass before Sept. 20 supplemental legislation in what is expected to be a government budget stopgap continuing resolution.
Earlier this week, Military.com reported that in addition to a $3 billion shortfall for the rest of the fiscal year,
VA officials have confirmed they are asking Congress “to include an extra $12 billion for the department’s 2025 medical budget in the upcoming stopgap spending measure – which must be passed into law by the end of the month – to ensure outreach to veterans and growth of the system can continue apace without compromising wait times and staffing levels.”
Veteran organizations called for immediate passage of supplemental funding legislation authored by Ohio U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and California U.S. Rep. Mike Garcia.
“This financial crisis will affect disability compensation, caregiver compensation, community care payouts, everything,” American Legion Legislative Director Julia Mathis said. “We’re calling on Congress to immediately pass the legislation offered up by Senator Brown and Congressman Garcia. Every day we get closer to September 20 is another 24 hours of uncertainty for thousands of veterans whose financial lives depend on it.
“Every member of Congress has a moral obligation to protect these crucial benefits that our nation’s veterans have earned through their service to our great nation.”
A Nexus Letter is a critical medical document linking a veteran’s disability to their military service, often crucial for VA disability claim approval.
A Nexis Letter should be composed by a qualified doctor, including a comprehensive review of the veteran’s medical and service records, to assert the service connection of the disability. In other words, a Nexus Letter provides an expert opinion on whether your disability is service-connected. Here are some key points about Nexus Letters:
Purpose: A Nexus Letter establishes a connection between your disability and your time in service. It’s especially important if you didn’t receive a diagnosis until after your military service or if you’re filing a secondary service-connected claim related to an existing disability.
When Needed: You’ll likely need a Nexus Letter if your condition isn’t explicitly documented during service or isn’t on the VA’s list of presumptive conditions for service connection. Without a Nexus Letter, your chances of claim approval decrease significantly.
Content: A Nexus Letter should be factual, concise, and specific. It ties your disability directly to your military service based on the doctor’s examination and review of your medical records.
Remember, including a Nexus Letter with your VA disability claim enhances your chances of approval. If the VA denies your claim, it can also be valuable evidence for an appeal. 🇺🇸
Here is an example of a nexus letter that contains all the appropriate elements.
DATE _________________
Reference: (Veteran’s name) _________
SS# ________ VA File # _______________
To Whom It May Concern,
I am Dr. _________. I am board-certified in my specialty. My credentials are included. I have been asked to write a statement in support of the aforementioned Veteran’s disability claim.
I have personally reviewed their medical history. (Name the Documents) I have also reviewed and noted the circumstances and events of their military service in the years ____________ (Event or Events claims as the cause of the condition) while they served during their military service. (List dates of service)
Mr/Ms/Mrs. ________ has been a patient under my care since (enter date). Their diagnosis is ___________ (Name the Condition).
I am familiar with their history and have examined Mr/Ms/Mrs. ________ often while they were under my care. (Specify Lab Work, X-rays, Etc.)
Mr/Ms/MRS. ________ has no other known risk factors that may have precipitated their current condition.
After a review of the pertinent records, it is my professional opinion that it is at least as likely as not that Mr/Ms/Mrs. ________’s condition is a direct result of their (Event) as due to their military service.
Based on my personal experience and the medical literature, it is known (Provide a rationale).
Nursing home care and medical services are now free to the Greatest Generation (World War II veterans) under a new policy by the Department of Veterans Affairs that waives enrollment fees, copays and monthly premiums for the roughly 119,000 World War II veterans still alive.
The no-cost care is effective immediately under the new VA policies announced Friday. Veterans who served between Dec. 7, 1941, and Dec. 31, 1946, are eligible for the free health care. They must be enrolled in VA health care to qualify.
Veterans turned down previously for coverage are encouraged to reapply, as are those denied coverage because of income eligibility restrictions.
Veterans Administration (VA) disability compensation rates are increasing in 2023 based on Social Security’s cost of living adjustment (COLA).
The official compensation tables will be provided by VA in December 2022.
Veterans who meet the requirements for a 100 percent VA disability rating become eligible for a host of additional benefits. Here are fourteen potential VA Disability benefits:
Monetary compensation
Free health care and medication
Travel allowance for scheduled medical appointments
Dental care
Funding fee waiver with VA Home loans
Employment assistance
Veterans Readiness and Employment
Additional compensation for eligible dependents
Concurrent receipt of Military Retirement pay
Educational assistance for dependents
CHAMPVA – dependents can receive health care
Burial and plot allowance
Uniformed services ID card
Adaptive housing and automobile grants.
In 2022, a veteran with a 100 percent VA disability rating receives compensation of at least $3,332.06 per month.
Monthly compensation amounts increase if a veteran has qualifying dependents, such as a spouse, children, or parents.
Over 5 million Vietnam, Gulf War, post-9/11 Veterans are eligible for expanded VA health care and benefits under the PACT Act. ~ Veterans Administration
The Sergeant First Class (SFC) Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act is one of the largest benefit expansions in the history of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
The bill is named in honor of Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson, an Ohio National Guard service member who died in 2020 due to exposure to toxic chemicals.
This bill is an effort to expand coverage, treatments, and resources to sick Veterans and others who were impacted by toxins due to service in the U.S. military. The bill passed Congress on August 2, 2022, and was signed into law on August 10th, 2022.
The PACT Act expands VA health care and benefits for Veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances. This law helps VA provide generations of Veterans — and their survivors — with the care and benefits they’ve earned and deserve.
The PACT Act also improves the VA’s processes and ability to determine presumptive conditions due to harmful exposure.
The PACT Act will bring the following changes to previous VA health care and benefits:
Expands and extends eligibility for VA health care for Veterans with toxic exposures and Veterans of the Vietnam, Gulf War, and post-9/11 eras
Adds more than 20 new presumptive conditions for burn pits and other toxic exposures
Adds more presumptive-exposure locations for Agent Orange and radiation
Requires VA to provide a toxic exposure screening to every Veteran enrolled in VA health care
Helps VA improve research, staff education, and treatment related to toxic exposures
Presumptive conditions
To get a VA disability rating, your disability must connect to your military service. For many health conditions, you need to prove that your service caused your condition.
But for some conditions, the VA automatically assume (or “presume”) that your service caused your condition. The VA calls these “presumptive conditions.”
The VA considers a condition presumptive when it’s established by law or regulation.
If you have a presumptive condition, you don’t need to prove that your service caused the condition. You only need to meet the service requirements for the presumption.
VA disability compensation (pay) offers a monthly tax-free payment to Veterans who got sick or injured while serving in the military and to Veterans whose service made an existing condition worse.
You may qualify for VA disability benefits for physical conditions (like a chronic illness or injury) and mental health conditions (like PTSD) that developed before, during, or after service.
Veterans Day is a time for us to pay our respects to those who have served.
When first celebrated as Armistice Day, the day marked the end of World War I, formally recognized on the “11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month” in 1918.
In 1954, the holiday was changed to “Veterans Day” in order to account for all veterans in all wars.
We celebrate the day as Veterans Day on the same day every year — November 11 — regardless of on which day of the week it falls.
“Protect yourself this flu season with a flu shot” Piedmont Healthcare
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and medical experts across the country are urging Americans to get their flu shot this fall. With peak flu season fast approaching, health experts have emphasized that this year, more than ever, it’s important to get vaccinated for the seasonal flu.
Additionally, influenza vaccines are more available and easier to obtain this season then past influenza seasons. The CDC recommend that you start getting your flu shot.
Flu season usually starts in the fall and can last well into spring.
Flu season can be hard to predict since it usually starts in early fall around October and continues into spring. December through March are considered peak flu season in the U.S.—the time when most people get the flu. It’s good to be aware of flu season but you should also know that you can get the flu any month of the year. The best way to stay protected is by getting a yearly flu vaccination.
“Out of any year in your lifetime, this is the year to get your flu shot,” said Dr. Jane Kim, a VA physician. “This is an extraordinary year and it’s to protect you and your family. Flu shots are safe and effective. You want to be prepared and protected.”
To accommodate the expected increase in Americans getting flu vaccines this year, more flu vaccines have been orders nationwide than last year to meet the demands and avoid vaccine shortages.
Flu vaccination reduces the risk of flu illness
Had a flu shot last season? You need a new one now, and it’s best to get it early.
CDC conducts studies each year to determine how well the influenza (flu) vaccine protects against flu illness. While vaccine effectiveness (VE) can vary, recent studies show that flu vaccination reduces the risk of flu illness by between 40% and 60% among the overall population during seasons when most circulating flu viruses are well-matched to the flu vaccine. And, the flu shot “takes about two weeks after getting the vaccine into your body to build up enough antibodies to protect against the flu,” commented Jean Moorjani, MD, a pediatrician at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children.
For military veterans, getting a flu shot will be easier this year. The Community Care Network has been expanded to include more than 60K partner locations where enrolled veterans can get a no-cost flu shot. Community Care Network providers are a vital part of VA’s health care network, ensuring eligible Veterans and their beneficiaries get the timely, high-quality health care they need.
With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to persist across the United States, it is imperative for healthcare providers that come in contact with patients to get their flu shot this year. And, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, reducing the spread of respiratory illnesses, like flu, this fall and winter is more important than ever. “People are scared to go out,” Dr. Jane Kim said.
According to the CDC, for the week ending October 17, 2020, seasonal influenza activity in the United States remains low.
