Healthcare

LVMAC Tidbit — Home-based Primary Care Program Begins at the Allentown VA Clinic!

va_sealAbout September 2014, the Allentown Outpatient Clinic began offering Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) according to Dr. Adelman, the new Director of the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center.  He announced it during an 18 December meeting of the Veterans Advisory Group at the clinic.

The mission of HBPC is to provide comprehensive, interdisciplinary primary care in the homes of veterans with complex medical conditions when routine, clinic-based care would not be effective or practicable. Consequently, the program focuses on the frail and chronically ill who require interdisciplinary care and ensures the necessary continuity and coordination of the care occurs at home as much as possible. (more…)

By LVMAC, ago

LVMAC Tidbit — VA and Blue Star Mothers Chatting on 17 December About CHAMPVA!

va_sealAre you the spouse or child of a Veteran?  You may qualify for the Civilian Health and Medical Program of VA (CHAMPVA), which can reimburse you for doctor’s visits, mental health care, prescriptions, and many other services.  Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center would like you to know that on Wednesday, December 17, 2014, from 7–8 p.m. Eastern, VA and Blue Star Families (a nonprofit organization not related to Blue Star Mothers) will host a Facebook chat about VA benefits for Veterans’ spouses, dependents, and survivors.  Anyone with a Facebook account can take part and it is not too late to sign up.  The instructions follow: (more…)

By LVMAC, ago

LVMAC Tidbit — VA Announces Airborne Hazards and Burn Pit Registry!

HOC Official Logo 2013Long awaited, the Department of Veterans Affairs recently and relatively silently launched its airborne hazards and burn pit registry on its mobile health website only (as of this writing),  https://veteran.mobilehealth.va.gov/AHBurnPitRegistry/#page/home.  The registry is intended to be an epidemiological research tool with examinations helping to enhance VA’s understanding of any identified long-term adverse health effects of exposure to burn pits and other airborne hazards during deployment —ultimately leading to better health care. (more…)

By LVMAC, ago

Forward Observer — Doing Income Verification a Better Way

VA Removes Annual Income Reporting Requirement for Almost All

LVMAC Poster Art 2005As the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) enters the twenty-first century of healthcare, it is getting smarter in its uses of the electronic databases of other federal agencies to the benefit of our veterans and their own work processes.

Effective March 2014, almost all veterans enrolled in the healthcare system are no longer required to file an annual VA Form 10-10EZR, a change in policy which affects many veterans in the system. Instead, the VA will automatically match income information obtained from the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration. The new “means test” policy is more customer-centric and ensures healthcare eligibility is kept up to date. (more…)

By LVMAC, ago

LVMAC Tidbit — VA Makes Specially Adaptive Housing Grant Eligibility Automatic for Veterans and Servicemembers Living with ALS

On 19 March 2014, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that veterans and active-duty military personnel with service-connected Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, are now presumed medically eligible for the VA’s Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grants, which help pay for  the costs for building, Read more…

By LVMAC, ago

LVMAC Tidbit — New “VIC” Card Rollout Faster Than Expected

VA Announces Rollout of Secure Veteran Health Identification Cards

On 20 February, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) ay announced a phased rollout of its newly designed and more secure veteran identity card in response to their present identity card calamity.  The VA has responded more quickly than it originally anticipated.

In addition to being more secure, the card has been redesignated as the Veterans Health Identification Card (VHIC) – replacing the Veteran Identification Card (VIC) introduced in 2004.

20140224_VA-ID-Card-Front

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By LVMAC, ago

LVMAC News — The “Vet” Question

LVMAC_Circular_w_Motto 2013 (Backgroundless)Healthcare Providers Seek to Identify Veterans to Improve Their Care

LEHIGH VALLEY, PA; November 6, 2013 – An alliance of every hospital in the Lehigh Valley, created by the Lehigh Valley Military Affairs Council (LVMAC) in 2011, is announcing an initiative to identify veterans during the hospital registration process.  Much in the same way patients are asked if they feel safe in their home, all adult patients soon will be asked whether they are a veteran.  Completion is targeted for 31 March 2014. (more…)

By LVMAC, ago

LVMAC Tidbit — Healthcare for Veterans: “It Takes a Village”

Local Hospitals Continue Making Progress

LVMAC HOC LogowithcirclelessTilted

On 20 June 2013 at Northampton Community College (NCC) in Bethlehem, the Lehigh Valley Military Affairs Council (LVMAC) hosted the second annual Executive Steering Committee Conference on the subject of local military veteran healthcare.  All the hospital networks in the Lehigh Valley were represented, including the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center, the local supporting Veterans Health Administration (VHA) network. (more…)

By LVMAC, ago