Veterans referred by VA to community care for eligible standardized types of care will receive 12 full months of uninterrupted treatment.<\/p>\n
VA announced earlier this month that it will\u00a0extend the length of new VA community care authorizations<\/a>\u00a0to one year for 30 standardized types of care.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s absolutely fabulous,\u201d said Rick Doering, of Webster, Wisconsin.<\/p>\n Doering joined the Navy in 1967. He went to training in Memphis for a year, then was assigned as a navigator to a squadron of carrier-based refueling planes.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe would provide in-flight refueling for fighters and bombers headed inland to North Vietnam. We would also refuel the same planes on the way back to the ship,\u201d he said. They also used electronic countermeasures to detect surface-to-air missiles and jam them.\u00a0<\/p>\n It was a good job, but tough for those who were married, so in 1976 he accepted a civilian position and put the military behind him.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFor a long time, I had health problems but didn\u2019t come to VA for help because I thought others needed it more than I did,\u201d said Doering.\u00a0<\/p>\n About 10 years ago, his condition related to agent orange exposure worsened. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and he finally established care with VA. His primary care provider was just under an hour away from his home at the Rice Lake Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC). But Doering needed specialty care that wasn\u2019t available at the CBOC, so he started using Care in the Community.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI have four specialists that I see on a regular basis, and I\u2019m about to get another one this month. I have lots of things going on,\u201d he said. \u201cKeeping up with all of the community care paperwork has been challenging.\u201d<\/p>\n Acknowledging those administrative challenges, the Minneapolis VA stepped in and gave Doering a helping hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI cannot say enough about the social worker assigned to my case. I know it is not practical for every Vet to be lucky enough to work with one, but my social worker was heaven sent, and helped me tremendously,\u201d said Doering.<\/p>\n The change announced by VA this month means Veterans referred by VA to community care for eligible standardized types of care will receive 12 full months of uninterrupted treatment at VA expense before having to obtain a VA reauthorization. Prior to the change, some VA community care specialty referrals were reevaluated every 90 to 180 days.<\/p>\n The list of year-long community care authorizations for standardized types of care includes:\u00a0<\/p>\n While the paperwork will be lighter for all who are eligible for community care,\u00a0eligibility requirements remain the same<\/a>. Veterans must be enrolled in or eligible for VA health care, and one of these must be true:\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s never too late to apply for the VA health care you\u2019ve earned. If you are a Veteran or know a Veteran who has not yet applied for their VA health care benefits, learn how to get started<\/a>.<\/p>\nBenefits of the new policy<\/h2>\n
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