VA healthcare services available to Sussex veterans

Veterans' healthcare services are available, but many Sussex County vets don't know they can access them locally.

Thanks to federal legislation adopted in 2018, all veterans who qualify for healthcare benefits can receive them through participating Sussex providers and hospitals.

During a Sussex County Advisory Committee on Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities meeting, Pat Moonan, veterans' advocate and Vietnam War veteran, said, “The biggest problem we have is getting information out to veterans and their families. We need volunteers to help enroll veterans and fill out forms just like volunteers do with taxes.”

Two U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs outreach workers, guest speakers at the meeting, said they are ready to help veterans fill out forms and answer questions.

“Instead of looking for 800 numbers, we are here as your boots on the ground,” said Mark Taylor, a U.S. Army veteran and community outreach specialist. “We can help with red tape and confusion. We are available by email and phone to help you get what you already earned for your service to the country.”

Moonan also volunteers have to fill in the gap because, he said, it's impossible for one or two outreach workers to address all the needs in Sussex County. “VA workers are the most hard-working and compassionate people you will ever meet,” he said.

Trips to Wilmington not necessary

Until passage of the Mission Act in 2018, Sussex veterans had to travel to the Wilmington VA facility for healthcare services. Now, eligible veterans who live more than 40 miles from their nearest VA hospital can apply for services under the community care program.

“It needs to be clear that no veterans in Sussex County have to go to Wilmington for healthcare. You can seek a local doctor,” said Moonan, a member of Vietnam Veterans 1105 Chapter.

Under the Mission Act, veterans must sign up for the community care program and see their VA primary care team within 24 months. The VA team must make referrals, and the program covers the costs.

Veterans can choose local doctors and services or go to the 24-hour Wilmington VA Medical Center. A shuttle bus leaves the Georgetown site on Route 404 across from Delaware Technical Community College weekdays at 8 a.m. Carmarillo said veterans who drive to the center are reimbursed for their travel.

Under VA healthcare, veterans are covered for checkups with primary care providers and appointments with specialists such as cardiologists, gynecologists and mental health providers in the VA system or locally. Veterans can access healthcare services such as smoking cessation, nutrition, home healthcare and elder care, and get eyeglasses, medical equipment, prosthetics and prescriptions.

Healthcare benefits for vets

Who qualifies?

Veterans with one day of active-duty service before 1980.

Veterans with 24 months of active-duty service after 1980.

Income restrictions also are considered. In this area, limits are $48,000 for a couple and $35,000 for a single veteran. Veterans with incomes over that amount may not qualify for healthcare benefits.

All veterans with 100 percent active-duty related disabilities automatically qualify, and also receive a monthly payment of $3,000.

The VA ranks the severity of disabilities on a percentage scale, called a service-connected rating. All veterans with 10 percent disabilities and above also qualify for healthcare benefits and a monthly payment based on a scale.

Taylor said even if VA physicians determine an injury ranks below 10 percent disability, veterans qualify for benefits but may be charged co-pays. Those veterans can also receive cost-free treatment for an injury.

Taylor said all veterans should enroll regardless of their situation. “Sometimes it comes down to a case-by-case basis,” he said.

Taylor said once a veteran meets income or disability criteria and is enrolled in the healthcare program, they can use VA healthcare services as little or as much as they want. “Some use every service while others choose to use it for hearing aids and eyeglasses,” he said.

Valerie Camarillo, a U.S. Air Force veteran and community outreach specialist for Kent and Sussex counties, said when a veteran is enrolled, they are assigned a nurse and doctor and a social worker if needed. Once in the system, a VA doctor's referral is required for all medical appointments, tests and procedures.

Veterans in the VA healthcare system are assigned to a priority group, depending on a variety of factors, including military service history; disability rating; income level; Medicaid qualification; and other benefits received such as pensions. Generally, veterans with service-connected disabilities and lower incomes are placed in higher priority groups.

Two centers in Georgetown

There are two centers for veterans in Georgetown. The Vet Center provides free mental health services for combat veterans and their spouses, and the Sussex County Community-Based Outpatient Clinic provides primary-care and mental health services, bloodwork and social work.

Camarillo said a walk-in clinic is open in Seaford – with more locations coming – for veterans to access healthcare services on weekends. She said there is no cost as long as a veteran has had an appointment with their primary care team within 24 months.

Taylor said veterans who have to use an emergency room are also covered by VA healthcare.

Camarillo said 300 of the 500 veterans they assisted in 2019 were from Sussex County. The outreach specialists acknowledged the county's senior population growth leads to an increase in services needed for veterans.

Most local veterans organizations also provide assistance to veterans.

To help address those needs in southern Delaware, the current Dover Outpatient Clinic is set to expand and become a 29,000-square-foot super clinic at the Blue Hen Corporate Center in May.

Other benefits are available

Veterans benefits, such as the GI Bill, home loans, veterans memorial cemetery options, burial benefits and vocational rehabilitation are separate from VA healthcare. Moonan said one of the most overlooked benefits is pensions to spouses of deceased veterans. “Thousands of women in Delaware are not getting that money,” he said.

Healthcare benefits can be applied for online at 1010ez.med.va.gov

WHO TO CALL

Vet Center, 20653 DuPont Blvd., Georgetown, 302-225-9110, after hours and weekends, 1-877-927-8387; hours are 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., weekdays

Sussex County Community-Based Outpatient Clinic, 21748 Roth Ave., Georgetown, 302-994-2511; hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., weekdays

Mark Taylor, community outreach specialist, 800-461-8262, ext. 4598; cell, 302-932-7519

Valerie Camarillo, outreach specialist for Kent and Sussex counties, 302-357-8715

Veterans Crisis Line, 1-800-273-8255, press 1, or go to VeteransCrisisLine.net

BY THE NUMBERS

In Delaware

8.1 percent, veteran poverty rate, 7th highest in U.S.

21.5 percent, veterans with a disability, lowest in U.S.

64,000 veterans, 8.5 percent of total population

4.7 percent, unemployed veterans, 17th highest in U.S.

20,000 veterans in Sussex County

18.2 million veterans in the U.S.