Question:
I live in KY . My husband was a Vietnam veteran; he died in 1996 from cancer due to agent orange. He was 100% disabled; as his wife, I got Champva. A few years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer and had treatment at the VA in Ky . Then shortly after I had been going for ct scan, I was told I could no longer go to a VA facility and had to seek medical care from a private provider. I was diagnosed again with cancer again and have had treatment for two years . I have so much debt from all my treatments and scans. Is there any recourse I could do to help with treatment again or help with medical bills? Thank you sincerely
Jim's Reply:
CHAMPVA is health insurance that some dependents receive due to the circumstances of the veterans rating. Some VA medical centers have offered that they will care for CHAMPVA patients in the past althought the insurance is more likely to be used much as Medicare would. The VA medical centers that offered to care for dependents were few and far between and to my knowledge no VA center offers that benefit today. Dependents who are eligible for CHAMPVA must go into the community to find their own medical care, again...much like using Medicare or even private insurance That usually isn't a problem since all civilian hospitals and many physicians will accept CHAMPVA as a primary payer. If you haven't been able to use the CHAMPVA benefit for treatment since the VA told you to go into the community care system, there has been a disconnect along the way and I'd suggest that you speak with your Congressperson for help. That may be the quickest way to cut through any red tape and get the financial help you need. Good luck.