• Health Care
• State Benefits

Recent Enhancements in Veterans’ Eligibility for Health Care Benefits

During the week of January 29, 2008, VA implemented certain provisions of Public Law 110-181 that extended health benefits for recently discharged veterans who served in the theater of combat operations and extended the timeframe certain veterans have for applying for the provision of a one-time course of dental benefits. In addition, VA announced that effective February 1, 2008 the amount paid for beneficiary mileage reimbursement for travel to VA medical facilities had increased from 11 cents per mile to 28.5 cents per mile.

Combat Veteran Benefit Changes
On January 28, 2008, VA extended the period of enhanced health care eligibility provided a veteran who served in a theater of combat operations after November 11, 1998, (commonly referred to as combat veterans or OEF/OIF veterans). 

• Currently enrolled veterans and new enrollees who were discharged from active duty on or after January 28, 2003 are now eligible for the enhanced benefits, for five years post discharge. 
• Veterans discharged from active duty before January 28, 2003, who apply for enrollment on or after January 28, 2008, are now eligible for the enhanced benefit until January 27, 2011. 
  

Benefits for combat veterans included in this authority:

• Enrollment in Priority Group 6, if not eligible for a higher Priority Group placement, and
• Charged copays only for medication and/or treatment of conditions that are clearly unrelated to their combat service (e.g. common cold, broken bone). 
  

VA will automatically reassess currently enrolled veterans and veterans who applied for VA health care but were denied enrollment to determine if they are eligible for the new benefit.  If the veteran is found eligible for the new benefit, VA will automatically update their enrollment information. 

The Combat Veteran Fact Sheet http://www.va.gov/healtheligibility/Library/pubs/CombatVet/CombatVet.pdf  provides more information about this benefit change.

Dental Benefit Changes
VA extended the timeframe for veterans to make application for the one-time dental benefit from 90 days to 180 days post-separation.  To be eligible for this benefit, the veteran must have served on active duty 90 days or more, applied for VA dental care within 180 days of separation from active duty, and their certificate of discharge can not indicate that they received necessary dental care within the 90-day period prior to discharge.

Veterans who were denied this one-time dental benefit between August 1, 2007 and January 27, 2008, will be contacted and offered this benefit; if their application was made within 180 days of discharge.   The Dental Fact Sheet http://www.va.gov/healtheligibility/Library/pubs/Dental/Dental.pdf provides more information about eligibility for VA dental benefits. 

Increased Beneficiary Travel Mileage Reimbursement
On February 1, 2008, the beneficiary travel mileage rate increased from 11 cents per mile to 28.5 cents per mile for travel associated with obtaining VA health care services.  As a result over a million disabled veterans will see their mileage reimbursement more than double. For more information beneficiary travel benefits, please visit the Beneficiary Travel Fact Sheet.  http://www.va.gov/healtheligibility/Library/pubs/BeneficiaryTravel/BeneficiaryTravel.pdf

The following bills passed in the recent 2008 Legislative Session.

HB0118: Veterans HS Diplomas allows school boards to issue honorary High School diplomas to WWII, Korea and Vietnam Veterans who left high School to serve in the military.

HB0129: Veterans Nursing Home in Ogden appropriations of $19.7 million for the design and construction of the Nursing Home in Ogden. This facility should open in 2010.

HB0476: Pay of National Guard provides that the State pay members of the Guard on the same level as federal
Counterparts.

SB0128: Amendments to Property Tax Abatement amends the provision that the property had to have been on record as of January 1st of the year of filing for Widows and qualifying orphans.      

SB0274: Amendments to Utah Service Members Civil Relief Act Raises the ceiling amount for the eviction of service members and families while on active duty. The amount was raised for $1,200 to $2,400.

HB0269: Scott Lundell Tuition Waiver Amendments modifies current law to expand benefits to surviving dependents of those killed on drill status and clarifies that waivers are available for dependents of those killed on or after 9/11/2001.

For more information on any of these bills go to www.le.utah.gov

HB 271, Purple Heart Tuition Waivers Amendments, has passed both the House and Senate and is on its way to the Governor for his signature. This bill will expand the Purple Heart tuition waiver to cover not only bachelors degrees, but also Maters Degrees.