Cleveland picked for program to personalize benefits guide

By Ron Seman in the HudsonHubTimes

Cleveland is one of two cities in the country selected by the Department of Veterans Affairs for a pilot program to personalize Veterans Health Benefits Handbooks. The other city: Washington, D.C.

The handbooks are tailored to provide enrolled veterans with the most relevant health benefits information based on their own specific eligibility. In essence, each handbook will be written for the individual veteran.

“These handbooks will give veterans everything they need to know and leave out everything that doesn’t apply to them,” said VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki. “Our veterans will now have a comprehensive, easy to understand roadmap to the medical benefits they earned with their service.”

In addition to highlighting each veteran’s specific health benefits, the handbook also provides contact information for the veteran’s preferred local facility, ways to schedule personal appointments, guidelines for communicating treatment needs and an explanation of the veteran’s responsibilities, such as co-payments when applicable.

“Enhancing access isn’t just about expanding the kinds of services VA provides. It also includes making sure we do everything we can to ensure veterans have a clear understanding of the benefits available to them so they can make full use of the services they have earned,” Shinseki said.

The new handbooks will initially be available only to certain veterans in the Cleveland and Washington, D.C. areas. Following the pilot phase, full implementation is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2011 for across the country.

For more information, go to www.va.gov/healtheligibility or call VA’s toll-free number a 1-877-222-VETS (8387).

I’ll have additional details on the program when the folks at the Cleveland VA Regional Office and Cleveland VA Medical Center receive further word.

In the meantime, congratulations to the Cleveland VA units’ management and employees on receiving what most assuredly is a well-deserved recognition of their splendid operations in Northeast Ohio. Take a bow, ladies and gentlemen!

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Happy Thanksgiving! I recall being at K-9 Air Base outside Pusan, Korea on Thanksgiving in 1953. We had turkey that some said was left over from World War II. The turkey legs were as tough as rawhide, and that’s being generous. Nonetheless, we all survived to enjoy more of the good stuff over the years.

As we come together on this Thanksgiving 2010, it is appropriate for us to thank our family, friends and the patients at the Cleveland VA hospitals for their unselfish dedication and personal contributions of mind and body to our country.

We ask God to continue to share his generous gifts of love and happiness with us, and especially our great nation. We have been truly blessed. Enjoy!