When justice involved veteran Stanton Yates was able to take a Compensation & Pension (C&P) Exam, it increased his disability rating to 100%. That in turn provided his seven-year-old son access to healthcare from the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the VA (CHAMPVA), improved his son’s chances of going to college and opened the possibility of an apportionment to his mother. That Yates, an incarcerated veteran, could take the C&P exam which made this possible wasn’t a simple process.
Justice involved veterans are not able to freely access exam sites. It’s up to their warden’s discretion whether to allocated the resources and staff for prisoner transportation and security to the exam site; or, coordinate with the VA to provide access to the prison for administering the exam. A third option being prison medical staff using an online disability benefits questionnaire, an equivalent of a C&P.
In Yates’ case, it all started with submitting his disabilities benefit Claim to Texas Veterans Commission’s Justice Involved Veterans Claims Benefit Advisor Greg Holland. Holland reviews the claim, then sends it to the VA noting coordination with the prison’s warden is needed to provide inmate access for the C&P exam.
“With Yates’ disability rating at 100%, so many more benefits are available to his dependents. This wouldn’t have happened without his being able to take the C&P exam,” said Holland.