Health Care Advocacy

VA changes to increase various benefits

Vehicle purchases, life insurance, clothing allowances and settlements for Camp Lejeune conditions are among benefits recently adjusted by the VA for eligible veterans. Veterans qualified for the VA to purchase transportation may now get a new vehicle every 10 years. VA approved clothing allowances for garments damaged by skin medicine or prosthetic or orthopedic devices will no longer have to be resubmitted annually. The new VALife insurance has replaced the previous VA life insurance offered. Additionally, VALife is ...

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Health Care Advocacy Department hosts Intro to VA Health Care Benefits, Eligibility & Enrollment on November 17

TVC Health Care Advocacy Department (HCAD) helps veterans navigate VA health care and resolve issues with it. HCAD will present Introduction to VA Health Care Benefits, Eligibility & Enrollment on November 17, 2023. The session will be available at 9:30 a.m. and again at 2:30 p.m. Sessions are presented via Zoom, join the meeting at https://zoom.us/join. The morning session Zoom meeting I.D. is 886 4818 6198 and passcode is 037335. The afternoon meeting I.D. is 873 0077 4328 and passcode ...

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Health Care Advocate Luttrall saves veteran $336,000 in medical expenses

After an Amarillo area veteran was taken to the Emergency Room and admitted into a hospital, his subsequent medical treatments reached an overall cost of approximately $340,000. Upon arriving at the hospital, he called Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) Health Care Advocate (HCA) and Navy veteran Linda Luttrall. “I was the point-of-contact with the VA, outside medical providers and their billing staff to keep things running smoothly for this veteran and provide continuity of care” said Luttrall. Her efforts for the ...

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Health Care Advocacy resolves 11,300 cases, saves veterans over $709,000

During Fiscal Year 2021-2022, from September 1, 2021 to August 31, 2022, the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) Health Care Advocacy Department (HCAD) closed over 11,300 cases in which a veteran came to them with a medical issue and HCAD resolved it or connected the veteran with a “warm handoff” to someone who did. Additionally, HCAD saved veterans a combined total of over $709,000 by resolving issues with VHA (Veterans Health Administration) and non-VHA billings.

HCAD doesn’t just wait for veterans to ...

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Expansion of Health Care Advocates across state underway

The presence of Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) Health Care Advocates (HCAs) who assist veterans with VA health care issues is expanding into areas which previously had none. Lubbock and Abilene are among the latest, new locations to receive HCAs with Stephen Harrison in Lubbock and Susie Middlemas in Abilene. Both are veterans, Harrsion having served in the Navy and Army; Middlemas in the Marine Corps.

Pictured are HCAs Stephen Harrison and Susie Middlemas.

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Texas Legislature, Governor approve doubling Health Care Advocates to assist more veterans

The budget approved by the Texas Legislature and by Governor Greg Abbott included the Texas Veterans Commission’s (TVC) request to add 12 more Health Care Advocates (HCAs) in VA facilities to help resolve veterans’ health care questions and issues.

TVC HCAs advocate for individual veterans. They work with the veteran to resolve VA health care conflicts in areas such as doctor appointments, labs, testing, pharmacy assistance, getting outside referrals, and VA health care related billing.

TVC Chairwoman Laura Koerner and Executive Director ...

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Legislature hears need for increase in Health Care Advocates

“Our top priority this session is to work with the legislature to address the challenges facing our veterans such as helping our veterans access our VA funded health care services with the assistance of our advocates,” Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) Chairwoman Laura Koerner told the Senate Finance Committee

Koerner, a Navy veteran, and TVC Executive Director Thomas Palladino, an Army veteran, presented to Legislature (Senate Finance Committee) the agency’s exceptional needs for additional funding on February 9.

Koerner began by showcasing TVC’s ...

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Help with eyesight & seeing a brighter future

Army veteran Howard McMillan’s eyesight problem made him unable to pursue his career as a welder as he could not pass the necessary eye exam. Unable to secure employment, he was living in a shelter in the Fort Worth area. “I didn’t know how I was going to make it,” said McMillian. He had the contact information of Texas Veterans Commission’s (TVC) Justice Involved Veterans Coordinator Erin McGann and gave her a call.

McGann introduced McMillian to his area Military Veteran ...

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From homeless veteran to veteran Health Care Advocate

Freddy Salazar served in the Marine Corps from 2005-2009. After he left the service, he was married and had two daughters. “Due to some mental health conditions and drug and alcohol use, I lost it all,” said Salazar. In 2012, he separated from his wife and was homeless.

“I was on the streets with 3 shirts, pants and shoes. I was in a shelter home for over 3 weeks while working for the Army National Guard Bureau. At that time in ...

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