Town Hall Forums

Yes. Your Primary Care Provider can place a consult to the Diabetic Nurse, Dietician, MOVE! Program. BVAHCS has several options for diabetic patients. The patient needs to discuss with PCP for treatment plan.

There is a process for community care referrals which includes VA providers entering the community care consults and authorizations must be approved prior to appointment. Our Community Care staff  will assist you. Please call them at , extension 33-4095.

New patient appointments are one hour and return appointments are 30 minutes. Appointment times are based on the needs of the patient, and not set by BVAHCS leadership.

You can reach our Women Veterans Clinic at , extensions 33-5446 or 33-5447. Our Women Veterans Program Manager can be reached at , extension 33-4758.

We are actively searching for a new physician for our Women Veterans Clinic. We have a team to provide care to women Veterans during this transition. You may see a nurse practitioner, pharm D, nurse or a covering provider. Know your health care is important to us and a team will assist you during our clinic transition.

This service is not provided at the Birmingham VA Women’s Health Clinic. However, a referral can be placed for community care.

We have two gynecologists in our Women’s Health Clinic and both perform procedures and surgeries at BVAHCS. You may need a consult to GYN from your primary care provider if you are not already a patient in GYN. If you have been seen by GYN in the past, please call the clinic at , extension 33-5446 or 33-5447.  

Gynecology services are currently not available at our Huntsville VA-Women's Health Clinic. We offer community care referral and/or appointments for GYN at our Birmingham VA Women's Health Clinic.

Please contact one of our patient advocates located at the following locations, and they will assist you:

Birmingham VA Health Care System: , extensions 33-6984, 33-4740, or 33-7985

Birmingham VA Clinic: , extension 33-3884

Birmingham East VA  Clinic: , extension 35-5806

Huntsville VA Clinic: , extension 41-4043

The Huntsville VA Clinic has secured funding to build a separate Women’s Health Clinic. This new space will allow us to add additional programs for our women Veterans.

Please reach out to the medical social worker for your Primary Care Physician for support and services for elderly Veterans.  

Please contact our Birmingham East VA Clinic to schedule an appointment at or visit 7901 Crestwood Blvd Irondale, Alabama 35210.

In order to receive a rating for VA disability the Veteran will need to file a claim. If they have never filed, they will need to file on VA Form 21-526EZ.

You can use the Veteran Service Organization in Shelby County if you’d like. You will need to complete a  VA form 21-22 appointing them as your Power of Attorney (this only applies to VA claims assistance. They have no power over your benefits or anything non VA related). The VA form 21-22 has a list of approved VSO organizations. You can use any approved representative. You can also request an appointment with one of our Regional Office Public Contact Representatives through the VERA app at https://va.my.site.com/VAVERA/s/. Our representative can help you determine which forms you might need and send them to you for completion. These appointments can be virtual (over the phone) or in person at the Regional Office in Montgomery.

You must complete a  VA Form 21-526EZ and list Temp 100 and the service connected disability the convalescence is related to.

If you have a va.gov account, you can go to VA.gov to file your claim. You can also appoint a Veterans Service Organization as your VA Power of Attorney to assist you with your claim. You can also use the VERA app to schedule an appointment with one of our Public Contact Representatives. These appointments can be virtual (over the phone) or in person at the Regional Office in Montgomery. The VERA link is https://va.my.site.com/VAVERA/s/

No. To apply for an increase on a service-connected condition you will file a 21-526EZ and where you designate the condition you are applying for just add the word increase.

There are a variety of factors that can affect the time it takes to process a claim. Different types of required evidence may take longer to obtain. Sometimes there are delays in receiving requested records. Without looking at the specific file, we cannot provide a definitive answer. You can call 1- or schedule an appointment through the VERA app at https://va.my.site.com/VAVERA/s/.

Kosovo is not one of the presumptive locations for exposures. If you feel you have disabilities related to your Kosovo service, you can still apply. Submit any evidence you may have related your disability and whatever exposures you experienced. You can submit lay statements, credible research articles, etc. to support your claim.

Yes. To learn more about available education benefits you can go to https://www.va.gov/education/

To find out about burial benefits, you can go to https://www.cem.va.gov/. You can also reach the Alabama National Cemetery at Montevallo at .

Typically, the federal VA is able to acquire the files. There are limited circumstances in which the files may have been destroyed by a fire in St. Louis in 1973. While federal VA is generally able to retrieve those records, the State Department of Veterans Affairs requires the Veteran to provide the DD 214 before they are able to assist. This is to ensure that there is qualifying military service for a claim.

VA retired its former life insurance program on 12/31/2022. It was replaced with a new insurance program that allows any service-connected Veteran to apply. To find more information about available VA insurances, visit https://www.va.gov/life-insurance/options-eligibility/valife/

You would apply the same way you would if you are in CONUS. Complete your application and submit it with any evidence you have to:

Department of Veterans Affairs

Evidence Intake Center

PO Box 4444

Janesville, WI 53547-4444

To access VERA go to https://va.my.site.com/VAVERA/s/

If you have never filed for it before, file VA Form 21-526EZ and VA Form 21-0781a. If any additional information is needed, you will be sent a letter requesting it. If you have filed before and been denied you will need to file on either VA Form 20-0995 or VA Form 20-0996. If it has been more than one year since your denial, you will have to use the VA Form 20-0995 for Supplemental Claim. This form requires new and relevant evidence. This means evidence that might have changed the initial decision. If it has been less than one year, you can file on either the 20-0995, the 20-0996 or the appeal form VA 10182.

If you submitted the form online and it has been more than five business days, we recommend calling the 1- call center number. Occasionally, it might take a little longer, but online submissions are usually updated quickly.

Several new locations were added under the PACT Act. To view the locations added please visit https://www.va.gov/resources/the-pact-act-and-your-va-benefits/, or call the national call center at 1-.

For questions about education benefits, please call 1-.

If you received a zero percent rating, the VA found your condition was connected to your service, but in its current state does not reach a compensable level. If your condition is getting worse, file for an increase on VA Form 21-526EZ. Since you are already service connected, the PACT Act will not add anything to your claim.

For more information on education benefits, please call 1- or visit https://www.va.gov/education/

The best options to get the information missed is to call the National Call Center at 1- Monday through Friday from 8am to 9pm Eastern time, or visit the VERA app at https://va.my.site.com/VAVERA/s/ to schedule a virtual or in person appointment with one of our Public Contact Representatives in Montgomery. Be mindful that if you schedule in person, you will have to travel to the Montgomery Regional Benefits Office.

The VERA app is a Veteran Benefits Administration (VBA) app. It is available nationwide. When you log in to the app you will choose which state you live in and a list will populate with the regional offices in that state. Alabama only has one RO so you would choose Montgomery. By choosing the virtual appointment option Veterans statewide have access to the same services as people in the Montgomery area without having to travel. https://va.my.site.com/VAVERA/s/

To make changes to your DD214 you would have to go through DoD. Please visit https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/correct-service-records.html for more information.