Virtual Veteran Town Hall for Lake, Portage, Geauga, Stark and Cuyahoga County Veterans
Veteran Town Hall will include details of new eligibility for toxic exposures, Vietnam Veterans, and answer VA health care questions.
When:
Wed. Sep 25, 2024, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm ET
Where:
Cost:
Free
VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System (VANEOHS) will host a virtual town hall at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, to explain the recent expansion of Veteran health care eligibility and to answer questions from Veterans regarding healthcare benefits to which they are entitled.
The town hall will be an audio/phone-dial-in event with visuals available within a simultaneous Facebook Live event. Participants are encouraged to call 855-962-0953 early to be assured of one of the 10,000 slots available for the call, and to follow along at www.facebook.com/ClevelandVAMC.
VA recently expanded health care eligibility for millions of Veterans nationwide, years earlier than called for by the PACT Act. As of March 5, all Veterans who were exposed to toxins and other hazards while serving in the military and meet certain requirements became eligible to enroll directly in VA health care. This means all Veterans who served in the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Global War on Terror, or any other combat zone after 9/11, can enroll directly in VA health care without first applying for VA disability benefits. Additionally, Veterans who never deployed, but were exposed to toxins or hazards while training or on active duty in the United States, are also eligible to enroll. VA also recently expanded health care to all World War II Veterans.
Additionally, the town hall will review reasons to reconsider VA enrollment – including the fact VA hospitals outperformed non-VA hospitals on all 10 core patient satisfaction metrics — including overall hospital rating, communication with doctors, communication about medication, willingness to recommend the hospital, and more in Medicare’s latest nationwide survey of patients. VA health care has also consistently outperformed non-VA care in peer-reviewed studies, overall quality ratings and affordability for Veterans.
This town hall is an example of how the VA continues to aggressively reach out to Veterans to encourage them to come to VA for the healthcare benefits they have earned. VA encourages all Veterans, family members, caregivers, and survivors to learn more about VA to understand how VA fits into their lives, and apply for their world-class health care and earned benefits today.
Veterans in Cuyahoga and Medina counties will be called to be advised of the town hall in advance.