Veterans Share Thoughts on Care at Jackie Walorski VA Clinic

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – (March 1, 2025) The VA Northern Indiana Health Care System recently hosted a Veteran Listening Session at the Jackie Walorski VA Clinic in Mishawaka.  The VANIHCS leadership met face-to-face with more than 150 Veterans who attended the event to listen to their concerns, suggestions, as well as the occasional complement on services they were receiving.  

“We wanted to meet these Veterans in an open and transparent environment to learn what their experience has been with the VA,” said VANIHCS Executive Director Jon Beidelschies. “It was great to have this open dialogue and learn what is on the minds of our Veteran community.  We truly learned a great deal and now have some tremendous suggestions on what we must work towards to give our Veterans better care and service, especially at the JWC clinic.”

Many of the concerns expressed by Veterans had a common thread.  Popular topics of discussion included suggestions for smoother administrative support, access to mental health services, travel and travel reimbursement, and prescriptions.

The following are a few of the questions or topics discussed and the VANIHCS’s response to Veterans.

Why are calls not picked up in real time? Why is my call transferred many times?  

The VA is required to have a call tree and depending on what service department Veterans are looking for the VISN also has a call center that handles all the VA’s Primary Care and telephone triage calls with a live person.  Multiple transfers should not occur as the VA strives for first call resolution whenever possible.  If this is not possible, then the employee on the line with the Veteran tries to ensure a warm hand-off is completed to validate the Veteran is at the correct place to have their question answered. 

How may I submit travel pay at JWC when they have no transportation clerk onsite? 

Veterans may submit travel reimbursement claims through the following four methods at the JWC: 

• Clerk Submission: Upon checkout, veterans may present their claim to any available clerk, who will then facilitate transmission to the appropriate office via fax. 
• Secure Drop Box: Claims may be deposited in the designated secure drop box located at the west end of the building, adjacent to the CITC check-in desk. 
• Electronic Submission via QR Code: Veterans with smartphone access may scan the provided QR codes, which will redirect them to the BTSSS online portal for electronic claim submission. 
• Direct Fax Transmission: Claims may be submitted directly to the office via fax at 260-460-1476. 

For inquiries regarding travel reimbursement, veterans may contact the office at 765-674-3321, ext. 74094. When leaving a message, please provide the following information: full name, the last four digits of the social security number, the specific inquiry, and a reliable contact number. The office will endeavor to return all calls within 48 hours. 

Can/Will JWC bring back vendors for hats, pins, and other Veteran items to sell onsite? 

The canteen currently does not have a vendor who sells Veteran items.  The only known previous vendor is no longer in business. If there is a vendor in that area that becomes available, they may contact the canteen. 

How may I become a peer support specialist so I can assist Veterans with mental health needs at VA? 

Peer Specialists function is as an interdisciplinary team member, assisting physicians and other professional/non-professional personnel in a recovery treatment program. Peer specialists perform a variety of therapeutic and supportive tasks that include assisting Veterans in articulating their goals for recovery and personal wellness, learning, and practicing new skills, helping them monitor their progress, assisting them in their treatment, modeling effective coping techniques and self-help strategies based on the peer specialist's own recovery experience, and supporting them in advocating for themselves to obtain effective services. 

Please Monitor USAJobs.gov for future Peer Specialist positions that may become available. 

For inquiries about the certification needed to become a Peer Specialist, Veterans may contact the Vocational Rehabilitation office at 765-674-3321 ext. 73702. 

What is needed to qualify for dental care with the VA? 

Eligibility for services through VA Dental Service follows guidelines in the VHA Handbook 1130.01 Appendix A. Veterans are eligible for comprehensive or focused dental care according to their class. Some veterans qualify for focused dental care for a period and others are eligible for one episode of care according to the eligible VA program. In some cases, further review of their eligibility needs to be confirmed through VBA Business office by Dental Chief/Assistant Chief of Dental or delegate dentist.

VBA does not offer compensation benefits for dental conditions unless the condition is due to a traumatic event.

Will JWC be bringing back yoga and tai chi for Veterans? 

Due to a contract change, the VA is slowly building its services back up for Yoga and Tai Chi. We hope those services will be available within 3rd quarter for JWC Veterans and its employees. 

What can Veterans do if their medication delivery is delayed? 

VANIHCS and national pharmacy leadership are closely tracking USPS mail delays affecting delivery of mailed prescriptions since the end of December 2024. USPS has seen substantial delays in mail routing through the Indianapolis regional distribution hub after implementing a new system of mail delivery.  

VA leadership is unclear of timelines for resolution of these delays, so VANIHCS is evaluating alternatives to USPS mail delivery both short- and long-term. 

Should a Veteran run low on prescription medication while awaiting delivery of a package, please contact VA pharmacy at 1-800-360-8387 option 1 or their primary care team to discuss the following options: 

• Heritage Health Urgent Fill Program - receive up to a 14-day supply of a prescription from an in-network community pharmacy at no cost to you. Your primary care team will coordinate this effort. 
• Partial Supply from VA Pharmacy – pharmacy staff can send a partial supply of your prescription via expedited mail until your full prescription arrives. Contact VA Pharmacy at the number above.  

As a Veteran, should I keep a supplemental health insurance plan along with my Medicare? How does this work with VA benefits? 

Veterans will get free health care from VHA for their service-connected disabilities. There are other factors that can be considered for eligibility that I will refer to VHA to answer since they are the experts on when to keep supplemental private insurance coverage or Medicare.   

A representative from the Veteran Benefit Administration was also there to answer questions about non-healthcare related VA benefits.

Does VBA offer benefits to Veterans for when they are off work due to temporary disability? 

Please note that VBA only pays compensation for disabilities that were incurred or aggravated by military service, and it is not a workers compensation program.  

If the Veteran is receiving compensation benefits with a combined evaluation of less than 100% and needs surgery or hospitalized for a service-connected disability, the Veteran may qualify for a temporary 100% for the convalescence period.  The time frame for convalescence period is directed by statue and can be extended if justified by medical evidence.  

The disability must be permanent for the Veteran to qualify for an income-based pension benefit. Generally, a Veteran should have at least 90 days of active-duty service, with one day during a wartime era, have a permanent and total disability(ies), and meet the poverty household income threshold as established by the Department of Commerce.  The VA may use the out-of-pocket medical expenses, to include over the counter medication to lower the Veteran household income.    

The VA also has an Individual Unemployability benefit. Generally, Veterans with a combined evaluation of less than 100 percent, but one or a combination of their service-connected disabilities prevents the Veteran to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation qualify for this benefit.   

“Hosting these types of events gives us a much better perspective on the Veterans perceptions of their VA health care.  We take away a lot from hearing directly from those who share with us, and now we are working to give these Veterans the benefits they have earned,” said Beidelschies.  

Scott Leas, Public Affairs Officer

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