CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Grundy County VAC and Hines VA outreach in Gardner Feb. 21

Morris Daily Herald - 2/14/2023

Feb. 13—GRUNDY COUNTY — Are you still wondering if you are eligible for VA Health Care? Have you heard about the PACT Act and the water at Camp Lejeune but wonder how it affects you?

The Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital Outreach Team with the Grundy County Veterans Assistance Commission with the support of the Community Foundation of Grundy County will be available to answer those questions and many more regarding veterans' benefits and services in Gardner on Tuesday, Feb. 21. from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the South Resource Center229 Liberty St.Gardner.

This event is free and open to all veterans; no registration is required.

You may be eligible for VA health care benefits if you served in the active military, naval, or air service and didn't receive a dishonorable discharge. If you enlisted after September 7, 1980, or entered active duty after October 16, 1981, you must have served 24 continuous months or the full period for which you were called to active duty. There are other criteria that may also make you eligible for VA health care. Please bring a copy of your DD214 and a Photo ID if you would like to enroll. If you do not have a copy of your DD 214, the Grundy County VAC can assist you with getting one.

With the passage of the 2022 PACT Act, certain Post-9/11 Veterans are eligible for expanded VA benefits. Help spread the word to encourage your fellow Veterans to enroll for VA health care during a special enrollment period: October 1, 2022October 1, 2023.

To enroll, a Veteran must have: Served on active duty in a theater of combat operations during a period of war after the Persian Gulf War or served in combat against a hostile force during a period of hostilities after November 11, 1998 and the Veteran must have been discharged or released between September 11, 2001, and October 1, 2013, and not previously enrolled in VA health care.

The PACT Act also empowers VA to deliver benefits to Veterans suffering from more than 20 toxic-exposure conditions. For more information and to see a full list of the new presumptive conditions, visit https://www.VA.gov/PACT.

"Were you aware that VA health care is not a health insurance but they are actually a health care provider? With VA health care, you can have regular checkups with your VA primary care provider or seek out specialty care from specialists like cardiologists, gynecologists, and mental health providers. You can access other Veterans health care services like home health and geriatric (elder) care, and you can get medical equipment, prosthetics, and prescriptions." said Ken Buck, Superintendent of the Grundy County VAC.

"A Veteran might be eligible for a variety of benefits from various federal, state or local organizations. Our goal with each outreach event is to educate Veterans about what benefits are available to them." said Buck.

If you are unable to attend an outreach event you can contact the Grundy County VAC at vac@grundycountyil.gov or 815-941-3152 to learn more about veterans' benefits.

___

(c)2023 the Morris Daily Herald (Morris, Ill.)

Visit the Morris Daily Herald (Morris, Ill.) at www.morrisdailyherald.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.