Recently a lot of you have had a patient that presented a fairly new insurance program for Veterans called Veterans Choice Program. This coverage is only effective IF the patient is more than 40 miles from the nearest VA Hospital and are unable to obtain an appointment within the next 30 days.
This coverage is NOT eligible for Emergency Room visits and not for an inpatient admission or clinic visit.
Before your Veterans Choice Card can be used, you must first meet the following test of eligibility for
Choice Card benefits. If, after following Step 1 of the test you are not eligible for benefits, just hold
on to your Card – you do not need to call us.
THANK YOU FOR
YOUR SERVICE TO
OUR COUNTRY!
TO FIND OUT IF YOU’RE ELIGIBLE:
PERSONALLY ASSESS YOUR ELIGIBILITY FOR CHOICE CARD BENEFITS.
Before you call us, ask yourself these four simple questions:
1) Have you been told by your local VA medical facility that you will need to wait
more than 30 days from your preferred date or the date medically determined
by your physician? OR
2) Is your current residence more than 40 miles drive distance from the closest
VA health care facility? OR
3) Do you need to travel by plane or boat to the VA medical facility closest
to your home? OR
4) Do you reside in a location that is 40 miles drive distance or less from a VA
medical facility and face an unusual or excessive burden in traveling to such
a facility?
STEP
1
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be eligible to use your
Choice Card. VERIFY YOUR ELIGIBILITY by calling 866-606-8198.
When you call us, please be prepared to provide us with any other health
insurance coverage you have, such as employer or union-provided health plans,
so we can assess coverage responsibilities.
STEP
2
IMPORTANT: If you do not receive approval prior to obtaining care, you may be responsible for
some or all of the costs of the non-VA treatment you receive.
Author: wvmedicalsocialwork
Medical social workers provide unique and vital social services to patients in the midst of challenging medical issues.
No matter the challenge, not a day goes by that isn’t filled with the reward of making a significant difference in the lives of others.
A medical social worker offers the support and resources clients need in order to recover from psychological, emotional and physical consequences of illness or trauma. Sometimes this involves arranging meals and transportation. Sometimes it means providing psychosocial support to crime victims, helping law enforcement in child abuse cases or arranging grief counseling. Medical social workers courageously step into these situations and locate available resources to help people recover or live the remainder of their lives with the greatest possible degree of dignity and independence.
Medical social workers are employed in hospitals, hospices and public or private healthcare institutions. They counsel individual clients and their families, facilitate support groups and coordinate short- and long-term healthcare decisions and services.
A Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work (BSW), Psychology or Sociology may be sufficient for some entry-level social work positions, but is not enough to become a licensed medical social worker. Hospitals and other agencies require a Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW) from an accredited institution. This website was created to provide resources and information to anyone who seeks it.
Disclaimer
Please do not substitute material on this site for clinical consultation with a mental health professional. The content in this blog is posted for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be used as a specific treatment recommendation or personal communication with any individual.
When vignettes are described, either the cases have been entirely made up or the names of clients have been changed as well as other details regarding actual client stories so as to protect their identities. Any resemblance to actual persons is entirely coincidental.
Although the author and contributors to this website have made every effort to ensure that the information in this website is correct, the author and contributors do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. This website is not intended as a substitute for the medical advice of physicians. The reader should regularly consult a physician in matters relating to his/her health and particularly with respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.
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