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Veterans Choice Cards out already in the CNMI
A card that will make healthcare access easier for all veterans living in the CNMI is either in their mailboxes already or coming to them within this month, according to the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs’ website.
According to the VA, the Veterans Choice Card allows an eligible veteran to access non-VA health care providers for up to three years, based either on the distance a veteran lives from a VA facility, or if he or she is experiencing wait-times beyond the 30-day standard.
The 30-day standard applies when the veteran cannot schedule an appointment within the “wait-time goals” of the Veterans Health Administration, or the date medically determined by their physician.
This means veterans here in the CNMI can use their Choice Cards to avail of the services of other healthcare providers that are not deemed a VA facility.
Ruth Coleman, VA’s Pacific Islands Health Care System’ Saipan Veterans Clinic administrator, said that one of their patients has confirmed that he already has his Veterans Choice Card.
“Several have probably already received their Choice Cards but one thing they need to know is that it involves a co-payment and doesn’t fully cover the whole payment, especially if it is not a VA facility,” she said.
Coleman said they have been seeing their veteran patients well within the 30-day standard.
Those who are eligible are those enrolled in VA health care on or before Aug. 1, 2014, or be eligible to enroll as a recently discharged combat veteran within the 5-year window of eligibility.
They are also eligible if their residence is more than 40 miles from the closest VA health care facility or faces a geographic challenge for travelling to a VA facility.
The Choice Card also does cost sharing. If an eligible veteran has another health-care plan, VA will be secondarily responsible for the costs related with non-service connected care and services furnished to eligible veterans through the choice card or program and primarily responsible for service-connected care.
The next date of distribution for the choice cards will be in January.
