To get enrolled into the VA health care system, veterans must complete the 10-10EZ form, which is the application form for Health Benefits. This form may be obtained from any VA office and for those in Cumberland County, NC, the easiest way to get enrolled is to visit the VA Hospital on Ramsey Road in Fayetteville and fill out the form with their assistance. You may also go online to Online 10-10EZ to get the form.

You do not have to be enrolled if you have a service connected disability of 50% or more, or if you only want care for a service connected disability.

Priority Groups

Due to a high demand for VA health care and limited resources, VA has divided veterans into eight priority groups. The determination of access to VA health care will depend on the current availability of resources and space at a given VA facility, as well as the priority group a particular veteran is assigned to. This means that it is a continuously changing issue. A priority group seven veteran may not be able to receive healthcare in Durham, NC, but be eligible to receive assistance in Chicago, Il. Next year, the same veteran may be eligible for care in Durham.

• Priority Group 1 -
  • Veterans with service connected disabilities rated 50% or more
  • Veterans determined by VA to be unemployable due to service connected conditions
• Priority Group 2 -
  • Veterans with service connected disabilities rated 30-40%
• Priority Group 3 -
  • Veterans with service connected disabilities rated 10-20%.
  • Veterans who are former POWs
  • Veterans who were awarded a Purple Heart
  • Veterans who have been awarded special eligibility for disabilities incurred in treatment or participation in a VA Vocational Rehabilitation program
  • Veterans, whose discharge was for a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty
• Priority Group 4 -
  • Veterans receiving aid and attendance or housebound benefits
  • Veterans determined by VA to be catastrophically disabled
  • NOTE: some veterans in this group may be responsible for copayments
• Priority Group 5 -
  • Veterans receiving VA pension benefits or eligible for Medicaid programs
  • Veterans with non-service connected disabilities and zero percent service connected veterans whose annual income and net worth are below the established VA means test threshold
• Priority Group 6 -
  • World War I veterans
  • Veterans seeking care solely for conditions associated with exposure to radiation
  • Veterans seeking care solely for conditions associated with exposure to Agent Orange
  • Veterans seeking care solely for disorders associated with the Gulf War
  • Veterans seeking care solely for any illness related to combat service in a war after the Gulf War, or during a period of hostility after November 11, 1998
  • Veterans seeking care solely for any illness associated with participation in test conducted by the DoD as part of Project 112/Project SHAD
• Priority Group 7 -
  • Non-service-connected veterans and 0% service-connected veterans with income and net worth above the financial statement (Means Test) threshold, who agree to pay specified co-payments.

SPECIAL HEALTH CARE PROGRAMS

Veterans eligible for participation in any of the VA registries may receive free, registry medical examinations, including laboratory and other diagnostic tests deemed necessary by an examining clinician. Eligible veterans do not have to be enrolled in VA Health Care to participate in registry examinations. Detailed information can be found at the VA Environmental Agents Website.

Agent Orange Registry

This registry is provided for Vietnam veterans, who might have been exposed to dioxin or other toxic substances in herbicides used in Vietnam between 1962 and 1975. It is also available for veterans, who served in Korea in 1968-69, or anyone involved in the testing, transportation, or spraying of herbicides for the military.

The benefits of joining the registry, is that you will receive an in depth physical examination by medical personnel with an expertise in Agent Orange related problems. This serves two purposes. One is that you may discover a condition that you were unaware of and the earlier it is detected, the easier it will be to treat. The second benefit, is that all the data goes into a huge database on Agent Orange. This information is studied by the medical profession to better detect problems associated with Agent Orange and possible treatments.

To get on the registry, contact your nearest VA Health Care facility. If you would like further information on this subject you can go here.

Gulf War Registry

This registry is for veterans, who served in the Gulf War and Operation Iraqi Freedom from August 2, 1990, to a date not yet established. The Gulf War Registry allows veterans who served in the Gulf War to receive a full physical examination. The results of the physical examinations and tests given during the physical will then be mailed to Washington D.C. for evaluation. In return, the results of these physical examinations are used to assess and examine the cause(s) of the Gulf War Syndrome. The updates and results from these tests will be published online. You may also read the VA Gulf War Registry Handbook for further basic information.

Ionizing Radiation Registry

This registry if for veterans, who were possibly exposed to atomic radiation during the following activities:

• Participation in test involving the atmospheric detonation of a nuclear device
• Occupation of Hiroshima or Nagasaki from August 6, 1945, through July 1, 1946
• Internment as a prisoner of war in Japan during WW II
• Serving in official military duties at the Dept. of Energy gaseous diffusion plants at Paducah, KY or Portsmouth, OH
• Serving in official military duties at the K-25 area at Oak Ridge, TN, for at least 250 days before February 1, 1992
• Serving in official military duties at the Longshot, Milrow, or Cannikin underground nuclear tests at Amchitka Island, Alaska before January 1, 1974
• Treatment with nasopharyngeal (NP) radium during military service

For further information on this registry you may look at the online here.