Rodney Cress, Veterans Advocate
♦ Starting this month, veterans who qualify for care from the Veterans Health Administration under income thresholds will no longer need to report their income information to Veterans Affairs annually.
Instead, VA will get the information from the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration, saving veterans a step in the process of ensuring continuation of their benefit each year.
“This change will reduce the burden on veterans, improve customer service and make it much easier for veterans to keep their health care eligibility up-to-date,” VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said in a statement Tuesday.
The move has the added bonus of reducing paperwork for VA and veterans. VA has undertaken a $491 million paperless claims project on its disability compensation side of the house and is moving to streamline administrative red tape elsewhere.
Veterans enrolling in VA care for the first time will have to submit income information, according to a VA release.
For more information, veterans are encouraged to call VA at 877-233-8387 .
