The Division of Veterans Affairs introduced final month that it will display screen all its sufferers for attainable publicity to environmental hazards throughout navy service, a part of an effort to grasp the scope of the difficulty and monitor veterans for associated sicknesses.
However what precisely does this course of seem like? VA officers mentioned the 5-minute screening, a sequence of questions by a veteran’s main care doctor, will assist the division “improve the advantages for veterans already within the system.”
“We’re on observe to doing that, and we had a really profitable pilot. Over 13,000 veterans have been screened with a really excessive ‘hit fee’ of veterans who expressed concern a couple of attainable environmental publicity,” Underneath Secretary for Well being Dr. Shereef Elnahal mentioned Oct. 19 throughout a press name with reporters.
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Starting Nov. 8, veterans can request an appointment for a screening or might be screened mechanically throughout routine care with their main VA physician.
The three-part screening consists of the next:
Q. Do you consider you skilled any poisonous exposures, resembling Open Burn Pits/Airborne Hazards, Gulf Battle-related exposures, Agent Orange, radiation, contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, or different such exposures whereas serving within the Armed Forces?”
- Sure
- No
- Do not Know
- Declines Screening
Q. If Sure, do you consider you have been uncovered to any of the next whereas serving within the Armed Forces?
- Open Burn Pits/Airborne Hazards,
- Gulf Battle-related exposures
- Agent Orange
- Radiation
- Contaminated water at Camp Lejeune
- Different exposures
Q. Does the Veteran or caregiver have follow-up questions?
- Well being/Medical Questions
- Advantages/Claims Questions
- VA Well being Care Enrollment and Eligibility Questions
- Registry Questions
- No questions at the moment
The VA launched a pilot of the screening program final month at 12 medical facilities throughout the U.S., trying out 13,380 veterans. Veterans who have been screened had a “excessive hit fee” of concern over attainable poisonous publicity, Elnahal mentioned, with roughly 38% answering sure to the primary query.
The screenings are a requirement of the Promise to Tackle Complete Toxics, or PACT, Act, and might be performed a minimum of each 5 years. Outcomes of the screenings might be saved in veterans’ well being data, in keeping with the VA.
“Along with serving to VA present extra medical companies to veterans enrolled in VA care, the screenings present a chance for the Veterans Well being Administration to make referrals to the Veterans Advantages Administration to “see if they’ll qualify for much more [benefits],” Elnahal mentioned.
The outcomes additionally will assist VA suppliers higher look after vets and steer VA analysis on fight toxins, in keeping with VA Secretary Denis McDonough.
“It finally ends up actually rising our personal visibility into the publicity that our vets have skilled,” McDonough mentioned throughout a press convention Oct. 25.
The PACT Act contained quite a lot of provisions to help the estimated 3.5 million veterans in danger for sickness on account of publicity to burn pits, airborne particulate matter, chemical compounds and different poisonous substances encountered throughout abroad deployments. The regulation broadened well being care companies and incapacity compensation to an estimated 1 million veterans, and it established a pathway for expedited incapacity compensation for veterans stricken with sure illnesses.
Whereas the division is at present screening solely veterans within the VA system, Elnahal inspired veterans who could also be newly eligible for well being care beneath the PACT Act to enroll on the VA.
“If you’re conscious of veterans who could have been affected by this, please encourage them to use for advantages beneath the PACT Act,” Elnahal mentioned.
Veterans who need extra data on the PACT Act or to use for incapacity advantages ought to go to the VA’s web site or name 1-800-MY-VA-411 (1-800-698-2411).
— Patricia Kime might be reached at Patricia.Kime@Navy.com. Comply with her on Twitter @patriciakime
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