Did you know the Beacon can help a veteran with health benefits?
To the editor:
As we mentioned in the Eagle last month, the Beacon of Hope is now an outreach program offering assistance with understanding of benefits for you, the veteran. We can help you, as an honorably discharged service man or woman, learn the details of which you would never ask or ever think of.
You can meet with a Veterans Service Officer and a Pine Island veteran to help you through the, sometimes difficult, enrollment process in order to obtain your benefits. Some of the most common requests for medical help are regarding eligibility for and enrollment in VA Healthcare.
If eligible for VA healthcare, you can benefit in several ways. Benefits include direct mental health care or access to VA resources and services that can support the care that you need in the community. The first step is finding out if you are eligible. From there you can find additional resources that can support the care that is provided (for example, group treatments, specialty care, housing resources).
There are some special conditions for reservists who served on active duty in a combat zone such as Vietnam, Korea 1968, Operation Iraqi Freedom, New Dawn and Enduring Freedom. These veterans may have unique benefits.
Determining the eligibility status and possible co-payment information for a veteran can be complicated. Because of this we strongly encourage you to apply for enrollment even if you feel you may not be eligible.
Our next date for one-on-one appointments is Friday, Feb. 4, between 9 a.m. and noon. This will continue the first Friday of every month. Please call The Beacon of Hope at 239-283-5123 to schedule your appointment.
James Garnett
Veteran, U.S.A.F.