VA catastrophically disabled

shardy

Thought I would update:

After a month of phone calls (sometimes going in loops of people who didn't know and ending up back with the 1st person)  and finally researching and  figuring out myself how to get this done, today Jim was reclassified as catastrophically disabled at the VA.

In the end it was very simple.  I had a letter from his doctor stating he was not safe to be left alone, I filled out the form and it was signed off on by the Chief of Staff at the VA then sent to Patient Services to be changed..   

something so simple to take so much to figure out...

Shardy

ButterflyWings

Shardy - Congratulations! That’s great news! I am still in the loop you described, but we are getting closer. 

Funny how people who aren’t sure how to proceed, can slow down those who are 100% certain (and correct) about what to do. But after numerous calls, emails and a couple of video visits my DH’s app is currently in the proper chain of command to be submitted, so I truly hope our result will be the same as yours the first time through. 

Well done! I’m happy for you both

M1

That is fantastic news. BW fingers crossed for you too.

Twin Mom

Shardy,

Congratulations!  Is there any place I could actually lookup and see what the possible benefits are for getting the designation?  Also, how do I look up what DH current designation is?  I just wonder if there are any benefits that would help us now...or more importantly in the future.  We are fortunate to be one of the few it seems to have LTC insurance and it has been paying without problems.

Thanks.

Joydean

Shardy congratulations! All your hard work paid off. Butterfly wings hoping the best for you too! We finally have a appointment with social worker on the 23 to see what other hoops we will have to go through. Unfortunately husband’s PCP is no longer with VA and we will be seeing a new one. Don’t know how that will affect anything. 

So happy for both of you! 

ButterflyWings

Twin Mom wrote:

Is there any place I could actually lookup and see what the possible benefits are for getting the designation?  

Benefits specific to the catastrophically disabled classification:

• Category 4 status, despite incomes over attributable income limit, unless the Veteran qualifies for a higher priority category being priority categories 1, 2 or 3. 
• No co-pays for: VA Hospital care, VA medical services including out-patient services, Non-institutional alternative extended care services such as adult day health care or VA medications prescribed on an outpatient basis.  Note: There is a co-pay for VA Nursing Home Care. 
• Source: (TwinMom you can scroll down to the bottom of the linked article for downloadable forms) - BW

https://helpdesk.vetsfirst.org/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=2198

manuzito

I’m in California. During a VA doctor’s visit he noticed that my husband’s memory was declining and send him to be evaluated. He was in the early stages of dementia.  He was immediately changed to the no cost category without income consideration and received all of the VA benefits without any copayment.  He got hospital, medicines and in-home care until he passed away.  He also had the burial services at the VA Cemetery.  

It was simple for me, all I needed was a referral from his doctor.  I heard that not all the facilities follow the same procedures.  I was very lucky and want to pass my luck to all of you that are dealing with the VA.

ButterflyWings

Manuzito - thank you for this reassurance and encouragement. Hoping to follow in your footsteps. Just relief on the prescription co-pays and in home care would be huge for us right now. What in-home care options did you use, may I ask?

And the medical co-pays for the last few years have hit really hard so we are scraping the bottom of the barrel but still have a ways to go. With DH falling lately, getting approved for this will be a big relief if we finally do. Yes...we need all the luck we can get at this point. 

That's so great that your LOs doc was proactive to get your family the benefits he was eligible for without delay and jumping through hoops. I'm sorry for your loss but glad that you both were supported in that way. He earned it with his service. Thank you for sharing this. 

Twin Mom

ButterflyWings....thank you...we can certainly benefit from not having any copays.  Seems minor, but every penny counts at this point.

manuzito

ButterflyWings, the VA gave my husband 15 hours a week to start and later on was increased to 20 hours.  I used a well know agency in California called Kindred at Home.  The lady they sent came 3 times a week and was a great help to me. She had a list of her chores and was always busy even when my husband was sleeping.

 When my husband needed more care the VA social worker arranged for him to get hospice service in addition to the VA caretaker.   Hospice service provided nurse and aide visits twice a week.  He was changed to palliative care when he improved and back to hospice when he needed.  My husband was an easy patient and was grateful for all the attention.

Hope you get all you need from the VA.  

ButterflyWings

Thank you so much