By Andy GERO

VA Officially Drops Net Worth as Eligibility Factor

A Veterans Affairs proposal to exclude a veteran’s net worth as a factor in determining their eligibility for health care is now the rule. Proposed early in 2015, it became official Dec. 21.

VA will no longer consider net worth when determining if a veteran is eligible for certain benefits or reduced co-payment obligations. VA will now only consider the veteran’s gross household income and deductible expenses from the previous year. VA stated the new ruling “means that certain lower-income, non-service-connected veterans will have less out-of-pocket costs.”

VA estimates that over a five-year period nearly 190,000 veterans will become eligible for reduced costs for their health care services. Over five years, VA expects that another 135,000 veterans who previously were ineligible would be able to enroll in VA’s health care system because of the change.

Income thresholds are based on several factors such as geographical area and number of dependents. To determine your specific threshold, access

http://nationalincomelimits.vaftl.us. For more information about VA benefits, contact VFW’s Washington Office at vfw@vfw.org. A number of VFW National Legislative or Veterans Service staff will respond as soon as possible.

Andy Gero is a life member of the American Legion Post 288 and the VFW Post 1614.  He may be reached through the CV Weekly, (818) 248-2740 or write Crescenta Valley Weekly at 3800 La Crescenta Ave., Suite 101, La Crescenta, CA 91214.

  Andy GERO