2023 VA Health Care Copay Rates

January 27, 2023 by Greg Martin
Filed under VA News

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2023 VA Health Care Copay Rates

Review 2023 copay rates for VA and VA-approved health care.

Effective January 1, 2023

Note: Some Veterans don’t have to pay copays (they’re “exempt”) due to their disability rating, income level, or special eligibility factors.

Learn how we determine whether you’ll pay copays

Urgent care copay rates

(Care for minor illnesses and injuries)

There’s no limit to how many times you can use urgent care. To be eligible for urgent care benefits, including through our network of approved community providers, both of these must be true:

You must be enrolled in the VA health care system, and
You must have received care from us within the past 24 months (2 years)

If you’re only getting a flu shot at your visit, you won’t have to pay any copays, no matter your priority group.

Learn more about urgent care benefits

2023 urgent care copay rates
Priority group	Copay amount for first 3 visits in each calendar year	Copay amount for each additional visit in the same year
1 to 5	$0 (no copay)	$30
6	If related to a condition that’s covered by a special authority: $0 (no copay) If not related to a condition covered by a special authority: $30 each visit	$30
7 to 8	$30	$30

Note: Special authorities include conditions related to combat service and exposures (like Agent Orange, active duty at Camp Lejeune, ionizing radiation, Project Shipboard Hazard and Defense (SHAD/Project 112), Southwest Asia Conditions) as well as military sexual trauma, and presumptions applicable to certain Veterans with psychosis and other mental illness.

Outpatient care copay rates

(Primary or specialty care that doesn’t require an overnight stay)

If you have a service-connected disability rating of 10% or higher

You won’t need to pay a copay for outpatient care.

If you don’t have a service-connected disability rating of 10% or higher

You may need to pay a copay for outpatient care for conditions not related to your military service, at the rates listed below.

2023 outpatient care copay rates
Type of outpatient care	Copay amount for each visit or test
Primary care services (like a visit to your primary care doctor)	$15
Specialty care services (like a visit to a hearing specialist, eye doctor, surgeon, or cardiologist)	$50
Specialty tests (like an MRI or CT scan)	$50

Note: You won’t need to pay any copays for X-rays, lab tests, or preventive tests and services like health screenings or immunizations.

Inpatient care copay rates

(Care that requires you to stay one or more days in a hospital)

If you have a service-connected disability rating of 10% or higher

You won’t need to pay a copay for inpatient care.

If you’re in priority group 7 or 8

You’ll pay either our full copay rate or reduced copay rate. If you live in a high-cost area, you may qualify for a reduced inpatient copay rate no matter what priority group you’re in. To find out if you qualify for a reduced inpatient copay rate, call us toll-free at 877-222-8387 (TTY: 711). We’re here Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET.

2023 reduced inpatient care copay rates for priority group 7
Length of stay	Copay amount
First 90 days of care during a 365-day period	$320 copay + $2 charge per day
Each additional 90 days of care during a 365-day period	$160 copay + $2 charge per day

Note: You may be in priority group 7 and qualify for these rates if you don’t meet eligibility requirements for priority groups 1 through 6, but you have a gross household income below our income limits for where you live and you agree to pay copays.

Review the current VA national income limits

2023 full inpatient care copay rates for priority group 8
Length of stay	Copay amount
First 90 days of care during a 365-day period	$1,600 copay + $10 charge per day
Each additional 90 days of care during a 365-day period	$800 copay + $10 charge per day

Note: You may be in priority group 8 and qualify for these rates if you don’t meet eligibility requirements for priority groups 1 through 6, and you have a gross household income above our income limits for where you live, agree to pay copays, and meet other specific enrollment and service-connected eligibility criteria.

Learn more about priority groups

Medication copay rates

If you’re in priority group 1

You won’t pay a copay for any medications.

Note: You may be in priority group 1 if we’ve rated your service-connected disability at 50% or more disabling, if we’ve determined that you can’t work because of your service-connected disability (called unemployable), or if you’ve received the Medal of Honor.

Learn more about priority groups

If you’re in priority groups 2 through 8

You may pay a copay for these types of medications:

Medications your health care provider prescribes to treat non-service-connected conditions, and
Over-the-counter medications (like aspirin, cough syrup, or vitamins) that you get from a VA pharmacy. You may want to consider buying your over-the-counter medications on your own.

Note: The costs for any medications you receive while staying in a VA or other approved hospital or health facility are covered by your inpatient care copay.

The amount you’ll pay for these medications will depend on the “tier” of the medication and the amount of medication you’re getting, which we determine by days of supply. Once you’ve been charged $700 in medication copays within a calendar year (January 1 to December 31), you won’t have to pay any more that year—even if you still get more medications. This is called a copay cap.

2023 outpatient medication copay amounts
Outpatient medication tier	1-30 day supply	31-60 day supply	61-90 day supply
Tier 0 (prescription and over-the-counter medicines with no copay)	$0	$0	$0
Tier 1 (preferred generic prescription medicines) Review our list of tier 1 medications	$5	$10	$15
Tier 2 (non-preferred generic prescription medicines and some over-the-counter medicines)	$8	$16	$24
Tier 3 (brand-name prescription medicines)	$11	$22	$33

If you have a service-connected rating of 40% or less and your income falls at or below the national income limits for receiving free medications, you may want to provide your income information to us to determine if you qualify for free medications.

Review the current VA national income limits

Find out how we determine your health care costs

Find a full list of medications in each tier on our pharmacy benefits website

Geriatric and extended care copay rates

You won’t need to pay a copay for geriatric care (also called elder care) or extended care (also called long-term care) for the first 21 days of care in a 12-month period. Starting on the 22nd day of care, we’ll base your copays on these 2 factors:

The level of care you’re receiving, and
The financial information you provide on your Application for Extended Care Services (VA Form 10-10EC).

Get VA Form 10-10EC to download

2023 geriatric and extended care copay amounts by level of care
Level of care	Types of care included	Copay amount for each day of care
Inpatient care	Short-term or long-term stays in a community living center (formerly called nursing homes) Overnight respite care (in-home or onsite care designed to give family caregivers a break, available up to 30 days each calendar year) Overnight geriatric evaluations (evaluations by a team of health care providers to help you and your family decide on a care plan)	Up to $97
Outpatient care	Adult day health care (care in your home or at a facility that provides daytime social activities, companionship, recreation, care, and support) Daily respite care (in-home or onsite care designed to give family caregivers a break, available up to 30 days each calendar year) Geriatric evaluations that don’t require an overnight stay (evaluations by a team of health care providers to help you and your family decide on a care plan)	Up to $15
Domiciliary care for homeless Veterans	Short-term rehabilitation Long-term maintenance care	Up to $5

Learn more about long-term care options

Services that don’t require a copay

You won’t need to pay a copay for any of the services listed here, no matter what your disability rating is or what priority group you’re in.

Readjustment counseling and related mental health services
Counseling and care for issues related to military sexual trauma
Exams to determine your risk of health problems linked to your military service
Care that may be related to combat service for Veterans that served in a theater of combat operations after November 11, 1998
VA claim exams (also called compensation and pension, or C&P, exams)
Care related to a VA-rated service-connected disability
Care for cancer of head or neck caused by nose or throat radium treatments received while in the military
Individual or group programs to help you quit smoking or lose weight
Care that’s part of a VA research project (like the Million Veteran Program)
Laboratory (lab) tests
Electrocardiograms (EKGs or ECGs) to check for heart disease or other heart problems
VA health initiatives that are open to the public (like health fairs)

Past rates

Review health care copay rates for past years.

2022 rates (effective January 1, 2022)
2021 rates (effective January 1, 2021)
2020 rates (effective January 1, 2020)

Other information you may need

Pay your copay bill

Find out how to pay your copay bill—and what to do if you disagree with the charges or are having trouble making payments.

Your health care costs

Learn how we assess and verify your income to help determine if you’re eligible for VA health care and whether you’ll need to pay copays for certain types of care, tests, and medications.

Copayments for maternity care (PDF)

We cover maternity care for eligible Veterans through arrangements with community providers. Download this fact sheet to find out more about copays.

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VA Wants Vets to Use Their Benefits When Choosing a Final Resting

January 27, 2023 by Greg Martin
Filed under VA News

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VA Wants Vets to Use Their Benefits When Choosing a Final Resting Place

25 Jan 2023

Military.com | By Patricia Kime

The Department of Veterans Affairs is raising awareness of little-used benefits for veterans: burial at a VA, state or tribal veteran’s cemetery, and headstones or markers for veterans buried in private cemeteries. According to VA officials, just 20% of eligible veterans who died last year were buried in a VA-managed or -supported cemetery, a benefit that comes at no cost to the veteran’s family. And fewer than half who qualified for a burial allowance or headstone used the opportunity, according to Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Matt Quinn.

As the VA nears the 50th anniversary of assuming management of national cemeteries, the department is spreading the word to veterans and families that vets can apply for eligibility before they die, taking care of the needed paperwork beforehand to ease the financial and emotional burden on their families and make their wishes known.

“I want families to know that they can honor the services of their veteran with a VA-provided headstone, marker or medallion, but I also want every veteran or veteran’s family to know they have the option of being interred in a national, state, territorial or tribal veterans cemetery,” Quinn said during a roundtable with reporters Tuesday.

The VA manages 155 cemeteries nationwide and funds an additional 121 state, territorial and tribal veteran’s cemeteries. Veterans who are eligible for VA burial benefits include all who were discharged under something other than dishonorable conditions; spouses or surviving spouses of eligible veterans; dependent children; and some others. The VA has a goal to ensure that 95% of the nation’s 19 million veterans live within 75 miles of a VA or VA-supported cemetery; currently, the department is “just shy” of 94%, according to Quinn. “It’s that final benefit that the veteran has earned and that the nation can show to that veteran’s family appreciation for their sacrifice and service,” Quinn said.

During a meeting of the Veterans’ Family, Caregiver and Survivor Advisory Committee on Wednesday, VA Secretary Denis McDonough noted that the burial benefits are underutilized and said the department is planning additional outreach to veterans to publicize them, rolling information on their availability into the information provided to those who use the VA’s new life insurance program, VALife. About 85% of eligible veterans use education benefits offered through the VA, while roughly 66% of eligible vets utilize VA health care. But just 15% of veterans are buried in VA-managed cemeteries.

“The uptake on the NCA [National Cemetery Administration] benefit is nowhere near where it should be,” McDonough said. “We are meant to be there for you every step of the way.”

The department is expanding opportunities for veterans to be buried in VA or supported cemeteries as it closes in on its goal to make them more accessible. The VA plans to open a columbarium-only cemetery in Queens, New York, this year, part of an urban initiative for the NCA that will provide burial sites for cremated remains in cities with few in-ground burial options. A columbarium is a building that holds cremated remains. Along with another urban columbarium in Indianapolis, Indiana, and two new rural cemeteries in Elko, Nevada, and Cedar City, Utah, the VA plans to add 310,000 sites for interment of cremains in the next several years, for a total of 4.2 million gravesites.

The VA provided roughly 350,000 headstones for veterans’ graves and 35,000 medallions to adorn the private gravestones of veterans in 2021. But given that nearly 642,000 veterans die each year, the number is a fraction of those eligible for those benefits and more. In addition to burial at no cost in VA and VA-supported cemeteries, veterans are eligible for headstones or medallions to place on private headstones as well as burial allowances for veterans who die of service-connected conditions and prefer to be buried in a non-VA cemetery.

Veterans who die in a VA medical facility of a non-service-connected condition also are eligible for limited burial and plot allowances for interment at a private cemetery. Quinn urged veterans to consider applying for eligibility for burial benefits as part of their estate planning. They can learn about applying for benefits on the VA’s website without any obligation to be buried in a national cemetery or charge, Quinn said. “This is one of the best ways to ensure a veteran’s family knows their loved ones’ wishes and that NCA is able to provide the benefits for service to our country. I have done this myself,” he said.

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100% Disabled Veterans, Military Retirees and Dependents With ID Cards That Don’t Expire Need to Get Replacements Within 4 Years

July 18, 2022 by Greg Martin
Filed under VA News

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https://www.military.com/daily-news/2022/07/14/military-retirees-and-dependents-id-cards-dont-expire-need-get-replacements-within-4-years.html

100% Disabled Veterans, Military Retirees and Dependents With ID Cards That Don’t Expire Need to Get Replacements Within 4 Years

14 Jul 2022

Military.com | By Travis Tritten

Retirees and military family members who have identification cards with no expiration date can choose to upgrade to the new Next Generation Uniform Services Identification, or USID, cards whenever it’s convenient — as long as it’s done within the next four years, according to the Defense Department.

There is no looming deadline for use of those old non-active duty cards without expiration dates, but the department expects to completely phase out and replace them with the next-generation IDs, which are more durable and have enhanced security features, by 2026, Maj. Charlie Dietz, a spokesman, told Military.com.

In the meantime, cards with expiration dates are required to be replaced within 90 days of elapsing. The Defense Department began the effort to update all those IDs to the new format in July 2020, but the changeover hit delays caused by the pandemic.

“DoD plans to phase out and cancel the existing card forms in 2026 when all existing cards with an actual expiration date will have expired,” Dietz wrote in an email. “After then, only the USID card will be accepted for installation and benefits access.”

The USID format for military retirees and dependents represents the first change to those identification cards in nearly 30 years; the last update was in 1993. The new design closely resembles the Common Access Card, or CAC, format issued to active-duty troops and department civilians.

But there was uncertainty among those with cards that list the expiration as indefinite. The IDs are needed to access military facilities and to confirm eligibility for various military benefits, so missing a deadline or losing the identification could disrupt cardholders’ lives. Expired cards can be confiscated at base gates.

Those with cards with no expiration dates “may have the card replaced at their convenience,” according to Dietz. The department recommends they go to the ID Card Office Online and use the office locator to find a site that issues the new cards and book an appointment.

Retirees and their dependents, dependents of active-duty troops, reserve members and Medal of Honor recipients and 100% Disabled Veterans are among those who will receive the USID cards. A description of the new cards and a complete list of who is eligible can be found here.

At the onset of the pandemic in April 2020, the Defense Department extended the deadlines for replacing expiring cards in an attempt to keep the military community from gathering in issuance offices and spreading COVID-19. By February 2021, more than 200,000 of the new IDs had been issued.

“Social distancing and other pandemic safety precautions at DoD ID card sites worldwide has delayed the progress of existing card replacement, but generally most of those cardholders who needed to replace an expired card have done so,” Dietz said Wednesday.

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web-sites that provide information on Veterans benefits and how to file for them

May 7, 2022 by Greg Martin
Filed under VA News

Comments Off on web-sites that provide information on Veterans benefits and how to file for them

War related Illness and Injury Study Center http://www.wri.med.va.gov/

Depression and Trauma http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/depression-and-trauma.asp

Appeals http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/admin21/m21_1/mr/part1/ch05.doc

Board of Veteran’s Appeals http://www.va.gov/vbs/bva/

CARES Commission http://www.va.gov/vbs/bva/

CARES Draft National Plan http://www1.va.gov/cares/page.cfm?pg=105

Center for Minority Veterans http://www1.va.gov/centerforminorityveterans/

Center for Veterans Enterprise http://www.vetbiz.gov/default2.htm

Center for Women Veterans http://www1.va.gov/womenvet/

Clarification on the changes in VA healthcare for Gulf War Veterans http://www.gulfwarvets.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000016.html

Classified Records – American Gulf War Veterans Assoc http://www.gulfwarvets.com/ubb/Forum18/HTML/000011.html

Compensation for Disabilities Associated with the Gulf War Service http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/admin21/m21_1/part6%20/ch07.doc

Compensation Rate Tables, 12-1-03 http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/Rates/comp01.htm

Department of Veterans Affairs Home Page http://www.va.gov/

Directory of Veterans Service Organizations http://www1.va.gov/vso/index.cfm?template=view

Disability Examination Worksheets Index, Comp http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/Benefits/exams/index.htm

Due Process http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/admin21/m21_1/mr/part1/ch02.doc

Duty to Assist http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/admin21/m21_1/mr/part1/ch01.doc

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations http://www.gpoaccess.gov/ecfr/

Emergency, Non-emergency, and Fee Basis Care http://www1.va.gov/opa/vadocs/fedben.pdf

Environmental Agents http://www1.va.gov/environagents/

Environmental Agents M10 http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=1002

Establishing Combat Veteran Eligibility http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=315

EVALUATION PROTOCOL FOR GULF WAR AND IRAQI FREEDOM VETERANS WITH POTENTIAL EXPOSURE TO DEPLETED URANIUM (DU) http://www1.va.gov/gulfwar/docs/DUHandbook1303122304.DOC and http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=1158

See also, Depleted Uranium Fact Sheet http://www1.va.gov/gulfwar/docs/DepletedUraniumFAQSheet.doc

EVALUATION PROTOCOL FOR NON-GULF WAR VETERANS WITH POTENTIAL EXPOSURE TO DEPLETED URANIUM (DU) http://www1.va.gov/gulfwar/docs/DUHANDBOOKNONGW130340304.DOC

Fee Basis, PRIORITY FOR OUTPATIENT MEDICAL SERVICES AND INPATIENT HOSPITAL CARE http://www1.va..gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=206 Federal Benefits for Veterans and Dependants 2005 http://www1.va.gov/opa/vadocs/fedben.pdf OR, http://www1.va..gov/opa/vadocs/current_benefits.htm

Forms and Records Request http://www.va.gov/vaforms/

General Compensation Provisions http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/title38/partii_chapter11_subchaptervi_.html

Geriatrics and Extended Care http://www1.va.gov/geriatricsshg/

Guideline for Chronic Pain and Fatigue MUS-CPG http://www.oqp.med.va.gov/cpg/cpgn/mus/mus_base.htm

Guide to Gulf War Veteran’s Health http://www1.va.gov/gulfwar/docs/VHIgulfwar.pdf

Gulf War Subject Index http://www1.va.gov/GulfWar/page.cfm?pg=7&template=main&letter=A

Gulf War Veteran’s Illnesses Q&As http://www1.va.gov/gulfwar/docs/GWIllnessesQandAsIB1041.pdf

Hearings

http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/admin21/m21_1/mr/part1/ch04.doc

Homeless Veterans http://www1.va.gov/homeless/

HSR&D Home http://www.hsrd.research.va.gov/

Index to Disability Examination Worksheets C&P exams http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/benefits/exams/index.htm

Ionizing Radiation http://www1.va.gov/irad/

Iraqi Freedom/Enduring Freedom Veterans VBA http://www.vba.va.gov/EFIF/

M 10 for spouses and children < http://www1..va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=1007

M10 Part III Change 1 http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=1008

M21-1 Table of Contents http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/M21_1.html

Mental Disorders, Schedule of Ratings http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/regs/38CFR/BOOKC/PART4/S4_130.DOC

Mental Health Program Guidelines http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=1094

Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Centers http://www.mirecc.med.va.gov/

MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Centers of Excellence http://www.va.gov/ms/about.asp

My Health e Vet http://www.myhealth.va.gov/

NASDVA.COM http://nasdva.com/

National Association of State Directors http://www.nasdva.com/

National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention http://www.nchpdp.med.va.gov/postdeploymentlinks.asp

Neurological Conditions and Convulsive Disorders, Schedule of Ratings http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/regs/38cfr/bookc/part4/s4%5F124a.doc

OMI (Office of Medical Inspector) http://www.omi.cio.med.va.gov/

Online VA Form 10-10EZ https://www.1010ez..med.va.gov/sec/vha/1010ez/

Parkinson’s Disease and Related Neurodegenerative Disorders http://www1.va.gov/resdev/funding/solicitations/docs/parkinsons.pdf

and, http://www1va.gov/padrecc/

Peacetime Disability Compensation http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=browse_usc&docid=Cite:+38USC1131

Pension for Non-Service-Connected Disability or Death http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/title38/partii_chapter15_subchapteri_.html and, http://www.accessgpo.gov/uscode/title38/partii_chapter15_subchapterii_.html

and, http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/title38/partii_chapter15_subchapteriii_.html

Persian Gulf Registry http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=1003

This program is now referred to as Gulf War Registry Program (to include Operation Iraqi Freedom) as of March 7, 2005: http://www1..va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=1232

Persian Gulf Registry Referral Centers http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=1006

Persian Gulf Veterans’ Illnesses Research 1999, Annual Report To Congress http://www1.va.gov/resdev/1999_Gulf_War_Veterans’_Illnesses_Appendices.doc Persian Gulf Veterans’ Illnesses Research 2002, Annual Report To Congress http://www1.va.gov/resdev/prt/gulf_war_2002/GulfWarRpt02.pdf

Phase I PGR http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=1004

Phase II PGR http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=1005

Policy Manual Index http://www.va.gov/publ/direc/eds/edsmps.htm

Power of Attorney http://www.warms.vba..va.gov/admin21/m21_1/mr/part1/ch03.doc Project 112 (Including Project SHAD) http://www1.va.gov/shad/

Prosthetics Eligibility http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=337

Public Health and Environmental Hazards Home Page http://www.vethealth.cio.med.va.gov/

Public Health/SARS http://www..publichealth.va.gov/SARS/

Publications Manuals http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/publications.cfm?Pub=4

Publications and Reports http://www1.va.gov/resdev/prt/pubs_individual.cfm?webpage=gulf_war.htm

Records Center and Vault Homepage http://www.aac.va.gov/vault/default.html

Records Center and Vault Site Map http://www.aac.va.gov/vault/sitemap.html

REQUEST FOR AND CONSENT TO RELEASE OF INFORMATION FROM CLAIMANT’S RECORDS http://www.forms.va.gov/va/Internet/VARF/getformharness.asp?formName=3288-form.xft

Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans Illnesses April 11, 2002 http://www1.va.gov/rac-gwvi/docs/Minutes_April112002.doc

Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans Illnesses

http://www1.va.gov/rac-gwvi/docs/ReportandRecommendations_2004.pdf

Research and Development http://www.appc1.va.gov/resdev/programs/all_programs.cfm

Survivor’s and Dependents’ Educational Assistance http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/title38/partiii_chapter35_.html

Title 38 Index Parts 0-17

http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?sid=1b0c269b510d3157fbf8f8801bc9b3dc&c=ecfr&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title38/38cfrv1_02.tpl

Part 18

http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?sid=1b0c269b510d3157fbf8f8801bc9b3dc&c=ecfr&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title38/38cfrv2_02.tpl

Title 38 Part 3 Adjudication Subpart A “Pension, Compensation, and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=1b0c269b510d3157fbf8f8801bc9b3dc&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title38/38cfr3_main_02.tpl

Title 38 Pensions, Bonuses & Veterans Relief (also �§ 3.317 Compensation for certain disabilities due to undiagnosed illnesses found here) http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=1b0c269b510d3157fbf8f8801bc9b3dc&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title38/38cfr3_main_02.tpl Title 38 PART 4–SCHEDULE FOR RATING DISABILITIES Subpart B–DISABILITY RATINGS

http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=ab7641afd195c84a49a2067dbbcf95c0&rgn=div6&view=text&node=38:1.0.1.1.5.2&idno=38

Title 38§ 4.16 Total disability ratings for compensation based on unemployability of the individual. PART A “SCHEDULE FOR RATING DISABILITIES Subpart �”General Policy in Rating http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=1b0c269b510d3157fbf8f8801bc9b3dc&rgn=div8&view=text&node=38:1.0.1.1.5.1..96.11&idno=38

U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims http://www.vetapp.gov/

VA Best Practice Manual for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) http://www.avapl.org/pub/PTSD%20Manual%20final%206.pdf

VA Fact Sheet http://www1.va.gov/opa/fact/gwfs.html

VA Health Care Eligibility http://www.va.gov/healtheligibility/home/hecmain.asp

VA INSTITUTING GLOBAL ASSESSMENT OF FUNCTION (GAF) http://www.avapl.org/gaf/gaf.html

VA Life Insurance Handbook ¬” Chapter 3 http://www.insurance.va.gov/inForceGliSite/GLIhandbook/glibookletch3.htm#310

VA Loan Lending Limits and Jumbo Loans http://valoans.com/va_facts_limits.cfm

VA MS Research http://www.va.gov/ms/about.asp

VA National Hepatitis C Program http://www.hepatitis.va.gov/

VA Office of Research and Development http://www1.va.gov/resdev/

VA Trainee Pocket Card on Gulf War http://www.va.gov/OAA/pocketcard/gulfwar.asp

VA WMD EMSHG http://www1.va.gov/emshg/

VA WRIISC-DC http://www.va.gov/WRIISC-DC/

VAOIG Hotline Telephone Number and Address http://www.va.gov/oig/hotline/hotline3.htm

Vet Center Eligibility – Readjustment Counseling Service http://www.va.gov/rcs/Eligibility.htm

Veterans Benefits Administration Main Web Page http://www.vbava.gov/

Veterans Legal and Benefits Information http://valaw.org/

VHA Forms, Publications, Manuals http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/

VHA Programs – Clinical Programs & Initiatives http://www1.va.gov/health_benefits/page.cfm?pg=13 http://webmaila.juno.com/webmail/new/UrlBlockedError.aspx>

VHA Public Health Strategic Health Care Group Home Page http: // www.publichealth.va.gov/

VHI Guide to Gulf War Veterans ¬(tm) Health http://www1.va.gov/vhi_ind_study/gulfwar/istudy/index.asp

Vocational Rehabilitation http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/vre/

Vocational Rehabilitation Subsistence http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/vre/InterSubsistencefy04.doc

VONAPP online http://vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp/main.asp

WARMS – 38 CFR Book C http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/bookc.html

Wartime Disability Compensation http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=browse_usc&docid=Cite:+38USC1110

Welcome to the GI Bill Web Site http://www.gibill.va.gov/

What VA Social Workers Do http://www1.va.gov/socialwork/page.cfm?pg=3

WRIISC Patient Eligibility http://www.illegion.org/va1.html

Print this out and save it in your VA files. There may be a time for use in the future.

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Voice Only Interview’s from our VTA Members

July 22, 2020 by Greg Martin
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St Louis Reunion Photos

January 29, 2020 by Greg Martin
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Nick Warr, our guest speaker was grunt platoon leader during the 1968 battle for Hue City, gave a rousing presentation
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1st Sgt Al Nelson, USMC (ret) sang “God Bless the USA” at the Farewell Banquet and that’s not all … while a tank crewman he landed on Iwo Jima, served in Korea and in Vietnam. And at 91 of age, he’s still going strong
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Capt. Mike Wunch’s sister. Suzan, entertains some of the Alpha Co, 3rd Tank crewmen: Virgil Melton, Jan “Turtle” Wendling, Hank Fuller and Frank “Tree” Remkiewicz
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Alpha Co. 1st Platoon, Who Came and Went 9/67-7/68

October 12, 2012 by Greg Martin
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1st Platoon, Alpha Company, 3d Tank Battalion at Con Thien
10 September 67 – 14 October 67

A-11 Sgt. Guivara* 1102 2nd/Lt. Coan
Cpl. Hubert 4259 Sgt. Davis 2039
Cpl. Graham 3013 Cpl. Hodge 9380
L/Cpl. DuBose 3939 PFC Minch 2023

A-12 Lt. Coan 0944 Sgt. Carter 8613
Cpl. Sanders 2133 Cpl. Irizarry 3575
Cpl. Johnson* 3438 PFC Clark 6720
L/Cpl. Trevail 6546 L/Cpl. Trevail 6546

A-13 Cpl. Aranda* 4074 Sgt. Howard 5796
PFC Sudduth* 5498 Cpl. Baker 4850
Pvt. Burnett 6046 PFC Bishop 5929
L/Cpl. Bores+ 8787 L/Cpl. Coggins 2939

A-14 Sgt. Weicak+ 5125 Sgt. Weicak 5125
Cpl. Holmes 6613 L/Cpl. Brown 0633
Sgt. Shands 7574 L/Cpl. Mims 1433
L/Cpl. Woodall 0092 PFC Palazzari 3048

A-15 Gy/Sgt. Hopkins 2320 G/Sgt. Hopkins 2320
Cpl. Martin* 0960 Cpl. Jordan 7193
L/Cpl. Apodaca* 4103 L/Cpl. Workman 1597
L/Cpl. Augustine* 9398 PFC Berkholtz 0840

*Short-timers rotated back to Dong Ha on 15 September.
+WIA. Note that replacement crewmen Pvt. Manchego and L/Cpl. Murray
arrived at Con Thien on 15 September and were WIA (evacuated) less than one week
later. Replacements temporarily assigned to 1st Platoon during this time frame and then
reassigned were: Sgt. Osborn; Cpl. Crist; PFC Glass; L/Cpl Blum.
Lt. Coan assumed “command ofthe pi Platoon on 10 September, 1967. He
replaced Lt. Tom Barry who had received two Purple Hearts during his three weeks as the
tank platoon commander at Con Thien. On 14 October, the 1st Platoon’s ”time in the
barrel” was over. Lt. Brignon and Gunnery Sergeant English brought their 5th Platoon
tanks up to ”the hill of angels” and replaced 1st Platoon.

The pi Platoon rested and PM-ed their tanks at C-2 for the rest of October. Then,
just before Thanksgiving, they got the word to move up to the C-2 Bridge half-way
between the firebases at C-2 and Con Thien. Two tanks from 5thPlatoon joined them at
the C-2 Bridge, which gave them six tanks. The following crewmen were assigned to 1st
PIt. during this time frame: Cpl. Ramirez 0188; L/Cpl Blum 0862; Cpl. McCartney 6006;
L/Cpl. Ingalls 3839; Cpl. Matthews 5612; Cpl. Larson 8965. Fifth Platoon tanks were:

A-52 Gy/Sgt. English 2422
Cpl. Baker 4850
Cpl. Gehl 7387
L/Cpl. Bishop 5929

A-42 Cpl. Calderon 5066
L/Cpl. Wallace 8958
Pvt. Sudduth 5428
Cpl. Samia 9278

On Christmas Eve, 1967, 1st Platoon (-) was instructed to move back up to Con
Thien in support of 2nd Bn., 1st Marines where they remained until February, 1968. The
four tanks had the following crew assignments:

A-12 Cpl. Joe Irizarry 3575
Cpl. Howard Blum 0862
L/Cpl. L.A. Clark 6720
PFC Rael8114

A-14 Cpl. D.L. McCartney 6006
L/Cpl. lB. Ingalls 3839
PFC Myers 5561
PFC Melton 5617

A-13 Sgt. Howard 5796
L/Cpl. Pena 8973
L/Cpl. c.r, Coggins 2939
L/Cpl. Minch 2023

A-15 2ILt Coan 0944
Sgt. Osborne 0433
L/Cpl. Workman 1597
Cpl. Matthews 6512

After rotating from Con Thien down to Carn Lo Bridge for a brief spell, they
moved back up to C-2 in March, 1968. In April, they got the word that 1st Platoon of
Alpha would move back permanently to Con Thien. Crew assignments were as follows:

A-12 Gy/Sgt. Thomason 7957
Cpl. Coggins 2939
PFC Woodard 2698
PFC Kendrick 4810

A-14 Cpl. Bert Trevail3438
Cpl. Ingalls 3839
PFC Melton 5617
Pvt. Unland 5854

A-13 Sgt. Howard 5796
L/Cpl. Pena 8973
L/Cpl. Minch 2023
PFC Kohnke 5316

A-15 Lt. Coan
Cpl. McCartney 6006
PFC Miers 5561
Cpl. Workman 1597

Gunnery Sergeant Thomason was wounded along with Lt. Coan during a mortar
attack at Con Thien on May 4th. The gunny was medevaced, and his replacement was
S/Sgt. Woodward 2068. Also corning to the platoon in April was Pvt. Moad 0633; PFC
Yanos 0939; PFC Horb 7634; and PFC Wise 6594. In June, S/Sgt. Woodward returned
to Alpha Company in Dong Ha with an ailing A-12. He never returned to 1st Platoon. His
replacement as platoon sergeant was S/Sgt Tews 4792. There was another reshuffling of
crews in preparation for the anticipated regimental invasion of the DMZ by the Marines in
the summer. Crew assignments were as follows:

A-13 S/Sgt. Tews 4792
Cpl. McCartney
Cpl. Pena
Cpl. Minch

A-14 Sgt. Trevail
Cpl. Ingalls
PFC Unland
PFC Renteria

A-15 Lt. Coan
Cpl. Workman
L/Cpl. Wise
Cpl. Hunt 2468

F-31 Cpl. Wear 4788
L/Cpl Fleischmann 6292
PFC Steffe 7571

A-51 Sgt. Irizarry 3575
L/Cpl Hendon 4991
PFC Woodward 2698
L/Cpl. Jewell 1432

On July 6th
, 1968, 1st Platoon participated in Operation Thor along with the 2nd and
3rd Platoons of Alpha Company. This operation involved the entire 9th Marine Regiment in a
sweep around Con Thien up in to the DMZ, clear to the Ben Hai River, and back across the Trace
into Leatherneck Square. The 1st Platoon consisted of the following six tanks and crews:

A-13 *S/Sgt Tews(S/Sgt. Waggle) A-14 Sgt. Trevail
Cpl. McCartney L/Cpl. Wagner 0111
Cpl. Pena L/Cpl. Miers
Cpl. Minch PFC Unland

A-15 Lt Coan A-22 *Cpl. Moinette 5680
Cpl. Workman PFC Bradley 0448
L/Cpl. Wise LlCpl. Larsen 6137
L/Cpl. Melton PFC Maxwell 2906

F-31 Cpl. John Wear A-23 Cpl. Bonilla 2728
L/Cpl Fleischmann Cpl. Beeson 3810
PFC Steffe L/Cpl. Sargent 9143
PFC Clark 1475

*Two tank commanders were wounded in the DMZ by incoming artillery during
Thor, S/Sgt. Tews and Cpl. Moinette. Tank A-13 was replaced by A-II during the
operation, and that new tank crew consisted of S/Sgt Riggins 3660; PFC Shackelford
9605; PFC Spencer 2567; and L/Cpl. Madison 4684.
On 16 July, 1968, Lt. Coan was made the XO of Alpha Company in Dong Ha
and his replacement was 2nd/Lt. Frank Blakemore.
This information was provided from personal records kept by Lt. Jim Coan during his tour in Vietnam as
the platoon leader of 1st Platoon, Alpha Company, 3d Tank Battalion-courtesy of Jim Coan, Sept., 2001.
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Tanks for the Memories

October 12, 2012 by Greg Martin
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Tanks for the Memories

By: Jim Coan

It’s been discomforting to admit it, but the passage of time has dulled some memories of my tour in Vietnam as the platoon leader of 1st Platoon, Alpha Company, 3rd Tanks, 1967-68. Of course, I can recall many of the close calls, the fear I felt during incoming, as well as the times I was ready to spit nails when dealing with ignorant grunt officers who neither understood nor appreciated the tankers attached to them. But what I hang on to the most, and pray they never fade, are my memories of some of the most gregarious, extroverted, one-of-a-kind characters that I had the honor and pleasure to share a cup of C-ration coffee with.

Sgt. Howard always comes to mind first. He had served a hitch in the Marines during the late ‘50s, early ‘60s, then left the Corps to become a construction worker. He decided to rejoin the Marines when the war in Nam was heating up. By 1967, he had worked his way up to sergeant. That Marine loved every day he spent in the Corps. When we were getting mortared, or rockets were hitting our compound at Con Thien, we could always count on Howard to say something to break the tension and get us laughing in the grim reaper’s face. He was the platoon scrounger. Clean cots and new blankets would show up in our bunkers overnight. I asked no questions because I didn’t want to hear any lies.

Howard’s tank and mine were marooned for a few days at C-2 when a monsoon deluge washed out the MSR between Con Thien and C-2 in September, 1967. One afternoon, Howard and another tanker walked in carrying a crate of apples and some large cans of dehydrated potatoes. Their story was that they had convinced a sympathetic cook that we had nothing to eat and were starving. I suspected that they had filched the food from the mess hall tent when the cook was distracted. Again, I asked no questions.

We had rigged up a tent-like tarp between our two tanks to keep us out of the rain. One day, a dozer tank from the Cam Lo Bridge joined us. The TC was L/Cpl “Charlie” Brown. His tank had been marooned when the bridge flooded, so he was looking for some shelter until the rain subsided. Unbeknownst to me and my little band of orphaned tankers, Brown was a legend in the Marine Corps, having been busted and promoted more times that anyone knew. He was the type of combat Marine you wanted watching your back in a fight, but not someone to go bar hopping with on liberty. When he asked innocently if anyone had a deck of cards, we stacked a few cases of C-rations to make a table and played “tonk”, then we rolled some dice. By the time “Charlie” Brown and his crew left, none of my tankers had any piasters left. We were all cleaned out, having been taken to school by the best in the business.

My first platoon sergeant was Gunny Hopkins, a Korean War vet from West Virginia who only had a few years to go until retirement. He greeted everyone as “old cob.” His dream job upon retirement was to drive a beer truck. He had forgotten more about tanks than I knew, so I depended on his input and experience. Despite his countrified tendencies and me being a city boy from Tucson, we hit it off right away. We shared a Dyemarker bunker at C-2 for a month, and I enjoyed it when he would serenade us with a country song—“Yo-ure cheatin’ heart . . . .” He scrounged up ice from somewhere so we always had cold beer, which was a blessing after 40 days under siege at Con Thien. Of the five platoon sergeants I served with in Nam, Gunny Hopkins is the one who always comes to mind first.

One of the most unforgettable characters I met was Bert Trevail. He was a 24-year old Lance Corporal who had once served in the Canadian Army. He tried college but didn’t adapt well to the confines of academia, so he joined the Marine Corps to go to Vietnam. My first day at Con Thien, I ducked into the tanker bunker to say hello. Trevail stabbed a bayonet into a warm can of beer and offered me a swig. He said, “Welcome to the fightin’ first platoon, sir!” I remember thinking, “All right! I’ve found a home here.” Trevail would challenge anyone, enlisted or officer, to a game of chess. He never lost. I wrote him up for a Bronze Star after we had a tank drive into a 2,000 pound bomb crater in the DMZ during Operation Thor. My platoon was attached to G/2/9 attacking NVA dug into a bunker complex. Ignoring the mortar shells dropping around us, Trevail and another crewman got a tow cable hooked up to the stuck tank, then he stood out in the open to ground guide the other tank out of the crater. We were then able to resume the attack.

There were some other characters I’ll never forget. We had a Lance Corporal Charlie Coggins with us for awhile. He was from Cullowhee (sp?), North Carolina. He lived so far back in the hills that I doubt he owned a pair of shoes until he joined the Marines. Coggins was assigned to Sgt Howard’s tank. One night, unbeknownst to Coggins, the scout-sniper team behind us observed him through their night vision scopes sitting atop the turret playing with “Mr. Happy.” The next morning, some smirking scout snipers were asking who had the 0200 to 0400 watch. Coggins just laughed it off like no big deal.

We had some other unforgettable characters in the platoon. I’ll always remember Cpl. Ken “Piggy” Bores. He was a happy-go-lucky, high energy kid who, by the time I ran into him, had seen too much war. But he kept on putting out 100%, even though he was a short-timer. I recall the day he got wounded and medevaced from Con Thien. I had mixed feelings–glad he was going home alive, but knowing his loss would leave a void of positive energy in the platoon.

I have lots of fond memories of those Marine tankers that I served with in Nam, how they carried out orders even though they might bitch about it, their steadfast courage in the face of danger, and the camaraderie we shared with each other. I was privileged to have known and served with them.
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The Marble Mountain “Mad Dog” Caper

October 11, 2012 by Greg Martin
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The Marble Mountain “Mad Dog” Caper

When I assumed command of B Co, 3rd Tank Bn in the Spring of 1966, the company CP was located just north of Marble Mountain. Two of my platoons were supporting 9th Marine battalions in the general area of Hill 55. My 2nd Plt, under the leadership of 2ndLt Bill “Lurch” Lochridge, was supporting the 1st Bn, 1st Marines in the area south of Marble Mountain. 1/1 had built a large “fort like” command post from which it conducted company operations in the coastal area.

Following one company search and clear operation, the grunts found a young calf wandering loose and brought it back to the Bn CP area. Since it was so young it required hand feeding with milk and other “nutrients”, a job which the grunts willingly shared. While trying to come up with a mascot name, someone suggested the name “Shits”, since that was what the calf did a lot of.

In the same company area, other grunts had “adopted” a dog which became very territorial and unfriendly to anyone or anything that invaded his TAOR. Because of his nasty nature, he was named “Ass Hole”. One day, “Ass Hole” took exception to “Shits” being in his TAOR and bit him. Several days later, it became obvious that “Ass Hole” was rabid and he was put down. Seems like that should have been the end of a sad story, but it gets much worse!

The several Marines who could be identified as having had contact with “Shits” following the biting by “Ass Hole” were immediately evacuated to the hospital in DaNang and given the series of rabies shots. Because it was uncertain how many more could be infected, the entire battalion was taken off the line and quarantined in a Division rear area to see if other cases would emerge. I’m sure this did not result in a favorable fitness report for the battalion C.O.!

Soon after the Marble Mountain “Mad Dog” caper, Division published an order that all dogs within unit perimeters be vaccinated against rabies if they were to be retained as “mascots”. There was to be a $3.00 fee for the shots to be paid by anyone assuming ownership of the dogs. If no one assumed this obligation, the dogs were to be humanely destroyed or otherwise removed from unit perimeters.

Within my CP area, we had a number of dogs which all of a sudden didn’t belong to anyone in particular, for some strange reason, after I announced the $3.00 fee for keeping them around. Now I was faced with the decision on how to humanely dispose of the dogs. My Company Gunny said he had a .22 Cal pistol and could take the dogs to the rear wire of the compound and solve the problem. Somehow, that didn’t seem to fit the definition of “humane disposition” to me.

Our company Corpsman said he could go up the road to the Sea Bee’s compound and get sodium pentathol from the medical section and put the dogs to sleep with a simple injection. That sounded to me like the humane way to solve the problem. It turned out that, while my Corpsman knew how to give shots to people, he didn’t have the foggiest notion how to properly put an animal to sleep. He didn’t get the injection directly into the blood stream and that poor animal screamed and writhed for several minutes before finally succumbing. I said that was the end of that solution.

Bill Lochridge’s 2nd Plt was due to head back down south to coordinate operations with the battalion which had replaced 1/1. I told Bill to load up all the dogs on his tanks and to drop them off in the “villes” as they passed through. I knew that the dogs would be welcomed by the villagers, “one way or another”! This put a humane end to the “Marble Mountain Mad Dog Caper”as far as I was concerned. I also made it clear that any other dogs showing up in my areas of responsibility had better bring their “papers” with them!
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A thank you to Vietnam Tankers

January 9, 2012 by Greg Martin
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This is an email sent from Dave Granger a grunt with Bravo 1/9 about a long day on July 2nd 1967 the first day of Operation Buffalo
Greg
As for owing you guys a beer, ‘not sure if you know how desperate we were when you guys arrived. Ammo and working M-16’s almost all expended, wounded everywhere, no water and the heat was kicking everyone’s ass. The NVA had just started manovering up the trail from the south, which meant we were totally cut off. Then you guys [and some grunts] broke through. Another 5-10 minutes and it would have been another Alamo, or Custer thing.
Not sure if you tankers realize that there was no way for just grunts to move the wounded back to the LZ. It takes at least four to move one casualty using a poncho for a stretcher and with the distance involved there was no way exhausted troops could fight ’em off and get that done. With you guys help we got the wounded back, not all of them made it, but they at least had a chance of making it thanks to y’all. The collection of the dead came latter.
I remember a tank being disabled on the east side of the trail [I think while we were moving the wounded]. There was a couple of guys out looking it over with nothing but boots and trousers on. I wasn’t sure if they were crazy, they didn’t know what was going on out there, or they were incredably brave.
Late that evening we were told that anyone left with Bravo was to mount the tanks and move back to Con Thien. I was on one that was being towed and loaded with dead.
That was the longest day of my life. Thank you guys for 44 more years.
Semper Fi
Dave
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