NEWS for VETERANS VA expands virtual services in response to COVID-19 n In March, the Department of Veterans Affairs temporarily closed its 56 regional offices in an attempt to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus while increasing virtual capabilities. “The decision to close our offices to the general public is part of the VA’s effort to limit exposure to vulnerable populations like our older veterans and those with underlying medical conditions, as identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. Virtual options such as VA Video Connect were already in place to allow veterans to quickly and easily meet with VA health care providers through live video on any computer, tablet or mobile device with an internet connection. In response to the office closures, the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) expanded its own virtual services to ensure the safety and well-being of its clients and staff. For example, VBA was able to provide: • Uninterrupted GI Bill payments so students continued to receive their benefits unaffected by any change from in-person to online learning. • Educational counseling support for students through online and telephone services. • Connections to Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment services through teleconferencing, as well as case management and general counseling through VA Video Connect. • Informal hearings by telephone or video conferencing when needed. • Information collection via telephone to process fiduciary claims. • Remote information collection via phone or teleconference, when possible, to process Specially Adapted Housing grant requests. • Examinations for disability benefits using tele-compensation and pension (tele-C&P) exams. The VA also provided virtual briefings and individualized counseling for transitioning service members where possible. Visit the VA’s website, http://dav.la/1yd, for information and updates regarding virtual services available in response to COVID-19. DAV backs bill to improve survivor benefits n In May, DAV hosted a virtual forum for the introduction of the Caring for Survivors Act of 2020 in the House. The bill, H.R. 6933, introduced by Reps. TJ Cox, Gil Cisneros, Ted Yoho and Jefferson Van Drew, aims to increase Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) for veterans’ surviving dependents and lower the threshold of eligibility to allow certain survivors to receive this benefit who currently do not meet the requirements. 26 Specifically, the legislation aims to: • Increase the DIC rate to make it more equitable with rates provided to federal civilian employee survivors. This bill increases DIC so that the base rate is equal to 55% of the rate of compensation paid to a totally disabled veteran. • Ease the 10-year rule for eligibility and replace it with a graduated scale of benefits that begins after five years and increases by percentage until reaching the full amount at the 10-year mark. If a veteran is rated as totally disabled for five years and dies as a result of a non-service-connected cause, a survivor would receive 50% of total DIC benefits, continuing until the 10-year threshold and maximum DIC benefit is awarded. • Reduce the age at which a surviving spouse can remarry yet maintain benefits from 57 to 55, consistent with other federal survivor programs. “When a veteran has served this nation honorably and was disabled as a result of that service, the last thing they should have to worry about is what will happen to their surviving family members should they pass away,” said National Commander Butch Whitehead. DAV MAGAZINE | JULY/AUGUST 2020
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VA expands virtual services in response to COVID-19
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DAV backs bill to improve survivor benefits
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