Fellow veteran

@determinedZebra820

Hi,

I wanted to contact you to let you know if you make under a certain amount of money, that medicare and medicaid and the VA insurance is there for you and you don't have to worry. If you have an Honorable or a General under honorable condition DD214, you should qualify for the VA health care 100%, and depending on what state you live you also qualify for the states low income social health program (medicare and/or medicaid). I have medicare, medicaid, and the VA. I still use my primary civilian doctor for everything except my hearing and my vision. I don't have any assets and I never have to worry about medical bills. I am very lucky, but i'm on a very strict budget. I make it work by rolling my own cigarettes, and not drinking. My health has been very bad the past decade and I used to have to go to the ER hospital for breathing treatments, and mental health breakdowns also, so I had generated some big hospital bills! I didn't worry about them and they never have become an issue. My medicare and/or medicaid paid for my oxygen machine, my VPAP, my Nebulizer, etc., so now if I have any problems I can treat myself at home. :-)

When I was very sick 3 years ago my case worker found out I was covered for a health care at my home company who came in took my vitals, helped me shower, etc. I didn't start getting any help until about 5, going on 6 years ago when a resource worker at a town low income fuel assistance helper, and other programs. I checked with her every 2 months or so to see if there was any help for me. One day she asked if I was a veteran, and by that afternoon I was living rent free in a homeless shelter and I stayed there for a year and there I had many resources and each of us was assigned a caseworker. I started going to therapy for mental health and was diagnosed with PTSD from being in Lebanon back in 1981-1982. On the medical health side I have tinnitus, and so I also got a free lawyer who filed my VA case for free. I got 10% service connected several years ago for the hearing loss and ringing and the VA provided me with hearing aids that are several thousand dollars and I'm so grateful the hearing aids get rid of about 80% of the loud ringing (I suffer badly without them in). I have just enough money to eat well, and pay my bills, so I feel blessed. I won't spend any money this holiday season because I am desperately going to try to save enough money in the next 2 years to get a new vehicle. The whole point to my blithering on is that you may not realize it but you should be in very good hands once you learn to advocate for yourself and make all the calls to what ever help you can find. (I have help with my rent and my propane also). I'm just so lucky that one of my therapist helped me to do the calling and paperwork that was needed so that my insurance would pay her. You will be amazed once you search and touch base with some of the help that's out there. Tag me any time.

Blessings, Day