Thousands of Local Veterans Get VA Care
By FRED CONNORS
POSTED: January 2, 2008
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The system consists of three divisions, including a major medical and surgical tertiary care facility in the Oakland district of Pittsburgh, a neuropsychiatry facility and homeless domiciliary in East Liberty and a progressive long-term care facility in O’Hara Township. Primary Care Outpatient Clinics also are located in St. Clairsville and the Pennsylvania communities of Monacca, Uniontown, Washington and Greensburg. VAPHS also supports Veterans Outreach Centers in Pittsburgh, McKeesport and Wheeling.
The system serves more than 360,000 veterans throughout the tri-state area of West Virginia, Ohio and western Pennsylvania. Many other veterans are not using the service because they believe they do not qualify.
VAPHS Enrollment Coordinator Linda Klootwyk said, ‘‘I encourage every veteran to apply and let us determine of they are eligible. They should not listen to other people’s opinion on who qualifies and who does not.’’
While eligibility guidelines have changed in recent years, there are some veterans who are automatically qualified for enrollment.
Klootwyk said, ‘‘If honorably discharged, they include any veteran who served in the country in Vietnam, any Purple Heart recipient, anyone with 10 percent or greater service connected disability, any former prisoner of war, anyone drawing a veterans pension, those subjected to ionized radiation exposure during atomic testing, those exposed to toxins in the first Gulf War (1991), and our newest group of combat returnees who can be automatically enrolled for two years after their date of discharge from active service, regardless of their income.’’
She said enrollees may be placed in one of eight priority groups determined by factors that vary with each person. The priority group determines if you will be required to pay co-payments for health care and prescriptions. On Jan. 16, 2003, the Department of Veterans Affairs initiated income guidelines for new enrollees who are not automatically qualified.
Klootwyk said the income guidelines require applicants to report all household income. Income factors include the number of dependents, amount of out-of-pocket medical expenses, including prescription drugs, and total assets.
Public Affairs Specialist Heather Frantz said the VAPHS mission is to care for veterans, providing excellent health care, training their future providers and advancing medical knowledge through research. It offers a full range of state-of-the-art patient care services, as well as education and research.
Comprehensive health care services include primary care, tertiary care and long-term care in the areas of medicine, surgery, psychiatry, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology, oncology, dentistry, geriatrics and extended care.
To maintain these diversified and highly specialized functions, VAPHS has been designated as National Independent Liver and Renal Transplant Centers, Regional Cardiac Surgery Center, Oncology Network Center and Dialysis Center.
It has earned recognition as a National Center of Clinical Excellence in Women Veterans Health Programs and in Renal Dialysis. VAPHS also has been awarded four National Research Centers of Excellence in Geriatrics, Rehabilitation Research, Behavioral Health and Health Equities Research and Promotion.
The University Drive Division (Oakland) is a major medical/surgical tertiary care facility. University Drive serves as the general medicine and surgery facility with 142 authorized beds. An active research program contributes significantly to the clinical and academic atmosphere.
The Heinz Division, the progressive, long term care division, has 250 authorized nursing home beds, including specialized long-term care in the areas of dementia palliative/hospice, and spinal cord injury. A replacement hospital was opened Nov. 5, 1994.
The Highland Drive Division is an acute care, tertiary neuropsychiatry facility and homeless domiciliary with 175 beds. All programs are supported by an attending and consultant staff of sub-specialty physicians and allied health personnel. There is an active research program with principal investigators specializing in the study of schizophrenia, sleep and cognitive disorders and related psychiatric illnesses.
