AGING & DISABILITY SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
DSHS Veterans Project
DSHS program helps veterans receiving Medicaid services track down benefits.
Attention Veterans Receiving Medicaid Services!
DSHS program helps veterans receiving Medicaid services track down benefits.
Veterans now on Medicaid may also qualify for federal benefits:
- Pensions or compensation
- Medical coverage
- Prescription drugs
- Medical devices
- Family benefits
For information about the DSHS Veterans Project, call 1-800-280-0586
If you are a qualified veteran, using federal benefits may:
- Give you more benefits
- Save you money
- Improve your care
- Protect your family’s assets
- Free-up state Medicaid benefits for needy non-veterans
Veteran’s widows, widowers, children or dependents who are on Medicaid may also qualify.
DSHS is helping veterans because they are entitled to the federal benefits they earned in service to the nation. Others in society benefit because DSHS takes the money that is no longer needed for veterans and uses it in Medicaid services for those in our communities in need of help.
How it works
DSHS experts first work to determine if veterans and their families may qualify for benefits and then refer the veteran to WDVA to establish what federal benefits they might receive.
Aid
Many veterans on Medicaid may qualify to draw a monthly federally-funded pension or compensation through the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs. Pensions or increased pensions may also be available for widows and children of veterans.
Medical Coverage
Retired veterans, their families and survivors can qualify for the Department of Defense (DOD) TRICARE regional managed health care program. CHAMPVA is a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care benefit for the spouse, widow, widower or children of a veteran who is or was totally disabled due to service-connected disability, died from that disability or died on active duty. These programs may cover about 80 percent of a veteran’s long-term skilled nursing care and all of their prescription drugs.
Prescription drugs
Veterans and families enrolled in appropriate federal health care systems are typically eligible for generous prescription drug coverage.
Medical devices
Durable medical devices, like wheelchairs and breathing aids, are normally covered by federal programs.
Family benefits
Widows, widowers and children of veterans may qualify for pensions or increased pensions.
Background
Many low-income U.S. military veterans are using Medicaid benefits because they didn’t realize they are eligible for comprehensive federal health care programs. DSHS became aware of this in the course of reviewing how to stretch the state dollars used in Medicaid to meet the increasing demands. A win-win solution was to help veteran’s get the federal benefits they have earned and redirect the state money veteran’s would have received into service for others in need.
Thus, the DSHS Veterans project was born in 2001.
As a limited pilot project, the DSHS team has been so successful that it is spreading statewide.
A key to the project’s success is access to records. DSHS joined a multi-state consortium called PARIS – the Public Assistance Reporting Information System – that connects records of DOD, VA, other states and the DSHS client eligibility computerized system. The information allows the project team to research a veteran’s records to determine the level of eligibility for benefits. Ultimately, the goal is to immediately identify all Washington veterans as they enroll in Medicaid and automatically help them locate all the benefits they are due.
Avoiding financial recovery
By law, the state must pursue reimbursement for Medicaid costs from the estates of deceased Medicaid recipients. Veterans who use veteran’s health care benefits, can reduce the amount of Medicaid used and reduce or eliminate the amount owed by their estates.
The federal government does not try to recover veterans health care costs because they are benefits of service to the nation.
Partnerships and contacts
The Department of Social and Health Services Veterans Project partnership includes state and federal agencies.
- DSHS Aging and Disability Services Administration (ADSA)
- DSHS Economic Services Administration (ESA)
- DSHS Medical Assistance Administration (MAA)
- Washington Department of Veterans Affairs
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- U.S. Department of Defense
For information about the DSHS Veterans Project, call 1-800-280-0586
Project contacts:
Bill Allman
360-725-1020
allmawa@dshs.wa.gov
Tim Dahlin
360-725-2077
dahlita@dshs.wa.gov
