VA to open emergency rooms to 'bad paper' vets on July 5

http://www.militarytimes.com/articles/va-other-than-honorable-emergency-rooms-july-5

VA to open emergency rooms to 'bad paper' vets on July 5

By: Leo Shane III, June 27, 2017

WASHINGTON — Veterans with other-than-honorable discharges will be able to access Veterans Affairs emergency rooms for urgent mental health care starting July 5, under new rules outlined by department leaders on Tuesday. The move is the culmination of months of review into how to handle the cases of vets who may have been improperly separated from the military due to undiagnosed or untreated problems like post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury or other mental health issues.

In March, Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin pledged to find more ways to help those veterans, even if their status makes them ineligible for traditional veterans benefits. The new initiative mandates that veterans with other-than-honorable paperwork may receive care for “a mental health emergency” for up to 90 days. That may include inpatient services, residential care or outpatient options.

“Suicide prevention is my top clinical priority,” Shulkin said in a statement. “We want these former service members to know there is someplace they can turn if they are facing a mental health emergency, whether it means urgent care at a VA emergency department, a Vet Center or through the Veterans Crisis Line.” The announcement came on National PTSD Awareness Day.
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VA officials said during veterans’ 90-day emergency treatment, Veterans Health Administration officials and Veterans Benefits Administration staffers will work “to determine if the mental health condition is a result of a service-related injury, making the service member eligible for ongoing coverage for that condition.”
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