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sondraO Asked May 2015

My husband is on workman's comp from the Fed Gov't. This means he can't receive help from the VA though he is a Vietnam vet. What to do?

I am in the most rediculous situation I have ever heard of. My husband is on workman's comp from the Fed Gov't. He had a brain injury at 42 related to work.
He now has alz. He is also a Viet Nam vet. The VA offers so much to vets with alz.
But the hitch is , getting his check from the Fed Gov't and getting help from the VA is called double dipping.
Each year we have to fill out a form stating if he got any services from the VA and if he did, the cost of those services will be deducted from his check.
I had a nurse and a social worker tell me we qualify for aid to dependants even with him getting his gov't check. I don't want to lose any of it because we couldn't afford to. I went to a lawyer who told me this was a question for the VA and I needed to get someone there to answer the question for me. I am told the only way to reach the person I need to talk to is to catch him at the VA Hosp because he doesn't answer or take phone calls. Going to our VA Hosp is like going to a zoo. It is nice and care is good but it is just so confusing and I don't want to accept services that I have to have removed from our check. Where do I go from here? If ths confuses you, it confuses me that something would be made so difficult.

pamstegma May 2015
If you were in the service, your time enlisted is added to your Federal seniority for the purpose of accessing benefits. If he is on a workmen's comp claim, his health care, including aides goes through the comp board.
Have you filed for Social Security for yourself? It sounds like YOU might be eligible.

MaggieMarshall May 2015
I wouldn't believe the person you need to talk to is that hard to reach. Be persistent. Write. Leave detailed voice mails. Ask for an appointment. Call weekly. Keep super duper records. Give it a month. Write your congressman detailing your questions AND the dates and times of all your attempted contacts.

I'd also CALL my congressman and find out if either house is holding hearings on the VA and contact the chair of that committee.

Good luck.

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