Free Health Coverage for WWII Vets

This past Veterans Day, the VA announced that all World War II veterans would be eligible for free health care and nursing home services.

Although few WWII veterans remain, this could benefit the almost 120,000 still with us, according to Pew Research. This means they would no longer have to make copayments, pay enrollment fees, or pay premiums on anything received through the VA.

Free Health Coverage for WWII Vets

The impetus for this move comes from the 2022 Cleland-Dole Act, and will affect anyone who served in the military between December 7, 1941 and December 31, 1946.

The new expansion will cover all WWII veterans, irrespective of their disability rating. This comes just shortly after the VA added several hundred thousand beneficiaries to its payroll through the PACT Act. The VA is also spending $5 million on its “What You Earned” campaign, a promotional effort to advertise and explain cost comparisons for VA healthcare, educational support, and other benefits.

It’s part of the department’s extensive focus on educating veterans and boosting enrollment via the PACT Act. This has yielded significant results, too, as claims applications rose by about 39% in 2022. 

Other VA Health Coverage Expansions

In other news, the VA has also expanded its reimbursement program for families who lived in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, between 1952 and 1987.

During that time, the area suffered water contamination that created a spike in cases of Parkinson’s Disease. The recent update expands the reimbursement for the Camp Lejeune Family Member Program as it pertains to that serious neurological disease. Health officials attribute the increase in Parkinson’s at Camp Lejeune to contaminated water brought about by poor waste management of industrial solvents (dry cleaning fluids and other toxic chemicals).

The VA is also coordinating with the Indian Health Service and other organizations to bring more doctors to underserved/rural parts of the country. They intend to rotate at least 100 physicians to non-VA hospitals and facilities to address service shortages.

That’s a quick update on what you should expect to see from the VA shortly. As always, if you’d like to know how this would affect you or other veteran family areas, please get in touch with us.

Veterans Affairs Law exists to help veterans understand and fight for their rights regarding military compensation, health coverage, disability compensation, survivor benefits, and more. If you’ve had to struggle to get what you’ve earned from the VA, then we’re the ones to call for support.
You can reach us anytime to learn more about veteran benefits, appealing a disability denial, and more by calling our Sarasota office at 941-552-6677.