Priority Group 8 -
Some Veterans To Have Hospital Co-payments Reduced
Since 01-02-03
From: Carl Young
The below VA news release is not on their web site as of today..
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 26, 2002
WASHINGTON -- Some veterans in high-cost areas who receive treatment in
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals will have their inpatient
co-payments reduced by 80 percent, effective retroactively to October 1.
"This enables VA to cushion the effects of co-payments for some veterans in
high-cost areas, while still keeping our priorities focused on those with
service-connected conditions," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J.
Principi.
The VA Health Care Programs Enhancement Act, signed into law in January
2002, required VA to create a new category of veterans that takes into
consideration the high costs of living in many parts of the United States.
Under the new system, VA will use two priority groups -- Priority Groups 7
and 8 -- to replace the current Priority 7 group.
The redefined Priority 7 group will consist of veterans who have no
service-connected disability rating or who are officially categorized as
"noncompensable zero percent service-connected."
Veterans in the new Priority 7 must have incomes that exceed VA's national
income threshold ($24,644 in 2003 for a single veteran, $29,576 for a
veteran with a single dependent) but are below a geographically based income
threshold set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
for public housing benefits.
Reduced Copays 2/2/2/2
The purpose for this change is to adjust inpatient copayments for higher
costs of living areas in different parts of the country. Veterans in the
new Priority Group 7 will pay only 20 percent of the current hospital
copayments. There is no reduction in copayments for outpatient care or
pharmaceuticals.
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