Vern Evans
Veterans Affairs officials will resume collecting some pharmacy co-payments for thousands of patients at hospitals in Ohio and Washington starting next month, but won’t pursue past debts related to the medications for now.
That decision came after advocates raised concerns about the financial impact of those past bills for veterans, some of which could reach over $1,000.
The affected veterans all receive care at sites that are using the department’s new electronic health record. Those include the Washington-based White City VA Medical Center, Roseburg VA Medical Center, Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center, and Jonathan M. Wainwright VA Medical Center. The Chalmers P. Wylie Veterans Ambulatory Care Center in Columbus, Ohio, is also impacted.
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Co-payments for outpatient pharmacy services have been paused there for several years as officials have worked through complications with the new medical records system and the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
VA leaders this week sent out notifications to veterans using the services to warn them of the upcoming change.
“The letter will provide Veterans with advance notice that we will begin collecting copays on Oct. 1, 2024 and that they will see those charges on their November statement,” VA press secretary Terrence Hayes said in a statement.
“From then on, pharmacy copayment charges will be seen on the next month’s statement – just as would happen for veterans receiving care and pharmacy benefits from any other VA medical center.”
Hayes said a final decision has not been made on when or whether to collect the paused co-pays retroactively, but that officials are working with “Congress and veterans service organization partners on potential relief for veterans.”
VA caps yearly co-pay totals for veterans at $700. The department offers a variety of financial aid assistance programs, and has shared contact information on those services with the affected veterans.
Additional information is available at the VA website.
https://www.va.gov/manage-va-debt/
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
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