John Plahovinsak
Congressman Robert Latta, serving in Ohio’s Fifth Congressional District, contacted me last week concerning two (2) legislative bills that he introduced into Congress directly relating to disabled veterans. Both bills have merit and were recommended by several disabled veterans in his northwestern Ohio district.
H.R. 3643, the Veterans Right to Expediency Act would require all Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) denial claims for compensation benefits to be delivered by certified mail to ensure the opportunity for timely appeal.
Congressman Latta had previously hosted a Veterans Advisory Group in his District. Members had expressed concerns that delayed delivery of notifications was causing them to miss the deadline to submit an appeal of the denial.
The VA told the veterans that the VA was not responsible for any delivery issues and that was the responsibility of the United States Postal Service.
Congressman Latta had proposed similar legislation in previous Sessions of Congress.
“The last thing veterans should worry about is being denied a disability claim or health care payment due to VA administrative hiccups and slow communication,” stated Congressman Latta.
H.R. 3644, the Addressing Care Timelines for Veterans Act (ACT For Veterans Act) would provide the VA Secretary with additional authority to allow disabled veterans an additional 24-hour period at minimum, to notify the VA when receiving care at a non-VA facility.
Currently, if a disabled veteran is eligible for treatment and suffering from a medical condition that prevents them from physically contacting the VA within 24 hours, the VA may deny payment submitted from the non-VA facility.
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The additional time period will allow for flexibility if a disabled veteran needs additional time to recover from a severe medical condition or if they are experiencing other challenges.
“The United States is fortunate to have brave veterans who donned the uniform, served our nation, and returned back to civilian life,” said Latta. “Just as our disabled veterans made the commitment to defend our freedoms both at home and abroad, we must also make a commitment to ensure they receive the care and benefits they’ve earned and deserved.”
That’s why I’m leading two bills in Congress that will ensure our veterans have additional flexibilities and receive prompt and streamlined communications from the VA,” continued Latta, “which will ultimately improve health care outcomes for our nation’s heroes.”
My Opinion: These two proposed legislative bills were suggested by the Congressman’s Veterans Advisory Group for Ohio’s Fifth Congressional District to resolve two significant problems experienced by disabled veterans in the rural northwestern Ohio area.
I can sympathize with disabled veterans whose VA denial letters were either lost in the mail or arrived after the deadline for submission of a disability compensation appeal. The VA’s answer was not satisfactory, that that problem was caused by the United States Postal Service and not the VA’s responsibility.
Sending certified mail may be a costly postage expenditure by the VA but it will guarantee that the disabled veteran will be advised of the deadline for the submission of a disability compensation appeal.
The granting of an additional 24-hour grace period before contacting the VA that the disabled veteran is currently receiving medical services at a non-VA facility is also a common-sense concept that should be enacted.
Veterans may be suffering from an emergency medical condition caused by an accident, perhaps while traveling from home, and may not have the physical capabilities to contact the VA immediately.
Emergency medical services are not as abundant in the northwestern Ohio and southeastern Ohio areas, as they are in the northeastern and southwestern Ohio areas. Congressman Latta has introduced two (2) bills that would be of value to his veteran communities and illustrate that he is addressing their concerns.
I would also like to commend Congressman Latta for establishing a Veterans Advisory Group in his Fifth Congressional District that surfaces concerns and recommendations directly impacting veterans in his area.
Latta is being proactive in responding to the concerns of our disabled veterans and thus he is making a difference in their lives by his direct oversight at the federal level.
His webpage states his overall goal: “As the Representative for Ohio’s Fifth Congressional District in Congress, you have my commitment to continue supporting our veterans and men and women serving in uniform.”
BioSketch: John Plahovinsak is a retired 32-year Army veteran who served from 1967 to 1999. He is the current Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Department of Ohio Hospital Chairman and Adjutant of DAV Chapter #63 (Clermont County). He can be contacted at: plahovinsak@msn.com.