OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. -- A Veterans Administration outreach coordinator with the Nebraska Western Iowa VA visited the 55th MDG clinic on Sept. 17 and Oct. 1, 2019, from 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. to provide information and answer questions regarding VA benefits.
David Conrad, the VA outreach coordinator, is scheduled to visit the clinic every other Tuesday with the next dates being Oct. 15 and 29.
Conrad’s visits aim to educate veterans, retirees, and active duty service members approaching the end of their military career on additional VA care they may be eligible for in addition to care they already receive.
“I’m here to see if the VA can help supplement care to the retirees that come here or people coming off active duty,” said Conrad. “I’m seeing a fifty-fifty mix of retirees and active duty service members.”
The VA is America’s largest integrated health care system and assists more than 9 million veterans yearly offering a range of health care services from basic primary care to nursing home care for qualified Veterans.
Anyone who has served may qualify for VA health care benefits but must first enroll to receive care. Veterans can apply for VA health care enrollment at any time. The visiting coordinator can register veterans even if they do not live in Nebraska because the enrollment system is nationwide.
Reservist and Guard members qualify for services five years after a deployment. Any veterans who are unsure of their eligibility status are encouraged to speak with the VA outreach coordinator.
“What I’ve been talking to a lot of people about is prosthetic devices like hearing aids, eye glasses, knee braces, stuff they’re potentially eligible for at the VA,” Conrad said, “and I’m sitting down and giving them that information and telling them what they can get.”
One of the programs Conrad has been providing information for is the Whole Health Wheel. This works in conjunction with primary care providers to provide non-traditional care. Some of the prevention and treatment methods include tai-chi, yoga, chu-kong, acupuncture, chiropractic care and massage therapy in addition to conventional approaches.