The newsletter provides information about agency news, news from the federal Department of Veterans Affairs, and other relevant news from across the state

South Carolina Department of Veterans Affairs

South Carolina State Documents Depository

PALMETTO VETS GAZETTE VOL. IV, JAN.-MAR. 1993

STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA 
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
CARROLL A. CAMPBELL, JR. 
GOVERNOR 
BILLSAMS 
DIRECTOR 
uFrom the Director's Desk" 
PHONE 734-0200 
227 BROWN STATE OFFICE BUILDING 
1205 PENDLETON STREET 
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA 29201 
PALMETTO 
VETS GAZETTE 
VOL. IV JAN-MAR 1992 
Thanks to all of you for your contributions towards making 1991 a memorable year for our veterans. 
There were several "red letter" events for our veterans in '91. 
Operation Desert Shield/Storm: I do not believe anything has ever filled us with more joy or gratitude 
than "Homecoming." Our magnificent military men and women of Desert Storm received our 
heartfelt salute for bringing Operation Desert Storm to a swift and successful resolution. Our prayers 
continue for our returning warriors who serve this great nation of ours with unmatched profession-
alism. Let us not forget the sacrifices made by those left behind--the families. 
Richard Michael Campbell State Veterans Nursing Home: We opened our second state veterans' 
nursing home, located near Anderson, this past year. Currently there are 88 residents and hopefully 
the budget will allow us to open the remaining wings in the not too distant future so that we will have 
220 veteran~ residing in this magnificent facility. 
Veterans Day: On November 11, 1991, we recognized four of our 17,000 lady veterans from this 
great state for the contributions and sacrifices that the women veterans have made and continue 
to make to our military force. 
Pearl Harbor 50th Anniversary: December 7, 1991 marked the 50th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, 
the impetus that launched this country into World War II. Many observances marked this occasion, 
but probably none so sombre or more full of memories than the one conducted at the site of the 
Arizona Memorial in Hawaii. 
This new year, 1992, will be yet another challenge for the agency in assisting our veterans, their 
widows and orphans in obtaining the benefits they earned and so richly deserve. We look forward 
to working with you in this new year. 
* * * * * S. C. STATE UBRARY 
JAN 0 8 1992 
STATE DOCUMENTS 
Carrie Thomas, who has been in charge of our 
file room since 1985, has been hospitalized 
since August. Due to the severity of her 
medical condition, she was retired on disabil-
ity in November, and is still hospitalized at 
Richland Memorial Hospital in Columbia. 
Carrie did a super job for us and we wish her 
a complete and speedy recovery. 
At the agency Christmas party on December 
13, several agency employees were honored 
for their years of service and dedication. The 
Director presented certificates to: 
Jimmie Gresham - 20 years 
Linda Skipper - 20 years 
Jean Watts - 20 years 
Lawrie Harmon - 15 years 
Belva Risinger - 1 0 years 
Donna Hair - 5 years 
* * * * * 
NEW VA COMP RATES 
The President has signed into law H.R. 
1046, which authorizes a 3.7% COLA in the 
rates for service connected disability com-
pensation and DIC. Also increased are the 
dependency allowances and special statu-
tory awards as well as the VA's annual 
clothing allowance. The effective date for 
these increases is December 1, 1991. 
DiSABILITY PERCENT 
10 
20 
30 
40 
50 
60 
70 
80 
90 
100 
STATUTORY AWARD 
k 
I 
m 
n 
oj P 
NEW$ 
83 
157 
240 
342 
487 
614 
776 
897 
1010 
1680 
NEW$ 
68 
2089 
2302 
2619 
2927 
r1 
r2 
s 
1257 
1872 
1879 
CLOTHING ALLOWANCE 452 
DIC RATES 
E-1 
E-2 
E-3 
E-4 
E-5 
E-6 
E-7 
E-8 
E-9 
W-1 
W-2 
W-3 
W-4 
0-1 
0-2 
0-3 
0-4 
0-5 
0-6 
0-7 
0-8 
0-9 
0-10 
* * * * * 
CHAMPUS/CHAMPVA TIPS 
616 
635 
652 
698 
711 
727 
762 
805 
841 
780 
811 
835 
884 
780 
805 
862 
912 
1005 
1134 
1225 
1343 
1440 
1580 
If you received (or provided) civilian care un-
der CHAMPUS/CHAMPVA in 1990, and still 
haven'tfiled a claim for CHAMPUS/CHAMPVA 
cost-sharing of the medical bills, now is the 
time. All claims for 1990 civilian health care 
must be in the proper hands by the end of 
1991. 
If you wait too long to file, you're risking denial 
of the claim because it was filed too late. If 
something is missing on the claim, it may be 
returned to you. Under certain circumstances, 
there might be no record that you filed the 
claim in a timely manner, and by the time you 
resubmit it, the filing deadline may have passed. 
Here are some other tips that will help your 
CHAMPUS claim get processed quickly and 
accurately: 
* Submit only one claim (and attached docu-
m e n t s )  p e r  e n v e l o p e .  
*  D o n ' t  s u b m i t  m o r e  t h a n  f o u r  o r  f i v e  i t e m s  
w i t h  e a c h  c l a i m .  
*  M a k e  s u r e  a l l  r e q u i r e d  i t e m s  a r e  e a s y  t o  f i n d  
a n d  r e a d .  D o n ' t  s e n d  f u z z y ,  o b s c u r e d  o r  
i l l e g i b l e  d o c u m e n t a t i o n .  
*  D o n ' t  u s e  h i g h l i g h t i n g  p e n s  o n  t h e  c l a i m  
f o r m  o r  a c c o m p a n y i n g  d o c u m e n t s .  C i r c l e  
a n y  i t e m s  y o u  w i s h  t o  e m p h a s i z e .  
*  I f  y o u  a r e  s u b m i t t i n g  l a r g e  b i l l s ,  c o n s i d e r  
s u b m i t t i n g  t h e m  s e p a r a t e l y .  
*  F i l e  a  s e p a r a t e  c l a i m  f o r  e a c h  p a t i e n t .  
*  W r i t e  t h e  s p o n s o r s  S o c i a l  S e c u r i t y  n u m b e r  
o n  e a c h  d o c u m e n t  s u b m i t t e d  w i t h  t h e  c l a i m ,  
s o  i t  c a n  b e  i d e n t i f i e d  i n  c a s e  i t  g e t s  s e p a r a t e d  
f r o m  t h e  c l a i m  f o r m .  
*  *  *  *  *  
B R O N Z E  S T A R  F O R  C O R R E G I D O R  
V E T S !  
S e n a t o r  B o b  D o l e  ( R - K S )  h a s  i n t r o d u c e d  l e g -
i s l a t i o n  t o  " r i g h t  a  5 0  y e a r  w r o n g "  i n  a w a r d i n g  
B r o n z e  S t a r s  t o  t h e  N a v y  a n d  M a r i n e  C o r p s  
v e t e r a n s  w h o  d e f e n d e d  C o r r e g i d o r  i n  t h e  P h i l -
i p p i n e s  i n  t h e  o p e n i n g  d a y s  o f  W W I I .  
D o l e ,  a  w o u n d e d  a n d  d e c o r a t e d  c o m b a t  v e t -
e r a n  o f  t h e  I t a l i a n  C a m p a i g n  o f  W W I I ,  s a i d  
" E v e r y  A m e r i c a n  w h o  e n d u r e d  t h e  n i g h t m a r e  
o f  C o r r e g i d o r  a n d  B a t a a n  h a s  e a r n e d  s p e c i a l  
r e c o g n i t i o n  a n d  n a t i o n a l  a d m i r a t i o n  f o r  t h e i r  
c o u r a g e  a n d  s a c r i f i c e . "  
I n  e a r l y  1 9 4 2  m o r e  t h a n  3 , 0 0 0  S a i l o r s  a n d  
M a r i n e s ,  u n d e r  t h e  c o m m a n d  o f  G e n .  J o n a t h a n  
W a i n w r i g h t ,  e n g a g e d  i n  f i e r c e  c o m b a t  w i t h  
o v e r w h e l m i n g  J a p a n e s e  f o r c e s .  A f t e r  t h e i r  
c a p t u r e  i n  A p r i l  1 9 4 2 ,  A m e r i c a n  f o r c e s  w e r e  
s u b j e c t e d  t o  t h e  a t r o c i t i e s  o f  t h e  i n f a m o u s  
" B a t a a n  D e a t h  M a r c h . "  T h o s e  w h o  s u r v i v e d  
t h a t  o r d e a l  w e r e  s u b j e c t e d  t o  b r u t a l  i m p r i s o n -
m e n t .  
U . S .  A r m y  p e r s o n n e l  w h o  f o u g h t  a t  B a t a a n  
w e r e  a w a r d e d  t h e  B r o n z e  S t a r ,  b u t  d u e  t o  a  
t e c h n i c a l i t y  i n  n a v a l  p o l i c y ,  t h e  S a i l o r s  a n d  
M a r i n e s  w h o  b a t t l e d  a l o n g s i d e  t h e m  d i d  n o t ,  
w h i c h  D o l e  c a l l e d  " a  s h o c k i n g  i n j u s t i c e . "  
" I  h o p e  w e  c a n  f i n a l l y  r i g h t  a  t e r r i b l e  w r o n g  b y  
h o n o r i n g  t h e  c o u r a g e  a n d  l o y a l t y  o f  t h e s e  
A m e r i c a n  h e r o e s , ' '  D o l e  s a i d .  ' ' I  l o o k  f o r w a r d  
t o  s e e i n g  t h e s e  p a t r i o t s  r e c e i v e  t h e  t r i b u t e  
t h e y  s o  r i c h l y  d e s e r v e  f r o m  a  g r a t e f u l  A m e r i c a . "  
H . R .  3 3 4 9  I N T R O D U C E D  
C o n g r e s s m a n  C u n n i n g h a m  ( R - C A )  h a s  i n t r o -
d u c e d  H . R .  3 3 4 9  w h i c h  h a s  1 0  c o - s p o n s o r s .  
T h i s  b i l l  w o u l d  a m e n d  T i t l e  1 0 ,  U S  C o d e ,  a n d  
T i t l e  X V I I I  o f  t h e  S o c i a l  S e c u r i t y  A c t  t o  p e r m i t  
t h e  r e i m b u r s e m e n t  o f  e x p e n s e s  i n c u r r e d  b y  a  
m e d i c a l  f a c i l i t y  o f  t h e  u n i f o r m e d  s e r v i c e s  o f  t h e  
U . S .  D e p a r t m e n t  o f  V e t e r a n s  A f f a i r s  i n  p r o v i d -
i n g  h e a l t h  c a r e  t o  p e r s o n s  e l i g i b l e  u n d e r  t h e  
M e d i c a r e  P r o g r a m  o r  t h e  C i v i l i a n  H e a l t h  a n d  
M e d i c a l  P r o g r a m  o f  t h e  U n i f o r m e d  S e r v i c e s .  
T h i s  b i l l ,  i f  p a s s e d ,  w o u l d  e n a b l e  M e d i c a r e  a n d  
C H A M  P U S  t o  p a y  M i l i t a r y  T r e a t m e n t  f a c i l i t i e s  
f o r  c a r e  g i v e n  t o  q u a l i f i e d  m i l i t a r y  r e t i r e e s  a n d  
t h e i r  d e p e n d e n t s .  I t  w o u l d  a l s o  p a y  t h e  V A  
t r e a t m e n t  f a c i l i t i e s  f o r  c a r e  g i v e n  t o  a l l  v e t e r -
a n s  o t h e r w i s e  q u a l i f i e d  f o r  V A  c a r e .  
T h i s  b i l l  d o e s  n o t  c r e a t e  e l i g i b i l i t y  f o r  h e a l t h  
c a r e  a t  e i t h e r  V A  o r  m i l i t a r y  f a c i l i t i e s  t o  n e w  
g r o u p s  o f  b e n e f i c i a r i e s .  H o w e v e r ,  t h e  b i l l  
w o u l d  h e l p  r e s t o r e  p r o m i s e d  h e a l t h  c a r e  s e r -
v i c e s  t r a d i t i o n a l l y  a v a i l a b l e  t o  m i l i t a r y  r e t i r e e s ,  
t h e i r  d e p e n d e n t s  a n d  o t h e r  v e t e r a n s  i n  e i t h e r  
m i l i t a r y  a n d / o r  V A  f a c i l i t i e s ,  d e p e n d i n g  u p o n  
c u r r e n t  e l i g i b i l i t y ,  a n d  a t  a  l o w e r  o v e r a l l  c o s t  t o  
b o t h  t a x p a y e r s  a n d  b e n e f i c i a r i e s .  
U n d e r  t h i s  l e g i s l a t i o n ,  i n s t e a d  o f  s p e n d i n g  
t h e i r  " M e d i c a r e  m o n e y "  w i t h  a  c i v i l i a n  p r o -
v i d e r ,  a  b e n e f i c i a r y  w o u l d  h a v e  t h e  o p t i o n  o f  
s p e n d i n g  t h o s e  s a m e  M e d i c a r e  d o l l a r s  a t  e i -
t h e r  a  V A  o r  m i l i t a r y  f a c i l i t y  b u t  a t  a  l o w e r  c o s t .  
H e a l t h  c a r e  c o s t s  i n  t h o s e  f a c i l i t i e s  a r e  v a r i -
o u s l y  e s t i m a t e d  b e t w e e n  3 5 %  a n d  5 0 %  l o w e r  
t h a n  i n  t h e  c i v i l i a n  s e c t o r .  T h i s  a p p r o a c h  
w o u l d  w o r k  s i m i l a r l y  f o r  C H A M P U S  e l i g i b l e  
b e n e f i c i a r i e s .  S i m p l y  p u t ,  M e d i c a r e  a n d  
C H A M  P U S  w o u l d  b e  t r e a t e d  a s  a n o t h e r  t h i r d  
p a r t y  p a y o r  ( B l u e  C r o s s ,  p r i v a t e  i n s u r a n c e ,  
e t c . ) .  
T h i s  b i l l  w o u l d  a l s o  h e l p  t h e s e  f a c i l i t i e s  t o  ·  
o p e r a t e  a t  f u l l  c a p a c i t y  w h i c h  w o u l d  r e s u l t  i n  
t h e  f o l l o w i n g :  
I n c r e a s e  p r o d u c t i v i t y  b y  r e d u c i n g  u n i t  c o s t s .  
H e l p  i n s u r e  m e d i c a l  r e a d i n e s s  i n  t h e  c a s e  o f  
m o b i l i z a t i o n .  
F u l f i l l m e n t  o f  t h e  g o v e r n m e n t ' s  c o m m i t m e n t s  
m a d e  b u t  n o t  a l w a y s  k e p t .  
H e l p  M e d i c a r e  m e e t  i t s  o b l i g a t i o n  t o  a l l  w h o  
h a v e  f a i t h f u l l y  p a i d  t h e i r  M e d i c a r e  p r e m i u m s .  
D e c r e a s e d  c o s t s  t o  b o t h  t a x p a y e r s  a n d  p a -
t i e n t s .  
AGENT ORANGE UPDATE 
If you served with the military in Vietnam and your child has Spina Bifid a or if you know of someone 
who fits this description, you may be interested in knowing that the Spina Bifida Association of 
America has been awarded a continuation of its grant from the Vietnam Veteran's Agent Orange 
Assistance Program. 
The grant focuses on bowel continence, home accessability, and independent living training. 
The parent who served in Vietnam need not be living with the child. Adopted children may also 
qualify for the program. 
Also, if you know of a Vietnam veteran who has a child with another disability, other Agent Orange 
Assistance Projects may be of interest. 
For more information, call the Spina Bifida Association Agent Orange Hotlin at 
or write to: 
1-800-872-8058 
Ann Sperry, Nurse Consultant 
1247 Harbor View Lane 
Charleston, SC 29412 
DON'T DELAY IN MAKING CONTACT AS APPLICATIONS WILL BE SENT TO FAMILIES IN 
JANUARY 1992. 
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA 
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
1205 PENDLETON STREET, SUITE 227 
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA 29201 
