ChampVA/Medicare Crossover Problems. What can I do?

Question:

I have had ChampVA since 2014. When I turned 65 I signed up for Medicare A&B. Since August 2018 I have been trying to get a Medicare crossover set up so my claims would be automatically forwarded to Champ to get paid promptly. I cannot get an answer from ChampVA as to why they have not done so. One agent finally said they are having software problems since the new Medicare numbers have letters in them.

I am trying to avoid my providers having to file my claims a second time because they say they have to mail the claim because of the medicare explanation of benefits being attached. Mailed claims take eons to get paid.I am now receiving actual bills from my providers that are 4 months old. I have filed a Congressional inquiry with my Congressman and actually have a person to deal with at Champ and a direct phone line to her, but cannot one direct answer as to why they haven't set up a crossover.

I apologize for the length of this, but my question to you is do you know if there are ChampVA medicare beneficiaries who actually have Medicare crossovers. Do I have any hope of having a crossover set up or do I have to manage every claim with medicare to make sure Champ pays their share? This gets difficult since I was just in the hospital and there are bills from people I do not know. Also, as of 9/2018 ChampVA is listed on the Medicare CMS website as participating in the crossover process.

Jim's Reply:

I understand all too well. My wife is beginning to encounter similar problems as she transitions into Medicare and we aren't getting reliable answers to our questions either. The entire VA system is in a transition of epic proportion. Nothing works as it should and probably won't for a long while. If i had a crystal ball I'd think it would tell me that all VA health care will become a sort of Tricare system and that will include dependents with CHAMPVA just as Tricare supports dependents. For now the best I can tell you is that keeping accurate records and being persistent with appeals of any denial is the only way to get the task done.