Question:
Hi Jim, we are here in Ireland. My brother in-law says he was in the Vietnam war. He was 65 last September and he lives in Ireland but travels to San Francisco for health care, which he says is all free. Is this right? He had major heart surgery in the VA hospital there. Now he says he is travelling over to SF as the VA are giving him 6 months worth of free injections to treat high cholesterol and that they are paying for a free stay at the hotel associated with the hospital. My in-laws are elderly and I just want to be sure he is not running a scam, as they are very generous to him? Hope you can help with this or send a link to where I might find out if these facts are true. Thank you.
Jim's Reply:
I'd offer for your consideration that none of what he receives as veterans benefits is free. He paid for all this in advance over 50 years ago by his dedicated military service to our country in a time we were at war.
We serve in the military for a few reasons...patriotism, the glory of wearing the uniform, the experience of learning how to lead others and deal with real problems at a very young age, and the benefits
OK, a lot of us serve mostly for those generous benefits. But we pay for them up front with our dedicated service. There is no free.
There are variations on all this depending on the era we served, what we did while on active duty and whether we were in combat and injured or fell ill but overall, the lifelong benefits are outstanding. With our honorable discharge comes education stipends, help with purchasing a new home, free or steeply discounted health care and medicines, and long term tax free cash disability benefits for any permanently disabling conditions we may have from the rigors of military service or combat with a declared enemy.
If your BIL says he served in Vietnam and he has heart trouble, that's a common story.
Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD), otherwise called coronary artery disease, is linked to the exposure of the Vietnam veteran to the chemical defoliant Agent Orange. IHD is a service connected condition and is often rated as 100% disabling and compensated accordingly. IHD caused by agent orange is one reason for heart surgery like a coronary bypass.
The VA has a robust Foreign Medical Program that will provide him with much of his health care while abroad. If such necessary care isn't easily accessible by our usual American standards, he will be taken to where the care is...on the VA dime.
To conclude I'd say that his story isn't only legitimate, it's fairly common and I hear many similar stories. American military veterans live around the world for as many reasons as there are places and the Department of Veterans Affairs and the State Department wherever they are is often an important lifeline. If he has a service connected disability rating for heart disease due to exposure to agent orange, VA is obligated to take care of him no matter where he is.
Not only would I say he's not running a scam, he's an American hero...a service connected disabled veteran warrior of the Vietnam conflict.
Thank you for sharing your concerns to protect those elderly in-laws. Scams are so common in our Internet connected world that I wish everyone would ask those great questions to protect the elders who may need it.
Well done on you!
Give him a salute from me, please.