TheMailMan
TGT Addict
Just a heads up to those unlucky enough to qualify for VA dental care. They now have a program where the VA will pay for you to see a dentist outside of the VA. So if you've been avoiding the VA dental system now's the time to get in there and get the referral to an outside dentist.
To those who don't know what I'm talking about. The VA in Dallas has the same number of dentists they had 27 years ago yet the number of Veterans who qualify for dental care has gone up 7000%.
Why are we "unlucky" to qualify for VA dental care?
You either have to have a service connected dental issue or be rate 100% disabled to get VA dental care. Being 100% disabled means you're really really screwed up.
Here's how VA rating work. Many people think that a Veteran with say two 50% ratings would be 100% disabled since 50+50=100. That's not how disabilities are figured.
We take the first 50% rating. That leaves you 50% enabled. Then the second 50% is applied to the enabled portion. So 50% of 50 is 25. That 50 and 25 are added together which comes to 75 which is then paid at 80% since there are not fractional percents.
Most Veterans with multiple ratings that are 100% are somewhere in the 200-300% in normal math. Note this is a simplified example as we don't cover things like bilateral ratings.
Then you have a small group of Veterans who while not reaching the 95% = 100% threshold are still paid at the 100% rating because their disabilities prevent them from working. This is called TDIU for Total Disability, Individual Unemployability. For the most part these Veterans are treated as 100% disabled. They receive the same state benefits (in Texas) as 100% disabled Veterans.
Actually I feel that for the most part most Veteran medical care should be handled in this fashion.
To those who don't know what I'm talking about. The VA in Dallas has the same number of dentists they had 27 years ago yet the number of Veterans who qualify for dental care has gone up 7000%.
Why are we "unlucky" to qualify for VA dental care?
You either have to have a service connected dental issue or be rate 100% disabled to get VA dental care. Being 100% disabled means you're really really screwed up.
Here's how VA rating work. Many people think that a Veteran with say two 50% ratings would be 100% disabled since 50+50=100. That's not how disabilities are figured.
We take the first 50% rating. That leaves you 50% enabled. Then the second 50% is applied to the enabled portion. So 50% of 50 is 25. That 50 and 25 are added together which comes to 75 which is then paid at 80% since there are not fractional percents.
Most Veterans with multiple ratings that are 100% are somewhere in the 200-300% in normal math. Note this is a simplified example as we don't cover things like bilateral ratings.
Then you have a small group of Veterans who while not reaching the 95% = 100% threshold are still paid at the 100% rating because their disabilities prevent them from working. This is called TDIU for Total Disability, Individual Unemployability. For the most part these Veterans are treated as 100% disabled. They receive the same state benefits (in Texas) as 100% disabled Veterans.
Actually I feel that for the most part most Veteran medical care should be handled in this fashion.