Why veterans should register with VA

As a veteran and volunteer editor of the Lake County Veterans Assistance Commission monthly newsletter, I was very interested in seeing Matthew Moeller’s letter about free support for veterans in crisis at any hospital. This article highlights the importance of getting to a safe place for crisis care at the nearest hospital facility and it implies that the treatment will be free for veterans.

The initial, emergency care treatment will, in fact, be free — as it is for everyone (Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act). The implication of the article is that the whole hospital stay will be free — if the veteran meets the veteran qualifications. However, there is a bit of a glitch in this implication. Not only must a veteran meet the service qualifications, but they must also be registered with the Veterans Administration. If they are not registered, it is likely that the bill for service beyond emergency care will be paid out of their own pocket.

For Lake County, the primary veteran facility is the James A. Lovell Federal Health Center in North Chicago. For emergency crisis care call 988. For non-emergency mental health care, contact the Mental Health Clinic at 224-610-3744.

The big implication of this is that every veteran should become registered with the most convenient VA facility whether they want to use the services right away or not. In this way, when there becomes an emergency that does require VA support, they will be visible and “pre-qualified” in the VA system.

Allan Ayers

Mundelein