To
provide personal and social adjustment programs and medical or health-related
services for eligible blinded veterans at selected VA Medical Centers
maintaining blind rehabilitation centers.
TYPES
OF ASSISTANCE:
Provision of Specialized Services. Place Cursor Here for Definition
USES
AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
To
assist in the rehabilitation of blinded veterans.
ELIGIBILITY
REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant
Eligibility: Any blind veteran who meets the
following requirements: Must have enlisted in the armed forces before
September 7, 1980. Veterans who enlisted in the armed forces after
September 7, 1980, or entered on active duty after October 16, 1981,
must have 24 continuous months of active duty service or completed
the full period of time for which the individual was called or ordered
to active duty. In either case the individual must have been discharged
or released from active duty under conditions other than dishonorable.
Must be enrolled in the VA health care system or have: A VA service-connected
rating of 50 percent or greater, an adjudicated service-connected
disability, or; been recently discharged from the military (within
the past 12 months) for a disability the military determined was
incurred or aggravated in the line of duty. When approved, the VA
and at the Department of Defense request, active duty personnel
may be transferred to a Blind Center.
Beneficiary
Eligibility: All blinded veterans.
Credentials/Documentation:
Military discharge papers.
Pre-application
Coordination: None. This program is excluded
from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Application
Procedure: Application may be made by completing
a VA Form 10-10EZ, "Application for Health Benefits." Applications
may be made: (1) In person at any VA health care facility; (2)
through any veterans organization's representative; or (3) by
mailing the 10-10EZ to the nearest VA health care facility.
Award
Procedure: VA ward physician determines, with
recourse to Hospital Director.
Deadlines:
None.
Range
of Approval/Disapproval Time: Immediately.
Appeals:
Not applicable.
Renewals:
Not applicable.
ASSISTANCE
CONSIDERATIONS:
Formula
and Matching Requirements: Not applicable.
Length
and Time Phasing of Assistance: Following
admission, veterans are provided specialized inpatient rehabilitation
in a VA Blind Rehabilitation Center plus any necessary medical
or health related services. The time that a veteran spends in
a Blind Rehabilitation Center is individual to each veteran. Normally
the stay is 8 to 10 weeks, but will vary.
POST
ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Reports:
Not applicable.
Audits:
Not applicable.
Records:
Not applicable.
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION:
Account
Identification: 36-0160-0-1-703.
Obligations:
(Salaries and Expenses) FY 01 $56,192,000; FY 02 est $58,333,000;
and FY 03 est $60,555,000.
Range
and Average of Financial Assistance: Not applicable.
By the end of fiscal year 2001, 1,730 veterans had received the
personal and social rehabilitation program at the 9 Blind Rehabilitation
Centers.
REGULATIONS,
GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:
"Federal
Benefits for Veterans and Dependents," VA Fact Sheet 80-991-1, $5.00,
available from Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing
Office, Washington, DC 20402. Fax orders (202) 512-2250. Mail Requests
to P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954. Coordinated Services
for Blinded Veterans, IB 11-59 (Revised), available from Director,
Blind Rehabilitation Service (117B), Department of Veterans Affairs,
Central Office, Washington, DC 20420.
INFORMATION
CONTACTS:
Regional
or Local Office: Initial contact should be made
at the nearest VA Medical Center or outpatient clinic listed in
Appendix IV under the Veterans Health Administration.
Headquarters
Office: Blind Rehabilitation Service (117B),
Patient Care Services, Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington,
DC 20420. Telephone: (202) 273-8481/82.
