Children of Veterans and Health Coverage. May Sid Gardner, MPA President, Children and Family Futures

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Children of Veterans and Health Coverage. May 2014. Sid Gardner, MPA President, Children and Family Futures"

Milton Simmons
8 years ago
Views:

1 Children of Veterans and Health Coverage May 2014 Sid Gardner, MPA President, Children and Family Futures

2 Overview 1. A Framework: Numbers/Needs/Network 2. Eligibility and Family Effects of Trauma 3. CoveredCA and Veterans 4. Outreach and Enrollment 5. The Task Ahead 2

3 3 Ns Numbers, Needs, Networks How many children of veterans are enrolled? What outreach and health services and supports do these children need? How can CoveredCA and its partners build lasting effective networks to respond to the needs of these children?

4 Why Focus on Children? The Numbers Over a million children have parents who served since 9/ % of deployed parents have trauma and substance abuse issues But the VA has no data on the total number of children of veterans who have left the service You can t coordinate what you can t count 4

30-35% of deployed parents have trauma and substance abuse issues But the

5 Data Element Number Source Data Issues 121,992 from USDVA Census, CA VA and USDVA 130,156 Census estimate 12,200 Post 9/11 Total number of OC Veterans Total number of veterans with children OC percentage of veteran relative to rest of CA Veterans receiving VA benefits: health services disability education Data Snapshot for Orange County Veterans 43% of Active Duty Service Members have 2 or more children. An estimated 5,900 children of post 9/11 vets live in OC OC has 8% of CA population; 6.7% of veterans' population $423,976,000 (OC total) H: $158,901,000 (OC) D: $186,104,000 (incld. pension) (OC) 14,128 clients * E: $64,363,000 (OC) DOD, Demographics 2007: Profile of the Military Community. CAL VET and USDVA OC Geo Distrib of VA Expend for CA and Counties OC *Census fact finder CA Annual Benefits Report FY 2011 Breakouts of era vets more likely to have younger children Little data exists on veterans' children. Data for VA benefits only; does not include veterans receiving other, non VA services Veterans with overlapping substance abuse and trauma. An estimated 30 35% of veterans are affected by overlapping trauma and substance abuse RAND,USDVA and various other research studies. [1] Veterans refers to former active duty members of the armed forces who have separated from the service or who remain on National Guard or Reserve status but are not on active duty 5

more children. An estimated 5,900 children of post 9/11 vets live in OC OC has 8% of CA population; 6.7% of veterans' population $423,976,000 (OC total) H: $158,901,000 (OC) D: $186,104,000 (incld.

6 Eligibility and Access to Services Separated veterans have access to VA services. Approximately 1/3 of them access VA health services; about ¼ of them in rural areas access non VA mental health services; 45% receive health services from non VA sources Children of veterans are not eligible for services unless their parent is seriously disabled or homeless % of veterans have no health coverage at all and many are eligible for Affordable Care Act coverage. As a result, the VA cannot meet the needs of these families with its own resources

health services from non VA sources Children of veterans are not eligible for services unless their parent is seriously disabled or

8 The Cost of Not Serving Children They are children who arrive at kindergarten not ready for school They are in special education caseloads They are disproportionately in foster care and are less likely to return home They are in juvenile justice caseloads They are in residential treatment programs

They are disproportionately in foster care and are less likely to return

9 Uninsured Veterans 9

13 So where are the numbers?

14 A Values-Defining Question Should children of veterans who served their country be afforded the best medical coverage? 14

15 CoveredCA and Veterans 15

16 16

17 Outreach Implementation Plan Tasks Sending all information on enrollment options to the mailing list of the ICV and Cal Vets contacts, including all county veterans' collaboratives in the state Sending this information to all VSO offices in the state and the 15 veterans treatment courts Providing enrollment information to state and county agencies administering MHSA and First Five funds (some counties have already allocated these funds to veterans family projects) Distributing the Urban Institute report on the gaps in health coverage for lower income veteran families to all of the above (article is at as well as the website for Enroll America which describes the Florida statewide effort: ( Training veterans as peer outreach counselors/navigators by the funded agencies who have already received the $37 million allocated to California agencies for outreach

(some counties have already allocated these funds to veterans family projects) Distributing the Urban Institute report on the gaps in health coverage for lower income veteran families to all of the

18 Outreach Implementation Plan Tasks Requiring enrollment agencies to add information on military and dependent statues to their intake forms Developing specific milestones for the veteran specific outreach efforts, including monthly counts of veteran families' enrollment Setting up a barriers task force to address issues of enrollment and eligibility as they emerge during the outreach efforts Providing monthly updates to the ICV and to Covered California on the progress of these efforts Convening a statewide conference in early 2014 to review progress of outreach to veterans and their families and the enrollment results from those efforts

of enrollment and eligibility as they emerge during the outreach efforts Providing monthly updates to the ICV and to Covered California on the progress of these

19 Serving Children A Developmental Process Count Screen Assess Refer Monitor

21 What is the Affordable Care Act? The Affordable Care Act, also known as the health care law, was created to expand access to coverage, control health care costs and improve health care quality and care coordination. The health care law does not change VA health benefits or Veterans out of pocket costs. Three things you should know: 1.VA wants all Veterans to receive health care that improves their health and well being. 2.If you are enrolled in VA health care, you don t need to take additional steps to meet the health care law coverage standards. The health care law does not change VA health benefits or Veterans out of pocket costs. 3.If you are not enrolled in VA health care, you can apply at any time. Veterans Enrolled in VA Health Care The good news is that Veterans enrolled in VA health care programs have health coverage that meets the new health care law s standard. You do not have to take any additional steps to have health coverage. Read more if enrolled Veterans Not Enrolled in VA Health Care Veterans not currently enrolled in VA health care program can apply for enrollment at any time. Family Members VA offers health care benefits for certain family members of Veterans through programs such as the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) and the Spina Bifida program. Your family members who are not enrolled in a VA health care program and who do not meet the health care law coverage standards should use the Marketplaceto get coverage. Additional Health Care Law Information We understand you may have questions about the health care law and how it might affect you and your family. We compiled basic information about the health care law to help you make informed decisions about your health care. Let us know if you have questions regarding the health care law and your VA health care at VETS (8387). After all, ensuring you receive quality health care is not just our obligation, it s also our privilege. 21

23 Covered California and Families If I have a VA Health Plan, can my family sign up for insurance though covered California? Yes. Even though you are covered by your VA health care enrollment, your family members who are not eligible for a VA health care program may be able to receive health care coverage through Covered California. Depending on your family s household size and yearly income, they may also be able to get help paying for a Covered California health plan or to get low or no cost Medi Cal.

24 Enrollment is not the answer; it is the first step. The second step is access to effective services. The third step is making sure there is an information system that tracks what happens to veterans family members. And the fourth step is accountability for results a report card at county and state levels on veterans and their families.

25 For additional Veteran Resources, please visit:

26 This and other presentations on Veterans and their families are available for download at

27 Sid Gardner, MPA, MA President, Children and Family Futures Commercentre Drive, Suite 140 Lake Forest, CA (714)

Navigating the Unique Facets Of the Incarcerated and Releasing U.S. Veteran

VA DESERT PACIFIC HEALTHCARE NETWORK The Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration (VA) Navigating the Unique Facets Of the Incarcerated and Releasing U.S. Veteran Veteran Integrated