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DoktorLoken posted:I think > 30% also qualifies for some special hiring preference and healthcare benefits? Also I guess I should be switching to Voc Rehab from my Post 9/11, unless someone can give me a good reason not to. I'm in the last year of my undergrad and want to finish a Master's in a different (but related field). Yeah I think over 30% means you get the full VA health care, it was some percent you need, I forget. In my state you also get a break on property tax if you own a home. Someone should put together a list/chart of all the perks by percentage/state.
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Sep 20, 2017 21:35
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John Oliver did a 15 minute piece on how shamefully we treat translators, and I imagine it's just gonna get worse with this administration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QplQL5eAxlY
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Sep 27, 2017 20:54
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Howard Phillips posted:My school just told me that I need to pay my student health insurance and that the VA won't pay it under Post 9/11 GI Bill. I think they might be right, I was in community college like 8 years back while working full time and my job's health insurance was allowed to stand in for the mandatory student health care. So that was much cheaper but I was still paying for some form of health care. If it were me in your situation I'd see if you can maybe swing some means-based exclusion (if you really can't afford it). Or maybe you have the option to just pay by the month for the insurance and then shut it off after the first month and pay the ACA fines which might be much less. Comedy option, get all your books from the student store/library, photograph them into ebooks with your phone, return them, and then you can use the $200/mo book stipend to pay the insurance.
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Oct 3, 2017 17:15
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McNally posted:Why does the school say you have to have their student health insurance? If it's an ACA mandate thing, tell them you're covered as a veteran by the VA and they can pound sand. I don't understand why your school would require you to have their health insurance. Let me Google that for you: https://www.google.com/search?q=gi+bill+book+stipend $1000/yr for books, so it's less then I remember. You can still just pocket it and not buy books. They should pay it automatically with BAH. I assume he's not disabled hence is not covered by the VA for health insurance.
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Oct 3, 2017 17:45
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Hey, I just got a bitchin' credit card that I would describe as vet benefit: https://www.usaa.com/inet/wc/bank_cc_limitless_cashback_visa_signature If you have a USAA account, you can sign up for this Limitess Cashback Visa card. It gives 2.5% cashback on all purchases, with no cap and no annual fee. This is higher than any other credit card in existence. They are "piloting" it where it will only let you apply for the card if you live in certain states. I couldn't get it in my state, but the workaround (actually told to me by the USAA rep, lol) is to temporarily change your physical address in your USAA profile to an approved address like in New York, apply, then change it back. They might still try to mail the card out there, so use a family address or mail forwarding service if you need. Put it this way, if you're in a position where you make lots of trips or buy supplies for your job and get reimbursed, the 2.5% can really add up.
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Oct 20, 2017 19:13
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DoktorLoken posted:My initial compensation claim took like 3 months from submission to paymonies this summer. Dunno if that relates. My initial compensation took 2 months, adding a parent as a dependent has been going for a year and a half. Edit: Also, allow me to trigger everyone's PTSD:  Edit 2: Also the entire eBenefits portal is down today, I called them and they're like yeah we know, maybe try tomorrow. So I guess don't bother trying to get in if you had anything to do today. Zero VGS fucked around with this message at 23:12 on Nov 7, 2017 |
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Nov 7, 2017 22:41
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bulletsponge13 posted:Ebenefits never loving works. It's like healthcare.gov, but forever and always.
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Nov 8, 2017 05:00
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Something you might consider, and only consider this if you're good with money, but I recently used the VA loan to buy a multifamily and rent out most of it. That revenue could cover the difference between disabled and unemployable. I paid nearly nothing down and my mortgage is $4000/mo with $5300 rental income. The VA loan can be little or nothing down, doesn't look at your credit score, and they waive the funding fee if you're disabled. edit: and hey, if you gently caress up, it can still take years for a bank to successfully foreclose on a disabled vet, lol
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Jan 10, 2018 02:02
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Mr. Nice! posted:Yeah, and if you got that letter you probably enrolled at some point. You can swing by your local VA clinic/hospital and get an ID if you haven't got one already. If you have better private insurance, I'd say use that primarily, but if you ever need to go to the ER or anything (and there isn't an MTF or VA ER nearby) the VA will foot the bill for that as well. I just use the VA healthcare so I don't have to pay for the private insurance, if I ever actually get hosed up I guess I can start the Blue Cross back up again, right? From what I can see they don't get to deny anything on pre-existing conditions.
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Jan 19, 2018 17:13
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UP THE BUM NO BABY posted:It's one of the bonuses you get at certain disability levels. Try for the high score next time. Pro tip, tinnitus is diagnosed on the honor system.
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Jan 19, 2018 18:10
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Naked Bear posted:The other day I looked up that particular flavor of tinnitus where, out nowhere, you get a loud noise in one ear for a short period of time. Turns out that it has a name: Sudden, Brief, Unilateral, Tapering Tinnitus. I thought everyone gets that one? edit: Yeah, seems like 75% of everyone gets that from time to time whether or not they have chronic tinnitus Godholio posted:For now. That's part of the ACA. I think it is permanent in Massachusetts, thanks to the hard work of comrade Mitt Romney Zero VGS fucked around with this message at 20:54 on Jan 19, 2018 |
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Jan 19, 2018 20:45
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I'm always on the lookout for vet discounts, so I just wanted to point out that active and vet can get a 10% discount at the Microsoft Store, online and retail. They specifically say it doesn't work for Xbox stuff, but it does work on laptops and VR headsets. They tried to give me only a 5% discount at the store but I showed them the item on site and they happily corrected it.
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Feb 10, 2018 01:40
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Zeris posted:What are my absolute laziest options for programs that use the GI bill? I'm working full time and don't have that much free time, but want to learn something (and get BAH). Not looking for a degree. I took community college at a Boston zip code (dirt cheap tuition expensive zip), only a small portion of my credits had to be on site and the rest were online. I got full BAH which was all I wanted. Not sure if it still works that way.
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Mar 6, 2018 11:19
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Did they accidentally give people active anthrax or something? Why 100%? Sounds pretty loving ominous.
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Mar 29, 2018 17:49
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EVA BRAUN BLOWJOBS posted:Bad batches have permanently crippled some people badly enough that they cannot function. Yikes, that sucks. You'd think it would it the news or something. I guess it's just as well it doesn't, so as not to make anti-vaxxers crazier than they already are. But you'd think a responsible VA would do some contact/outreach instead of letting people find out via Facebook forwards. Of course, I know better than to expect that, but still, sheesh.
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Mar 30, 2018 23:41
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Godholio posted:My problem is that my records don't show any degradation in my hearing, which is absolute garbage. Hell, I failed flight physical hearing tests; not documented. I "passed" the hearing test at the VA (they said it was just barely good enough to not be considered hearing loss... thanks for rubbing it in) but yes they rubber-stamped the tinnitus because I had to work and sleep in a server room with those loud delta fans and there's no actual way to test for tinnitus, they have to take your word for it.
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May 7, 2018 17:06
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Kawasaki Nun posted:My tinnitus claim got rejected despite living in a submarine engineroom where earpro is required Push back on it? There's literally no way to prove you don't have it, so someone was arbitrarily being a hardass. Especially being in an engine room, that's ridiculous.
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May 9, 2018 02:51
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Speaking of 70% PTSD... that's what I have; would I be able to get voc rehab if I have a lot of money? I see they can front you money to start your own business, and I'm thinking of opening a fabrication shop (CNC, composites, etc.), but I make like $100k/yr with ~$50k in the bank - are they going to look at me like I'm nuts? Will they be more receptive if I'm willing to match their amount with my own, or something? I get paid a lot in IT but at this point I'd take a huge cut to do something I'd actually enjoy so I don't blow my brains out; I'm considering voc rehab to give some cushion against the "don't quit your day job" factor. I'm already pretty skilled (went to voc high school, spend a lot of time in "makerspaces") but machinery/tooling is still a big investment.
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Jun 28, 2018 03:13
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Blackchamber posted:I moved recently and went to the VA for in processing for the first time. The doctor looked at my VA stuff from 2012 and decided that they didn't run the proper tests for my service connected disability (xrays check bones not discs). He is scheduling me an MRI because he suspects the problem is a bit worse than they the VA decided before. They should do it automatically and backdate your compensation to the original claim, if not just call the VA over the phone and bug them.
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Jun 29, 2018 17:09
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Soulex posted:Myhealthevet? Huh, I never heard of this site. I just signed up and it has absolutely no records about me, not while I was in nor from the VA, except that it has all my blood tests. No one told me I have slightly high cholesterol, I had no idea.
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Jul 11, 2018 05:14
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They ripped out all my wisdom teeth in basic and I've had TMJ ever since, I've had to pay for a lot of bite corrections to try to alleviate it. My dentist agrees it is probably from the wisdom extractions if it started then, but he's not willing to put that in writing so I can try to get on VA Dental. Not sure why he's hesitant when I pressed him several times, the last time he referred me to a TMJ specialist to get it in writing from them instead, but they're in the middle of nowhere so I haven't gotten a chance. Edit: If you got your wisdoms out in basic you could try the same angle for dental though.
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Aug 9, 2018 02:04
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yeah I have to just pick one in-person class and a bunch of bullshit online to not do... they still pay you BAH if you fail your community college classes right?
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Oct 5, 2018 04:42
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Sarah posted:Your BAH and tuition is still 100% covered if you fail a class.If you drop the class, you have to pay the tuition and BAH back, and you don't get the GI Bill prorated back to you for what you are paying back. So basically, if you feel like you're going to fail and you want to drop to save your GPA, it's going to cost you. So you get to decide if you want to pay it back or eat the failure. What a great system! Does uh... not showing up much count as failing or dropping out? edit: lol, I never knew there's tons of websites where I can just pay people to take all my online classes for me. If that's what it takes to cash this thing out it doesn't seem like the worst idea. I have no interest in actually completing any kind of degree anyway, I've saved up enough to retire. Zero VGS fucked around with this message at 23:02 on Oct 5, 2018 |
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Oct 5, 2018 22:55
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Nostalgia4Dogges posted:To be fair he might have gotten 0% for it, which still covers that sort of thing... No, I literally said "yeah I worked in a loud server room with server fans" and they're like sounds good here's your tinnitus 10% thanks. Like the only way they can deny something with absolutely no way to prove or disprove it is if they think you're actively malingering.
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Oct 20, 2018 00:48
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Two things I wanted to ask: 1) I got hit by a car on Friday while on my bike, messed up my back and wrists really good, so I had to go to the VA hospital. My lawyer said the VA will want to recoup the costs from the driver because they're totally at fault, so I'll need to help the VA with that. The ER docs obviously gave no shits about who was at fault and didn't charge me anything, so is the VA really gonna try to recoup their costs? I guess I don't care too much, I've just never heard of it before. 2) I had to travel to New Haven, and I forgot to bring my diet pills (paying out of pocket for a prescription at an external pharmacy). Anyone know if the local VA can spot me a handful of Welbutrins so I don't go into withdrawal? Not sure if that's the kind of thing I can fast-talk them in to by showing them my prescription. not caring here posted:Isn't there some kind of easy appeal thing where it's just to correct an administrative error for these things, or did I just make that up? Easy correcting of administrative errors? Yeah you must have dreamt it.
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Oct 20, 2018 19:42
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Does anyone know if VA Healthcare is actually considered "health insurance"? I got hit on my bicycle by a car in Massachusetts, and there's a law that covers my medical bills up to $2000 "if I have insurance", or $8000 if I have "no insurance". I want to go to physical therapy conveniently near my work or home, not to the random mountain summit the VA would send me on an expedition to, and if I'm going for more than a month then I'd easily pass the $2000 mark.
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Nov 1, 2018 23:40
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Sarah posted:Do they send you a letter at the end of the year that you are covered for tax purposes? That they do, is that what all these other laws go off of for the final say?
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Nov 2, 2018 01:36
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all apologies posted:Moved from post 911 to voc rehab since GI Bill was nearly gone, got a whole box of expensive office poo poo and a new laptop man. Crazy. Hopefully they dont gently caress it up at school and everything stays on schedule like the GI Bill was. Wait a minute, so you can take the post-911 getting BAH until the last month or two, then switch to Voc Rehab and they'll still pay BAH? For how much longer?
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Nov 19, 2018 18:24
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Welp, I went to check to see how much VA Bill I have left and apparently somehow the last time I used the VA bill was 12 years ago and now I have 33 months of benefits with 20 months left to use them. How the heck did that happen? How did a decade of my life pass in a flash? (depression lol) It says that with Covid I can finagle an extension of my GI Bill end date though? And get full BAH while taking classes remotely? I don't care one bit about an education but I would like to mop up the last of those BAH dollars.
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Mar 12, 2021 18:39
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Dorstein posted:If you have any VA disability percentage coming, you're probably eligible for VR&E, which used to be called Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment and is now something like Vet Readiness but everyone thinks it's dumb so most people just say VR&E. Wait, if I only have like another year or two before my GI Bill expires, does that mean I have only that long for VR&E or will it continue for longer or pause it or what? I'm 70%
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Jul 6, 2021 07:07
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I'm trying to work up the nerve to go ask for VR&E but I'm worried about how to justify it. I'm 70% disabled with PTSD, but I currently work IT where I make 100k/yr and I put my life savings into a multifamily where I live and rent the rest for another 100k/yr (to be fair this is Boston so it's not *that* much). But all of my job is tickets, and all of my property is tickets, I just lie on the couch overwhelmed by whatever tickets I have left at the end of the day, and I feel like when the VR&E rep sees I make 4x what they do, I'm gonna get the guillotine. I wanna leave the rentals to a management company and leave this job to go and build sustainable energy projects before this hellworld boils over. It's all I think about all day. What's the point of any of this if the planet is flooded in a few more generations? Sounds dorky as hell but I can't loving shake it and it is a paralyzing obsession. I spent a few weeks hanging out at a makerspace and I don't think I've ever been so happy just building gadgets. I don't know if there's any way to parlay VR&E into becoming an energy sustainability inventor/entrepreneur. The whole VR&E project sounds very "don't quit your day job" and wants to get you into something "safe" when I can afford to (and need to) do something way more adventurous and independent to keep my sanity.
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Jul 7, 2021 17:28
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Well I quit hemming and hawing and just called up the Boston VA. They put me straight through to a VR&E rep who explained stuff and gave me an app, and set me up for an appointment in a week. That was a lot less painful than a lot of the VA dealings I've had lately. Like how they had me drive 2 hours to the same dentist three times now for my TMJ claim, and the dentist has no idea what I'm doing there each time.
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Jul 8, 2021 00:25
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Mr. Nice! posted:Depending on the state, you can collect unemployment and gi bill at the same time. GI Bill and VR&E both will pay you while you work on a PHR cert through an accredited program. GI Bill benefits, like VA Disability payments, are very specifically neither taxable nor income to the feds. I would be surprised if there's any state law that can override that.
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Jul 8, 2021 15:28
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Mr. Nice! posted:Florida absolutely will deny unemployment benefits if you're getting too much tax free money from the feds. Each state is different and their unemployment system is based entirely on state law. They can count what they want to count. Ask a lawyer in your state obviously, but since all the guidelines say that VA benefits aren't income and aren't taxable, you shouldn't have to report it to the state, and they shouldn't have a mechanism for finding out, nor punishing you if you don't mention it. State law says I have to pay a sales tax for things I buy, but the veteran-accessible ShopMyExchange.com says "not for stuff bought here, gently caress off Taxachusetts". edit: If a state says something more cut and dry like "students can't collect unemployment" then that's another story. Zero VGS fucked around with this message at 18:42 on Jul 8, 2021 |
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Jul 8, 2021 18:26
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PageMaster posted:Just learned about travel reimbursement for VA appts and posting here just in case someone didn't know either. Lost out on a lot over the past year since it needs to be within 30 days of the appt. For me they were claiming to be automatically calculating/paying it. Like they went off distance from my address and I guess direct deposited 55 cents a mile or whatever.
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Jul 9, 2021 07:47
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Hell yeah, thank you all for the advice on VR&E. I was months away from my GI Bill expiring, but now I'm officially locked in to take vocational courses and earn E5+dependants BAH until 2028 (or until they decide I've learned enough).
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Jul 15, 2021 20:02
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loving damnit, every time I go into the VA lately they're all like "HEY HAVE YOU BEEN EXPOSED TO BURN PITS?!" and I'm like "well yeah but not from that list of Middle Eastern countries" and they're like "Oh well too bad then!" Now I see a page that specifically mentions Waste Incinerators in Japan, which is what I was doing constantly, taking heaps of plastic crypto stuff to be torched. Oh yeah, and they diagnosed me with asthma a few years back and prescribed me an inhaler. I cough like all day every day for no reason. Has anyone here had experience in filing for the burn pit thing outside of the Middle East zones?
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Oct 23, 2023 16:05
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PageMaster posted:What's the actual reality of CBD while on dod and VA disability pension? Currentlyon cancer treatment, and ive read it to be effective for others' nausea, pain, anxiety,and irritability, mood swings, which sounds great compared to the 7 different medications being offered to me right now, but I'm not sure of the legalities and risks as far as affecting benefits. Ironically it would just be better if the VA would prescribe it to me so then I'd at least know how to take it, dosage, types,etc. It is legal in my state, but I'm not sure I want to blindly walk into a dispensary and just say please give me a serving of your finest CbD please eand thanks. (I know absolutely nothing about this and would've even know what I'm looking for) Sorry about your cancer. Smoking weed doesn't affect your benefits (unless you go to jail from it somehow, in which case benefits are paused if you're in jail long-term), so CBD won't affect them either. The VA will not prescribe you either of them as the FDA doesn't approve either for medical use. If it makes you feel any better, the touted CBD benefits are likely just a placebo effect. I've never had CBD (or weed) but I mean, if you're going to bother maybe just skip to weed since it actually does something. https://www.publichealth.va.gov/marijuana.asp
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Nov 4, 2023 20:21
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PageMaster posted:Would they also cover accessibility helping peripherals? VA can be a bit stone-age and might be lacking in instruction for how to evaluate game peripherals, but it doesn't hurt to ask. I would think a 3rd-party charity like https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/programs would be all over this is if you called them. It's a modest request and bespoke controllers wouldn't be a fraction of the cost of a wheelchair lift or a prosthetic. If they don't directly buy you the stuff they would at least help you prepare a request to the VA and help your odds. I have some injuries myself and you might also check out: - Xbox Elite Series 2 controller, it has rear paddles which can move extra buttons to your right hand, and has built-in Windows 11 support to remap both buttons and keyboard keys to it - Microsoft.com sells the Adaptive Controller which lets you plug all sorts of things into it like foot pedals and bite switches, which they also sell, and have a dedicated support number for - Tobii makes an eye-tracker for Windows which lets you move a mouse cursor to where you're looking at, or click with winking/blinking. For me it was tiring to use exclusively, but helpful to use it in combination with half a controller for Diablo-style games
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Jan 1, 2024 10:53
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If you get "real" health insurance there's a couple perks, one is that you can get prescribed new stuff like Wegovy without an act of congress, and the other is that on the off chance you're injured (like car accident), I don't think the normal insurance puts a lien on the damages you sue for. Whereas if the VA gives you $10000 in treatment and xrays for the car accident, you'll never "owe" it to them unless you sue and get an award, then they'll recover that amount out of it and you'll get little or nothing. edit: Oh, does Tricare have dental? I haven't seen a dentist since my job laid my off, that might be something to consider Zero VGS fucked around with this message at 19:28 on Jan 12, 2024 |
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Jan 12, 2024 19:02
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