Federal, State and Local Veterans Organizations Partner to Improve Access to Benefits for Rural Veterans

Long distances, limited transportation options, and a lack of nearby facilities often mean waiting months for critical appointments and exams. 

A recent event in North Platte aimed to change that.

The June 4-5 PACT Act Claims Clinic and Information Fair at the D & N Event Center in North Platte was organized by the Veterans Benefits Administration’s Lincoln Regional Office in partnership with the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System. It brought together a wide range of resources and services under one roof, making it easier for Veterans to get the help they need closer to home. 

The law's full name is The Sergeant First Class (SFC) Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act. The Nebraska Department of Veteran Affairs also supported the clinic and information fair. 

According to Nate Whisenhunt, a change management agent for the Veteran Business Administration’s Lincoln Regional Office, a total of 272 Veterans attended the two-day event, while 214 new claims were initiated, of which 105 were PACT Act related.

Those numbers, said Levi Bennett, deputy director of the Nebraska Department of Veterans Affairs, show the impact that such events can have upon Veterans living in the rural parts of Nebraska.

"One of the greatest values of having an event in North Platte is we're getting out in the western part of the state where it's much harder to get Compensation and Pension exams done," said Bennett. "We have some (Veterans) waiting six and nine months to get a C&P exam for something they submitted several months ago."

For Veterans living in the central Nebraska and the state’s panhandle region, getting a C&P exam can mean traveling to Colorado, Kansas, or South Dakota, depending on their location. This presents a significant barrier, especially for those with mobility issues or limited access to transportation.

Denise Cottingham, a licensed social worker with the North Platte VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic, emphasized the importance the June 4-5 event. “The North Platte (VA) Clinic covers all the way to the Colorado border, down to Kansas, and up towards Valentine,” said Cottingham. “So, a lot of our folks drive two to three hours just to get our clinic as it is… so for them to have to drive even farther would be pretty much a hardship, and a lot of people probably wouldn’t file claims that would normally be eligible to file claims.” 

Whisenhunt said that by bringing a large VA claims clinic and information fair to locations like North Platte, VA officials hope to take away some of the burdens that local rural Veterans often feel. 

“The purpose of coming to North Platte is to help service Veterans and provide benefits for Veterans that are in central and western Nebraska where there aren’t the bigger cities with more resources for Veterans. There are a lot of opportunities for Veterans to get seen at a claims clinic like this, so they don’t have to work through the process of seeing contract examiners or waiting for doctors in the community. We can just bring the doctors to the Veterans in one central location, and they can get all their benefits taken care of all at once,” he said.

For example, he added a total 167 exams were ordered and conducted onsite at the D&N Event Center during the North Platte claims clinic. This follows a similar amount during earlier PACT Act claims clinics conducted at other locations in Nebraska.

Another advantage of the VA’s PACT Act claims clinic and information fair is its ability to bring together a wide range of resources in one place. Veterans can access comprehensive support from VA health care and benefits to county and state-level services.

"Events like this, when it gets broadcast out, give an opportunity where you have all these resources under one roof," said Bennett. "You have Veterans' benefits, Veterans' health. We have county representatives, The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), American Legion, and Disabled American Veterans (DAV) here. So, we can cover pretty much anything a Veteran has. If one person doesn't have the expertise, they can bring over somebody else."

This collaborative approach ensures that Veterans can get answers to their questions and guidance on navigating the often-complex web of services and benefits available.

For example, according to Dave Conrad, the health care enrollment and outreach specialist for VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, he spoke to between 150-175 Veterans during the North Platte event. Of those, Conrad said, he was able to assist several dozen in either applying or reapplying for VA health care.

The VBA also had a strong presence at the event, with 14 people on location, 10 of whom were dedicated to taking in claims. But the support didn’t end there. “We do have a team back in Lincoln of anywhere from about 60 to 100 people that are processing these claims on the back end,” Whisenhunt said. “We have four coaches overseeing that whole team back there. So yeah, we’ve got a big group working through these claims here.”

The North Platte PACT Act claims clinic and information fair drew a diverse crowd, with Veterans of various eras in attendance. Bennett noted that he had just finished speaking with a Veteran who had served in Korea, underscoring the broad impact of events like this.

"One of the biggest things of an event like this is the educational component," said Bennett. He said some Veterans may have heard negative things about the VA years ago and never followed up, while others don't know where to start. 

"Many of them don't know they're eligible or never enrolled," Bennett said. "They heard bad things years ago and never did anything with it. And now they're talking to enrolled friends, but don't know how to go about it."

Cottingham agreed, saying one particular story helped underline the power of the event. 

“Yesterday, we had a Veteran and a wife come in. We had worked with the Veteran Service Officer prior to trying to complete a hardship to get him eligible for VA care. He has a terminal lung condition, which he needs a transplant. His wife got fired the day before the claims clinic, so they returned here.” 

A combined team of specialists, located both onsite and at their respective home offices, assisted the couple in filing the hardship form, which was then approved the same day. The team then worked with couple to schedule an appointment at the  North Platte a couple days later. 

“What that means is the VA can assist him with the lung transplant, getting him screened, and getting all that process done,” said Cottingham. 

For Veterans unsure if they qualify for benefits under the PACT Act, Bennett's advice is simple: ask. "Reach out to your county Veterans service officer or state service officer," he said, adding that the NDVA website features a locator tool that allows Veterans to easily find their county Veterans service officer. "Ask the question. Get out there."

Cottingham echoed this sentiment, encouraging Veterans to stay on top of their claims with their Veteran Service Officer and to reach out if they have any questions about their health care. “Regardless of whether they have a claim or not, come in and see us. We’ll help them get taken care of,” she said. “If they’re not eligible right now, there are ways to assist them in getting that eligibility so they can receive VA health care.”

For those who were unable to attend the North Platte event, Whisenhunt encouraged Veterans to connect with their county Veterans service officers. “We will continue to host these claims clinics events, and if they do miss this clinic and they want another clinic out this way, please talk to their county service officers, talk to the VA, and let us know, ‘Hey, there is a need out here.’”

“We obviously see the need; we obviously see the value just from this clinic,” he added. “So, we will do as many of these as we feasibly can to get out to the community and provide easier access to the benefits these Veterans are entitled to.”

The claims clinic in North Platte is just one of the various places the VBA targets to reach underserved Veteran communities. In April, the Lincoln VBA regional office and VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System partnered to conduct a two-day PACT Act claims clinic and information fair in Fremont. They also participated in single-day events in Winnebago and Santee. 

An additional PACT Act claims clinic is scheduled for Atkinson on July 17-18.