DAVID VOLTA DIAGNOSED WITH MANTLE CELL LYMPHOMA

ANNOUCEMENT:  It Comes With A Heavy Heart To Inform You That I Have Been Diagnosed With Mantle Cell Lymphoma Cancer (MCL) People also ask... "What is the survival rate of mantle cell lymphoma?" What is the prognosis of mantle cell lymphoma? MCL has a poor prognosis, even with appropriate therapy. Usually, physicians note treatment failures in less than 18 months, and the median survival time of individuals with MCL is about two to five years. The 10-year survival rate is only about 5%-10%. I pray that I fall in the later, 10-year survival rate (5%-10%). I'm a "Cold War"/"Peace-time Veteran & I proudly served & was Honorably  Discharged from the U.S. NAVY 1978 - 1981.   Going forward, I now face a BIG Battle with a tedious, regimental  journey with heavy financial  burdens, & I would like  your Help. I am without words, but know this, I will fight as long as I can for my life, and when the time comes, I would love to leave with a smile, and happy to have met almost EVERYONE ! Much love & Respect..... THANK  YOU ALL !!! Sincerely,  David Volta… . NOTE: YOU CAN VISIT WWW. VA.GOV • Five Myths About VA Health Care Eligibility •Myth Number One: I wasn’t injured in the service, so I’m not eligible for VA health care. Status: False; One of the most common myths revolves around eligibility for health care at VA. Many think that you have to first establish a disability rating before you can start to make appointments, see doctors and receive medication. That is not the case. If you served in the military, even during peace time, and were honorably discharged, you likely qualify for VA care. Even if you don’t meet those requirements, special circumstances might apply, like Vietnam service, exposure to Agent Orange and household income. The best way to find out if you qualify is to submit an application for health benefits. You can fill one out online or at a VA Medical Center. If you are an Iraq or Afghanistan Veteran, there are special combat Veteran benefits from VA, like temporary access to dental care and guaranteed access to Priority 6 for five years (unless you are eligible for a higher priority group). See the priority enrollment groups here. Also, if new regulations are established regarding health benefits, VA will automatically reassess your case if it’s on file. •Myth Number Two: I can only receive care for service connected injuries. Status: False; You can receive VA hospital and outpatient care for any ailment, service connected or not if you are enrolled in the VA healthcare system, but you may have to pay a copayment. For example, if a Veteran is service-connected for a bad knee, any VA hospital and outpatient care and medication for the knee is free of charge. However, if the same Vet goes into surgery to remove an appendix and it’s not service connected, he may be subject to a co-pay depending on the amount of his disability rating and other factors. Familiarize yourself with co-pay guidelines and rates. A small number of Veterans, such as those with bad conduct discharges that VA has determined were issued under conditions other than honorable and who are not subject to certain statutory bars to benefits, can only be treated for their service connected disabilities and nothing else. If one of those Vets is service connected for their left foot, they can only use VA health care for their left foot and nothing else. • Myth Number Three: I make too much money to qualify for VA health care. Status: It depends If you do not have a service connected disability, you may want to use VA’s financial calculator to see if you qualify for free VA care, medication and travel benefits. If your income is too high (over a maximum income level set every year), you may have to pick up the tab for traveling and receive your care and medication by paying a co-pay. Recently, the rules have been changed for Priority 8 Veterans to permit more of them to enroll for VA health care. Go here for more information and an income calculator to see if you qualify under the new rules. • Myth Number Four: I can’t use VA health care if I have private health insurance. Status: False From VA’s Health Eligibility Center Director Tony Guagliardo: “We strongly encourage Veterans to receive all your health care through VA. However, if you choose to receive treatment from private doctors, VA will work with them to meet your health care needs and coordinate effective treatment. We call this Co-managed Care or Dual Care — which means that your VA and private doctors will work together to provide safe, appropriate, and ethical medical care.” • Myth Number Five: If I’m 100 percent disabled, that means I’m permanently disabled Status: False You could have a 100 percent disability rating as a temporary status while you undergo surgery, and have it reduced to its previous rating after you heal. 100 percent doesn’t necessarily stay with you. ** My hope is that this information sheds a little light on the sometimes confusing realm of VA medical care. These myths and answers are very general, but we hope to receive more specific questions in the comment section. We look forward to dispelling myths about other parts of VA as well. •Health Benefits: •Make A Payment You must pay your balance in full by the due date on the initial billing statement to avoid late charges and/or collection actions. In an effort to make paying your VA bills as easy as possible, VA offers several ways to pay your VA bill:… Person: At your local Veteran Affairs Medical Center’s Agent Cashier’s Office By Phone: Contact VA at 1-888-827-4817 Online: Pay by ACH withdrawal from your bank account, or by debit or credit card at www.pay.gov By Mail: Make check or money order payable to “VA” and include account number and payment stub. ••• Submit to: Department of Veterans Affairs, P.O. Box 3978, Portland, OR 97208-3978 ••• • Payment by Check… When you provide a check as payment, you authorize VA to either use information from your check to make a one-time electronic fund transfer from your account or to process the payment as a check transaction. If VA uses information from your check to make an electronic fund transfer, funds may be withdrawn from your account as soon as the day we process your payment, and you will not receive your check back from the financial institution. The VA Notice of Privacy Practices, IB 10-163, which outlines your privacy rights, is available online at www.va.gov/vhapublications, or you may obtain a copy by writing the VHA Privacy Office (10P2C1) at 810 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20420. Late Charges VA is required to assess late charges on balances that remain unpaid thirty (30) days after the statement date. These charges consist of interest and administrative fees at rates established each year. Interest will be charged from the date charges first appear on the statement. You can avoid these charges by making timely payments. A monthly administrative cost or collection fee will be added to your debt if, within thirty (30) days of the date of the statement on which charges first appear, full payment of the debt is not received or a repayment plan agreement is not approved. If an installment repayment plan is established and any installment is not received by the due date, the monthly administrative cost or collection fee will thereafter be charged until the debt is paid. Other collection costs may be added to the debt if additional collection actions become necessary. Choice Program Billing Issues VA Call Center Helps Veterans with Choice Program Billing Issues * Veterans who receive care through the Choice Program and are experiencing adverse credit reporting or debt collections resulting from inappropriate or delayed Choice Program billing can work directly with VA’s call center staff at 1-877-881-7618 to resolve these issues. Veterans are encouraged to continue working with their VA primary care team to obtain necessary health care services regardless of adverse credit reporting or debt collection activity. For more details about the Veterans Choice Program and VA’s progress, visit: www.va.gov/opa/choiceact. Veterans seeking to use the Veterans Choice Program can call 1-866-606-8198 to find out more about the program, confirm their eligibility and schedule an appointment.