Pensacola veterans can skip middleman to enroll in benefits at Pensacola VA Clinic

Benjamin Johnson, Pensacola News Journal
·2 min read

The Pensacola Veterans Affairs Clinic is expecting nearly 1,000 veterans to show up at their front door Saturday to take part in their benefits enrollment program aimed to cut through governmental red tape.

All U.S. military veterans can head to the Pensacola VA Clinic Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon where a team of VA claims processors working for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will be on standby to either begin health care benefits enrollment or begin an appeal for a denied benefits claims.

"Anybody who has ever been denied a claim by the VA, now is your chance to speak with the person face to face without having to go through the middleman," Public Affairs Specialist Jason Boatwright told the News Journal. "For instance, if you've got a veteran who has been denied, denied, well they can talk to this guy and say, 'I want to go see a judge" — let's put him on the docket. Done.

"This is the problem our area has," Boatwright continued. "We've got great people here, but they can only do so much."

Military veterans can visit the Pensacola VA Clinic Saturday beginning at 8 a.m. where a team of VA claims processors will be on standby to either begin health care benefits enrollment or begin an appeal for a denied benefits claims.
Military veterans can visit the Pensacola VA Clinic Saturday beginning at 8 a.m. where a team of VA claims processors will be on standby to either begin health care benefits enrollment or begin an appeal for a denied benefits claims.

Boatwright also said there will be roughly 30 local vendors from Realtors to car salesmen to help veterans find housing or transportation, and local representatives like Michelle Salzman, Matt Gaetz and D.C. Reeves will also show up to provide support.

If you're a veteran and attend the event, Boatwright said once you walk in the front door and see the entire enrollment team, and we'll ask them, "Are you enrolled in VA health care?" If not, then they'll immediately enroll them into their benefits "right then and there."

After that, Boatwright says the team will ask the veterans if they'd like a toxic exposure screening if they've been exposed to things such as agent orange, burn pits or asbestos during their military service.

The Gulf Coast VA Health Care System and Montgomery Veterans Benefits Administration will host the event from 8 a.m. until noon. It is open to all veterans and family members, and veterans will need to bring proof of military service to enroll in health care.

Pensacola VA Clinic is located at 790 Veterans Way.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola VA Clinic to hold health care benefits enrollment fair