CORPUS CHRISTI (Kiii News) — Martin Longoria is the Veterans Services officer for Nueces County.
He said they've been conducting classes for veterans who can be confused by the health services they qualify for and don't realize that they can use both.
"Some prefer Medicare because it's quicker to get appointments," Longoria said. "And then just some have been going to the V.A. for years and they're comfortable."
Longoria said it's hard to keep up with health services offered to veterans, especially if they're healthy and don't need medical services until later in life.
"The reason we came up with the Veterans 101 is to educate the older veteran community on what is best to utilize," Longoria said.
There are approximately 31,000 veterans in Nueces County and only 15,000 are on file with the V.A., but Longoria said you need to be registered with the V.A. for any future emergencies.
Dotson Lewis, who teaches part-time at Del Mar College, assists with the training and said many veterans don't realize some of the rules when they have a sudden illness or accident.
"If you're a veteran and go to the emergency room, you go if you need to go to the emergency room but make sure within 72 hours that you notify the V.A. clinic," Lewis said.
Lewis said you'll find out how V.A. health benefits can be utilized for your emergency.
"You need to know when your transition from healthcare to eligibility for Medicare, what your responsibilities are, what your eligibility is, and which is the best for you and how you can have it," Lewis said.
Longoria said caregivers or family members can attend Veterans 101 training so that someone close to a veteran can arrange medical care.
The Veterans 101 training will be held Saturday, Aug. 25 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Del Mar College Economic Development Center on South Staples Street.
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