RAO Subic will be closed until May 31, 2020

RAO Update On Services

Please pass to all members you know, it's very important info!

Hi fellow inmates, haha, just kidding. Hope you are all well and adjusting to the changes we are all going through together. Just finished going through all the new rules with all the different areas putting out different directions. Getting dizzy trying to figure out all the new acronyms and new key words. I guess there is some prestige associated with how many letters your cities lockdown has in its acronym. Seems like they are spending a lot of time in the dictionary or thesaurus to find new words that describe isolation or lockdown. I guess its all good though, vocabularies are being expanded, and it is better than just hearing them say uh Ano? Anyway, after spending hours writing an SOP on how we can open and function in any meaningful capacity, and studying what we are permitted to do, it comes down to we cannot yet open.

The guiding city is Olongapo because of the office location. Based on the national rules we would be ok to open, but part of their rules is employees must be residents in Olongapo. Only one of ours is so we basically cant. So its back to looking at ways to continue to serve you. Have done quite a bit of out of the box stuff to get the meds and checks out and now am trying to tackle the mail. Looking at what I call mobile mailroom. As most know we have been getting the meds and checks out by having staff go to the different cities between Olongapo and Castellejos and disbursing them. The cities we cant reach for a variety of reasons (mainly travel restrictions)we have been sending stuff via courier. (some we cant do that with because of the cities restrictions on couriers coming in) It has worked really well because of our being blessed with a very dedicated team.

The mobile mailroom is a similar idea. Basically when we get mail, we will contact the recipients and see if they want it, and will set up a meet to deliver it in your area. (that is contingent on having a good contact number for you). If you are in an outlying area we cant reach we will offer the opportunity of having it send via courier. We have been paying the tab thus far but if we do the mobile mailroom, it will not be feasible to do that, so the courier service will need to be COD. Unless you're getting an encyclopedia set the cost should only be a couple hundred peso's at most. The biggest part of the plan is dependent on our having a way to contact you, so please make sure we have your contact info by emailing to dirraosubic@gmail.com. We will also be offering the opportunity for those who have been unable to pay their dues the chance to take care of that too on these trips.

We have been getting questions on the Embassy and their operational abilities. Basically the ACS is not able to provide services at this time, same for SSA. The VA regional office is closed as is the clinic, except for the pharmacy who has been doing a wonderful job in support of our initiatives. The clinic will very soon announce a new out of the box program where you will be able to do a appt with your Dr telephonically. Physical appts right now cannot be scheduled due to the restrictions on travel in Manila, so this will be a great way to get your healthcare and scripts renewed. The FPO is doing wonders with a skeleton crew and is a huge part of our initiatives. The only part of the mail which isnt operational is outgoing mail, and thats only because you cant get U S stamps to mail your stuff. We could offer that on the mobile mailroom but the logistics of scales and rate etc would be almost impossible. I will announce the mobile mailroom soon as I get all the logistics all settled but should be able to start soon barring any changes to the alphabet of isolation.

Oh almost forgot, you may have heard about the Philippine Red Cross and SBMA setting up a virus testing facility. It is getting real close. They are still waiting for the DOH to give final approval and also they are asking for donations of computer equipment to help in the testing. If you have some, you are not using, please consider their request. I've done a lot of research on this and have found that TRICARE will pay for the testing and the Dr's appt required to get the approval for the test, on a reimbursable bases. The good news is it will be 100 percent reimbursed. I'm told the cost will be somewhere in the area of P4000 per test.

Please stay safe and healthy. Remember we are all in this together. Years from now we will look back and laugh at how silly we were with some of our complaints. Not! We are now in the Age of Wonder. I wonder what day it is? I wonder when this will end? I wonder where I put my keys? I wonder what I'm going to do with myself today and on and on. Keep smiling, it makes people wonder if you are right in the head or not. Til next time Semper Fi!

Quick Update: RAO Closure

Just a quick update. We are still not able to open. Maybe the next echelon of "Q" will permit that hopefully. But we continue our adhoc runs in getting the mail/meds and checks weekly due to the fabulous team we have assembled. Short an sweet story is, if you get mail or meds we will get them too you provided we have a up to date valid contact for you. Please dont assume we do, as many have moved or changed numbers since they originally joined and gave us numbers and addresses. This week we are adding outgoing mail to our bag of thicks. You will be able to give our staff your outgoing and pay for postage. Would be good if you do a postage deposit, for future use. For mbrs in Olongapo , SBFZ, and north to Castellejos, we will have staff go to those cities to hand out mail. For Bataan and Northern cities we will have to send your stuff by courier on your dime. We contact you first to ensure you want it. Stay safe we want to be able to say hi to all of you when this is over!

VA Manila Outpatient Clinic

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

May 17, 2020

Important Updates from VA Manila

Last week, the President of the Republic of the Philippines and the Philippine Department of Health announced further extensions of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) within Metro Manila through May 31, 2020. Manila and the National Capital Region will continue to remain in a quarantine state through the first week of June, after which time businesses and commercial activity may begin to slowly reopen based on the real-time conditions and the availability of testing for COVID19 in the Philippines. Public transportation and limited international and domestic air travel will continue likely well into the second week of June, making travel in and around the Philippines a challenge. Accordingly, the VA Manila Outpatient Clinic will remain closed for scheduled and walk-in health care appointments until July 2, 2020.

During the last several weeks, the Clinic has made significant technological advances and been able to secure remote access to our systems for our medical providers. With these improvements, VA Manila will begin offering limited telephone appointments for Primary Care and Mental Health between May 20 and July 2, 2020. Our doctors are reviewing their appointment lists of Veterans who had appointments that were cancelled in March and April, as well as those Veterans who have upcoming appointments for the rest of May and June scheduled. Based on their clinical review, we are contacting some Veterans to see if they would like to schedule a telephone appointment with their PCP. While this will be a little different of an experience for many of our Veterans, we feel it is better that you have access to your providers during your scheduled appointments. Veterans continue to have the option to have a telephone appointment. If you are not comfortable with scheduling a telephone appointment or would prefer to have a face-to-face visit, please let the scheduler know when they contact you.

If this will be your first telephone appointment, I’d like to offer a few recommendations to make sure you get the most out of the appointment.

Make sure VA has the most up-to-date and current phone number for you. If your phone has recently changed, please make sure you send a secure message to your primary care team to update your record. VA will typically try to reach you at your home phone first (if you have provided it to VA), before attempting to reach you on your mobile phone.

Please make sure you are seated in a private area without background noise a few minutes before your scheduled telephone appointment. This will make it easier for you and your provider to have a conversation and lead to fewer distractions.

Take a few minutes to prepare for the appointment by writing down any issues or concerns you would like to discuss with your provider. Additionally, it is helpful if you have your medications nearby for the appointment, so that you and your provider can conduct a reconciliation of your medications.

If you have the results of any recent lab work, diagnostic testing, your blood sugar or blood pressure levels, be sure to have that handy too so you can relay that information to your provider.

If you are not able to keep your scheduled telephone appointment, please be sure to let VA know at least 3 days in advance. This allows us to offer your appointment to another fellow Veteran.

Veterans with scheduled specialty care appointments between now and July 2, 2020, those appointments have been cancelled and will need to be rescheduled. Your team scheduler will contact you when VA Manila reopens to reschedule those appointments. It is much more challenging for a specialty care provider to conduct their appointments via telephone. VA Manila is unable to add video tele-conferencing services to our telephone appointments, mostly due to the limited availability of high speed internet services outside of Metro Manila. Also, most of our specialty providers will need for you to have x-rays, lab work, or use other diagnostic equipment during your appointment that is only available in-person at VA Manila. As such, we have had to cancel all scheduled specialty appointments through July 2, 2020. This impacts the following specialty clinics:

• Audiology
• Gastroenterology (GI)
• Otolaryngology (ENT)
• Cardiology
• Neurology
• Pulmonology
• Dermatology
• Ophthalmology
• Renal / Nephrology
• Endocrinology
• Orthopedics
• Rheumatology

If you had a scheduled appointment in one of the above clinics between May 20 to July 2, 2020, your appointment has automatically been cancelled and VA Manila will contact you once the Clinic reopens and begins conducting face-to-face appointments again. For urgently needed specialty care, Veterans may continue to seek care from community providers and seek reimbursement of your expenses through VA’s Foreign Medical Program.

Pharmacy Updates

Air 21 has resumed service delivery to even more areas in the Philippines over the last ten days. Nearly all of the Philippines is now serviceable for delivery with Air 21 and LBC. While there are still a handful of areas which remain unserved, there are very few Veterans who reside in those areas. Below is the most recent service advisory we received from Air21 for your awareness of where they currently are accepting packages for delivery.

For areas that remain unserved by Air21 or LBC, you are advised to continue purchasing needed medications from community providers. If those medications are for a service-connected condition, you are eligible to seek reimbursement from VA’s Foreign Medical Program. Both Air21 and LBC may experience delays in shipping, and some local barangays may refuse entry to the courier companies’ drivers – in which case Veterans may need to collect their packages from the closest office.

Veterans with questions about medication refills can contact the Outpatient Clinic through Secure Messenger within the MyHealtheVet online portal. Veterans can also use MyHealtheVet to request medication refills, or contact the Automated Pharmacy Refill Line at: #MyVA (#6982), Option 8 or +63-02-8550-3888, Option 8.

The RAO and Embassy Fleet Post Office continue to coordinate weekly pickups of medications and other important mail for delivery to the RAOs in Subic and Angeles. FPO is continuing to look for other options for the other RAO FPO boxes and how we can get that mail to Veterans.

Updates from the US Embassy

For Americans who have remained in the Philippines and who are trying to return to the United States, the US Embassy in partnership with Philippines Airlines is coordinating two flights in the next 10 days to help stranded Americans return home. Additional details are provided below:

U.S. Citizens in the Philippines: The deadline to register your interest in the special Philippine Airlines (PAL) flights to Los Angeles and San Francisco and/or sweeper flights is fast approaching. The registration link will close on Monday, May 18 at 11:59 p.m. (Manila time). Click here to register now (https://mypal.vip/url/USARepatFlight).

PAL has announced the following flight schedule:

• May 21 from Manila to Los Angeles with two domestic sweeper flights - one from Cebu and one from Davao.
• May 26 from Manila to San Francisco with eight domestic sweeper flights from Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Dumaguete, Iloilo, Siargao, and Tagbilaran.

All flight arrangements will be made by PAL, not the US Embassy. You must submit a working phone number and include all local or international area codes through the registration website provided above. PAL will contact you to arrange payment and ticketing after you have registered for the flights, so check your contact details carefully before submitting the survey and keep your phone on and handy. The cost of the one-way flight from the Philippines to Los Angeles/San Francisco is $1,200 (plus taxes and fees). Sweeper flights from anywhere in the Philippines to Manila will cost $200 (plus taxes and fees).

For the PAL sweeper flights, you MUST have proof of an onward international flight. If that flight is NOT within 24 hours, you also MUST have proof of a confirmed hotel reservation in Manila until your international flight departs. You CANNOT take a sweeper flight without an onward international flight confirmation.

Actions to Take:

1. Monitor local news for updates.
2. Consult the CDC website for the most up-to-date information.
3. For the most recent information on what you can do to reduce your risk of contracting COVID-19, please see the CDC’s latest recommendations.
4. Visit the COVID-19 crisis page on travel.state.gov for the latest information.
5. Visit our Embassy webpage on COVID-19 here for information on conditions in the Philippines.
6. Visit the Department of Homeland Security’s website on the latest travel restrictions to the U.S.
7. Consult resources below as necessary:

• Philippine Department of Health (DOH)
• Philippine Department of Health (FAQs)
• Philippine Bureau of Immigration (BI)
• Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA)
• Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs
• Philippine Department Of Interior and Local Government
• Philippine Department of Tourism
• COVID-19 crisis page on travel.state.gov
• CDC page on COVID-19
• Philippines Travel Advisory
• Philippines Country Information Page

Assistance:

U.S. Embassy in the Philippines

1201 Roxas Boulevard

+63(2) 5301-2000, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday

After-hours emergency number for U.S. citizens is +(63)(2) 5301-2000.

State Department–Consular Affairs 888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444.

State Department’s travel website for the Worldwide Caution, Travel Advisories, Alerts, and the Philippines Country Specific Information.

Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook

As always, you are welcome to reach out to me directly with issues or concerns. We are all working to do everything we can to assist you during this time. My email is: daniel.gutkoski2@va.gov – and I do my best to respond to everyone within 24 hours, even on the weekends.

Stay healthy and continue to be safe during these difficult times.

RAO Updates on Services

May 15, 2020

please pass to all members you know, it's very important info!

Hi fellow inmates, haha, just kidding. Hope you are all well and adjusting to the changes we are all going through together. Just finished going through all the new rules with all the different areas putting out different directions. Getting dizzy trying to figure out all the new acronyms and new key words. I guess there is some prestige associated with how many letters your cities lockdown has in its acronym. Seems like they are spending a lot of time in the dictionary or thesaurus to find new words that describe isolation or lockdown. I guess its all good though, vocabularies are being expanded, and it is better than just hearing them say uh Ano? Anyway, after spending hours writing an SOP on how we can open and function in any meaningful capacity, and studying what we are permitted to do, it comes down to we cannot yet open.

The guiding city is Olongapo because of the office location. Based on the national rules we would be ok to open, but part of their rules is employees must be residents in Olongapo. Only one of ours is so we basically cant. So its back to looking at ways to continue to serve you. Have done quite a bit of out of the box stuff to get the meds and checks out and now am trying to tackle the mail. Looking at what I call mobile mailroom. As most know we have been getting the meds and checks out by having staff go to the different cities between Olongapo and Castellejos and disbursing them. The cities we cant reach for a variety of reasons (mainly travel restrictions)we have been sending stuff via courier. (some we cant do that with because of the cities restrictions on couriers coming in) It has worked really well because of our being blessed with a very dedicated team.

The mobile mailroom is a similar idea. Basically when we get mail, we will contact the recipients and see if they want it, and will set up a meet to deliver it in your area. (that is contingent on having a good contact number for you). If you are in an outlying area we cant reach we will offer the opportunity of having it send via courier. We have been paying the tab thus far but if we do the mobile mailroom, it will not be feasible to do that, so the courier service will need to be COD. Unless you're getting an encyclopedia set the cost should only be a couple hundred peso's at most. The biggest part of the plan is dependent on our having a way to contact you, so please make sure we have your contact info by emailing to dirraosubic@gmail.com. We will also be offering the opportunity for those who have been unable to pay their dues the chance to take care of that too on these trips.

We have been getting questions on the Embassy and their operational abilities. Basically the ACS is not able to provide services at this time, same for SSA. The VA regional office is closed as is the clinic, except for the pharmacy who has been doing a wonderful job in support of our initiatives. The clinic will very soon announce a new out of the box program where you will be able to do a appt with your Dr telephonically. Physical appts right now cannot be scheduled due to the restrictions on travel in Manila, so this will be a great way to get your healthcare and scripts renewed. The FPO is doing wonders with a skeleton crew and is a huge part of our initiatives. The only part of the mail which isnt operational is outgoing mail, and thats only because you cant get U S stamps to mail your stuff. We could offer that on the mobile mailroom but the logistics of scales and rate etc would be almost impossible. I will announce the mobile mailroom soon as I get all the logistics all settled but should be able to start soon barring any changes to the alphabet of isolation.

Oh almost forgot, you may have heard about the Philippine Red Cross and SBMA setting up a virus testing facility. It is getting real close. They are still waiting for the DOH to give final approval and also they are asking for donations of computer equipment to help in the testing. If you have some, you are not using, please consider their request. I've done a lot of research on this and have found that TRICARE will pay for the testing and the Dr's appt required to get the approval for the test, on a reimbursable bases. The good news is it will be 100 percent reimbursed. I'm told the cost will be somewhere in the area of P4000 per test.

Please stay safe and healthy. Remember we are all in this together. Years from now we will look back and laugh at how silly we were with some of our complaints. Not! We are now in the Age of Wonder. I wonder what day it is? I wonder when this will end? I wonder where I put my keys? I wonder what I'm going to do with myself today and on and on. Keep smiling, it makes people wonder if you are right in the head or not. Til next time Semper Fi!

SBMA Needs Medical Volunteers

Tired of sitting at home during the lockdown? Do you have medical training? Are you a corpsman or medic?

14 MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIST NEED SBMA FOR PRC-COVID OPERATION-19 TESTING FACILITY IN SUBIC BAY FREEPORT

Ok all you corpsman and medics, here's a chance to put all your training and experience to good use, and you also get paid for it. I contacted them and they replied send the resumes in NOW!

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) needs 14 medical technologists for starting the operation of the Philippine Red Cross COVID-19 mass testing facility at Naval Magazine at Subic Bay Freeport Zone (SBFZ)

According to SBMA Chairman and Administrator Atty. Wilma Eisma, the applicant will receive more than P40, 000 salary including basic pay of P28, 000, hazard pay P7, 000 and benefits that will reach P5,250.

BS Medical Technologist course required to graduate, registered as Medical Technologist and has experience and trained in molecular biology procedure.

It is also encouraged for unregistered medical technology applicants to send their resume.

Interested applicants may email their resume to srjacalne@sbma.com and phsd@sbma.com

Contact Info for next Med/Chk Run

Well like it or not (and many dont) we are still in lockdown and will be until at least 15 May. Just for those who didnt get the message, RAO is not open, local gov't will not allow us to. We have however been fortunate through a great team effort to get the meds and checks out. Pending any change we are planning another med/ck run around 6 May. We have some meds/cks left over from the 2d run, because some people didnt share their contact info. We have announced we needed folks to do so, and many have . Sorry for those who haven't, they wont get theirs until we can reopen. Believe me we have spent many hours trying to locate people through social media, friends, other organizations contact lists etc. So as a last ditch effort, if you are not sure if we have contact info for you, and you think you may have meds or a chk (stimulus are starting to arrive), please send your contact info, via email to dirraosubic@gmail.com. If we do not have contact info, your stuff will sit until we reopen, simply stated. We have had a few who knew we were sorting the meds/cks, come to the office to get theirs. Please DO NOT do this. We have been granted permission to be in the building to sort, not disburse, you will get us shut down completely. Please dont come to the office as we will have to tell you to go home empty handed, we will contact you on when/where to get your stuff. We are trying our best to get info and meds/cks to you ,please help us help you, thanks! and stay safe!

Mission Accomplished

We have been able to get the meds and checks and they are now sorted. If you had some in the bag, you may have already been contacted by the RAO staff and notified when and where you can get them. If not you will be by tomorrow. For those who live beyond Castellejos we had to send them to you DHL, so you should receive them in the next couple of days. Thank you to all who responded to my request that you send your phone and address, it made it a whole lot easier. For those who didnt take the time, see you possibly on 1 May, if the lockdown is over by then. The old saying procrastination is expensive surely applies in this situation. Sorry! For those in Angeles you should have by now been contacted by the Angeles RAO to get yours. Again I want to thank the great team that made this possible, they gave it their all to get the meds and checks to you, we all owe them a huge thank you! Please stay home and stay safe, we want to see you 1May.

Coronavirus Stimulus Payment

IRS launches portal for non-filers to access cash www.irs.gov

The tool is designed for people who do not normally need to file tax returns.

The IRS on Friday launched a highly anticipated web portal for non-filers to give their information to the tax agency, which will allow them to collect their economic impact payments from the federal government.

The tool will help “millions” of people, according to the IRS. It is designed for people who do not normally file tax returns – which is how the tax agency is determining whether the vast majority of Americans qualify for a $1,200 stimulus check.

"People who don't have a return filing obligation can use this tool to give us basic information so they can receive their Economic Impact Payments as soon as possible," IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said in a statement.

Some of the groups of individuals who will need to utilize this tool to get their payments include people whose incomes are below the normal limit for filing a tax return (for example: singles who made under $12,200 and married couples who made under $24,400 in 2019), veterans' beneficiaries and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients, and some other groups with qualifying dependents.

Individuals will need to input some personal information, including Social Security numbers, addresses and dependents. You will also have the option to input your direct deposit information, which will get you the money quicker.

CORONAVIRUS STIMULUS CHECKS: WHO GETS MONEY AND WHEN?

If you were supposed to file a return – and did not do so for tax year 2018 or 2019 – you must do so as soon as possible in order to collect your payment.

Social Security recipients do not have to fill out the form. They will be sent their payments automatically via the same method (mail or direct deposit) that they usually receive their regular benefit.

The payments will be $1,200 per adult for those with adjusted gross incomes of up to $75,000. The threshold for married couples is $150,000 – they are eligible for $2,400 and $500 per child.

The checks are expected to begin hitting direct deposit accounts starting next week, according to the administration. Paper checks are expected to begin being sent the week of April 20.

If the IRS does not have your direct deposit information – and you do not want to wait for your economic impact payment in the mail – the agency is rolling out a tool next week that will allow you to enter your direct deposit details. It will be available for use by April 17. The tool will also provide people with information about their payments, including when it is scheduled to be deposited.

Meds Help

Some of our members are running into problems getting meds now that VA is closed down. A member has forwarded the below info regarding a Dr friend of his who is interested in helping our vets. The member has known him for years and vouches for him enthusiastically!

The RAO does not know him and can't endorse but if you need help give him a try and see.

DANIEL SALVADOR L. REDOÑA, MD

Ophthalmologist-Natural Medicine

09281952272

Clinic Address: JH ORIENTAL MEDICAL CLINIC Blk 48 Lot 10 Friendship Highway Bgy Cutcut, Angeles City 2009 Pampanga

Great Information for Subic Bay Area

Making Subic Experience Awesome! SubicGo.com is a tourism portal designed for local and international tourists visiting the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

SubicGo

GREAT NEWS!
Its official, as of today 16 August 2018, Ace/Baypointe is authorized to accept Tricare patients under the Preferred Provider category. You will have to check with the HMO office to ensure your Dr. is also on the Preferred Provider list. There are currently 31 Dr's who are, but check to be sure or you will have to pay the Dr's fees.

And oh by the way, please resist the urge to repeat the bad news bears (you know the ones who have their names stenciled on the back of their bar stool) who are spreading rumors about ACE BAYPOINTE and Medical City Clark suspending FMP due to non payment. IT DIDNT HAPPEN! Medical city Ortigas did due to non payment by FMP. Come to find out they gave FMP the wrong mailing address to which FMP mailed the payments. All is fixed now and they have withdrawn the suspension.Â

Old saying better to be quiet and be thought a fool, than opening mouth and leave no doubt.

I have taken the opportunity to compile a list of what Drs, and Specialties AT ACE BAYPOINTE, to the best of my knowledge are also certified as preferred providers. The hospital is in the process of adding to this list. As you all are aware this list changes without notice, so before getting treatment it would be to your benefit to check with the hospital HMO office to ensure the Dr you will receive treatment from is in fact still certified as preferred. The HMO can be reached at 047-250-6070 ext 283 or 507.

Name Name	Specialization Specialization	Gender Gender
Ablang, Alberto Mariano, MD	Pediatrics, Critical Care	Male
Ablang, Marietta, MD	Internal Medicine, Cardiology	Female
Aguila, Beverly, MD	Internal Medicine, Cardiology	Female
Aguila, Beverly, MD	Internal Medicine, Cardiology	Female
Aguilar, Rodrigo	Gastronology/Int Med	Male
Alconga, Rudy	Pediatrics	Male
Bernal, Gerald, MD	Internal Medicine, Cardiology	Male
Bongco, Jesusa	Anesthesiology	Female
Bongco, Rosario	Endocrinology	Male
Bustamante, Rodrick	Anesthesiology	Male
Calapatia, David, MD	Family Medicine	Male
Cepeda, Armando, MD	Surgery, General	Male
Cepeda, Monette, MD	Neurology	Female
De Castro, Felicisimo, MD	Ophthalmology	Male
De Castro, Ma. Gloria, MD	Obstetrics & Gynecology	Female
Dela Cruz, Anthony, MD	Internal Medicine, Diabetology; Occupational Health	Male
Dela Paz, Emmanuel, MD	Orthopedics	Male
DeLeon, Roberto	Gen Surgery	Male
Edejer, Karl Erjon, MD	Anesthesiology	Male
Guevara, Luis, MD	Radiology	Male
Hipolito, Charina	Internal Medicine, Pulmonology	Female
Mallari, Lourdes	ENT Ear, Nose,Throat	Female
Mangahas, Rolan	Opthamology	Male
Manuel, Jesse Jewel, MD	Surgery, Orthopedic	Male
Mendoza, Arturo, Jr., MD	Surgery, General (Laparoscopic)	Male
Ocampo, Armida, MD	Internal Medicine, Pulmonology	Female
Pasqual, Jeanette	Orthopedics	Male
Rojo, Margaret, MD	Anesthesiology	Female
Santos, Wilfredo, MD	Surgery, General ; Surgery, Oncology	Male
Soriano, Maria Agnes, MD	Internal Medicine, Diabetology	Female
Tablan, Apolonario Jr	Urology	Male
Velchez, Carlos	Hematology/Int Med	Male
Hipolito, Charina	Internal Medicine, Pulmonology	Female
Villareal, Paolo, MD	Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology	Male

FMP/Tricare

We continue to see vets who are receiving EOB's and checks for treatment at Medical City and Baypointe (ACE). Please be aware you should not cash these checks. They should be given to the hospitals. Should you cash the check a few things can happen, 1st FMP or Tricare may demand repayment, if you don't they can notify the IRS and either a garnishment or 1099 will be received and they get their money in the end possibly including interest. It can also be placed on your credit report. Secondly, you may be refused future treatment at the hospitals as you have an outstanding balance. Worst of all we may lose the hospitals as providers for FMP or Tricare. Sure wouldn't want to be the guy who causes all your fellow vets to lose that, they might be a little pissed when they find out it was you! You know how quickly word spreads around here!

Videos

Just want to draw your attention to some very useful videos being offered for free through va by psycharmor. View their catalog at https://psycharmor.Org/course s/s-a-v-e/.

Urgent Update: Reimbursment Checks:

It appears there is a malfunction with both TRICARE and FMP regarding reimbursement checks. They incorrectly recently have been sending the checks to the veteran vice the provider. Both have been notified this is the incorrect way to handle these checks! If you receive a check for a claim that was filed by the Hospital, please do not cash it. The hospitals participation was negotiated so that the hospital would receive payment. If they do not we will lose their services. The payment must be taken to the hospital and signed over to them to be encashed.

Special thank you to police station 6 Barrio Baretto for notification of recently deceased American Citizen! Their handling of situation was extremely professional, thanks SPO De Leon.