Veterans who rely on CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machines to manage sleep-related breathing disorders, including sleep apnea, now have a new streamlined online ordering system for CPAP supplies.
VA has added the CPAP supply ordering feature as part of the online tool that’s already in place, same as how Veterans order hearing aid supplies on VA.gov. The addition improves how Veterans order, manage and efficiently receive health care supplies. It’s a notable improvement to the previous CPAP supply ordering process, which was by phone call or traditional mail order forms sent to VA’s Denver Logistics Center (DLC).
Last year, VA’s Logistics Center shipped nearly 5.5 million apnea care products, with the majority being supplies such as masks, tubing, filters and more. These are some of the items Veterans can now conveniently request directly online. Within one week of launch for the new online CPAP supplies ordering feature, 24.1 percent of CPAP supply orders were placed on VA.gov, and we anticipate the number will grow to be twice as many daily orders as hearing aid supplies.
In the future, VA’s Office of Information and Technology will add more ordering supply types to the VA.gov tool.
A seamless ordering experience
When Veterans sign in to their VA.gov accounts for ordering, the VA.gov platform allows for a more efficient ordering experience by prefilling certain order details based on the user’s account information. Veterans can even start an order, save it as a work in progress, and return later to complete it. This feature grants a generous 60-day window to finalize and submit orders, providing a flexible approach to ordering CPAP supplies.
How to place an order
To get started with a supply order, Veterans should have the following details ready:
Shipping address
Email address
Information about your hearing aids
Information about your CPAP machines
What to expect when ordering
The ordering process involves several key steps:
Confirmation of personal information
Confirmation or editing of shipping address and email address
Selection of hearing aids requiring batteries
Selection of necessary hearing aid accessories
Selection of essential CPAP supplies
A final review and submission of the order
Once a Veteran successfully submits an order, they’ll receive a confirmation message, which can be retained for records.
Track and receive your order
Within 1 to 2 days of order submission, Veterans will receive an email containing an order tracking number. This number allows for easy monitoring of the order’s status. Orders typically arrive within 7 to 10 business days.
Need assistance? Reach out!
Should any Veteran require assistance during the ordering process, please contact the Denver Logistics Center Customer Service Section at 303-273-6200, or email dalc.css@va.gov. The dedicated customer service team is ready to provide guidance, support and information.
Today, VA announced an update to the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities (VASRD) specifically pertaining to digestive conditions. The changes add or modify rating criteria for 55 medical conditions in the rating schedule that incorporate medical advancements for treating certain disabilities and modern medical knowledge to compensate Veterans more accurately.
The three biggest changes that will impact you, as Veterans, include the new evaluations for celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome and hemorrhoids.
Beginning May 19, celiac disease—an autoimmune disorder that impacts how the body processes gluten—will have its own rating criteria specifically designed to address its disabling effects. Veterans with this condition were previously granted service connection and evaluated by analogy using rating criteria that ranged from zero to 30 percent. Now under a specific diagnostic code, Veterans will be eligible for an evaluation ranging from zero to 80 percent.
VA will also adjust the rating criteria for evaluating irritable bowel syndrome, also known as IBS. Previously, VA offered zero, 10 and 30 percent evaluations for the condition. Under the new criteria, Veterans may be entitled to 10, 20, or 30 percent evaluations based on the frequency of symptoms; therefore, new rating criteria will always offer a compensable evaluation.
Finally, VA addressed the evaluations for both internal and external hemorrhoids. Previously, VA assigned a zero percent evaluation if the condition was identified as mild or moderate. For more severe findings a 10 or 20 percent evaluation was warranted. With the new rating criteria set in the rating schedule, mild or moderate hemorrhoids will now qualify for the 10 percent evaluation.
“These are just a few of the changes being made to how conditions of the digestive system are rated based on updated medical information,” said Under Secretary for Benefits Josh Jacobs. “The updates will bring the rating criteria more closely in line with the stated purpose of the rating schedule, which is to provide evaluations based upon average impairment of earning capacity for each and every Veteran.”
There will be no change to any Veteran’s current rating based solely on these updates. If you currently receive compensation for a service-connected condition, you can apply for increased compensation. A reduction in evaluation will only occur if there is improvement in a disability sufficient to warrant a reduction under the former criteria. Claims related to these body systems that were pending on May 19 will be considered under both the old and new rating criteria, and whichever criteria is more favorable to the Veteran will be applied.
Visit the Federal Register webpage for a full list of the conditions impacted in this schedule change, and VA benefits for more information, or to apply.
