U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Manila VA Regional Office and Outpatient Clinic 1501 Roxas Boulevard Pasay City, Metro Manila 1302 Republic of the Philippines September 2019 Dear VA Manila Veteran: Effective October 1, 2019, the VA Manila Outpatient Clinic will stop issuing prosthetics and durable medical equipment (DME), eye glasses, hearing aids and processing clothing allowance claims. Veterans outside of the United States can be reimbursed for prosthetics services through the Foreign Medical Program (FMP) if the item is needed for a VA rated service-connected condition. The FMP allows Veterans to choose from any provider for needed service-connected care. Although you are not required to use them, I did want to share with you that Manila Hearing Aid Company (MHAC), our vendor for many years, has agreed to bill the FMP directly for their services starting October 1, 2019. This will allow Veterans with service-connected hearing loss to receive hearing related care from MHAC without upfront costs. Veterans will need to present an FMP benefit authorization letter or a Veterans Benefits Administration code sheet to MHAC to confirm service-connection. MHAC can provide new and replacement hearing aids, perform repairs, and issue batteries. Veterans can also use MHAC’s staff audiologists to obtain audiograms and other hearing-related medical care. The attached enclosure provides a listing of the MHAC Branch locations throughout the Philippines. VA Manila will continue to provide Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) and Audiology services to Veterans who choose to continue receiving care from the VA Manila Outpatient Clinic. VA’s Denver Logistics Center can provide Veterans in the Philippines with hearing aid batteries and supplies. The attached enclosure provides additional details on how to request these supplies through the Denver Logistics Center. Also, effective October 1, 2019, VA Manila Outpatient Clinic will no longer process clothing allowance claims. This applies to all clothing allowance claims received on/after August 2, 2019. Clothing allowance claims for all Veterans residing in the Philippines will need to be mailed to the FMP Office in Denver, Colorado for initial review. VA Manila will forward the applications received at the Outpatient Clinic for the 2020 Benefit Year to the FMP Office. Once a claim is received by FMP, they will forward that claim to the Pittsburgh VA Medical Center, which will determine eligibility and process claims for payment. Additional information regarding clothing allowance claims will be provided to all Veterans in future monthly Clinic update emails. If you have questions or need additional information regarding prosthetic services, please contact me directly, at (02) 550-3888 or via email at daniel.gutkoski2@va.gov. Sincerely, Daniel Gutkoski, MHA VA Manila Clinic Manager Enclosures: Manila Hearing Aid Company Locations VA Denver Logistics Center Information Enclosure 1 Manila Hearing Aid Company Locations https://manilahearingaid.com.ph Cebu Manila Hearing Aid Center SM City Cebu 2nd level, SM City Cebu Telephone: +63 32 231-8445 Cavite / Dasmariñas Manila Hearing Aid Center SM City Dasmariñas; Dasmariñas City, Cavit Telephone: +6346 416-1932 Laguna Manila Hearing Aid Center SM City Calamba Telephone: +63 49 530-0354 Makati Manila Hearing Aid Center - Glorietta 3 3/F Ayala Mall Entrance Telephone: +63 2 817-2756 Manila – Taft Manila Hearing Aid Center 4/f Manila Astral Tower Tel. +63 2 521-5726 and 405-0141 Manila – Chinese General Hospital Manila Hearing Aid Center Room 913 Medical Arts Bldg. Tel: +63 2 711-4141 ext.1913 Mandaluyong City Manila Hearing Aid Center SM Megamall Telephone: +63 2 633-6039 Muntinlupa City Manila Hearing Aid Center Alabang Town Center Telephone: +63 2 809-3902 Pasay City Manila Hearing Aid Center SM Mall of Asia – 2F Wellness Zone Telephone: +63 2 556-0589 Taguig City Manila Hearing Aid Center - BGC 32nd Avenue, Bonifacio Global City Telephone: +63 2 403-2441 Quezon City Manila Hearing Aid Center Ali Mall Cubao Telephone: +63 2 911-1528 Quezon City Manila Hearing Aid Center SM North EDSA - The Block Telephone: +63 2 442-0047 Quezon City Manila Hearing Aid Center SM North EDSA – 2/F, North Towers Telephone: +63 2 442-0047 Quezon City Manila Hearing Aid Center IPO Building - 14 Quezon Avenue Telephone: +63 2 712-3630/3623 Quezon City Manila Hearing Aid Center SM City Fairview Telephone: +63 2 709-8327 Pampanga / Angeles City Manila Hearing Aid Center Marquee Mall, Angeles City, Pampanga Telephone: +63 045 304-7156 Enclosure 2 Requesting Hearing Aid Batteries from the VA Denver Logistics Center As an alternate option for receiving hearing aid supplies and batteries, Veterans in the Philippines are eligible to use VA’s centralized hearing aid center at the Denver Logistics Center to request these items for their hearing aids. There are several ways for Veterans to make your request. It is recommended that Veterans reorder when your remaining supply of batteries is enough for approximately 30 days. Each order will contain batteries enough to operate your hearing aid or device for at least six months. To make your request, please use one of the following three ways: You may use the blue VA Form 2346, Request for Batteries and Accessories card/envelope received with your initial or last battery order. Complete the form and mail it to the DLC at the address provided on the form. These forms will also be available at VA Manila Outpatient Clinic. You may now order batteries online. Users of the online ordering system are required to register through the E-Authentication credentialing process. Additional details about using the online system to order batteries are available at: https://www.va.gov/opal/docs/nac/dlc/orderingBatteriesOnline.pdf. You may send an order via email to dalc.css@va.gov. Please include your hearing aid model number and the type of batteries the hearing aid uses. The DLC will mail a six-month supply of batteries to Veterans using UPS. Additional information on this service is available on their website: https://www.va.gov/opal/nac/dlc/index.asp