Section 946.240  Persons Receiving Medical Care at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Facilities

a)         A qualifying patient who is a veteran or spouse of a veteran who has received treatment at a VA hospital is deemed to have a bona-fide health care professional-patient relationship with a VA certifying health care professional if the patient has been seen for their debilitating condition at the VA health care facility or VA hospital in accordance with VA hospital protocols. (Section 60 of the Act)

b)         A veteran or spouse of a veteran receiving care for a debilitating condition at a VA health care facility shall not be required to submit a written certification from a certifying health care professional.

c)         A veteran or spouse of a veteran receiving care for a debilitating condition at a VA health care facility shall register with the Department on the Registry Identification Card application (see Section 946.200) and shall comply with all other requirements specified in this Part.

d)         To qualify for a patient registry identification card, a qualifying patient who is a veteran or spouse of a veteran and receiving medical care and treatment at a VA health care facility shall:

1)         Be a resident of the State of Illinois, as defined in Section 946.200(c), at the time of application and remain a resident during participation in the program;

2)         Have a qualifying medical condition or be diagnosed with a terminal illness;

3)         Provide a copy of one year of their official medical records requested from the VA. The official hospital medical records shall indicate the diagnosis of a qualifying medical condition by a licensed health care professional.  Records shall include, but not be limited to, information from the patient's VA health record found at www.myhealth.va.gov;

4)         Provide a copy of his or her DD214 or equivalent certified document indicating character and dates of service, or if the spouse of a veteran, a copy of the veteran's documents as described; and

5)         Be at least 18 years of age.

(Source:  Amended at 45 Ill. Reg. 6205, effective April 27, 2021)