This week on Bottom Line Up Front, Mr. JB Edwards Jr. joins the show to share his expertise on Disability Compensation and signing up for VA Health Care Benefits.

Mr. Edwards, a retired U.S. Marine Sergeant Major, also shares his own story about how he got to VA and why he continues his mission of proudly serving Veterans in North Texas.

All Servicemembers within 1 to 180 days from discharge can submit their Pre-Discharge claim on VA.gov.

You may be eligible for VA health care benefits if you served in the active military, naval, or air service and didn’t receive a dishonorable discharge. To find out if you qualify, VA has provided an eligibility checklist.

You can also apply for VA benefits by calling:

Dallas VA Medical Center: 214-857-2249
Sam Rayburn Memorial Veterans Center: 903-583-6414
Fort Worth Outpatient Clinic: 817-730-0130

or

Call VA's toll-free hotline at 877-222-8387, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET to get help with your application.

If more than a week has passed since you submitted your application and you haven’t heard back, please don’t apply again. Call our toll-free hotline at 877-222-8387, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET.

This week on Bottom Line Up Front, we're talking Veteran Homelessness with Mrs. Linda Saucedo.

Mrs. Saucedo is a social worker and is the current program manager for VA North Texas Health Care System's Homeless Veterans and Community Outreach and Referrals Center.

The HCHV Program performs outreach through community engagement, which in turn helps identify Veterans who are homeless, might become homeless or are facing hardships.

VA North Texas' Community Resource and Referrals Centers are located at the Veterans Resource Center in Dallas at 4900 S. Lancaster Rd., Dallas TX 75216 and the Fort Worth Homeless Veterans Program at 1518 E. Lancaster Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76104.

Locally, the Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) program can be reached at 214-857-3179 and the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans can be reached at 1-877-4AID-VET (1-877-424-3838).

If you or someone you know are in crisis, please call the Veterans Crisis Line, 1-800-273-TALK (800-273-8255). If you are in an emergency, please call 9-1-1.

On today's episode of Bottom Line Up Front, my guest is Dr. Hussain Haideri the section chief of ambulatory medicine for VA Bonham, Plano and CBOC.

Dr. Haideri is a nephrologist and is joining the show today to share his expertise on hypertension or high blood pressure.

Hypertension, if left untreated, can lead to severe complications including an increased risk for heart attack and stroke. VA research into hypertension includes medication safety, non-pharmacologic interventions, care delivery, and care access for Veterans.

Hypertension is estimated to affect over 30 percent of all Veterans annually and according to one VA study, nearly 75% of Veterans who suffered stroke. Information about VA's research into Hypertension can be found Here.

In 2019, The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Medical Association (AMA) recognized VA North Texas as the ‘Gold Standard’ for controlling both hypertension and high cholesterol among its patient population.