Colorado Veteran and Auxiliary News

You haven’t been feeling like yourself or you are going for your annual checkup, or you have found something somewhere that shouldn’t be there. Sounds pretty routine until you get the diagnosis that you have Cancer. Doesn’t make any difference what kind, what stage, where it is, your age. You have Cancer! Now the change in your life and pocketbook starts.

It has been said that insurance pays the bills. If you are very lucky that may be true. Many of us have private insurance or Medicare Advantage that have an out of pocket yearly maximum or copays which can be substantial for the average person. No one has a Cancer savings account.

The Ralph Emerson Jack Gulden Memorial Blood/Cancer Fund can help with the expenses, OUT OF POCKET, paid by our Colorado VFW and VFW Auxiliary members. What are some of the expenses covered:

• Over the counter medications to have at home for reaction to treatment or to take prior to treatment. Your doctor will give you what to have on hand at home. Keep Your Receipts and be prepared to provide an explanation.
• Gas Receipts to get to chemotherapy, radiation etc. Gas is expensive. Trips to the infusion center or radiation center can be expensive especially if you have multiple trips in a week or multiple weeks of treatment. There are other tests, procedures your doctor will want throughout your treatment to monitor your Cancer. Keep Your Receipts.
• Copays for doctor visits, prescriptions, lab work (blood draws), imaging scans, chemotherapy, radiation, other procedures ordered by your doctor to treat your Cancer. Keep Your Receipts.
• Maximum yearly out of pocket expenses. You must pay this before everything for treatment is 100% covered by insurance. Keep Your Receipt.
• ANYTIME YOU WRITE A CHECK OR USE A CREDIT CARD OR CASH TO PAY FOR A CANCER TREATMENT EXPENSE KEEP THE RECEIPTS. CANCER IS EXPENSIVE!

The Ralph Emerson Jack Gulden Memorial Blood/Cancer Fund will reimburse up to $500.00 for your out-of-pocket expenses, twice in your lifetime, twelve months apart.

Your responsibility is to follow the policy and application form found on the VFW Department of Colorado website.

VFW Commanders and VFW Auxiliary Presidents please provide this information to your membership. Help them apply for their grant and support the Ralph Emerson Jack Gulden Memorial Blood/Cancer Fund with your contributions. Members of Lambert Wright Roy VFW Post 8661, Ralph a Korean War Veteran and Jack a Vietnam War Veteran both passed from cancer. Your support is vital to helping current members and honoring those who came before.

Thank you for all you do!
Ruth Gulden
Past Department President

Note: The Ralph Emerson / Jack Gulden Memorial Fund is open to VFW and VFW Auxiliary members only.