Page 43 - SFHN March 2018

New VHA Directive Clarifies Rules for Veterans, Medical

Physicians Concerning Medical Marijuana Marijuana

BY VANESSA ORR According to the has a prescription from another physi- Insurance for
directive, veterans are cian for medical marijuana, that pre-
In Florida, medical encouraged to discuss scription cannot be filled by a VA phar- Physicians and
marijuana is legal when marijuana use with macy, and the VA will not pay for these
used to treat the follow- their VA providers prescriptions from any source. Dispensaries
ing conditions: cancer, because that informa- While veterans that qualify for state-
epilepsy, glaucoma, tion will be used as part approved programs are able to get these
post-traumatic stress of comprehensive care prescriptions from other sources, such as It’s a common misconception that
disorder (PTSD), planning and enable non-VA physicians, it will be at the vet- legal marijuana dispensary insurance
Crohn’s disease, physicians to adjust erans’ expense. is very expensive and unattainable, but
it is actually very reasonably priced.
Parkinson’s disease and patients’ treatment Asked about the use of medical mari- We can provide you with many types
chronic, nonmalignant plans as necessary. VA juana to combat veterans’ death by sui- of comprehensive insurance coverage
pain, among a number clinicians can also dis- cide, Secretary of Veterans Affairs David which will help your business stay on
of other ailments. cuss how the use of Shulkin went on record at a White its feet should some type of calamity or
Unfor tunately, while state-approved medical House press briefing in May as saying unfortunate event arise.
many of the state’s vet- Secretary of Veterans Affairs marijuana may interact that federal law does not prevent the VA
erans suffer from these David Shulkin with other medications, from looking at the medical use of • General Liability
disorders, they cannot or impact overall care, cannabis as a possible solution. • Property Protection
get a prescription from Veterans such as pain management, PTSD or sub- Approximately 20 veterans are dying by • Medicine Coverage
Administration (VA) physicians for med- stance use disorder treatment. suicide each day. • Business Income
• Extra Expense Insurance
ical cannabis. The information will be recorded in “I believe that everything that could • Product Liability
Despite being legal in Florida, mari- the patient’s VA medical record, which is help veterans should be debated by
juana and its derivative products are still protected under patient privacy and con- Congress and by medical experts, and Danna-Gracey is the leading indepen-
classified as Schedule One controlled fidentiality laws and regulations. we will implement that law,” he dent medical malpractice insurance
substances by the U.S. Food and Drug Perhaps one of the most important explained. “If there is compelling evi- agency in Florida, and the top agency
Administration, which means that other things to note is that veteran participa- dence that this is helpful, I hope that for several of the lead-
federal agencies, such as the Veterans tion in state marijuana programs does people take a look at that and come up ing insurers in Florida.
Health Administration (VHA), cannot not affect a person’s eligibility for VA with the right decision, and then we will For more information
recommend it or assist patients in care and services, and that veterans will implement that.” contact Jessica Hoehn
obtaining it. not be denied VA health services solely He added, “(In) some of the states that of Danna-Gracey at
On Dec. 8, 2017, the VHA released because of marijuana use. have put in appropriate controls, there 888.496.0059.
Directive 1315, “Access to VHA Clinical While VA clinicians can discuss may be some evidence that this is begin-
Programs for Veterans Participating in cannabis use with patients, they cannot ning to be helpful. And we’re interested
State-Approved Marijuana Programs,” recommend medical marijuana, nor are in looking at that and learning from that.
that defines what VA physicians and they allowed to complete any required But until the time that federal law
pharmacists can and cannot do when paperwork or forms that would allow changes, we are not able to be able to
treating veterans seeking information veterans to participate in state-approved prescribe medical marijuana for condi- 888.496.0059 • Jessica@dannagracey.com
about medical marijuana. marijuana programs. Even if a veteran tions that may be helpful.” www.dannagracey.com

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