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VA care has been restricted to vets with Service Connected disabilities. How we are coping with our disabilities is not relevant.
Vets would be better served by being allowed to seek medical care at any of the thousands of hospitals already in place, coast-to-coast.
Congress is not going to quadruple the size of the VA to get the doctor to patient ratio down to the civilian medical system' ratio. That will never happen. We have more than enough doctors in this nation. Funneling all disabled vets into a tiny government agency that is far too understaffed is the problem.
The American healthcare system is huge. We can easily absorb disabled vets into the civilian healthcare network without overloading it. We have plenty doctors and they are already located in the town you live in.
Your first couple of sentences does not pertain to anything that I wrote in my post above.
First, no... VA Care is not restricted to vets with Service Connected disabilities.
I am not a Service Connected vet, and I am seen by the VA regularly.
And who said anything about coping with disabilities????
Vets can go wherever they chose, so 'allowed' is a very strong word. Allowed by whom?
You know nothing about the 'town' that I live in. While there are plenty of doctors, there are also several VA medical care facilities as well.
Back again on a new current issue that was handled real well at the SD VA hospital.
I fell landing on my right hip bone...numbness and pain for four days (stupid me) then to the VA....fractured hip. One step away from saying Adios. Drs not too pleased with my thinking.
Any hoo they did a terrific repair with a plate/screws as needed etc.
I am sitting here in Rehab awaiting removal of the staples then return home to my newly acquired Calif Yorkshire Pit Bull (female) companion.
The VA has given me their best Medical knowledge at their disposal for my medical needs.
Well, off my soap box. At 86 my days here are numbered.
Back again on a new current issue that was handled real well at the SD VA hospital.
I fell landing on my right hip bone...numbness and pain for four days (stupid me) then to the VA....fractured hip. One step away from saying Adios. Drs not too pleased with my thinking.
Any hoo they did a terrific repair with a plate/screws as needed etc.
I am sitting here in Rehab awaiting removal of the staples then return home to my newly acquired Calif Yorkshire Pit Bull (female) companion.
The VA has given me their best Medical knowledge at their disposal for my medical needs.
Well, off my soap box. At 86 my days here are numbered.
Well sir, its just my guess that the world was just slightly a better place because you have been a part of it. Stick around..........
I believe the VA should be for retired military and those with service related injuries and they should be treated with first class service. I see the system plugged with vets that are neither. Like some two year Army guy that drove a truck around Germany in the 70's and now wants VA benefits.
I did 6 years in the US Navy and have no service related issues. I do not believe the VA should be obligated to me.
I believe the VA should be for retired military and those with service related injuries and they should be treated with first class service. I see the system plugged with vets that are neither. Like some two year Army guy that drove a truck around Germany in the 70's and now wants VA benefits.
I did 6 years in the US Navy and have no service related issues. I do not believe the VA should be obligated to me.
Retired military [like myself] have Tricare. We go to the best civilian doctors.
I basically do the same since I have Tricare as well for exactly the same reasons. I do more or less check in with the VA with physicals annually to keep a PcP there.
I basically do the same since I have Tricare as well for exactly the same reasons. I do more or less check in with the VA with physicals annually to keep a PcP there.
I have heard of this - using VA just for an annual physical, to keep active in their system.
I wonder, could this be done just by asking the VA for a flu shot, blood pressure check, or blood sugar test?
I have heard of this - using VA just for an annual physical, to keep active in their system.
I wonder, could this be done just by asking the VA for a flu shot, blood pressure check, or blood sugar test?
Yes it can be. You just need to have a PcP assigned to you. Some people use it just to get prescriptions filled. Like I could now that I have had my annual and turned in my prescriptions if I had needed them I could have had them filled there. For me the trouble is the VA is about an hour away.
Just returned from another positive experience, carewise, from my local VA hospital. Once in the door I get good treatment and kindly interaction.
2 things get me though
1. With process improvement and automation, every aspect of VA care requires ability and knowledge of website, portals, passwords etc and their associated security. At 66 I find it frustrating to deal with that stuff, but no way those older vets were able to handle it without helping wives and caregivers. Then there is the phone system which is one big difficult system and drives me crazy. Scheduling or getting through to the right clinic is amazingly difficult. No wonder so vets were on death's door waiting.
2. Medicare. Found that VA cannot bill medicare A or B (government cannot bill government) . They do bill your supplemental but your suppplemental insurance pays as if Medicare paid the normal allowable costs.
So I expect to switch back to civilian care now that I am on medicare. But I do like that the docs at my VA are quick to pick up on elderly type conditions since it is a lot of geriatric treatment there. Saves time getting a diagnosis since they see most old age stuff with a high frequency.
I haven't read all the posts but going to the VA is not a one size fits all experience. It depends on the location. I've been to a few in NC, horrible experience. I chop it up to a huge veteran population and not enough staff. I would wait 6 months at a time for a simple check-up of an existing condition. But that was 5 years ago. So hopefully it is better.
I've been to the VA in Virginia and Kentucky. Again, long waits but excellent experience with the staff. Now I'm at the VA in Michigan. Overall, it has been a good experience here but again I chop it up to an average veteran population. Now I receive about 50% of my care via the Choice program which has changed the experience even more because my exposure to the VA is less and more with civilian doctors.
But when I started at the VA they refused chiropractic, acupuncture, yoga or any kind of alternative care even though a civilian doctor recommended it. Now, they have all the alternative care plus more. Even though there are many hiccups, they are evolving. I'm headed to Florida part-time. I will enroll at the VA there. Flordia has a huge veteran population so I will request the Choice Program as well.
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Stick around..........
