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This is what I can't figure out. My husband called for an appointment and was told the wait was 6 months, he went to the emergency room and got set up with appointments right away.
Who knows? One of my brother-in-laws, a Vet (although from mid 1970s, stationed in Germany), has multiple non-service-connected health issues but he has never gone to the VA, opting to use his Medicare coverage from his Federal disability status.
There are parts of this VA story which I don't understand. I read that the '14 day' mandate (i.e., appointments to be made within 14 days of the Vet requesting service) was a deadline picked out of thin air, apparently, and that due to the number of vets wanting service, and the number of doctors available, the mandate set up the clinics to fail. Hence the 'secret' waiting lists.
But I haven't seen anything showing what those Vets, who died while waiting for their appointment, died from. In other words, was a Vet calling for an appointment to see about a cardiac condition, then die of a heart attack while waiting to be seen? Or calling for an appointment concerning an emotional problem, only to die from some other problem?
As part of my job (reviewing Federal disability claims) I review many medical records from the VA. Often the VA records will also contain the 'initial contact' report (i.e., the Vet first calling the VA for an appointment). It seems that if the Vet is calling about a physical problem he or she gets a pretty fast appointment, while those claiming post-traumatic stress disorder or depression or such will not get a quick appointment. I had not, heretofore, noticed if the Vet were always (or never) given an appointment in two weeks time. I shall pay more attention.
I will note that Fort Worth does not have a VA hospital (there is one in Dallas), but a clinic serving some 14 counties. I believe that if a Vet calls with some emergency (chest pain) he or she is told to go to a hospital ER.
I will note that in the past few years the number of Vets filing for Federal disability benefits has gone up markedly, usually due to anxiety or depression.
Perhaps they're unemployed and felt they couldn't afford a hospital visit. Perhaps they didn't know what their options were.
Perhaps they hoped to go where they would be understood.
Some died waiting on cancer treatment. That's not exactly an ER visit.
Some died from suicide while waiting for counseling appointments.
For those who have access to a smart phone, the VA has an ap to help with PTSD. It's not a replacement for counseling and medication, it helps to cope and recognize triggers.
You cannot imagine the level of depression some vets feel after discharge, especially if after an injury and or unable to find employment. Relationships also become a problem especially if you awake ready to fight or run from a nightmare about things experienced in service. The nightmares and feelings don't disappear with discharge. They gradually disapate over a period of many years. It's been almost 20 years since I served on a ship and it took more than ten years before the nightmares of nearly drowning, missile inbound, or loss of power ended. I still occasionally get dreams of still being on the ship. It was about 15 years before I could have a power outage at home and not feel the need to run to the engine room to get the boilers and generators up and running. We once loss power while maneuvering through the minefield off the coast of GITMO. Sometimes it's years before you realize how a traumatic event effected you. Something happens to you that triggers the same reaction,..a smell, an image, or a chance combination of things. Sometimes pride prevents vets from seeking help. It's easy for those who never experienced such things to say, just go to the ER or just get over it. It's another thing when you're in the grip of severe depression reliving or trying to avoid the memories.
This is what I can't figure out. My husband called for an appointment and was told the wait was 6 months, he went to the emergency room and got set up with appointments right away.
Not sure there are too many Emergency Rooms capable of dealing with PTSD...
This is what I can't figure out. My husband called for an appointment and was told the wait was 6 months, he went to the emergency room and got set up with appointments right away.
This is true. I remember being in a significant amount of pain and waiting 6 weeks for surgery. Afterwards I complained about the wait and was told if I had showed up in the emergency room I would have had the surgery. At the time it would have cost me a co-pay of $75. A lot of vets are also covered by Medicare but choose VA to avoid the copays. When they get done looking at the 40 deaths in Phoenix while awaiting appointments they may find that none of them were related to a delay in getting an appointment. I would bet most people who die have a doctors appointment on their schedule.
One of the things that helped me was to write my memories of traumatic experiences in great detail and share them with close family. Some vets are high strung and are easily startled by unexpected sudden loud noises. A soda in the freezer exploded and I dove to the floor thinking someone shot at hour house. Places with a large tightly packed group of people and no easily visible escape path will set me on edge. Wife knows not to expect me to go Christmas shopping in packed malls. She knows I need my quiet time to unwind.
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