VA Outpatient Care

[Daryl Hunt]

I posted this earlier but it appears it was taken down without reason given. So I'll repost it. Moderators, this is a Military Issue and it belongs in the Military Area. All Veterans will experience this at one time or another.

Here is something near and dear to me.

I tried to get support for the severe catarac in my left eye. I am legally blind in my left eye and need of the catarac to be removed and the lense replaced. I tried for 6 months to work with the VA. No help. I was informed by a civilian doctor that my right eye was developing it's own catarac. A couple of days ago, I used my own insurance to start the ball rolling and the left eye will be taken care of within 30 days. I got a phone call from the VA offering support a few days ago. But their support would not have come for at least 6 months. I find out that in 3 months, my right eye will be legally blind. Using my own devices, I can get the right eye taken care of in less than 2 months with the left eye done in 30 days. Using the VA, I am looking at at least 6 months for both eyes to be done at the same time and there will be a time period I will be legally blind. You don't correct Cataracts with corrective lenses.

I am one of the Lucky Vets. Many Vets don't have the resources I have and would end up legally blind for at least a month. What's funny, the time period is known since I am using the same Doctor with my own insurance that the VA uses and he told me the time for the VA is 6 months. Part of this is the fact my insurance pays quickly while the VA drags it's feet on payment so the private insurance (Medicare and Tricare) pay almost immediately. So the Private Insurance gets the priority. Plus, it takes about 3 months for the VA to run all the red tape to get anything done in the first place.

I can barely read right now since just my right eye is partially covered with the cataract. The Left eye is completely obscured. It's been misdiagnosed for years. As the optometrists have tried to use lens correction to compensate and it's worked a little, my sight has not been as good as it should be. After the Doctor examined me on the 19th, he said He would have my eyesight back to where it was when I was 20. All these years, it's been a faulty lens or cataracts. He's getting rid of the cataracts and replacing the lenses. Imagine this, no more glasses.

While I usually say good things about the VA, there are times that they operate with "Send Him Home to Die".

 

[Moonglow]

Did you request Tricare program for out of VA healthcare?

 

[daveman]

Damn, that sucks.

I haven't had too many problems with VA health care, but then I don't have anything other than annual labs done with them. I had my labs done last May, and was waiting for my rescheduled-by-the-VA-twice follow-up appointment to go over the results when a nurse called me from the Harrisburg, IL, VA hospital. He said my regular provider had retired, three others from the Marion, IL, hospital had retired, and there was no telling when I could see a provider. I told him to send my lab results to my civilian doc.

A cousin-in-law had been under the VA's care for an ear issue. Never could get it diagnosed, despite two years of effort. He saw a civilian doc and they had him in surgery in two days, removing one entire ear -- outer, middle, and inner -- due to cancer the VA missed.

Our veterans deserve better treatment than this.

 

[Daryl Hunt]

Did you request Tricare program for out of VA healthcare?

The procedure is always out patient care. It's done under contract by a Dr. Grey in his facility and it was under the VA, not Tricare. I had the option to use the VA. The VA fell down. So I used Medicare and Tricare to pay for it and am getting it done 6 months faster. I touched bases with other Tricare recipients in this area that also used the VA for the same procedure. They have the same story and have had to do the same thing. MOST Veterans don't have Tricare like we do so they either only have medicare (pays 80%) or they have private insurance (also doesn't usually cover all of it) or they have to pay it out of their own pocket which is damned expensive. Some just live with the condition (something that no one should be forced to do) until the VA finally gets it's ducks all in a row. If I waited until the VA got it's act together I would not be able to read, drive, watch TV, everything would be a blur for about 3 months time. You would think that my story is an isolated one. I did. But after I let others know about it, I found out that it's pretty common place. You see, I am retired Military and we are a pretty tight knit group and communicate with each other. We also communicate with others that are not retired military that are regular Vets as well. If we are having trouble with a program you can bet your bippy that the regular Vet is having just as bad a problem. Legally blind isn't the lack of light, it's the inability to see well enough to navigate. And if your vision is blurred enough that you can't navigate and it can't be corrected through lenses then you are classed as legally blind. I am classed as legally blind in my left eye as of the 19th. And between 3 to 6 months, my right eye would also be under the same classification but it's going to be corrected surgically before it gets that bad.

What's sad is, after I got the first appointment, I then get a call from the VA saying they can help. I visited them once a week informing of them of the problem and the diagnosis. Each time, they entered the visit in the Database and said they would get back to me. That went on for 6 months. I went in and scheduled with the same doctor using my own insurance. He is able to get it done on the left eye in 30 days and 30 days later, the right eye. He checked how long it would be if the VA were to handle it and it would have been 6 months for either eye. Yes, the same doctor, same office, same procedure. Cost to the VA either way, in my case is Zero.

I could have done it myself all along but I do like to check on the care of the VA for a Vet's point of view. And in this case, it was terrible.

Now for a bit of background on Out Patient Care.

In 2016, Congress almost overwhelmingly bipartisan authorizing the VA to outpatient patient care for procedures that they either could not or were overloaded to cover. President Obama signed it into law. It was one of the last items before Obama left office and the old Congress did before they left.

Last week, Trump made a huge deal over his NEW Executive Order authorizing VA Out Patient Health Care. The Son of a Bit$$$$ wasn't even aware it was already a law and never bothered to make it happen. And the pieces of crap he put into the admin positions ignored it. But it was HIS brilliant idea. That means, it's a friggin mess and needs to be straightened out (it has kinks). It's been over 2 years now and should have been ironed out already. The VA staff have know about it but it's not been done smoothly for the last 2 years. Yes, it's been happening but not very well. They have not received any guidance. And you want me to give Trump another free ride? When I saw his grinning smirk when he signed that EO I just wanted to slap that smirk right off his face. NO free ride on this one, Donnie Boy.

 

[Moonglow]

Did you request Tricare program for out of VA healthcare?

The procedure is always out patient care. It's done under contract by a Dr. Grey in his facility and it was under the VA, not Tricare. I had the option to use the VA. The VA fell down. So I used Medicare and Tricare to pay for it and am getting it done 6 months faster. I touched bases with other Tricare recipients in this area that also used the VA for the same procedure. They have the same story and have had to do the same thing. MOST Veterans don't have Tricare like we do so they either only have medicare (pays 80%) or they have private insurance (also doesn't usually cover all of it) or they have to pay it out of their own pocket which is damned expensive. Some just live with the condition (something that no one should be forced to do) until the VA finally gets it's ducks all in a row. If I waited until the VA got it's act together I would not be able to read, drive, watch TV, everything would be a blur for about 3 months time. You would think that my story is an isolated one. I did. But after I let others know about it, I found out that it's pretty common place. You see, I am retired Military and we are a pretty tight knit group and communicate with each other. We also communicate with others that are not retired military that are regular Vets as well. If we are having trouble with a program you can bet your bippy that the regular Vet is having just as bad a problem. Legally blind isn't the lack of light, it's the inability to see well enough to navigate. And if your vision is blurred enough that you can't navigate and it can't be corrected through lenses then you are classed as legally blind. I am classed as legally blind in my left eye as of the 19th. And between 3 to 6 months, my right eye would also be under the same classification but it's going to be corrected surgically before it gets that bad.

What's sad is, after I got the first appointment, I then get a call from the VA saying they can help. I visited them once a week informing of them of the problem and the diagnosis. Each time, they entered the visit in the Database and said they would get back to me. That went on for 6 months. I went in and scheduled with the same doctor using my own insurance. He is able to get it done on the left eye in 30 days and 30 days later, the right eye. He checked how long it would be if the VA were to handle it and it would have been 6 months for either eye. Yes, the same doctor, same office, same procedure. Cost to the VA either way, in my case is Zero.

I could have done it myself all along but I do like to check on the care of the VA for a Vet's point of view. And in this case, it was terrible.

Now for a bit of background on Out Patient Care.

In 2016, Congress almost overwhelmingly bipartisan authorizing the VA to outpatient patient care for procedures that they either could not or were overloaded to cover. President Obama signed it into law. It was one of the last items before Obama left office and the old Congress did before they left.

Last week, Trump made a huge deal over his NEW Executive Order authorizing VA Out Patient Health Care. The Son of a Bit$$$$ wasn't even aware it was already a law and never bothered to make it happen. And the pieces of crap he put into the admin positions ignored it. But it was HIS brilliant idea. That means, it's a friggin mess and needs to be straightened out (it has kinks). It's been over 2 years now and should have been ironed out already. The VA staff have know about it but it's not been done smoothly for the last 2 years. Yes, it's been happening but not very well. They have not received any guidance. And you want me to give Trump another free ride? When I saw his grinning smirk when he signed that EO I just wanted to slap that smirk right off his face. NO free ride on this one, Donnie Boy.

I go to the VA in Fayetteville, Ark. they are faster now than two years ago with my back operation and this time they were quicker about authorization to see a neurosurgeon in Joplin, Mo. From the MRI to the authorization call it was nine days..

 

[GLASNOST]

Hello Daryl.

I don't trust the VA. I had an operation at the Lovelace VA Medical Center in Albuquerque back in the early 70’s. I am a Vietnam Veteran but my injury had nothing to do with my service in Vietnam. I was treated well at the VA except for some gruff staff members and a creepy guy who seemed to “get off” when he inserted the catheter tube into my pecker, but my overall experience was OK. However, I have heard many stores just like yours and … well …. to be honest …. “The Tuskegee Experiment” was carried out by the VA and VA doctors. They injected black American veterans with syphilis just to watch and see what would happen and how long it would take for them to die. I can never forget or forgive them for that.

The best of luck to you! I hope everything turns out well.

 

[Daryl Hunt]

Hello Daryl.

I don't trust the VA. I had an operation at the Lovelace VA Medical Center in Albuquerque back in the early 70’s. I am a Vietnam Veteran but my injury had nothing to do with my service in Vietnam. I was treated well at the VA except for some gruff staff members and a creepy guy who seemed to “get off” when he inserted the catheter tube into my pecker, but my overall experience was OK. However, I have heard many stores just like yours and … well …. to be honest …. “The Tuskegee Experiment” was carried out by the VA and VA doctors. They injected black American veterans with syphilis just to watch and see what would happen and how long it would take for them to die. I can never forget or forgive them for that.

The best of luck to you! I hope everything turns out well.

I have full coverage without the VA and they know it. And they know I am very vocal. There was a time when it was "Send me home to die" but that changed when I became fully covered. Now they usually jump through hoops. How the normal Veteran gets by, I really don't know but if I find someone getting treated badly let me know.

 

[Daryl Hunt]

Did you request Tricare program for out of VA healthcare?

The VA doesn't recognize Tricare.

 

[justinacolmena]

severe catarac in my left eye. I am legally blind in my left eye and need of the catarac to be removed and the lense replaced. I tried for 6 months to work with the VA. No help

No shit. When they cut your hair like Samson in the military, how do you expect the Philistines to let you keep your eyes and your freedom?

 

[Daryl Hunt]

severe catarac in my left eye. I am legally blind in my left eye and need of the catarac to be removed and the lense replaced. I tried for 6 months to work with the VA. No help

No shit. When they cut your hair like Samson in the military, how do you expect the Philistines to let you keep your eyes and your freedom?

The VA would have gotten around to it. Just not fast enough. I know of a few that went the route I am going. Most weren't fully covered and had to pay hundreds out of their own pockets over Medicare. But we all do what we have to do. The VA needs to get quicker in their response. And that falls directly on one person that many are giving too damned many free rides on everything.