Non VA medical bills

[JohnsWidow]

My husband was 100% service connected disabled USMC veteran. He passed away Oct.22, 2016. He had gone to 2 seperate non VA hospitals via ambulance before his passing. The hospitals were aware he was 100% service connected disabled. They have been sending bills for hospital services and he had told their billing departments to send the bills to VISN 16 Consolidated fee unit PO box 320164 Flowood, MS. 39232 several times. Now that he has passed and the same bills are still coming I decided to just enclose a note in all bills stating to remit all bills for payment to the VISN address. They still don't get it. What am I doing wrong? Can anyone suggest a better alternative? Thank you for your time.

Edited January 2, 2017 by JohnsWidow

[Buck52]

Ms Berta

I knew a widow  that her hubby pass away from his S.C. Disability's

 They paid for his Funeral and not a word from VA.  As for as DIC Benefits   only that his check would stop.

she called me and ask what she can do?  if the VA can help with that expense and can she get anything from VA?

 because at the time all they had coming in was his 100% P&T PLUS 3 SMC Awards...that was all stopped after his death.

I had her to contact a VSO in her area  because I never knew anything about the DIC or what a widow benefits were.

Lucky for her this VSO was straight with her and he help her fill out the correct forms,  she is now getting a monthly check I think around 1200?(not sure how much?)  but they back paid her for the loss time after her hubby death(12 months I think?) and help cover her hubby funeral expense, he had no pending claims  but this VSO Was able to help.

Edited January 2, 2017 by Buck52

[Berta]

"begging for treatment" yeah, been there done that.

But this concerns me.....

"I inadvertently filed for something with the Texas Veterans Commission while I was begging the VA for treatment for my husband and that led to her filing for the DIC claim after John's death."

Did you inadvertently file a 1151 claim? Section 1151 claims are for negligence/.malpractice.

And is that what "led" the Texas VC woman to file for DIC?

I have a lot of info here on 1151 DIC.In our 1151 FTCA forum.

My husband had a stroke that VA malpracticed on for 3 weeks (Bath BY VAMC) and then sent him to a different VAMC for care. Bath VA had misdiagnosed the stroke but we felt he would get better care at the Syracuse VAMC. He felt his PTSD was his main disability and he filed a Section 1151 claim on that theory but added at the end that he also feared the VA would possible cause his death due to heart disease or another stroke since they had definitely malpracticed on the major CVA.His doctor even told him he was being transferred to Syracuse for brain surgery-but the minute I got on the phone with the doctor ,I knew based on the MRI he read, this was Not brain surgery at all.

The VA certainly had not given him proper PTSD treatment, but that did change after a few battles but still it came too late to really help him.

Long story....I have 4 separate DIC awards,only one check but 4 DIC death awards,one OGC settlement award.

FTCA case settlement for wrongful death 1997

VA Sec 1151 award for wrongful death  1998

VA AO IHD death award direct SC 2012 (also malpractice award 1998)

VA AO DMII death award direct SC 2009 (also malpractice 2009)

VA Section 1151 for HBP filed in 2012, awarded as contributing to death 2014.

I hope the VA did not malpractice on your husband.

The VAMC who he was sent to, told me he would never walk again. and that I should think about nursing home care for him but he was not eligible for the local VAMC nursing hone because he was only 30% SC at that time....but they were wrong...and they also (I probed to the General COunsel) covered up the malpractice from the Bath VAMC.....

that is they Tried to and I proved what they did.

I also got his 30% up to 100% SC  P & T and the EED from SSDI and also the VA had made him fully eligible for VA nursing home care.(But that was after he died) Luckily after a battle the VA gave him OT, enough to get him on his feet and he came home and basically taught himself how to walk again.

Medical malpractice ,if it occurs, is found in the medical records.

One misdiagnosis in 1988 had a snowball affect, and the fact that my husband worked for VA then made it worse.

I am still angry but his death helped others because I learned a lot to post on 1151/ FTCA here for almost 20 years so far.

 

 

 

 

[Berta]

Buck,I am glad she had a good VSO...I had 2 who didnt have a clue.

Yes in some cases the VA will reimburse burial expenses.

I think with the Cola I get 1257...need to check the January deposit.

 

[Berta]

This is the form and info on how VA pays for burial expenses:

http://www.benefits.va.gov/compensation/claims-special-burial.asp

Section 1151 death awards do not include ancillary benefits.

I applied for this benefit in 1995 but received upon award of direct death due to AO DMII(never diagnosed or treated by VA) in 2010. 

It makes sense that anyone filing for a 1151 death should definitely also file for a Direct SC death.

Particularly any survivor of an incountry Vietnam veteran ( due to Nehmer)

 

 

[JohnsWidow]

The VA knew John had cancer in September of 2015 and did not tell him. He was diagnosed at Conroe regional hospital with stage 4 lung cancer June 2016. John ordered his VA medical records after this and found  five times in the Sept.2015 radiology report that he should be notified. He was never notified by the VA. I hate them. We would have done so many things different and he would still be here. Yes I begged them for chemo and they said no. Lots of guilt here.

[Berta]

I thought something was wrong....from your post.

The VA knew my husband had heart disease  and also never ruled out diabetes.No proper care for his HBP or TIAs either. And two meds contributed to his death as well as their lousy care.

He collapsed at the VA while working there and the ambulance rushed him over to the VA ER. The diagnosis was sinus infection.He lived for 6 more years but even though they knew he had heart disease they never diagnosed or treated him for it.

After he died I proved he did not have a sinus condition at all and the ER situation was a heart attack....and since it went untreated , 6 years later he died from it with multiples and TIAs they caused as contributing factors. His HBP dose was way too low and the sudafed prescribed by VA 4 times and day for the next 6 years set up a death they almost got away with.

Dont ever feel guilty at all...... the VA employs medical professionals who should feel guilty when they are too incompetent to properly diagnose and treat veterans.We spouses are not required to have MD after our names.

I wrote to Jeff Miller long ago when he was doing the hearings on Phoenix.My point was that the VA hides their malpractice stats from the public and also from the H  VAC.

I hope Miller is the next VA Secretary,....he sure will be hearing from me again,.

A VA nurse  screamed at my husband when he tried to look into his medical records once while waiting for the doctor..We thought that vets were  not allowed to see their records,..Then Bill Clinton as Pres said the VA was the best gov run health care system in the world and my husband almost felt he should withdraw his 1151 claim.But he didnt.

There is much info here on what a Section 1151 claim needs to succeed as well as a FTCA  case.

I assume you filed a Section 1151, 38 USC claim?

You are also within the FTCA statute of limits.I filed both.

I am still angry because I think if Agent Orange does not kill all the Vietnam vets that are still alive, then some might die from VA malpractice....and maybe no one will ever be able to prove it.