Can The Vet Center Refuse To Treat A Veteran?

[Arch]

Seamen,

I worked at the St. petersburg Vet Center as a work study while attending college under the GI Bill (Vietnam) I also attended the Group therapies there and was helped a bit. I was never instructed to refuse anyone their first visit, there were a few real phony balonies who had no military records and were probably not Vet's Who were sidelined while extensive checks were done, Ther was quite a lookup network available to the counselors and they came to my aid several times when I lost my temper.

I never heard of any refusal at all, any Vet any place. I picked up a guy who stunk so bad that dead bodies smelled better and brought him back to the Vet Center for Eval and Hospitalization, Gave me flashbacks. Of course at that time all personell who worked there were Vets, Both Ron and Tony were Aces, there was another counselor with a Big Block on his shoulder I avoided.

Perhaps it has all been "reorganized" and the counselors are not Veterans anymore If they are civilians that explains it all....

Arch

[Speaking Out]

My counselor at the Vet Center was a Social Worker and No she is not a Veteran. I am going to follow up on this because it is just WRONG. I needed help and asked for it and was denied. I am lucky that my neighbor was home because I was in a bad way. I'm not much better now, but I'm pissed off allot more. That doesn't really do me any good, but I'm human and that's just how it is. I want this person to lose their job and have their Social Worker's liscense suspended. I appreciate all of the support and advice.

[sfsd104]

Looks like you burned bridges and are now having to deal with your anger. If she stated that she was advised not to speak with you then the die is cast. What I'd suggest you do is turn this around if you can. Remember - if you fight anger with anger - all you'll get is misery.

The advise for you to take it up the chain is an option, however there's garbage already in the road that has to be cleaned first.

What I'd suggest you do is check with your county mental health community if you need assistance right now!

Bob

Edited March 15, 2007 by sfsd104

[Speaking Out]

I don't see how I burned any bridges by filing a medical malpractice claim against the VA over three years ago when I suffered medical malpractice at the VA. That statement makes it sound like I did something wrong and that is not the case. I saw this therapist right after the malpractice and the reason I went to her was because I was told the Vet Center is outside of the VA. There is NO excuse for a Vet center to turn a Vet away. As to the comment of having to deal with my anger on my own, I am doing the best that I can under the circumstances. I am trying to go up the chain of command and you are right, there is allot of garbage up that chain, but that doesn't mean I should not continue to expose the fact that a Vet in need was turned away. I will NOT just take this, there is a bigger picture here than just what happened with me. I don't want another Vet to be turned away. As for county mental health services, you have to be below the poverty level for that in my county and I am lucky that I don't meet that requirement, but still can't pay it on my own.

[SLEDGE]

Why is it hard for a mental health pro to understand that people who have PTSD get angry a little too easily?

They don't understand that people with PTSD don't normally put up with crap like they used to before they got PTSD.

Anger is a symptom of the PTSD, not a personality disorder by/of itself.

When I'm treated like a regular human, I act like a regular guy.

When the VA, or anyone else, gives me a hard time, I usually act like I'm being mistreated. (Duh)

sledge

[Tbird]

not so long ago i was in with a va doc, been waiting for hours, she wanted me to wait for a prescription, i said no send it to me, she said you really need to wait, i said listen, i've been here for hours already and my ptsd is really getting hard to control so i think it's best for all of us if you just mail me the prescription, she gave me some samples and mailed me the script. i didn't let my angry out, i managed it, i just let the doc know what was going on and i thought well that was easy. she was very nice.