raven316

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound combative at all. Taking sick leave for medical appointments is completely authorized in my outfit. I've been in this job for 17 years and have enough sick leave accumulated to cash in for more than six months when I retire. If there is one thing anyone I have ever worked for know, I can be counted on no matter what. Thanks for the input.

First, I'm not "calling in sick" I'm taking a sick day that I earned with the full knowledge of my boss (former Army officer who stayed at Benning and wrote M-79 manuals and then got %20 for a basketball injury) so I'm good on that. As for promotion, I'm 65 years old and work in higher ed, I'm probably not going to see much more upward movement! Second, this is Doc Jake's comment about what you can, and cannot get . If you are in the VA Healthcare system. Ask your primary care doctor to refer you to the optometry department. If you need glasses you will receive free glasses which includes progressive lenses if you want/need them . you can pay a little extra if you want to upgrade to carbon lenses, polarized, transitionslens, etc.. my recent pair with Transition Vantage lens set me back under $100. My new Siemens Binax Carrat aids set me back $0. This years flu shoot set me back $0 and I got it at Walgreens all Rx's are free. if you are in priority group 6 or above vet with a decent job and no disability you may have a one time co-pay for each specialty dept of $50 and $8 co-pay on 90 day Rx's. "

Here's my deal. I went to a local audiologist and, after he tested me, he said I'd benefit from them but I should go to the VA before I bought them from him. I had already registered with the system so I figured I'd give it a try. I went to the local mini-clinic in Athens and they set me up with a physical and an appointment with their audio. In the meantime I went to hearingaid.com top see what I could learn. There is a guy there named Doc Jake, a real hard ass who does not suffer fools gladly. The first thing he told me was that if I was in-country I was eligible for hearing aids and glasses, no disability rating needed. I questioned him on this because I could not find that anywhere in writing. The dude jumped my butt and basically told me I was stupid. I jumped back and, over time, came to find that he was a VA audiologist and a Nam vet. I don't know about ya'll but I felt better knowing he was a vet and let the bs roll off my back. After the physical they made an appointment with a VA audiologist and she found that my hearing qualified in my left ear but that she wanted to re-test in a couple of months to make sure it was not an allergy problem. I agreed, went back and the results were the same and I got a resound linx9 a couple of weeks later. I then figured I may as well check out the glasses so I asked about that. I went to the local center for a VERY preliminary test and they said I needed glasses and would have to go to Augusta. This is a link to one of the conversations where Doc Jake gives a rundown of hearing aids and glasses for "in-country" Nam vets. Oh, I also was told to file a claim for hearing loss and tinitus even though I really am not looking for a disability. The guy at the state vets service filed it for me and I was just denied. The bottom line is that Jake has been right from the start. http://www.hearingaidforums.com/showthread.php?17014-Veterans-particularly-conbat-Vets

Good information, thanks!

I read the topic about eyeglasses but In can't ask a question there because it is closed. I received a hearing aid 2 months ago from the VA and am now scheduled to go to Augusta for eyeglasses. I have to take a sick day from work and drive 200 miles. I also have to pay the $50 copay for seeing a specialist so here's my question. I have read that the VA pays $71 for glasses. I know that my hearing aid costs $2000+ on the open market so I wonder if the $71 fee is comparable for glasses? In other words does the VA get a huge discount because they buy so many? thanks

Thanks!

carlie, I looked at all the information I could find and it seemed to me that, as the moderator said, I would have to "qualify" under one of the criteria other than just having been in country. Rather than automatic I think what Doc Jake was saying was that if you were "in-country" you qualified for hearing aids once you were in the system and that Vietnam Vets are eligible to be in the system. There is no other explanation for why I am getting HA's from the VA. I am not service connected (but I have filed for hearing loss and tinitus), and I am employed and fully insured. I had to have a physical before I saw the audiologist and my BCBS was billed for the services. I am not interested in getting into a hassle with anyone but I think my experience is one that could be helpful to other vets. Again, the guy said if I served in-country I'd get HA's if I needed them and I did.

This is the thread, Doc Jake is the VA audiologist. http://www.hearingaidforums.com/showthread.php?13261-Hearing-aids-for-veterans/page14

Well, I'm not service connected, spent a year in Vietnam and 13 months in Korea and I am getting them from the VA. This is the message I got from a guy who says he is a VA audiologist. I also thought I had to have a disability rating but he said it was not the case. He seems to have been correct. I only post this to try to help other vets. if you were 'in country' in Vietnam then you are an automatic into the VA Healthcare system. Which if you need hearing aids you will get hearing aids. depending on your income you might be charged $50 as a visit to the audiologist is a specially. You would also have an $8 co-pay for Rx's. With a max out of pocket per year of $150. Getting a disability rating has nothing to do with you being provided aids. If you get a disability rating then all co-pays are waved and you will get a tax free check monthly. First check will include back to the day you filed your claim.

I spent about five months in the VA process to get hearing aids (actually hearing aid because they approved me for one). I got good advice from a grumpy VA audiologist who is also a Nam vet on hearingaid.com. He told me that if you were in-country and qualify that you will get hearing aids service connected or not. I went to the Athens, GA VA clinic in June. I had to have a full physical and then went for the test. The audiologist wanted to make sure I didn't have any kind of allergy that was impacting my hearing so I had to wait 3 months and have another test. The results were the same and I get the HA two weeks from today.