Patient's Manifesto

[Pete53]

A Service Connected Bill of Rights

Service Connected and all Veterans deserve better than they are getting.

I would like to see it easier to obtain and get prescriptions that are current FDA Approved and available to all Americans. Less hassle and easier to refill prescriptions. If I am being treated at the VAMC the Pharmacy should contact my VA Doctor to renew my prescriptions timely and not leave it in my lap.

I want access with less waiting for tests and procedures that most Americans have with decent health insurance. I should have annual eye exams not every two years and than wait till there is an opening.

There should be less paperwork and quicker turn turnarounds on requests to review our ratings and the VA should put in for review to increase a rating when it is medically warranted instead of making it a secret.

Based on our Medical Profile's Veterans should be routinely scheduled for visits and we should not have to call and wait for hours to reschedule visits that are needed to monitor our medications and progress.

People who work for the VA should be better trained and not offer opinions instead of help to Veterans who ask questions.

Hospitals in the Community should be briefed on what the VA will do when a Service Connected Veteran is brought in to their facilities by emergency ambulance. The fact that an ambulance takes a Veteran to any hospital would indicate its an emergency. Both the Veteran and the other medical facility should be informed about what the VA is going to do. If the VA is not going to pay the other hospital the VA should make the arrangements for transport to either the VA or the Veterans home.

The VA should make every effort to be helpful to all Veterans who need their care or service after all Veterans Service is the reason that they are there.

[vetswife]

Wonderful. I would also include the following:

As a service Connected Veteran, I have a right to be treated with respect when I ask a question or need some information. Giving generic or "canned" answers don't assist me and will make me contact the VA again. If you don't know the answer to a question, tell me you don't know.

If I have a spouse, they are, unless I say differently, allowed to be involved with my care. I want them with me during meetings and exams, and if they have questions regarding my care, they deserve to have an answer as well.

[john999]

Vets should have access to all medications regardless of the expense. I am sick of being told this or that drug is not available to me. I know it is just because the VA does not want to spend the money. They would rather I suffer chronic pain than make more modern and expensive drugs available to me. The pain management department practically told me this. The VA should not be an HMO. You should not have to go through your primary care to see a specialist. I did not serve to be told I have to wait three months to get an MRI when my private insurance or medicare will pay for one in a week if I go to a private doctor any fork it over from my wallet.