ptsd I'm Going To The Wrong Visn Op Clinic Closer To My House....

[chicopee]

Hi everyone,

I'm 100% perm/total, housebound, with PTSD and HCV (bad blood transfusion in the Army) - and, I have a couple of nasty autoimmune conditions that keep flaring up. I actually live closer to my current clinic in the wrong VISN and use a VAMC that's closer too. Unfortunately, I cannot receive travel reimbursement and I cannot receive any ancillary services prescribed by my current PCP in the wrong VISN. I believe I live in a Bermuda triangle.

Now....here's an option: drive 170 miles to my correct VISN to see a PCP and receive all the benefits for which I'm entitled: home health, travel pay, telemedicine, etc. My current PCP is 85 miles from the house. I've received my SSDI and Medicare - the Medicare Advantage plan is now unaffordable to even use and they've taken my local acute care doc off as a preferred provider. My local doc is only used for strep throats, etc.....but, I'm finding that I can't find a civilian preferred provider for just acute care - other than the one I have now. The civilian docs that are preferred providers want me to NOT ever use the VA if they take on my care. Even the cost of going to the Urgent Care clinic here has gone from $50 to $100 on my Advantage plan. I'm a single parent and can't afford any extras. I've also had to discontinue counseling using my Advantage insurance - I was told I would need to drive 170 miles round trip to see a VA counselor once a week because I can't get telemedicine. I can't drive very well - not comfortably. NO vet transportation within 40 miles of my home. I made the 170 mile trip last Friday and I had to take my kid out of school to help me go to the VA. When we got home Friday evening after the road trip, I couldn't get into the house by myself. No family or friends here can help....all work or they're incapacitated. My mother has Altzeimers.

Is there anyone else here that's living nearer to their clinic in the wrong VISN???? I wrote my senator and all I received was a reminder that I can get care anywhere I choose - pretty pompous! BTW, my PTSD and my liver are both svc connected. There are 2 closer clinics - both of them are about 30 miles from my house. They've denied me care due to chronic health conditions and they're ran by Nurse Practitioners. I've gone to one (suited up and showed up) and they turned me away!

I'm watching the Rural Health Initiative Bill H.R.1527 - congress signed it, the Senate hasn't done anything with it. It was supposed to start here in Feb 2009. It's for svc connected vets living more than 60 miles from their PCP.

Best wishes to all,

Chicopee

[Pete53]

Next time you are at the big VA I would ask a Patient Advocate to help out or go and talk to an Administrator. There must be someone who can help.

Do you mind telling me what afvantage plan you are using and why it is unaffordable I am thinking about Switching and using F Plan which will cost me about 50 bucks a month

[chicopee]

Howdy Pete!

Haven't been around in awhile but I read about your dental experience - ouch! So sorry to hear.

I missed my chance of getting medigap at the beginning - one time shot and that was when I was married and using hubbies

insurance plan. I have to use a Medicare Advantage Plan - not Medigap. I'm 52. It is running $165 plus part D now. They

take it out of my SSDI check every month.

As for the VA, no luck with Patient Reps since this is a multi-VISN problem - they can't help. Even wrote my

congressman - then she was voted out of office on the 4th. That's how I found out about the HR bill. Will

need to re-do my request to the new electee. I was told by a VA svc rep that was the only person on earth that could make a

difference.

I'm just looking for others with the VISN boundary problem and of course, I always love to hear from you.

Keep in touch and God bless....

Chicopee

Next time you are at the big VA I would ask a Patient Advocate to help out or go and talk to an Administrator. There must be someone who can help.

Do you mind telling me what afvantage plan you are using and why it is unaffordable I am thinking about Switching and using F Plan which will cost me about 50 bucks a month