The Va Stole From Me

[Rockhound]

Like some if not most of us who are not 50% or better SC'd, I think it is anyway, we have Co-pays to make for our medications, if our income is more than what the VA allows one to receive and not be required to pay Co-pays.

I'm one of those, but I am pretty close to that amount, but my expenses to live takes all that I make on my combined SSDI award and my 10% SC'd disability compensation. Anyway, I have built up a bill as a result of which I had an aggreement in place for a repayment schedule and a income hardship that keeps me from having to pay or accrue additional Co-pays. This has to be updated every three months so that the additional charges can be waved and once a year for the hardship so I won't have to pay these new charges.

Suffice it to say, I still have past owing charges for which I pay a small amount, to pay down and eventually pay off these prior charges. Someone or somehow, wires got crossed and it was believed that I had reneged on the agreement and they attached a percentage of my SSDI to the toon of $138.00 and change. By the time I noted the amount missing from this months SSDI direct deposit and got into see someone about it and even though I called and reported the day the deposit was made, I am being told the amount cannot be recovered this time, but they will make a note on my account so that future problems like this don't or shouldn't happen.

To add to my pain and suffering, I have to update both my income means test and my income hardship, to insure that I will be safe from incurring any additional charges, at least for the next 90 days, when I have to go in and personally talk to a clerk, so they can take any accrued charges in that 90 days and put those charges in the do not have to pay colum.

Mind you, I have cognitive and memory issues that make doing something in 90 days an iffy proposition at best, even if I note it on a calender, which I may or may not remember to look at, if I don't have other appointments or things other than pay bills, listed for that month.

They have nothing in place for consideration of people with similiar issues, that make doing something, even less than a week away, a problem in remembering it has to be done. It's almost gottem to the point that I may have to turn my accounts receivable and accounts payable, to a stranger, just so I can keep up with all that is going on with my bills and such. I only have one person who I would trust, that I have known for a long time, and one brother who is fit to take on such a task, but both, I am sorry to say, have family issues that take up more than a normal amount of their free time to be able to have the time to help me out, so I am left with a stranger who does this for a living and I can ill afford to pay someone to do it, when I can hardly meet my obligations as it stands.

Does anyone know if their is a way to appeal this taking of my money and who I should address it too? Even if I somehow missed a due date or time limit, my problems with my hardship and/or ability to pay hasn't changed, I still pay the agreed upon payback amount each month and I am up to date with that, it is only the information they want, that has to be updated at prescribed times that may be in question.

The letter, saying they are taking the money, came the day after the deposit of the money. I did not get any prior notice that I was in any kind of default at this time. I only received such a letter the first time, which was some time ago, which led to filing the hardship and getting it into place and where by a payback amount and schedule was arranged. I need that money back to stay on schedule, for the repairs needed to my bathroom and for added charges I will incure this coming winter for electricity and propane for heating. Otherwise, I have to somehow find a way, since this amount, although seemingly not that large, when every nickle and dime for bills and living costs are already accounted for, any deviation puts me behind schedule in paying future bills or trying somehow or someway that doesn't cost anything to reduce them.

At this point what I say is no more than a rant and doesn't add any help, it only goes to show my frustration and helplessness to things I can't control or have any power to change as far as I know. Besides, I need to try and, at least get in a nap before I have to get ready and make it to an 0800 a.m. appointment with my PCP.

Rockhound Rider :P :D B) :) B)

Edited August 25, 2009 by Rockhound

[smilen66]

Hey, Rockhound. I've just had a brain fart! You know, the VA purchases these GPS systems for people like us that get easily confused and have trouble finding our way to places. Why would they not purchase a person one of these nice PDA's, for people like you and me that have "memory deficits"?

Has anyone ever heard of such a thing happening?

I've got one (The Wife bought me one as a gift) and I depend upon it and it works. You just have to REMEMBER to enter the data IMMEDIATELY (for example, immediately when your Primary Care Physician tells you to make an appointment in December, to see him in January (which just happened with me) then I WHUP that little puppy out and make the entry...........bingo, on Dec. 15, this baby tells me to "call, make appt with PCP for Jan".............shazzzzzammm!

Heck, it even makes me "look smart" and "with it"!

About 2 weeks ago, I received a touch screen IPod (2nd generation) and a month before I received a digital voice recorder (Olympus) from the V.A.They were given to me through the speech and language dept. for memory issues.

[Ricky]

Rock - I am sorry that they put this hardship on you my friend. However, if it was a valid debt to the government and they recouped it there is nothing you can do.

The only time you would be able to appeal to them and receive any help is if for example you owed them lets say 2000.00 dollars and had a payment plan to pay 25.00 per month. Then all of a sudden they retained all of your disability pay one month and planned to do the same in the following months until the debt was paid. Then if you could show that you did not default on the agreed upon monthly payment you could have the stop the future withholding of your entire disability payment. However, they would not give you back any money they had already withheld. All they would do is say sorry about that. That's the ole govt way when you owe them money.

Edited September 14, 2009 by Clown Man

[Rockhound]

This is basically what my situation is. I owe them for co-pays for my medications, but since I am on a fixed income, receiving only an award check from SSDI, I set up a repayment plan and also was approved for subsequant co-pays a hardship which forgives me the debt on subsequant accrewed co-pays, but I have to update my income means every 90 days.

This in its self is hard for me to do, since my ability to remember to do this, is one of the problems I deal with, and my basic bills don't change from month to month, except that they get worse during the winter months, since my heating costs are much more than my airconditioning costs in the summer time. either way, it is a hardship on me to pay the nearly $100.00 in co-pay I would otherwise acrew each month.

I've been able to reduce my co-pays a bit, by not taking as much pain medication this month, but as soon as this runs out, even if I cut my number of pills in half, the VA will still charge me the $8.00 for a thirty day supply. So I am going to ask my Dr. to maintain my past perscription, if she will, and I won't have to have it refilled for two months, but I doubt she will do it, since an audit of her perscription would show that she is giving me enouth for two months, the way I plan to take them so I can drive. If I hadn't decided to start driving again, then I would only have enough for one month, so I can be mostly pain managable. Right now, my pain level is such that I am having more migraine headaches, and pain induced fatigue, depression, and trouble getting and staying asleep among other pain related problems.

Anyway, for now I have gotten things straightened out for now, but I am sitll out the money they took and it will take me a few months to catch up on the bills I have had to take from peter to pay paul as it is and I hope I catch up before the winter cold has me turning my furnace back on to at least keep my pipes from freezing like they did this past winter, for which I am having to replace the subfloor in my bathroom because of it. Another cost I can ill aford.

Rockhound Rider <_<

Rock - I am sorry that they put this hardship on you my friend. However, if it was a valid debt to the government and they recouped it there is nothing you can do.

The only time you would be able to appeal to them and receive any help is if for example you owed them lets say 2000.00 dollars and had a payment plan to pay 25.00 per month. Then all of a sudden they retained all of your disability pay one month and planned to do the same in the following months until the debt was paid. Then if you could show that you did not default on the agreed upon monthly payment you could have the stop the future withholding of your entire disability payment. However, they would not give you back any money they had already withheld. All they would do is say sorry about that. That's the ole govt way when you owe them money.

[jbasser]

Rock, you should ask the VA for a Waiver of copayments. I kmow a fellow hadit member who did this and it saved him a lot of money.

This can be helpful to anyone with an ongoing claim.

I think you will eventually win your claim and reach 50 percent or hiogher so consider this a loan to the VA.

J