Two Va Programs I Just Found Out About

[Guest Morgan]

I just found out about a couple of VA programs and thought I'd pass this along, just in case other veterans don't know about them. I was trying to get better managed medical care for my husband when I came across this information.

The first one is called the Geriatric Evaluation and Management (GEM). This is a team that manages complex medical needs that older veterans often have, such as medication overload, dementia, mobility, etc. It isn't available at all VA facilities, but probably at most of the larger ones.

The other is Home Based Primary Care. A medical team brings the "clinic" to veterans who have difficulty getting to and from their appointments. It is not the same as Home Health. This program replaces the VA outpatient clinic for the veteran.

Here's the scoop: A nurse practicioner and a nurse visit the veteran about every six weeks, more often, if needed. They work under the direct supervision of a medical doctor. And a social worker visits and helps ensure that the veteran is receiving the benefits he or she is eligible for. At first, I thought I'd rather keep seeing a "real" doctor, then I realized our history is not impressive with doctors at the clinics, so what's the difference! At least my husband won't have to overtire himself to get to the clinic and sit for hours (not to mention flu season coming up). They will draw labs, do routine checkups and prescribe meds for refills. This program has a waiting list and might take several months to get in. Of course, SC veterans get first priority.

Maybe I'm the only one who didn't know about this, but thought I'd pass it on anyway. B)

[Pete53]

Thanks that is good to know.

[Sam]

I am 100% disabled and have had the home base care for 3+ years its great. I still have to go in for some appointments but if I get sick the nurse or doctor will come to the house. The nurse comes about every 4 weeks and the doctor make a regular home visit every 6 months and does a physical.