Can The Va Bill My Insurance Company For My Nsc Healthcare?

[LarryJ]

This is the "signature page" from your application for VA Healthcare Benefits:

SECTION XII - ASSIGNMENT OF BENEFITS

VETERAN'S NAME (Last, First, Middle) SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER

SIGNATURE OF APPLICANT DATE

VA FORM

NOV 2009 10-10EZ PAGE 3

I understand that pursuant to 38 U.S.C. Section 1729, VA is authorized to recover or collect from my health plan (HP) for

the reasonable charges of nonservice-connected VA medical care or services furnished or provided to me. I hereby

authorize payment directly to VA from any HP under which I am covered (including coverage provided under my spouse's

HP) that is responsible for payment of the charges for my medical care, including benefits otherwise payable to me or my

spouse.

ALL APPLICANTS MUST SIGN AND DATE THIS FORM. REFER TO INSTRUCTIONS WHICH DEFINE WHO CAN SIGN ON BEHALF OF THE VETERAN

[john999]

It does cost you extra when the VA bills your insurance for SC conditions. They shift the cost of your care to private insurance. This will eventually affect your premiums. Think about it! In order to save a dime they are breaking their oath to vets to carry the burden of those who have given their health to defend the nation. It is outrageous for them to bill private insurance for SC conditions and give that BS about it not costing you a dime. It is the nation's responsibility to care for us, and not some private (for profit) company. The nation is betraying us again via the VA cheapskates. I go to the VA to get pills and document my disabilites. That is it. I get to pay for the thousands of vets who just turn up at the VA for treatment who don't have a dime and are not service connected. I should not indirectly be paying for that cost. I am paying for it since my premiums went up 12% last year with no cola in my miserable retirement pay from civil service. I pay more in medical premiums than I get in cash from my disability retirement. In a few years I may not even be able to afford the insurance I worked for 20 years to get in retirement. It bugs me!!!!!

[Pete53]

I have a Medicare HMO and yes the VA bills and they don't pay but I get paperwork on it every so often.I think Medicare should pay the VA

[SLEDGE]

Callover,

(Quote)

"It definalty help the vets, all vets, because it helps defray their cost and allows the VA to provide better and more services their budget might not have quite enough mone otherwise."

We are not helping to get better treatment for our fellow vets, we are just getting screwed.

The VA jerks get paid a bonus for saving the government money.

When you get shorted, nobody else, no other veterans will benefit.

All of the benefit goes toward paying jerks to screw you even more.

It's their perceived job and primary function.

The jerks receive more money in relation to how much they keep you from getting.

The secretary of the VA is supposed to tell congress if and when the budget does not cover all of the health care that veterans need.

Then congress is supposed to give more money to the VA.

I understand where you are coming from.

But, keeping one veteran from receiving proper medical care under the notion that another veteran will receive better care is just wrong.

It's morally and legally wrong.

It does not work that way.

If the health care system is overcrowded or overworked the secretary has, as part of his JOB, the responsibility of telling congress that the system needs more resources, NOW.

Then congress HAS TO make more resources available so no vet slips through the cracks.

If the secretary says nothing, the secretary has succeeded in saving the government's interest without waking up from his nap.

Making vets pay co-pays and keeping part of our travel pay is just wrong.

Nothing that we give up is going to help another vet get better treatment from the VA.

But it does lower the budget speculated for the next year.

When we buy into political rhetoric and feel good about giving something to another vet, keep in mind that the system is broken if they need to keep our earned benefits.

We deserve everything that we earned defending our country.

By figuring out how to keep it from us the VA jerks are simply screwing us and not helping any other vet as the result of screwing us.

We 'MAY' have just lowered the budget request for next year by receiving less than we earned.

A lower budget request means that even more of us will have to go without something so another vet will get something.

OOPS, I forgot, it doesn't work that way.

When a veteran does not receive everything that he earned, it is directly the fault of congress and the secretary and it has absolutely nothing to do with anything that another veteran gets or thinks he is giving up to help another veteran.

We have no control, none, zip.

The VA and congress are running the VA like they want it to run.

It's not going to get better.

Any politician that supports overhauling the VA is a liar.

If getting screwed makes you feel better and lets you sleep more peacefully, go for it.

sledge

[callover007]

To answer some of your replies. They do not bill Medicare because it is also a Gov agency, sort of robbing Peter to pay Paul. I have BC/BS and my rates go up yearly but I pay no deductible because of VA charges. It does, in my opinion, help ALL vets, something I would hope you would agree is a good thing. There are plenty of homeless and vets earning below the average income level that VA cares for that may otherwise not receive treatment. I have been on this board for more than 5 years and moniter it daily. There are some people here that hate the VA and would not say they are doing as good as they can with what a got. IF it offends you it is because your are the ones constantly berating VA regardless of what they do. If you have an open mind about the VA then you won't take offense to my statement. Try volunteering at your local VA and you will see good and bad workers. Why blame the good for some bad. Finally, if you don't want the VA to bill your insurance, cancel it!

Callover,

(Quote)

"It definalty help the vets, all vets, because it helps defray their cost and allows the VA to provide better and more services their budget might not have quite enough mone otherwise."

We are not helping to get better treatment for our fellow vets, we are just getting screwed.

The VA jerks get paid a bonus for saving the government money.

When you get shorted, nobody else, no other veterans will benefit.

All of the benefit goes toward paying jerks to screw you even more.

It's their perceived job and primary function.

The jerks receive more money in relation to how much they keep you from getting.

The secretary of the VA is supposed to tell congress if and when the budget does not cover all of the health care that veterans need.

Then congress is supposed to give more money to the VA.

I understand where you are coming from.

But, keeping one veteran from receiving proper medical care under the notion that another veteran will receive better care is just wrong.

It's morally and legally wrong.

It does not work that way.

If the health care system is overcrowded or overworked the secretary has, as part of his JOB, the responsibility of telling congress that the system needs more resources, NOW.

Then congress HAS TO make more resources available so no vet slips through the cracks.

If the secretary says nothing, the secretary has succeeded in saving the government's interest without waking up from his nap.

Making vets pay co-pays and keeping part of our travel pay is just wrong.

Nothing that we give up is going to help another vet get better treatment from the VA.

But it does lower the budget speculated for the next year.

When we buy into political rhetoric and feel good about giving something to another vet, keep in mind that the system is broken if they need to keep our earned benefits.

We deserve everything that we earned defending our country.

By figuring out how to keep it from us the VA jerks are simply screwing us and not helping any other vet as the result of screwing us.

We 'MAY' have just lowered the budget request for next year by receiving less than we earned.

A lower budget request means that even more of us will have to go without something so another vet will get something.

OOPS, I forgot, it doesn't work that way.

When a veteran does not receive everything that he earned, it is directly the fault of congress and the secretary and it has absolutely nothing to do with anything that another veteran gets or thinks he is giving up to help another veteran.

We have no control, none, zip.

The VA and congress are running the VA like they want it to run.

It's not going to get better.

Any politician that supports overhauling the VA is a liar.

If getting screwed makes you feel better and lets you sleep more peacefully, go for it.

sledge

[john999]

Callover

If you think you get such great treatment at the VA why don't you drop your BC/BS? Do you get all your treatment at the VA? If you were going in for triple by-pass surgery would you use your local VAMC, or would you look around your city for the best doctor to do it even if it meant using your insurance and having some co-pay? I use the VA primarily to document my treatment for SC conditions. For that I get a bill sent to my insurance. Your VAMC is a teaching hospital. I hope you are so optimistic when a medical student at the VA cuts your chest open, and slices through your aorta.

[SLEDGE]

"It does, in my opinion, help ALL vets, something I would hope you would agree is a good thing. There are plenty of homeless and vets earning below the average income level that VA cares for that may otherwise not receive treatment."

"in my opinion" is the reason I spoke up.

Give me some proof.

"may otherwise not receive treatment."

Why not?

If you know something about how the VA allocates money I would like to know also. The VA has their own version of mathematics. What is the formula for more or better treatment for homeless vets as the result of me giving up xx amount of dollars worth of my benefits?

You seem to have missed the whole point.

I was speaking of the higher level decision makers. The secretary, congress and the Regional Office people.

You are talking about the individuals at your local VAMC.

I don't know those people so I said nothing about them.

VA Management would have us believe that another veteran will receive better medical care, or just better care, as the result of us giving up our own care and benefits.

I would love to volunteer at any Regional Office so I can apologize to the people that I have mistakenly berated.

Can you hook me up?

sledge