Fee Basis Card

[sbrewer]

What is a Fee Basis Card? Where do you get one from?

Thanks,

sbrewer

[Guest fla_viking]

Dear Veteran

I have used Fee basis card for years. If your local VA cannot provide a service the VA will pay throgh fee basis for the service else where.

I get fee basis because I was complaining to my VA Dr about the RO corrupton. The RO would take the dr notes and deny me benifits quoteing what my Dr wrote about he RO. This was retaliaton and the VA authorized me to go else where.

Terry Higgins

[john999]

You know to get Fee Base you have to be a pretty long way from a VA hospital, like 100 miles or more, I think.

[mssoup1]

I'm not sure about a "fee basis card", but our local VAMC no longer has a dermatology department, therefore, my husband is on fee basis with an independent dermatologist which the VA pays for. The VA sent us a letter, as well as the dermatologist my husband chose, telling them to bill the VA for services rendered. There was no card involved, only a letter. The VA could not supply the medical help my husband needed, therefore, they were required to pay for those services elsewhere. He is service connected for his skin.

Not sure if this helped any.

mssoup1

[Pete53]

Fee Basis is not all it is cracked up to be. In first place hard to find a Doc who will tolerate the VA. Second it is limited to only 125 a month which is not enough to see a doc and get blood work.

If a Fee Service Doc wants the VA to run tests they will not do it you have to see a VA doc first. I have found my Medicare plus with an HMO to work pretty good and I have used it to phase out the VA.

Except for Dental.

[Wings]

x

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You can have mine!! I've had it since I was SC for PTSD, 1999.

I go to a local clinic and complain about a urinary tract infection. That's $40 for the nurse visit. The nurse orders basic labwork: urinalysis. The lab fee is $166.00. Fee Base Care pays for my visit, but refuses to pay the lab fee -- because I have exceeded my $125 limit for the month. Now I have UNILAB all over my azz for their money. I tell them to bill the VA. Send them names, numbers, etc. UNILAB sends my unpaid bill to a collection agency. These people call my house until I get sore and tell them to KMA. I send the bill to FeeBase. Never hear from nobody. IMO, $125 mo. doesn't get you very far in medicine.

On the good side, VA Fee Base has paid for my MST/PTSD Counseling with a private therapist for years. They do this on a separate account from other medical. She accepts a lower payment than she normally would 'cause she likes me and she's a Navy brat (her Dad was brass) . . . So, I mostly keep the FB card for my Counseling. I do drive to the VAMC to see the dentist. I stuff the rest of my medical problems till I am ready to deal with them. Not a good way for me to live, but the traveling is more stressful than the cure! Round trip for me is about 200 miles.

I wanted a card, so I personally wrote a letter to the VAMC Director and told him I lived far away AND the drive alone worsened my PTSD. They approved it pretty quick.

The Directive is here (135 page download):

Manual Manual M-1, Part I, Chapter 18 Operations, Part I, Medical Administration Activities, Chapter 18, Change 3 Outpatient Care-Fee

http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPub....asp?pub_ID=787

Edited June 22, 2006 by Wings

[sbrewer]

Thanks Everyone for your response...

sbrewer