Emergency Room Treatment

[deanbrt]

This is for a friend of mine. Steve is a boots on the ground Vietnam combat veteran with leukemia that is 100% VA disabled. His leukemia was in remission but it came back with a vengeance. He ended up in the local emergency room for two days. I had been after him to file for SS disability (he is 62) but he has not done it so his only insurance is VA, They paid for the first day of treatment at Sartori Hospital but refuse to pay for the second day and now Steve owes the hospital over $9,000. Steve just finished his third round of chemo at the VAMC in Iowa City. Any suggestions on how he should appeal with the VA for payment of the second day? Steve is also past commander of the local AmVets post.. He doesn't have the money.......

[retiredat44]

I was in the VA hsopistal for 5 months, and was dischacarged... but was stlil very sick on my appointment to my local va clinic for a checkup 3 weeks after I was out of the hospital. The nurses at the va clinic called 911 because my blood pressure was so low they thought I would die if I was not taken immediately.. the ambulance scooped me up and took me to the local hospital (non-va). I guess the va could not send an ambulance. I spent 3 days at the local hospital before the va had a hospital bed open for me. I ended up with al the bills sent to me. VA Fee Basis would only pay for 2 days, I had to explain that The third day wasn't my fault because there was no room until the fourth day (3rd night) at the va hospital, at which time they va transferred me back to the va hsopital when a bed oepened up...

The bills from the local hospital took at least one year to be paid by VA Fee Basis. They va took so long bill collectors were sending me al the bills.. I had to make many phone calls and fax many bills, and mail them also. It was hell, because I was extremely sick... but if I let them aly there I would have been stuck with huge bills and bill collectors ruining my life. I did not volunteeer to go to the local civilian hospital, the va sent me there driectly from the va clinic by ambulance. I wil always avoiv outside civilian hospitalis because of the hell I went through to get the bills taken care of.

[Wings]

I was in the VA hsopistal for 5 months, and was dischacarged... but was stlil very sick on my appointment to my local va clinic for a checkup 3 weeks after I was out of the hospital. The nurses at the va clinic called 911 because my blood pressure was so low they thought I would die if I was not taken immediately.. the ambulance scooped me up and took me to the local hospital (non-va). I guess the va could not send an ambulance. I spent 3 days at the local hospital before the va had a hospital bed open for me. I ended up with al the bills sent to me. VA Fee Basis would only pay for 2 days, I had to explain that The third day wasn't my fault because there was no room until the fourth day (3rd night) at the va hospital, at which time they va transferred me back to the va hsopital when a bed oepened up...

The bills from the local hospital took at least one year to be paid by VA Fee Basis. They va took so long bill collectors were sending me al the bills.. I had to make many phone calls and fax many bills, and mail them also. It was hell, because I was extremely sick... but if I let them aly there I would have been stuck with huge bills and bill collectors ruining my life. I did not volunteeer to go to the local civilian hospital, the va sent me there driectly from the va clinic by ambulance. I wil always avoiv outside civilian hospitalis because of the hell I went through to get the bills taken care of.

OMGosh, They make it so hard, you want to just give up --but you didn't give the turds the satisfaction! Thanks for sharing your story, and providing a successful outcome! Good for you! ~Wings

[deanbrt]

This is what Steve is facing..

OMGosh, They make it so hard, you want to just give up --but you didn't give the turds the satisfaction! Thanks for sharing your story, and providing a successful outcome! Good for you! ~Wings