Va Care Vs Private Care

[boomer2]

Here's the question...if you are say 60% SC'd for whatever conditions are you required to go to the VA and can they stop your compensation for not going to them. I am asking this question for a friend who recently was in a VA hospital and was being treated for a SC'd condition and was given a shot by a nurse and it almost killed him, in fact if his family had not moved him to a private hospital it may have. He has private med ins. and has told me he won't go back to that hospital. NO!! I am not going to name the hospital as he does have an atty.

[john999]

I do have some mental health and agent orange conditions. I go to the VA for treatment for these conditions. If any secondary AO conditions are identified I want lots of VA records because I am going to probably file a claim. The fact the army sent me into a situation where they knew I would be exposed to AO burns me and I want them to compensate me if I get any disease and there is any way for me to be compensated. It is a matter of hitting them where it hurts since if it kills me it all gets swept under the rug. I am not really looking for compensation except my CUE but if someone drops in my lap I will take it. I think using the VA just makes it a little easier to gather your records and harder for them to impeach your doctors. Besides, the owe me medical care even if it is just some pills and a physical exam twice a year. I get little enough as it is.

John

[Pete53]

In the last month or so my diabetes Doc and my shrink were replaced by nurse practitioners who do not have much time except to write prescriptions. Since I found out that with A&A the VA has to fill my prescriptions written by my HMO Doc I am considering quiting the VA or maybe just getting in their home care program.

I am pretty tired of medicine on the cheap and only trying to manage crisis instead of well care.

[john999]

Pete

If I have a serious problem I go private because I am not prepared to wait months for care.

[Philip Rogers]

No one is required to see the VA for care, of their s/c conditions, and they cannot cancel your comp payment for not using VA care. I prefer getting my care promptly, so I use my medicare and I pay the copay. I use the VA for most prescriptions and some bloodwork. They did give me a new Cpap this week. I plan on getting a private sleep doc so I can change my mask more frequently, as VA will only change every 6 months.

pr

[Tbird]

If I had private insurance and could see a private doctor and still get my meds filled at the VA, I would do it in a heartbeat. I get about 15 minutes with my primary care doctor (Nurse Practitioner) One issue only I have to make another appointment if I have more than one issue. So basically I have to triage myself before seeing the doc. Last time I went she said you need a PAP smear I said ok let's do it, she said no time I had to make another appointment, I did it was about 2 or 3 months down the road. I cancelled the appointment. I don't blame the doc, she has policy she has to follow. It is all pretty ridiculous to me, wait for month or more for an appointment, wait for an hour or so for to be called. That doesn't include the time it takes to park and that's a whole other problem. The whole process just ticks me off, so unless I have to get meds or there is something really serious going on, I'm done. Part of it is my problem, I'm agoraphobic, I don't own a car so I have to get a ride and leaving the house is extremely stressful for me and frankly I'm at the point where it's just not worth it. I see my psychiatrist about every 3 months and my psychologist once a week and that is all good.

[broncovet]

PR..

Are you pretty sure about that? If the Vet quits going to the doc (VA would be the only one that the VA would know about) could the VA not notice that and do a proposed reduction? Of course, the Veteran can dispute the proposed reduction, but do we have to send them the private care doc records to prevent a proposed reduction? What if we are seeking "alternate treatments"...that is, something other than pills. Im so sick of VA's pills I could scream. And, I agree, the VA shouldnt force us to take their pills or forfeit our compensation. The regs clearly state the issue is continuity of symptoms not treatment.

I agree with TBird. If I could go elsewhere (other than VA) for medical care, I would do so in a heartbeat. For me, it is not JUST putting up with the inconveince of the VA, waiting on appointments, etc, its worse. My VA has multiple, multiple problems that are not going away.

Here are about 8 of them, that lead to the death of Veterans:

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/ohio-news/ohio-va-clinic-paid-940k-in-cases-over-8-deaths-1342037.html