Vet With Cancer Took 9 Months To See Va Doc

[Vync]

I ran across this while listening to the controversial Michael Berry radio show the other day. He interviewed Regina Brown, a Veteran who was covered with ticks while in the field during basic training in 1991. The military doctor removed the ticks, but never put her on antibiotics. Over the years, docs thought she had eczema, but she was eventually diagnosed with cancer. After her private insurance ran out, she turned to the VA. That's when the real problems began...

News article: http://www.khou.com/story/news/investigations/2014/08/26/cancer-patient-waits-9-months-to-see-va-doctor/14605925/

35 minute podcast of interview: http://media.ccomrcdn.com/media/station_content/700/2014/08/mp3/default/mb_5p_082714_0_1409167713.mp3

It is worth the time to listen to this entire podcast

[Berta]

That is an OUTRAGE!!!!!!!!!!!

How could they lose her claim AND her lab work? This crap doesn't happen in a vacuum.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/21/health/21ticks.html?ref=health&_r=0

Ticks bites can cause Lyme disease and other serious problems. I dont know if she could get the cancer SCed but hope she can try to.

You can hear the anxiety and stress in her voice that so many here can relate to.

If you don't have PTSD when you start out with the VA, you sure might get it from dealing with the VA.

[broncovet]

This is precisely the kind of stuff that led to Shinseki's resignation. This was not a hoax...Vets being unable to see the doctor in a timely manner is real, and indeed resulted in Veterans deaths.

At my Va, I tried to get an appointment. The conversation went like this:

Vet: I want to make an eye appointment. (Other doc appointments were similar).

VA Employee: We are all "booked up" this month..can you call back at the beginning of the month?

Vet: Why dont you just schedule the appointment, now, for next month, then?

VA Employee: "The computer" wont let us schedule appointments further than 30 days in advance."

Vet: Huh? How come I have other appointments scheduled for more than 30 days?

VA Employee: There is nothing I can do about that. You will just have to call back next month and see if there are appointments available.

(IN this employees defense, there is no doubt in my mind he was instructed by the VA execs to do it this way. This is not an employee problem..its a systemic problem brought on by greedy VA execs who will do anything to get a bonus..including turning away Vets who could die without timely medical care. How do I know this was a systemic problem and not "just" a lying employee? Because this was repeated again and again and again..in multiple VAMC's...so it was NOT just a lying employee..he had to be coached to do this by VA execs. Sadly those VA execs still work for VA..making decisions affecting Vets. I do not beleive any of those were ever fired or prosecuted. They should have jail time.)

This employee was lying. "The computer" does not prohibit scheduling an appointment more than 30 days in advance. Instead, some Va exec wanted it to look like they saw all Vets within 30 days..when they did not..to collect bonuses for "reduced wait times". This is that "secret list" referred to: You see, by making you keep calling again and again, many Vets will simply give up and not get the needed care. The VA is actually "rationing" health care doing this and then giving VA execs bonuses for "reducing wait times" which is a lie and a scandal that led to Shinseki resignation. Of course, I did not die by not getting an eye appointment..fortunately I did not have a life threating medical condition..but, for those who did, this method resulted in bonuses for VA execs, and sometimes death for Vets who could not timely get to see a doctor.

Edited September 7, 2014 by broncovet (see edit history)

[Notorious Kelly]

Record your calls to the VA (I do)

"If you don't have PTSD when you start out with the VA, you sure might get it from dealing with the VA."

[Vync]

It makes me want to record all interaction, including doc visits...