Va Choice Cards

[Berta]

About the Program

Many Veterans will now have the option to receive non-VA health care rather than waiting for a VA appointment or traveling to a VA facility.

Beginning November 5, 2014, the new Choice Program will begin to cover non-VA care for eligible Veterans enrolled in VA healthcare. Veterans are eligible if any of these situations apply to you:

You have been told by your local VA medical facility that you will need to wait more than 30 days from your preferred date or the date medically determined by your physician

Your current residence is more than 40 miles from the closest VA health care facility

You need to travel by plane or boat to the VA medical facility closest to your home

You face a geographic challenge, such as extensive distances around water or other geologic formations, such as mountains, which presents a significant travel hardship

More info at:

http://www.va.gov/opa/choiceact/

[RichL]

I moved from Illinois to Florida in Septermber 2014. On October 7, 2014 I registered with the Florida VA Clinic closest to me to establish a primary care provider. I was finally called by the clinic on Novermber 18, 2014 informing me that I have been scheduled for my initial primary care appointment on January 8, 2015.

In the mean time I have had to see mulitiple doctors using my civilian medical insurance that have resulted in a lot of out of pocket fees.

Yesterday I received my Choice card. I called the number on the card and was told by the Choice represetive that I qualified for reimbursement for my out of pocket fees for seeing civilian doctors since the VA could see me with in 30 day.

I was told to contact my local VA clinic and to have them update my eligibility so I could initiate the reimbursement process with Choice.

When I went to the clinic today I was told that they did not know anything about this. I spoke with the patient advocate and explained the situation to him. He told me that the Chioce program would not cover my out of pocket fees since I have not yet had my initial appointment with my primary care provider.

I feel like a dog chasing his tail.

Does anyone know if I am eligible for reimbursement for my out of pocket fees?

[Notorious Kelly]

Rich,

Tell Bob that Florida isn't on board: robert.a.mcdonald@va.gov and 513-509-8454.

Please list facts, dates, times etc without a lot of emotion save for how it's negatively impacting your life.

Good luck!

[john999]

I am getting Fee Base for dental right now, but I have no card from the VA. Somebody is going to get hit with a Fish!!! My fee base dentist was paid for an exam, but no treatment so far. I don't think the VA intends to give me the treatment's the Fee Base dentist recommended.

John

[Pete53]

Have hope sometimes they surprise you. At least they did me.

[john999]

Anything good that comes from the VA without a fight, and water boarding (IET's) would come as a surprise to me. I have always had to fight for every little thing with my VA. I have to ask. They never offer unless it is some game to get me off the opiate program. They offer to let me sit in the VA hospital for six weeks to get off dope they got me hooked on after about 8 years of prescribing morphine, methadone, oxycodone and finally Fentanyl patch.

I don't have much of a life, but I do have a little left without in-patient pain program.

[Chuck75]

It's obvious that the VA is doing it's usual things to at least delay or evade the responsibility to provide timely and appropriate care.

My recent experience was that the local clinic is using a waiting list with a "provisional" appointment date just inside the 30 day limit to evade

or delay giving the veteran the ability to directly deal with the choice program. Get anything in writing about this? Hah!

(The responsible VAMC claims to "know nothing" about this!)

Since the VA's primary care level is usually the most overloaded level, it makes absolutely no sense to require that a veteran seeking non emergency but timely care have to wait to get an appointment to get a referral to get an appointment! At least it's possible to get things to move slightly faster if you can get the PCP to return your call. He or she still is required to generate a "consult". I also suggest that a veteran contact the VAMC Fee Paid office. The PCP originated consult that they get may or may not have all the appropriate details needed.

Most outside insurance companies have programs that allow a company employed nurse to authorize and for the insured, make an appointment, or at least suggest

a physician.