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/

[georgiapapa]

Buck52,

You are welcome.

[Chuck75]

Justrluk,

One of the dentists on the list is in practice with my current private dentist. At the present time, I have dental insurance which covers fillings, extractions, xrays but only pays 50% of crowns and bridges. When I need a crown or bridge, I am going to call the VA dental clinic in Dublin and request approval for fee basis dental work. If approved, I will ask my current dentist if he will accept the VA voucher for the remaining 50%. I am assuming he could get on the list provided he is agreeable to accepting VA vouchers. If he will not agree to accept the VA voucher, I will use his partner or another dentist on the list. I have one tooth with a large filling which keeps coming out and my dentist told me I would eventually need a crown on the tooth.

Thanks again for the list and advice.

Georgiapapa

Be careful on this one! The VA outside service agreement precludes payment by others, including yourself.

Most dental insurance pays 50% of an allowance these days. You would need to read the "fine print" to see what they will actually pay, along with the fee list..

[georgiapapa]

Chuck75,

I was not aware of this. Thank you for the info

[Carl the Engineer]

Clinic 30 miles away, so no for me. Next year wife goes on Medicare for being on SSDI for 24 months and I can quit insurance through work because I am 70%, and go the VA for my healthcare.

I will save money by not having to pay a couple hundred a month and the $3000 deductible annually. But then I'm at the mercy of the VA for everything.

Decisions, decisions, decisions.....

Hamslice

[Vync]

Hamslice,
That sounds like a no-win scenario.

Regarding the choice card, check out the separate topic I just posted about how the VA lies to Veterans using the choice card.

[john999]

I had Inspire Upper Airway Stimulation therapy surgery. The VA is doing it at my VA hospital now. Mine was not done by the VA. I was the first person in the Southeast to get it done on commercial basis. I think my OSA is about 60-70% improved. I could not tolerate the cpap and it did not even work for me with lots of pressure. Go to Inspire Medical on the Net and read about it. It is expensive so your VA may not want to do it.

John