Va Choice Card = More Va Lies

[Vync]

I tried to use the VA Choice Card and found out that the only people making a choice is the VA. The card is aptly named.

My VAMC is lying to patients and scheduling them as walk-in's instead of bonafide appointments.

After being hospitalized out of state, I was discharged and instructed to see my primary care doctor within 7 days. I called my VAMC primary care clinic last week. They said the earliest appointment was three weeks out, but when informed about "the date medically determined by my physician" being within 7 days, they could suddenly see me one day next week. I received the robo call appointment reminder the night before my appointment. After arriving early for my appointment and checking in at both the kiosk and the clinic desk, I ended up waiting about five hours before being seen (despite being in priority group 1, 100% P&T). I checked periodically and was told I would be seen "soon".

I asked the doc what took so long and was told I was classified as a walk-in and did not have an appointment.

Has this happened to anyone else?

VA Choice Card

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

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

Actual wording of the law

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-113publ146/pdf/PLAW-113publ146.pdf

Sec101 (B)(2) the veteran—

(A) attempts, or has attempted, to schedule an appointment

for the receipt of hospital care or medical services

under chapter 17 of title 38, United States Code, but is

unable to schedule an appointment within the wait-time

goals of the Veterans Health Administration for the furnishing

of such care or services;

[john999]

I think that the best thing going to see a doctor at the VA can do for you is to document possible SC conditions. Get the PCP or some specialist to say your condition is service connected in some way. Then file for it. As far as treatment goes it is a joke. VA wants me off pain meds, but refuses any other treatment. I beg for PT....denied. I ask about tests for my neck and feet. My PCP says she will put in referrals but holds out little hope that I will actually get them. What kind of joint is this? VA nurse tells me in private to go see her private neurosurgeon because VA is useless.

John

[ArNG11]

I don't want to add to the fire but I agree. It seems like I am a bother to my VA PCP and nurses. Every time I mention a program, a procedure, or means to get outside referrals they play dumb. I'm sick of it. I thought the choice program might be a step in the right direction, however, so far it just feels like another ploy to try to mitigate all the bad press the VA healthcare has gotten.

[Vync]

All good info and I appreciate it.

Well, I checked the myheatlh.VA.gov site and found my appointment was in the system as "kept", so basically I still believe someone at the VAMC is not being honest. In the end, being straight up and honest would help instead of bait and switch, dishonesty, or blowing smoke up our six.

[Vync]

I don't want to add to the fire but I agree. It seems like I am a bother to my VA PCP and nurses. Every time I mention a program, a procedure, or means to get outside referrals they play dumb. I'm sick of it. I thought the choice program might be a step in the right direction, however, so far it just feels like another ploy to try to mitigate all the bad press the VA healthcare has gotten.

That's exactly what it is. And no matter who you talk with, they tell you something different and say the program is new. I admit that the program CAN be helpful for remote patients, but it makes me wonder if programs like this should be subject to equal protection under law. If some can benefit from it, why can't all benefit from it?

[Chuck75]

About those Choice Cards, MsTbird put up some links of information on them.

The VA measures the distance in a ''straight line'' not road travel...and the VA is suppose to be getting an interactive tool for the computer & the veteran can use IT to put his information in and it calculates the distance for you...so there probably going to be a lot of veterans that can't use it.

But here's another kicker they won't have it ready until late November. eh!

I wish they didn't have any limitations on it so we all could use it...when we need it.

I don't mind going to the VAMC if its not to long on the appointment wait or getting rescheduled or canceled.

usually its an all day trip always has been.

The VA tried to use "straight line" to reduce mileage payments to veterans previously, and for some time.

Complaints finally forced them to use actual road distance. It's obvious that some within the VA

are trying to reduce "costs" at the expense of veterans. (Again)

There is an out for veterans, however. While the new law specifies certain criteria, it is being interpreted

strictly by some, and a bit more generally by others. This is the situation the VA really likes.

(Raise enough hate and discontent, and they have a way out.)

[john999]

No matter what big bosses may say to the public there is always ongoing attempts to reduce costs. That is the heart and soul of the VA to reduce costs to minimum tolerated by the public and vets. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are pretty much over so you can expect the worst until people start getting blow up again and their is a flood of wounded coming back to the states.