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;

[Buck52]

Oh I agree with you Kelly..I hate it if I have to go to my VA ER same here no matter what is wrong with you broke arm leg they don't care.

I had Veteran tell me to tell them at the ER Window you can't breath and having chest pains real bad you think your having a heart attact and say I'm no Dr But Iam in lot of pain...they usually take you right in then...He was serious I never tried it but he made a good point.

[broncovet]

Well, some contractor made money "selling" the VA choice cards to the VA. I wonder if this was a disabled Veteran "set aside" contract? Probably not. I have a VA choice card, also, and also I was told on more than one occassion I could not get to see a doc in 30 days. They told me to "call back at the beginning of next month" to try to schedule an appointment when the next months appointments "free up" as
"the computer" wont let them schedule appointments more than 30 days in advance. This is a bald face lie, because I have gotten other appointments, on the same VA computer system, where the appointments were more than 30 days out. In VA's defense, this incident happened months ago. Why doesnt the VA just blame "the computer" for the VA deaths and be done with it??

Edited January 9, 2015 by broncovet

[Notorious Kelly]

I'm telling you- start recording those VA calls and put em on Youtoobz- forward the link to Bob etc

[Buck52]

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.

[john999]

I got the card yesterday. I will call them on Monday. I doubt it will do much good. All I need them for is pain meds and if they cut me off on those I will them elsewhere. Treatment at the VA raises more issues than solves them. It is supposed to be a "system" yet all parts work against each other. No departments work under one primary doctor who can make things happen. Your PCP can beg to have you seen by this or that specialist but they may deny it. The pharmacy is another matter. I do not live 40 miles from the VA, however, I think I am about to be denied some testing based just on availability and cost.

John

[Buck52]

What happen to congress promise to give all Veterans the best Healthcare in the nation?

Hopefully the New VA Sec Robert McDonald will get things going but how long will it take that's the million dollar question!