Choice Card = No Eyeglasses?

[marina53]

Not sure exactly where to post this... Because we live 200 miles from the nearest VA hospital, last year my husband received his annual eye exam and a pair of eyeglasses through a fee based outside physician in our town. It worked very well. This year he was told he would have to go through the Choice Card program. After about 10 phone calls over the course of 3 months, he finally received an approval for an eye exam including "refractory" which determines the prescription. After the exam and going into the optician part of the office, he was told that the approval was just for the exam, not for glasses, even though the approval was to check what eyeglasses he needed, but not to give you the eyeglasses!. The office said they have had nothing but problems with the Choice Card "approvals" and were told that the Choice Program is not for eyeglasses. And indeed, I discovered " Eyeglasses are not covered under the Veterans Choice Program-`must use regular VA services". Has anyone else experienced this and what did you do about it? Once again, it seems like the VA has taken a program that actually worked and eviscerated it.

[Pete53]

It looks like the Choice Program is another problem for the VA to manage and not the benefit it should be.

[TexasMarine]

In the meantime, take the prescription, go online to :

www.zennioptical.com

a pair of glasses can be had for as low as $20, including bifocals.

That's what I did.

Edited July 22, 2015 by TexasMarine

[Notorious Kelly]

Agreed with Marine- I had an existing prescription and got 2 pair for $99 at Penneys (lotta places offer this).

Not top of the line but was worth it not to deal...............

[john999]

I had the same experience with fee base eye care. An exam but no glasses. What kind of deal is that? My VA eye clinic is a sorry joke. You get the choice of ten different styles of glasses. If they don't fit too bad.

John

[Vync]

If the VA were on Sesame Street: