Priority Medical Care

[SEJones]

I am s/c at 10% awaiting DRO decision for 100%. My question is how does the ratings affect medical care by specialist? I thought I was entitled to care at the VA for my s/c condition but when the Dr. I saw at the VA sent in the referral for Neurology it was sent back because they were busy and I was not a priority unless I was at least 50%. So I had to use my medicare to see the same doc at another hospital. My 10% condtions covers muitliple body parts/functions. Do I need to fight to have a code for each body part? There is no VA code for the condtion so my SO and VA doc requested that they use one for Lupus or Leukemia and rate is as 100%. It is currently at "the rating desk" where is has been for 1 year. I also contacted my Senator and Govenor all contacted the VARO.

Thanks for any and all help.

SE

[Jay Johnson]

that is totally screwed jay. i would start complaining to the patient affairs and work my way up the chain, including congressman and senator if needed.

this kind of stuff really ticks me off. have you tried your local veterans center, that's where i go, and it has worked out really well for me.

I didn't really push the issue because she suffers from MST and lumps VA personnel with the "bad guys" and, therefore, I honestly believe that civilian health care is the best avenue for her at this time.

The problem with the VA is that it works just like the military...if you want something done you have to get someone high up in the chain of command on your side. Example: My wife had been using civilian hospitals when she was accute, but I heard of perry point from my uncle (disabled vet) who said it was VERY good. I sent an email to a psychologist listed under "perry point" telling her (the psych) that my wife had terrible experiences with the wilmington VA hospital and that they told her it would be 6mnths+ before they could get her in to see a psych. Apparently, this psychologist was the HEAD psych for ALL of maryland and had the head psych from perry point call me the same day she recieved the email. My wife was suicidal at that time and needed to go in, so this doctor personaly sent an ambulance over 100 miles to pick her up and bring her in. They even brought in a sexual trauma specialist from baltimore (over an hr from perry point) just for her and gave her a special section in the hospital away from the other "male" vets. It's amazing what you can get when the right person is on your side.

VA health care is very hit or miss...when it's good it can be great, but when it's bad it can be among the worst health care in the world. It's ashame that you need people on your side to get the health care you deserve:-(

[MarineDog]

I agree with many here. This is crap! I see a Neurologists and the initial appoitment took about 5 months now I go every 3 months. I have even changed the VAMC from one State to another. It can be done you just need to be preistent.

Hang in there....

[Guest jstacy]

That is a bunch of Bull. You are in Priority group 3. 10 to 20 percent of the recipient of a purple heart. 30 and 40 is group 2 and 50 and higher is group 1. I cannot reason why the VA told you this? This has no bearing on exams. You need to see the patient rep for the VA hospital and give them names of who told you that.

[SEJones]

The consult that was rejected is in my medical file so I got a copy of it. It says

"Consult Veterans SC 50% or greater must be scheduled w/in 30 days. Patient is SC less than 50%" then is has a section about the code that was given but does not list the disease. Then "this consult will be cancelled" and it was. so my question is should I fight with the VA to give me codes for every single issue. I see the problem as besides that there is a long wait for care is that they are only setting appointments based on the codes and not the illness. After I saw the doctor at the other hospital he agreed that I should have been a priority because my illness does have a nuerolgoical component. But if they don't take the word of there own docs and don't read the file? What is left? I cannot seem to get around the schedulers who think they now more about diseases than the doctors.

Thanks for all the input!!

:( SE

[Pete53]

I am 100% and usually have had to wait months to see someone?

[john999]

Pete

Am I wrong or is the veterans health care in Texas of very poor quality. Texas has a large veterans population like Florida, but I don't think our care is quite as bad as yours. Close maybe. It is bad enough so that I would not go into a VAMC for surgery. What is it: the larger the vet population the worse the care? I know our VARO is horrible.