Ambulance company refuses to bill VA, sics collections on me.

[Buck52]

He needs the Authority from the VA First before sending in anything. if not  it will certainly come back tot he Vet .

[broncovet]

Exactly, Buck.  The VA is really liberal about following its regulations...for VA employees.  However, for us, we either follow the regulations or get denied.  The VA does not care if we were unfamiliar with the regulations.  We dont know, its possible this ambulance company did submit this to VA who either did not respond, or sent a letter why it would not be paid if the Veteran did not comply with the rules.  That is, the Veteran is expected to call VA within 72 hours for approval.  Now, of course, this may not be possible if you are in a coma...but it is possible for you to tell a family member to call VA for you.  

Recently, when I had "non VA care", the Va authorized it before I had it, of course, it was not an emergency.  I also had VA pay for emergency care..my wife called VA and told them I had chest pains and she was bringing me in.  VA told her the VAMC was full, to take me to another hospital and VA would pay.  They did.  

Of course, what is supposed to work in VA does not always work right.    There are hundreds of glitches.  However, sometimes the "glitch" is that the VEteran did not comply with the rules.  I dont know what happened here..if the glitch was with the Veteran, the VA, the ambulance company, etc.  However, if the Veteran did not call within 72 hours, it makes no sense to me to blame the VA or the ambulance company, unless this were a hospitilization where the Veteran was in the hospital and unable to call within 72 hours..and I have no idea if that is the case or not.  

If the Veteran were still hospitalized for that 72 hours, then there should be a record of it, and I suggest taking those records to VA and ask them for a waiver on the 72 hour requirement in light of the circumstances.  

Edited October 18, 2018 by broncovet

[Buck52]

Its always hard and confuseing for the Veteran...some times to much information for the veteran to decifer  so to speak

I had the flu last winter  and waited to long to see a Dr  usually the VA for me

anyway the flu turn into Phmonia and I hadgot to where I could not breath  I could not drive myself to the VA  Nor my spouse could drive me   so she called the VA and they told her to call an Ambulance to take me to the nerest ER so thats what we did..after I gor wella few months later all these bills started rolling in Dr bill from ER  X-RAY Bills and from the Dr that read them  Ambulance Bill and that was 1400 $$ for a 3 mile trip..Anyway I took all these Bills to my VAMC And they sent me to the VA Billing Managers Office  I told the manager all about what happen  she check the phone recording on that date my spouse called the VA...& That was all it took  the manager gave me an address to send all these bills to and They paid all of them...

it was some company the VA uses for this  I don't know who it was?  just the address to send these bills to Attention Mrs Smith  ect,,,ect,,,...I guess if this company knows the Veteran has their address then when he sends in all his Bills  they know the Veteran has did his home work with the VA Bill Pay Mananger and no questions are needed.  they simply pay these Bills..I have not heard a word from anyone or collection agency's  so I am assuming they all got paid.

[bleggett29]

I agree with bronco and buck. It is the responsibility of the vet to let the VA know of the situation within 72 hrs. I, myself, had to eat a $240 ambulance bill. It was a simple mistake on my part, but my responsibility. One night I called an ambulance because I thought I was having a stroke. They came and checked me out and went on their way. The next night, same thing. I had them transport me to the ER. Turned out to be very bad panic attacks. As soon as I was released from the hospital, I took my discharge paper to the local VA clinic. Of course me being a little loopy from whatever sedative was given to me, I failed to mention the night before. When the bill arrived, I went down to the VA clinic and was told I waited too long. I tried to fight it for about 6 months but as soon as the first collection notice came, I paid. $240 is not worth ruining my credit especially since I just got it cleared up two years ago and am planning on buying a house in the next year. 

 

[Martin K.]

Speaking as a service-connected disabled vet AND a retired RN with two years service in a VA Medical ICU the replies in this thread are a load of hogwash that has and will cost VA patients their lives by delaying critical care to deserving vets.

SOME day you people will be (a) too poor and (b) to sick to do that damned tap dance that you talk about so damned blithely. THEN I hope you don't get chest pain and have to wonder whether to call the damn ambulance or pay the rent....AS I DID.  AND AS OTHER VETS HAVE (AND WILL) BUT NOT GET TO THE E.R. IN TIME.

Now I have to go find someone who will help  sick old vets in California deal with these Virginia asshats who don't actually give a fart about putting deserving vets at risk of delayed critical ambulance services because of their wretched, putrid sloth and greed.

Thanks a bunch, G.I.

. 

[Martin K.]

bleggett29

 

This post illustrates EXACTLY what I'm talking about. This vet could just as easily have ended up in a damn "1-star medicare rated" nursing home like the one the VA stuck me in after my stroke. Instead of calling 911 at the first suspicion of a stroke - like VA care guidelines say - now he has to think about paying $240 bucks because the ambulance company is run by greedy schmucks.

Get down on you peoples' knees and pray to God that neither you nor any other vet gets left in some 1-star dump or worse over a damn $240 bill.

I hope you get that house you want, Hoss. No thanks to the jody bums running the ambulace bills.