VA announces access standards for health care

[john999]

Since I have pretty good but expensive private insurance there is absolutely no incentive for me to have to hike 20 miles to my VAMC to get poor specialty care that I can get within 5 miles of my house.  The VA offers many programs that might help me but the drive through congestion and dangerous traffic makes it not worthwhile for me to attempt the hike.  Just driving to my local VAMC is the most dangerous thing I do these days.

[seminoles]

3 minutes ago, john999 said:

Since I have pretty good but expensive private insurance there is absolutely no incentive for me to have to hike 20 miles to my VAMC to get poor specialty care that I can get within 5 miles of my house.  The VA offers many programs that might help me but the drive through congestion and dangerous traffic makes it not worthwhile for me to attempt the hike.  Just driving to my local VAMC is the most dangerous thing I do these days.

I think many of us would choose to go elsewhere (I know I would and gladly pay a copay) if I had insurance, I can't even get anyone to see me here other than one walk in clinic for cash and that is only  because I know the NP who sees me. 

[Vync]

15 hours ago, broncovet said:

Im not sure why it matters how long it takes for us to drive to the doc.  Well, except for, as someone said, trying to "weave in" restrictions and making simple stuff complicated.  

I assume the VA is trying to do whatever they can to keep veterans from receiving care elsewhere.

[Vync]

14 hours ago, seminoles said:

I also find it hysterical that MH is not a specialist???  Well played, well played.

According to my private health insurance, MH is a specialist. When the VA tries to compare their services to the private sector, this shows they still do not have a clear understanding of how things work in the real world.

[Vync]

14 hours ago, john999 said:

Since I have pretty good but expensive private insurance there is absolutely no incentive for me to have to hike 20 miles to my VAMC to get poor specialty care that I can get within 5 miles of my house.  The VA offers many programs that might help me but the drive through congestion and dangerous traffic makes it not worthwhile for me to attempt the hike.  Just driving to my local VAMC is the most dangerous thing I do these days.

Same deal here. Getting to the Birmingham VAMC has become more tricky because the city shut down a major stretch of interstate highway for a year for rebuilding. As if the traffic was bad enough...

I cough up a $40 copay each time I visit a non-VA specialist. Why? Because I can usually get in to see them within one or two days compared to eight to 12 weeks with the VA.

[Buck52]

I have a SMALL VAMC CLOSER to me but they do not have a MH Clinic  this was just built 2 years ago  its 10 mile from me, I  use the Dallas VAMC 51 miles one way  for everything..

Since I have to use it for MH, I notice on my travel pay they were only paying me for the 10 mile trip to the closer VAMC, This had been going on for about 9 months   or since I moved,Grrrr

 Well Since the closer VAMC don't have a MH or offer Therapy, I ask my MH Therapist about it   she had me go see the travel pay director, which I had already check at the travel pay window and they told me that if a VAMC was closer to my home that's what they base the travel pay on.

I talk to the travel pay director and told him I been using the Dallas VAMC for the last 20 years for all my health care..he check with my Therapist and she mention that they don't offer therapy at that VAMC  BECAUSE ITS SMALL AND THE MH PROGRAM HAS NOT BEEN IMPLEMENTED JUST YET.

I visited with the travel pay director at the Dallas VAMC  He was a nice guy and very concerned.

Now I get the 51 miles pay , the director fixed it so I would    41/1.8 cents a mile for 102 mile both way trip around or close to 3300. bucks a trip  opposed to 8.00 I was getting...

If had I never brought this to their attention it would still be 8.00 bucks a trip. 

I did Notice the DALLAS VAMC gets inspected a lot and so for its been ok for me  just need to change to another Dr? just ask and they will change  and you don't have to give a reason why unless you want to.

I'd say at least 90% of the clinic clerks are ok but  there's always  the smart ass's