New VA plan: Vets facing 30-minute drives, 20-day waits for appointments could get private-sector ca

[nitpicker]

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2019/01/30/new-va-plan-vets-facing-30-minute-drives-20-day-waits-for-appointments-could-get-private-sector-care-instead/

New VA plan: Vets facing 30-minute drives, 20-day waits for appointments could get private-sector care instead

By: Leo Shane III ?  19 hours ago

WASHINGTON — Veterans who live more than 30 minutes from a Veterans Affairs medical clinic or face a wait of more than 20 days for most health care appointments would be eligible for expanded private-sector medical options under new proposed guidelines unveiled by department officials on Wednesday. The new standards would replace the 40-mile, 30-day guidelines currently in place for most veterans and could dramatically expand the number of outside health care appointments that VA will have to fund in coming years.

Veterans would also be able to receive urgent care outside the VA system in a to-be-established community care network. Those emergency appointments would require a co-payment from the patients, but department accountants would cover the bulk of costs.

In a statement, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said the new standards — scheduled to be in place by June — are a vital part in ensuring proper health care for veterans well into the future. “Most Americans can already choose the health care providers that they trust, and President Trump promised that veterans would be able to do the same,” he said. “With VA’s new access standards, the future of the VA health care system will lie in the hands of veterans, exactly where it should be.”

The new access standards were mandated under legislation passed by Congress last summer with bipartisan support. But congressional Democrats have repeatedly warned that shifting too many VA resources to outside clinics and doctors’ offices could slowly drain away needed resources from the department’s facilities and lead to privatizing VA’s core mission of providing health care for veterans.

Lawmakers were scheduled to be briefed on the new draft standards on Wednesday afternoon. Capitol Hill staffers and several prominent veterans groups have complained that much of the work in writing the standards in recent months has been done behind
the scenes, without sufficient input from the larger veterans community.
(snip)

[marble falls]

1. I would rather drive to Temple and Austin than use the Scott and White here in Marble Falls.

There's already a program I could use to go to S&W, but I'd rather be treated around veterans.

Ny fear is some of these programs aimed at my "convenience" are a back door to the privatization of the VA.

[Turbineguy]

2. The GOP Plan is to get Veterans to

Last edited Thu Jan 31, 2019, 10:10 AM - Edit history (1)

demand privatization by infiltrating Liberty U grads and incompetents into the VA system.

[marble falls]

3. In Temple, the VA is partenered up with Scott and White. The VA is very good at one thing ...

civilian hospitals aren't: keeping track of patients and their records, and it also give S&W a place where their interns will get experience with all sorts of medical situations they wouldn't get so much experience with in a civilian hospital.

When I got out of the Navy I went to work at Brecksville VA Hospital in Ohio. It was a snake pit. I told my wife to not let me end up in a VA hospital.

Forty years later, I lost my insurance and I had to go to VA. What a difference. I love VA and they've been helping me fight two cancers. I get promt appointments, my waits are minimal. EVERYONE there from the AF Brig General who is my urologist and surgeon to the guy sweeping the floors is polite and caring. I get returns on my phone calls within a day or two and its as likely that its the doctor as it is the PA.

I have bladder cancer and have had four surgeries as well as a long course of BCG, and in the middle of it had a colon cancer removed, I no longer have a colon - I have a semi colon. The process was the most unpleasant experience I've ever been through. Thank G*d I was in a VA hospital.

It was life changing. Its the first time I've ever experienced such a rainbow of caring people from such a wide variety of cultures, races, ethnic backgrounds, ages, economic backgrounds. And they all made me feel like I was their main concern. It was wonderful and showed me what this nation could be like. Who'd have thunk: The VA as an instrument of social change for good.

I think that a lot of critics of VA are trying to advocate for us vets. But I fear they don't have a complete picture of what good the VA does.

I know that there are VA facilities that are not up to snuff - Phoenix comes to mind - but the reason for a lot of the problems is Congress and interests who'd like to privatize VA for their own finacial reasons. Congress needs to quit playing political football with VA and I know for a fact most vets are darn happy with VA and positively, absolutely do not want VA privatized.

[Turbineguy]

4. That's good.

I hope it stays that way.

Semi colon. Very funny. Yeah, I have one of those too. Not from cancer though.

[marble falls]

5. Yoiks. I hope eveything is OK. Colitis?

[Turbineguy]

7. Allergic to cows milk

when I was a baby. I spent my first year of life in a hospital. Two surgeries.

The scars destroyed any chance of a career as a Speedo swimsuit model.

[marble falls]

8. Wow. Glad you survived. I can't wear a Speedo. I need a Lardo.

This would be me in a Speedo. If I ever could paint one on.

[Cold War Spook]

12. I am 100% service-connected disabled.

Besides the care I get through the VA, what is important to me is HealtheVet. I take 15 medications and they are all listed right there for me to see and refill. As for my physical and mental problems, they are listed and at 3 single lines each it takes 6 pages to print. Every time I see a doctor, nurse of technician, within three days, I can read their notes. This way if there is something I do not understand, I can send them a message and they will message me back explaining the parts I didn't understand. I have an MRI of my brain taken once a year and although I really can't understand what I am looking at, the neurologist's notes help me to know how much of my brain had died in the last years. I have vascular dementia. With all that, when I do see the doctors, I know just what I have to ask them even when I said to my primary "You can't help me can you?" And I knew his answer was going to be "No". Not being morbid, I am 75 and if all my medical problems don't increase is speed, I should have another good 10 years.

[marble falls]

13. Sounds like they are doing pretty well, giving you some good years. Speaking of spooks ...

my wife is 29 years ex-CIA. She has amazing insurance. Va beats it.

One of the things that means so much to me is the same as you've experienced, I don't feel left in the dark and they will take time to explain things slowly and carefully.

[The River]

6. I Drive 62 Miles

to Sacramento although I'm supposed to be using Reno
which is about 110 miles away. The local hospital is about 15 miles away. I'd rather walk to the VA before using the local facility.
This whole privatization effort is a "money grab" by insurance companies who "handle" appointments and payment. From what I've heard from other vets is that the Choice program takes too long and requires too much pre-approval BS.

I trust tRump will be gone in 2 years or less. Whatever damage he allows can be undone after 2020. I'll just hang on 'till then.

[Cold War Spook]

9. Two things,

the first is, if Congress would give the VA healthcare system enough money, we would not be looking towards non-VA care. I am 100% service-connected disabled since 1995. I live in Jacksonville NC and all my specialists are at the Wilmington VA clinic. To get my teeth cleaned is a 7 month wait. For a crown, it is a 6 month wait to get the temporary and another 6 months to get the crown. I finally got an appointment for the optometrist with a 9 month wait. Two months later it was cancelled and they have not set up an appointment for me and it has been 4 months since it was cancelled. Second, and please this is very important so please don't tell me how good or bad the VA is. I have been mentally ill, anxiety and bipolar, since 1967. Our house was hit by a tornado with major damage. It caused some problems with me and my wife. I got upset and went to talk to my VA psychiatric nurse. We talked for an hour. I know she writes things in my file which is okay. What I didn't know is that the VA social worker here also gets the report. Still not a problem. Then the social worker never contacted me to see how things were going and sent my file to the Onslow County social service department. The social worker there wanted to talk with me at my house. I said I would talk to her at her office not at my house because my wife is very sick. She then called my wife and started to tell her what I told my nurse. My psychiatrist got very pissed at the VA social worker for even sending anything to an outside service. It came real close for my psychiatrist to send me to Fayetteville for observation. Now my wife and I have to see the nurse on Friday, and I don't know who to trust. Can anyone give me any advice. I can talk in front of my wife or go to Fayetteville.

[GP6971]

10. I'm not sure what to tell you.

My disability is much less than yours. I started in the Choice program but opted out and now have an appointment at the local VA with a PCP in another week. It was a 3 month wait. What was interesting was that some procedures Choice recommended were actually referred back to the VA on very relatively short scheduling.

The care in the Choice program was great. I liked my doctor, but the company managing the program really sucked. I got burned for a couple of hundred dollars because the management company failed to notify me that you needed a yearly authorization letter. Trying to get them to provide that was a royal pain. Very aggressive in signing you up...little to no support after that that.

My advice...go with your gut feeling. Who do you trust? Talk to your wife and go with you're conclusions. My personal opinion...I've had great experiences with my limited dealings with the VA For now, I'll stick with them.

Sorry I can't be more assistance...just wanted give my opinion.

[Cold War Spook]

11. Thank you for your opinion. I did not expect a legal opinion.

Choice Plus was very good here and I saw a neurologist and dentist in Jacksonville, but now nothing. I here that Choice Plus or something like it is starting with less or mileage involved. I think it is if you have a 20 day wait or have to drive more than 30 miles. Mt family all have doctors in Jacksonville so if I do get an appointment with a doctor here most likely my family will be able to tell me how good he or she is. This I don't understand, my neurologist but in for me to have an MRI. Fayetteville could not get me an appointment right away so they discarded the appointment application. I did not know until I had a dental appointment in Wilmington and went into radiology to see what was up. That's when I learned about it. Very nice people in radiology, they told me to ask my neurologist for another appointment and to call me as soon as he made it. He called the next day and I called radiology like they told me to and I had my MRI two weeks later. So I guess if your appointments goes through the VA hospital near you, as soon as your doctor puts a request for an appointment, call that place you will have it and make the appointment yourself.