Posted on May 9, 2019
SGT Warren Crutcher
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I am a 100% disabled OIF/OEF veteran with TBI , Spinal injury, and Nerve damage, and i have been told that this would be a great way to get some much needed excersize with out doing any more damage. I contacted a group called Angel Bikes but they have never responded so any help anyone can give me would be much appreciated.
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Responses: 15
SFC Quinn Chastant
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Edited 4 y ago
I know my local VA facility has a Veteran Athlete Program for those with serious disabilities and have seen recumbent trikes on the campus. One of the Recreation Therapists there who recently transferred to a facility in TX was a participant in the athletics program as well.

As I really don't know much more than that, I would suggest talking to a VA Physical Therapist, and asking there along with placing an inquiry through Recreational Therapy and a VA Social Worker. They should have a much better lead on those programs than I do.

Another couple of resources are:
o The Disabled American Veterans, aka the DAV, they should have information on the recreational and rehabilitation programs in your area as well as sponsoring groups.
o American Legion, the American Legion and it's Auxiliary sponsor several different programs nationwide through the VA system, I participate in the AL Aux's Creative Arts and Music Festival each year.
o Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, aka VFW. Like the American Legion, the VFW also has Service Officers to assist with paper work and opening the process to get things moving for all Veterans. Various Posts also support different functions which the VA may host.

Finally I'm attaching a link which might help some in pointing the direction to follow it is from the VA in Salt Lake City one of the attached pages there has a good list of services and organizations which might have what you're looking for.

https://www.saltlakecity.va.gov/services/rec_therapy/index.asp
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LCpl Richard Baldwin
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Check with Utah Trikes. Not sure if they do any thing, but I do know they have some awesome trikes.
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Capt Daniel Goodman
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http://www.vetadvocates.org

We used NOVA after my whole total perm disability thing just got too complex for a vet group we used, though they did try, certainly...NOVA is pretty much the top of the food chain for VA-disability attorneys, as well as vet groups they're also hooked into, you can also try law school vet-law clinics, though they don't and/or can't always take all cases, unfortunately...trust me, whatever minimal consult a NOVA attorney would want, ours was $500, well worth it, check their search engine for who they have by you, and/or call their office, our guy did 3 yrs active, plus did 35-40 yrs VA-disability law, he knew more about it than God, got us pro-bono help from partners at a large law group he did stuff with as well, and was one of the principal reasons my wife and I very definitely learned there's a decided reason God invented attorneys, honest, if you wanna chat more, I'm here, I'll try to suggest more if I can...actually, about the Angel Bikes group, did you actually call them, maybe ask for a supervisor, manager, and/or executive director? Maybe the vet groups or the VA hospital by you know of them as well...just some other food for thought, you know? I hadn't run into a question like yours before, it did actually kinda get my mental gears turning, obviously, hope all that was of at least some use...you might also want and/or need to actually file a claim with VA, though you'd likely need extensive clinical endorsements from the VA hospital or those you see outside VA clinically, obviously...I'd also call the VA patient advocates, they're always attached to social work, all VA-disabled, I'm fairly sure, are assigned a social worker, however, the patient advocates, while part of social work, are separate...I trained at sevl VA hosps before my disability, so I've been around how they're all organized for a long time, plus having been a patient in them as well, as I'd said, I'm here if you wanna chat more, no rush, whenever you want, OK? And you'll likely need clinical endorsements from neurology, orthopedics, PT, OT, as well, just more food for thought, OK?
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Capt Daniel Goodman
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http://angelbikes.org/qualifications.html

I found the site, which I expect you've doubtless seen...purely as a suggestion, if you as I expect use a VA hospital by you, ask the internist you're assigned to for a referral to physical med and rehab (PM&R), not PT or OT, PM&R are physicians, whether MD (allopath) or DO (osteopath) also termed physiatrists...see if you can get a consult with one, and explicitly get an endorsement for such a bike, either through that group, in case VA might perhaps reimburse for it, or, maybe, also, you could either a VA internist of VA physiatrist for an outside referral to VA Choice...given you're 100%, with all you describe, I'd most definitely also ask all the mil/vet staffs at all three Congress offices as well...just get the the Privacy Act (PA) forms, or they can't help you, that's just Federal law, you need to give those in, they need to be renewed annually, we've gathered...see also if VA has an exercise physiologist, or ask for a VA Choice referral to one outside if they don't, also by the VA internist and/or physiatrist where you are...VA also has cardiac rehab, you might perhaps also ask for a cardio endorsement, they might want you to use their own equipment, however, you might perhaps at least just ask, you've got nothing to lose by trying, certainly...honestly, I don't know if the Congress offices would endorse such a request, typically, they inquire, as you doubtless know, not recommend, as a generality, at least from what we've seen, I also have another group you could ask as well, aside from the major vet groups, lemme send the other link, OK?
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SGT Warren Crutcher
SGT Warren Crutcher
5 y
I was referred to http://angelbikes.org by the Wounded Warrior Project. I filled out the application about 5 months ago. No response from them. I sent them an E-Mail to see if they received my application 4 months ago, again no response. I sent them a follow up E-Mail two weeks later, No response.
If you look at their web page it has not been updated since 2015. I found their Facebook page and sent the Woman who runs the organization a message on Facebook Messenger and still received no response even though she has recent posts on their Facebook Page.
I contacted Wounded Warrior Project about this and they told me they had just Vetted them last year and I told them they might want to reach out to them again because if your going to recommend someone to them the least they could do is respond to a simple E-Mail. Wounded Warrior Project them told me " Perhaps you should start a go fund me page for your Trike."
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Capt Daniel Goodman
Capt Daniel Goodman
5 y
Well that's obv not a horrible idea certainly, I follow what happened, I'd still ask for the clinical endorsements, I mean, you've got nothing to lose by trying that route also, just a thought, you know? Maybe the group broke up for some reason, I'd expect, I mean there've gotta be manufacturers of them somewhere in the US, maybe Canada or Europe, possibly elsewhere, honestly, I think truly asking VA for a clinical endorsement and trying for VA Choice,might be worth the effort, I can't be sure of course, though it strikes me as a perfectly reasonable thing to ask for, maybe with help from the Congress ofcs as I'd also said, I'd I find anything more I'll try to send it ok? Ask,DAV, they're also extremely good with such stuff call their K,Y main ofc and ask there as well, just another idea, I've got no idea if it's so any good, I know there are also get spinal injury groups I've seen listed as well, most VAs,also have spinal trauma units as well, the one in the Bronx has a major research group I've read about, the clinical side I don't know as much about though you could ask there as well on the off chance....
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SGT Steve McFarland
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You might try Tera-Trike. They are a recumbent trike manufacturer, but they might be will to do a custom for you.
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