What are your complaints and suggestion about V.A. Healthcare?

2014-04-09T02:12:50-04:00

I want to know your complaints and suggestions about V.A. healthcare.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 9 at 2014 2:45 AM

2014-04-09T02:45:13-04:00

I think VA healthcare is just as good as Obamacare.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 5 at 2015 12:44 PM

2015-09-05T12:44:44-04:00

SGT Suraj Dave I received this from a fellow Solder yesterday.
I attended an appointment at the VA in Gaylord, Michigan yesterday to meet with a new social worker, she is new to that facility and I'm a new patient of hers there. ( I have PTSD with lots of different flashbacks acquired during Desert Storm)
Within the first two minutes of meeting her and her looking at my past appointments and telling me she didn't have the time nor was she going to read the documented notes that the other social workers had made. She did see that there was a point where I stopped my appointments. She. So the it starts, I was already being criticized for dropping out of treatment as she called it, I proceeded to explain that my employer at the time would not allow me the time off that I needed. Her only reply to that was, well there are employers out there like that. ( I know that, and a year later that employer was given an FMLA form, from the VA and the problem was solved) .
So then the questioning began about my life history, which consisted of a good 20 minutes of being asked about 30 which consisted of everything from how many times that I've been married to family history of my childhood along with many other questions . ( I felt like I was being brought in for questioning in connection to some huge criminal case where I was their main suspect) . Now mind you not, but by this time I'm getting pretty pissed off and can feel my heart rate and blood pressure going through the roof and I had to ask her to please stop with all the questions, I said that's enough questions I can't answer any more right now. (The tear were starting to build and I was starting to shake).
With no pause she proceeds to tell me how her therapy works, which is to go in and find the neurological problem and work on fixing that, I simply replied work, OK. (thinking to my self that you, yourself have more than just got on my nerves by creating a new problem)
By now we are 40 minutes into this appointment and I'm just thinking to myself, hurry up and let me out of here, I can't take this any more.
So as she was finishing up she said, I'd like to see you biweekly and get your treatment started, I think within a few sessions we can get this under control , but you will always have those flashbacks, they just won't come out as often (as she put it, we can't erase them, they will always be there, I then replied, I'm starting a new job in two weeks and I'll have to wait and see how my new employer in going to react when I ask for time off to attend appointments, (which I am starting an new job ). So finally I was asked if I had any questions, I replied with, no and was released from her office.
I then proceeded to checkout and was asked I she had made the next appointment, which I leaned over the counter and whispered, no I don't care if I ever see her again and that was the worst appointment I'd ever had with a social worker. I did ask if I could see my old social worker at that facility for my next appointment , who is now the supervisor of the other social workers, I was told yes you can but there is about a two month wait to get in to see him (which I knew) and we'll call and set up an appointment, I replied, that would be great.
After leaving I sat in my vehicle for a few minutes, had a small break down and just wondered, Where did they find this one. I also hope to god that she doesn't or hasn't treated anyone else the way she treated nor made anyone feel the way she made me feel.
Thanks for reading this and feel free to share this post with others.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Mar 2 at 2019 10:31 AM

2019-03-02T10:31:57-05:00

I'm total perm disabled, before that, I was doctoral allied health, though we shut my license off sevl yrs ago...I trained at sevl VA hospitals, as well as having been a patient, so, I think I've got at least a reasonably decent notion of how it functions, incl the whole VA Choice thing...my main observation has been, that, though I've of course read a good deal about problems with it, which, for whatever reason, we fortunately haven't had many of, at all, that, in the main, often, those having such problems frequently, at least from what I've seen, don't often know how large scale bureaucratic organizations actually operate, esp one as idiosyncratic as VA...that's not to say we've gotten me NAD care with them, we haven't, by any means...I !erely note that, by contrast with private hospitals, of which I trained and was a patient in many, as well, there are many noteworthy differemces from VA, e.g., getting records, then, too, having surgical procedures done at them is often comsiderably more involved, as well as time consuming, albeit not impossible, merely more energy intensive to arrange...sometmes, also, getting ahold of staff can frequently be rather more time-consuming, as well...I'd he most eager to hear your observations as well, certainly, no rush, whenever convenient...certain programs I'd wanted to make use of for volunteering, due to my prior training before my disability, have also been quite exhausting to seek help with, as well, though I can elaborate more on that if you'd care to hear it, that aspect of course is obv unique to my peculiar circumstances...I trained all told in so!e 10 teaching hospitals, as both grad student and resident, treating some 10000 patents all told, under supervision while trying to jamg on for surgical training, assisting with some 200-300 surgeries in multiple fields, before becoming ill ultimately, very long, intricate, complicated story, of course, hope was all of at least some use and/9r interest, also, I'd wondered, of course, what might've prompted your question, which, certainly, was quite apt, I'd merely be most eager to hear more, I saw you're clinical also, I'd wanted to go back in under USPHS, I trained under one of their O-6 level attendings while doing an externship, I was just never able to !make it happen, I've wanted to volunteer for clinical stuff USCG Auxiliary does, which is allowed, you might possibly find reading about that of interest...alsp, are you still clinical now at all? If so, what field, so far as you might he able to describe, have you dome assocs? Bach? Grad school? I have an interest in such career/educ stuff...quite good question, as I'd said, many thanks....

Response by 1LT Patricia Givens made May 9 at 2019 9:00 AM

2019-05-09T09:00:43-04:00

What is going on with VA Choice. Longer times to see doctors, they never answer the phone, few providers. This was supposed to be the reason Choice was started, right?

Response by SGT Michael Hearn made Jun 13 at 2019 6:33 AM

2019-06-13T06:33:07-04:00

The wait times on the phone and for an appointment

Response by SP5 Bryan Wayment made Dec 28 at 2019 1:28 PM

2019-12-28T13:28:38-05:00

Other than my primary care and mental health caregiver, I never see the same care provider twice. It's someone new every time. In my experience at the Salt Lake veterans center, this is true for ophthalmologists, audiologists, podiatrists, orthopaedists, physical therapists, dermatologists and somnologists. It would be nice to meet with the same doctor/caregiver each time.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 28 at 2019 1:51 PM

2019-12-28T13:51:17-05:00

If i was king for a day i would privatize all VA hospitals and make them regular free market hospitals and clinics. Vets would be covered by insurance for their care on the economy.

It is insane to me that the VA will pay me mileage to drive to a free VA appointment thats out of my way but won't chip in a penny for me to go to my free market doctor by my home and work.