For Thump

[Buckrub]

http://www.katv.com/story/30147198/va-holds-town-hall-meeting-for-central-arkansas-veterans

[Thumper]

Sorry Buckster. I read this post the other day and was going to come back to it to comment, but got side-tracked and forgot.

Personally, I don't have any real gripes to speak of and am thankful to have what they offer, available to me. I think also that I "might" have a bit of advantage due to the fact I've had so much experience with the system, I kind of know how to work around any obstacles that may come up. There are options if things don't go how you think they should, and I think I've found a few short-cuts here and there to smooth out the bumps if there should be any.

They're working hard on the wait thing. Example, last year, it was time for my colonoscopy to be scheduled. The VA was backed up, so they authorized me to go to a private clinic not 5 minutes from my house (instead of the VA Hospital in Tampa). They handled everything ... they mailed me the 400 gallons of garbage to drink the night before, then I went to the clinic, checked in, got probed, had my consultation with the surgeon, then checked out. Easy-peasy and all paperwork, payment, etc. was already done for me.

I just received a letter that my NOW ANNUAL colonoscopy is due (they found polyps last year), but the hospital is backed up until January, so again, they are giving me a choice of private clinics and they will handle the paperwork and payment. I received my "poison" in the mail the other day for my prep. I'll be calling Monday for my appointment.

BTW .. they have a new program (similar to what I just mentioned) where you can choose private care facilities (IF you meet certain criteria) and the VA will pay for it. It's the Veteran's Choice Program.

http://www.va.gov/opa/choiceact/

The example I used above is one of the criteria, if you can't get an appointment in less than 30 days, you can choose a private facility and the VA will cover it. If the hospital/clinic is over 40 miles away (or the drive is a hardship for some reason), you can choose a private facility and the VA will take care of it. Of course, in an EMERGENCY situation, you've always been able to go to a private facility and the VA would handle it. It (the program) doesn't really affect me much since I have a VA clinic (and regular doctor) here locally and if I need to go to the hospital, it's only 35 (mostly Interstate) miles from me. PLUS ... IF I have an appointment at the hospital, I have the option to have the hospital van pick me up, take me to Tampa and bring me back home (I used that option often after getting out of the hospital so Lynn didn't have to take off work). Seriously, what more could one ask for?

Check Vet Choice eligibility here: http://www.va.gov/healthbenefits/apps/choice/

Are there problems? I suppose .. what program DOESN'T have problems? But I think the VA is working hard to fix theirs. Me personally ... I'm thankful as all get-out to have them there for me and really can't complain when I take in the overall picture.