2 fehkin' years

[neutronjockey]

It took 2 years after my Honorable discharge from the Navy to get an appointment with VA medical.

Today I was finally recognized as a human being.

What was I recognized with?

An pre-appointment to set-up my actual first appointment.

*typical fuckin' VA system*

[Cam63]

They want you ! They want you !

...They want you as a new recruit !

[Gail Simone]

That is absolutely shameful.

I am liberal as they come and I would GLADLY pay for a huge increase in taxes to support better care for veterans. It is so ridiculously unAmerican to allow beauracracy and cowardice and apathy to create such a sorry and seemingly institutionalized and chronic state of disrepair in reward for our volunteer armed forces' service.

It makes me crazy. We have a member of our family who has been dealing with this since serving in Korea, for God's sake.

Cut other places, but not vet benefits, I say, and I'd be willing to bet most of America feels the same way. We're just not outraged enough yet!

Good luck. You ARE a goddamned human being and I hope they get that soon!

Gail

[SUPERECWFAN1]

That is absolutely shameful.

I am liberal as they come and I would GLADLY pay for a huge increase in taxes to support better care for veterans. It is so ridiculously unAmerican to allow beauracracy and cowardice and apathy to create such a sorry and seemingly institutionalized and chronic state of disrepair in reward for our volunteer armed forces' service.

It makes me crazy. We have a member of our family who has been dealing with this since serving in Korea, for God's sake.

Cut other places, but not vet benefits, I say, and I'd be willing to bet most of America feels the same way. We're just not outraged enough yet!

Good luck. You ARE a goddamned human being and I hope they get that soon!

Gail


I agree.... the soldiers , even if you don't agree with the War, they are doing a service to the country. They deserve to be treated as heroes and not be done this way. It does sicken you to see heroic men and women who have been injured and hurt who due to this can't be treated.

[rick]

It took 2 years after my Honorable discharge from the Navy to get an appointment with VA medical.

Today I was finally recognized as a human being.

What was I recognized with?

An pre-appointment to set-up my actual first appointment.

*typical fuckin' VA system*


I hate to tell you this my friend, but after that pre-screen, you'll be looking at about another 6 to 8 months after that for an initial work-up.

[Sally Sensational]

Oh, and don't even THINK about ever telling the VA that an assigned appt time is not good for you or attempting to reschedule an appt. When they give you a time, be there. Be there early and expect to wait for up to several hours after your actual appt time before you see anyone. In other words, if you have a civilian job, be sure your boss understands that, when you have a VA appt, you have NO choice but to take the entire day off and go to the VA hospital.

Take a book.

[neutronjockey]

That is absolutely shameful.

...

It makes me crazy. We have a member of our family who has been dealing with this since serving in Korea, for God's sake.

Cut other places, but not vet benefits, I say, and I'd be willing to bet most of America feels the same way. We're just not outraged enough yet!

Good luck. You ARE a goddamned human being and I hope they get that soon!

Gail


I've been pretty f#$ed up emotionally since this last Veteran's Day. I was watching V-Day memorial videos and came across a high school buddy that served as a medic in Bush's War.

I recognized his face. But it wasn't the same young man I knew in high school. War changes people, and the change is never for the better.

Unlike me, he's using his bitterness and rage to fight for Vet's benefits. I'm too busy fighting for my own...and too busy being bitter at the government.

I think the real ass kicker for me is that our country has an estimated 200-300,000 homeless veterans on the street. That number is astounding...and have a feeling the number is a lot larger than what they've estimated.

I'm a bit subjective in saying this but I believe that a government's values are directly reflected in how they treat the men and women that serve them.

Our government's values are pretty poor.

[LewisH]

of the horrible state of health care in this country, not just for vets but for everyone. The corporations and bureacracies took it over years ago and are squeezing it for every ha'penny. As far as they are concerned, you're just another account that can easily be substituted with another account.

The only way to fight it is with money and of course the people who most need it don't have the money to fight it. Meanwhile, the people who have the money to fight it are probably profitting from the current system so they won't.

It is akin in many ways to the feudal system of the Dark Ages and the only thing that cured that was the Black Plague and the 100 year war. (This message of pessimism brought to you by the letters D for Doom and G for Gloom.)

[Solaris]

To me, it seems like the govt. sees serving as being in some ways like you being on a very prolonged jury duty: you may get paid, you may learn some things... but the rest of your life is on hold, and you're subject to the govt.'s beck and call. And what you get paid in no way makes up for the ways you've had to change your personal life, to accomodate it.

(And that's not even looking at what people go through when they're called to fight, or even simply to serve in a danger-laden area for their tour of duty.)

Thing is, the government TREATS it like it's jury duty: they use you for what they want while you're under obligation to be part of the system, and once you're job is done, they forget about you. And being a vet is NOT like jury duty; you do so much more, risk so much more, experience so much more that is bad... and often if you come out alive, you are scarred for life: physically, mentally, and/or emotionally.

The fact that the govt. treats it nearly at the same level as someone who's been called in to jury for a few weeks, then goes back to normal life... is ludicrous.

[Darediva]

May I weigh in here? I just got back from the VA in Memphis. For the fourth time this week.

I sat around waiting for my appointment which was scheduled for 10:45 this morning. At 12:15, I finally saw the doctor. Not one I'd ever seen before, a new guy. This is very typical, unless you become a "regular" like me.

Everyone in the specialties clinic area knows me, from the janitorial staff up to the department head. I've been coming here since 1995, and seen quite a few changes of the guard. But you know something? People treat me me very well around there, as a whole. Why? Because I am patient. I am nice to everyone. I don't cuss and fuss and whine and call everyone terrible names. That has earned me some respect, because I show it to the people at the VA.

Don't get me wrong. I've been mad as hell when things didn't go right, like when it took FOUR HOURS to process out of the hospital after the doctor wrote my discharge orders, right before Christmas. That is inexcusable, and I have aired the grievance with the proper people.

I've found that the way to go with the VA system is keep after things. Don't wait for someone to get back to you. Be firm, but above all, be NICE. They can't fault you for being nice. Case in point: I had been told on Monday by the General Surgery department that they wanted OB/GYN to consult with me ASAP, and that they would order some tests for me this week. I had an appointment with OB/GYN the next day, something rather unheard of for the most part. My doctors will pull strings for me because I am not demanding, and they know that my illnesses are not my fault (as opposed to a lot of vets who come in with medical conditions caused or aggravated by substance abuse). The tests that I needed to have done were scheduled, but I was not notified, and found out that I had missed a 9:30 radiology appointment, which I had no idea I had today. The doctor not only called over to see about it, but walked over to the next building to talk to the radiologists and got me in right after my appointment with the GI clinic. I could not ask for more.

I have had some real cutting edge therapies from the VA. I have an immune system problem that has literally gutted me with Crohn's disease. The doctors there all know me and my case, and I'm regularly the subject of discussion, from what I've heard. I don't relish that dubious distinction, but I'm happy that they care enough about me to help me out. (Oh, and my GI docs all think it's hysterical that I am a comic book geek. I had my Daredevil Omnibus with me today, and they had to look at it.)

Any of you that might have things to talk about concerning the VA system, feel free to ask me or PM me. I am a life member of the Disabled American Veterans, the chapter service officer, and have the scoop on where to ask the questions about benefits you may be entitled to as a veteran. Let me help, if at all possible.

Half the battle is finding out where to ask the proper questions.

[heystacy]

Damn. Sorry dude.