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[r0de_runr]

UPDATE, VA to eliminate "net worth" analysis for health benefits.
http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/18136/va-eliminates-net-worth-as-veteran-health-care-eligibility-factor/

First off, I'm pro VA, so if you are looking for a rant against them, not gonna happen.  I know people that have their own horror stories about going to the VA, but I have not witnessed it in my family and in my circle of friends.  If you feel you must, go ahead and rant.  I'd like to try to convince the veterans who have not had any experiences with the VA to at least investigate their options.

I retired from the Army (26yrs) in '96 and had my VA health assessment of my claim for disabilities adjudicated at the VA center in Togus Maine.  They treated me right and I ended up with 30% for beat up knees and tinnitus.

For the next 14 or so years I was in Wichita and went to the Air Force base and used my Tricare Prime.  Very well taken care of, but I usually saw a nurse practitioner or PA, not a doctor.  The Dole VA Center in Wichita had a good reputation and I saw a shrink there when my wife left me.

Once I fully retired and moved to the Kerrville TX area, I applied for health care at the South Texas Healthcare System, and they have a facility (used to be a big hospital, now a big clinic and resident home) in Kerrville.

I was surprised that a financially stable 30% vet could get full care with the VA but I was assigned to a real doctor.  That facility is spotless, and they are upgrading it bit by bit.  About 7 floors I think, fully staffed Physical Therapy floor, and all of the regular clinics have resident doctors or visiting doctors a couple times a week from San Antonio.  The grounds is also home to a low-income, or disabled veteran apartment complex being built.

My team takes good care of me.  I have a card in my wallet with the phone number to each member of my primary care team.  I have several conditions related to my service, and some related to my love of Pizza and Chocolate, LoL.  I can call from anywhere and they will send a script to the nearest Wallgreens or Walmart, and my copay is usually $5.  I have my scripts filled 50 miles away at an active duty Army pharmacy and it is free, otherwise the VA gets $8 due to my income level.

The Kerrville VA is a full service outpatient clinic, but some things get you sent to Audi Murphy in San Antonio, and since I am Tricare Prime, I can go to SAMMC (used to be Brooks Army Medical Center) in San Antonio if I choose.

The VA provides all my health care needs, no copay when I go to see the Doctor at the VA center.  But I'm only service connected for my knees and ears.  That is important to consider.  They will treat you, if they accept you into the system, for non-service connected issues and general wellness.

The only thing I can comment on that is probably something that could improve is the time it takes to get a routine followup appointment.  They usually send a postcard reminder when it is time for my semi-annual mini-physical, and when you call, it's about a month out.  If I call with a complaint about my health and want to see the doctor for a consult to ortho or ophthalmology or physical therapy, it can take 6 weeks to get in, or I can get in in a week or two if I want to go to Audi Murphy.

In contrast, if I call the Tricare appointment line I usually get in the following week.

Both of the systems, the active duty through Tricare and the VA system have an online portal where you can communicate with your primary care team, submit script refiles, and make routine appointments.  These work well.

Just recently I receive an ID card in the mail authorizing me to seek care on the economy if certain conditions are met, such as distance to a VA facility, length of time till next appointment and a few others.  I must note however that this card is not automatic, and you must meet the conditions, and it must be for a service connected disability (in most cases).

All this leads me to this:  I'm a retired Army Sergeant Major, and I say to all the troops out there out of the military under any conditions, after any number of months or years of service, you should check out the VA and make your own decision.  If you are recently discharged and served in OEF/OIF, the VA will provide you care for up to 5 years.

I highly recommend all vets at least apply for care, what have you got to lose?  You do not need a disability to receive care, you might have to pay a copay in some circumstances, and it does not matter what kind of discharge you received--you can at least apply, if they tell you you are not authorized then so be it (don't believe the chithouse-lawyers that a general discharge means no benefits).

For more information : http://www.va.gov/healthbenefits/apply/

Info on South Texas VA : http://www.southtexas.va.gov/

And thank you for your service.

[grc]

Great post Greg.  Thanks for passing this along to all the other vets.  And thank you for your service.

Jerry

[catahoula58]

I went to the VA in Ft. Worth Texas last year to apply.  I only did 6 years in the Navy 1976 to 1982.  After reading the paper work and seeing the restrictions on how much one owns, assets, savings, retirement, I was in shock to find our that I was not even eligible to get an ID card or update the one I currently have from 1983.  George W. Bush made it where if you own more than 85K in assets,(house, cars, motorcycles, art work, household goods, cash, 401K, Roth IRA, savings) you are not eligible to receive benefits.   This shocked me and i was disillusioned with the VA.  I thought that after serving our country No matter how many years the VA would still take care of the Veterans.  I think this only applies to the Veterans that do not have service related issues and are retired.  From my understanding it use to be if you made less than 19K a year one could use the VA for medical. Correct me if I am wrong, but this was my experience with the VA.  Things have changed! 

And for all the Veterans out there, Thank you for your service to all my brothers and sisters

[Chains]

I never served however one of my closest friends did and a year ago he was diagnosed with ALS.  Turns out he has had it for years.  He did 4 years in the Army.    The VA has taken great care of him.  In order to be close to his wife's family they have moved down to south Georgia at the Florida border.

The VA has gotten him a handicapped van, built ramps to the front and rear of his house and put in a huge bathroom with a wheel chair accessible shower.  They also just recently furnished a super wheelchair to him.

I'm not sure how they would have gotten along without the VA.  He worked for me so insurance pays 60% of his salary for life but still the VA is the one that made the difference.

Thank all that served.

[r0de_runr]

I went to the VA in Ft. Worth Texas last year to apply.  I only did 6 years in the Navy 1976 to 1982.  After reading the paper work and seeing the restrictions on how much one owns, assets, savings, retirement, I was in shock to find our that I was not even eligible to get an ID card or update the one I currently have from 1983.  George W. Bush made it where if you own more than 85K in assets,(house, cars, motorcycles, art work, household goods, cash, 401K, Roth IRA, savings) you are not eligible to receive benefits.   This shocked me and i was disillusioned with the VA.  I thought that after serving our country No matter how many years the VA would still take care of the Veterans.  I think this only applies to the Veterans that do not have service related issues and are retired.  From my understanding it use to be if you made less than 19K a year one could use the VA for medical. Correct me if I am wrong, but this was my experience with the VA.  Things have changed! 

And for all the Veterans out there, Thank you for your service to all my brothers and sisters

You can check the box "I don't want to share my financials" or similar.  You don't have to tell them how much you are worth.  It may or may not impact your acceptance or level of copay for non-service connected health care.  But you don't have to tell them, I never do.

If you have service connected, it does not matter how much you are worth, you get care for that service connected condition.

I urge you to reapply at the link above just to set your mind at ease, it may surprise you.

There are net worth and income limits for certain things, but it can't keep you from getting care for service connected.  You do not have to disclose it.

[2 ROSE]

It is great news to hear some of the good that the VAH's are doing for our Vets. Usually the term VA is tied to news stories of mistreatment, poor treatment or non treatment. If Obama Care can provide free medical benefits to some who only want to take from this nation then surely we can provide the same or hopefully better care for the Vets who have served this great nation.
My thanks goes out to all those Vets who have served...you deserve the gratitude of us all.

[CVOStreetglide]

First off, I'm pro VA, so if you are looking for a rant against them, not gonna happen.  I know people that have their own horror stories about going to the VA, but I have not witnessed it in my family and in my circle of friends.  If you feel you must, go ahead and rant.  I'd like to try to convince the veterans who have not had any experiences with the VA to at least investigate their options.

I retired from the Army (26yrs) in '96 and had my VA health assessment of my claim for disabilities adjudicated at the VA center in Togus Maine.  They treated me right and I ended up with 30% for beat up knees and tinnitus.

For the next 14 or so years I was in Wichita and went to the Air Force base and used my Tricare Prime.  Very well taken care of, but I usually saw a nurse practitioner or PA, not a doctor.  The Dole VA Center in Wichita had a good reputation and I saw a shrink there when my wife left me.

Once I fully retired and moved to the Kerrville TX area, I applied for health care at the South Texas Healthcare System, and they have a facility (used to be a big hospital, now a big clinic and resident home) in Kerrville.

I was surprised that a financially stable 30% vet could get full care with the VA but I was assigned to a real doctor.  That facility is spotless, and they are upgrading it bit by bit.  About 7 floors I think, fully staffed Physical Therapy floor, and all of the regular clinics have resident doctors or visiting doctors a couple times a week from San Antonio.  The grounds is also home to a low-income, or disabled veteran apartment complex being built.

My team takes good care of me.  I have a card in my wallet with the phone number to each member of my primary care team.  I have several conditions related to my service, and some related to my love of Pizza and Chocolate, LoL.  I can call from anywhere and they will send a script to the nearest Wallgreens or Walmart, and my copay is usually $5.  I have my scripts filled 50 miles away at an active duty Army pharmacy and it is free, otherwise the VA gets $8 due to my income level.

The Kerrville VA is a full service outpatient clinic, but some things get you sent to Audi Murphy in San Antonio, and since I am Tricare Prime, I can go to SAMMC (used to be Brooks Army Medical Center) in San Antonio if I choose.

The VA provides all my health care needs, no copay when I go to see the Doctor at the VA center.  But I'm only service connected for my knees and ears.  That is important to consider.  They will treat you, if they accept you into the system, for non-service connected issues and general wellness.

The only thing I can comment on that is probably something that could improve is the time it takes to get a routine followup appointment.  They usually send a postcard reminder when it is time for my semi-annual mini-physical, and when you call, it's about a month out.  If I call with a complaint about my health and want to see the doctor for a consult to ortho or ophthalmology or physical therapy, it can take 6 weeks to get in, or I can get in in a week or two if I want to go to Audi Murphy.

In contrast, if I call the Tricare appointment line I usually get in the following week.

Both of the systems, the active duty through Tricare and the VA system have an online portal where you can communicate with your primary care team, submit script refiles, and make routine appointments.  These work well.

Just recently I receive an ID card in the mail authorizing me to seek care on the economy if certain conditions are met, such as distance to a VA facility, length of time till next appointment and a few others.  I must note however that this card is not automatic, and you must meet the conditions, and it must be for a service connected disability (in most cases).

All this leads me to this:  I'm a retired Army Sergeant Major, and I say to all the troops out there out of the military under any conditions, after any number of months or years of service, you should check out the VA and make your own decision.  If you are recently discharged and served in OEF/OIF, the VA will provide you care for up to 5 years.

I highly recommend all vets at least apply for care, what have you got to lose?  You do not need a disability to receive care, you might have to pay a copay in some circumstances, and it does not matter what kind of discharge you received--you can at least apply, if they tell you you are not authorized then so be it (don't believe the chithouse-lawyers that a general discharge means no benefits).

For more information : http://www.va.gov/healthbenefits/apply/

Info on South Texas VA : http://www.southtexas.va.gov/

And thank you for your service.

I truly wish I could say the same for the VA support here in North Florida.  We seem to be a poster child for the BAD in VA support.  A recent article in the newspaper layed bare all of the ugly stuff vets could expect. 

Sadly, A friend has service related knee injuries and all they will do is inject cortisone into them and sent him on his way. He needs surgery badly but the VA doctors won't discuss it or refer him outside.

Lets hope those who need attention start to get it here very soon.

[r0de_runr]

I truly wish I could say the same for the VA support here in North Florida.  We seem to be a poster child for the BAD in VA support.  A recent article in the newspaper layed bare all of the ugly stuff vets could expect. 

Sadly, A friend has service related knee injuries and all they will do is inject cortisone into them and sent him on his way. He needs surgery badly but the VA doctors won't discuss it or refer him outside.

Lets hope those who need attention start to get it here very soon.

Sorry for your friend.

My service connected is for my knees.  Cortisone works.  I could have kissed that ortho guy that gave me my first shots.  Is his issue service connected and does he have a % rating?  Who diagnosed surgery is needed or is that a wish he has?

There is a new treatment for osteoarthritis called Hylan G-F20 (Synvisc).  Cortisone can only be injected a few times, but there is no limit to Synvisc.  It's like 75w140 for your knee.  Lasts about 6 months, and the VA has it.

I recommend your friend ask for an ortho consult about Synvisc, and ask to have his x-rays explained to him and why surgery is not the best option.

Give him my best.

[r0de_runr]

Let me followup to my OP with this quote from the form 1010EZ instructions.. 

Financial Disclosure:ONLY Non-Service-Connected AND 0% NONCOMPENSABLE Service Connected (SC) VETERANS MUST COMPLETE THIS SECTION TO DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY AND COPAY RESPONSIBILITY FOR VA HEALTH CARE ENROLLMENT AND/OR CARE OR SERVICES.

Financial Disclosure Requirements Do Not Apply To:
•   a former Prisoner of War; or
•   those in receipt of a Purple Heart; or
•   a recently discharged Combat Veteran; or
•   those discharged for a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty; or
•   those receiving VA SC disability compensation; or
•   those receiving VA pension; or
•   those in receipt of Medicaid benefits; or
•   those who served in Vietnam between January 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975; or
•those who served in SW Asia during the Gulf War between August 2, 1990 and November 11, 1998; or
•those who served at least 30 days at Camp Lejeune between January 1, 1957 and December 31, 1987

You are not required to disclose your financial information; however, VA is not currently enrolling new applicants who decline to provide their financial information unless they have other qualifying eligibility factors.  If a financial assessment is not used to determine your priority for enrollment you may choose not to disclose your information. However, if a financial assessment is used to determine your eligibility for cost-free medication, travel assistance or waiver of the travel deductible, and you do not disclose your financial information, you will not be eligible for these benefits.

Makes me wonder what they were doing to Marines at Camp Lejune.

[Bromebe]

a Friend asked me one time

"why don't you use the VA? you earned the right"

Right?

I'm still walking on both legs, have most of my brain cells and if I go,
that means I'm taking up space from someone more needing!

[r0de_runr]

a Friend asked me one time

"why don't you use the VA? you earned the right"

Right?

I'm still walking on both legs, have most of my brain cells and if I go,
that means I'm taking up space from someone more needing!

That's a very real issue.  When I walk into that Ortho clinic in San Antonio, at both Audie Murphy and even more so at SAMMC and see those vets without limbs, it makes it real hard to complain about my knees.

Actually, the more veterans in the system that are reasonably healthy, the more funding the VA gets and can spend on those more deserving.  Kind of like Insurance.  We need healthy people in the system so Congress will provide funding commensurate with the Veteran Population being treated.

Another reason is that ailments can be combined with information from millions of other vets to determine that some things will ALWAYS get you service connected.  An example of this is in-country Vietnam Vets who later are diagnosed with Type II Diabetes are automatically service connected at 40%.  I'm no expert, but this is what I have been led to believe and I have one sibling in this position today.

Please give my regards to your friend.

[StreetDog]

Let me followup to my OP with this quote from the form 1010EZ instructions.. 

Financial Disclosure:ONLY Non-Service-Connected AND 0% NONCOMPENSABLE Service Connected (SC) VETERANS MUST COMPLETE THIS SECTION TO DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY AND COPAY RESPONSIBILITY FOR VA HEALTH CARE ENROLLMENT AND/OR CARE OR SERVICES.

Financial Disclosure Requirements Do Not Apply To:
•   a former Prisoner of War; or
•   those in receipt of a Purple Heart; or
•   a recently discharged Combat Veteran; or
•   those discharged for a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty; or
•   those receiving VA SC disability compensation; or
•   those receiving VA pension; or
•   those in receipt of Medicaid benefits; or
•   those who served in Vietnam between January 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975; or
•those who served in SW Asia during the Gulf War between August 2, 1990 and November 11, 1998; or
•those who served at least 30 days at Camp Lejeune between January 1, 1957 and December 31, 1987

You are not required to disclose your financial information; however, VA is not currently enrolling new applicants who decline to provide their financial information unless they have other qualifying eligibility factors.  If a financial assessment is not used to determine your priority for enrollment you may choose not to disclose your information. However, if a financial assessment is used to determine your eligibility for cost-free medication, travel assistance or waiver of the travel deductible, and you do not disclose your financial information, you will not be eligible for these benefits.

Makes me wonder what they were doing to Marines at Camp Lejune.

Highly toxic chemicals in the base drinking water.

[gadgetz]

As a US Army veteran I can only hope the VA takes care of the many men and women who need care. The latest News about the VA and Vets doesn't give me a warm fuzzy, in fact a buttstroke for someone comes to mind. While both my knees are shot from many aircraft exits and a few heavy rucks I have no complaints; I'd do it all again in a heartbeat.




Based on your information SGM I guess I'll never go to the VA because I earn too much and like someone said already, there are more deserving people than I that need the help.




I hope your putting out the information is helpful to someone SGM.




Hoorah !




 

[r0de_runr]

As a US Army veteran I can only hope the VA takes care of the many men and women who need care. The latest News about the VA and Vets doesn't give me a warm fuzzy, in fact a buttstroke for someone comes to mind. While both my knees are shot from many aircraft exits and a few heavy rucks I have no complaints; I'd do it all again in a heartbeat.




Based on your information SGM I guess I'll never go to the VA because I earn too much and like someone said already, there are more deserving people than I that need the help.

I hope your putting out the information is helpful to someone SGM.

Hoorah !
 

Based on the above in red, and if your medical records support that, then you qualify no matter what your net worth is.  Don't know how old you are, but as you age, those knees will get worse.

[gadgetz]

I'll keep it in mind when its' time to do something.