Massive Veterans Choice Program Fix On Horizon

Veterans Choice Program

Benjamin KrauseVA plans to fix Veterans Choice Program billing problems with the creation of a call center that will fix veteran’s credit damaged when VA did not pay their doctors.

Community doctors will also be able to call 1-877-881-7618 to resolve any billing questions or problems without attacking a veteran’s credit.

Since its inception, the Veterans Choice Program has been plagued by a total inability to process claims in a timely manner. This failure burned the relationship between veterans and their community doctors who otherwise have no problem being paid.

RELATED: Jon Stewart Nails It On Veterans Choice Program

Union representatives supporting VA workers have proposed dispatching Veterans Choice Program because it has not worked correctly over the past year. Most veterans believe the union should be dispatched because it has failed veterans for 50 years.

VETERANS CHOICE PROGRAM COMMENTS

Workers at the new call center are trained to work with medical providers to resolve billion problems. They are also trained to help veterans expunge credit problems that result from their doctor not being paid by VA.

“As a result of the Veterans Choice Program, community providers have seen thousands of veterans. We continue to work to make the program more veteran-friendly,” said Dr. David Shulkin, head of VHA. “There should be no bureaucratic burden that stands in the way of veterans getting care.”

AN AMAZING FIRST

VA acknowledges the problems veterans face and the stress the previous failures caused. The agency reportedly admitted the failures were “unacceptable.”

If it works, this will be the most proactive and timely turn around of any agency problem I have seen in the past five years. Fixing the credit problems caused by VA’s failure to pay doctors is a great first step.

What are some other solutions VA should look at regarding the Veterans Choice Program? If you could guess, what percentage of veterans would use Veterans Choice who do not currently qualify?

Source: https://www.postindependent.com/news/21333589-113/veterans-affairs-sets-up-call-center-to-rectify

Similar Posts

43 Comments

  1. Non payment to providers by Health Net still continues today 11-10-2016.
    Can’t get an appointment with a provider because they are not being paid and can’t take any more vet until they are paid. I have check with many Doctors in the area and they are all waiting for payment…

  2. I think service connected veterans with medicare A & B should be able to get Champ-VA. Veterans who live 100 miles away from a VA hospital are treated worse than their dependents.

    1. Veterans are a thorn in the VA side. ! They even kill the living by sending veterans a letter to their home.

      Our records indicate your dead and the veterans disability is stopped. !

      Then the veterans have to fight to prove their alive And then fight them to get their disability back. !

      If someone is counting on disability payments to live. This tactic could make them homeless !

      Go hungry. Not be able to pay Bill’s. Can loose everything and the VA could care less. !

      Again you Should have been on workmans comp. Not released !
      Sorry ? They did you wrong. !

      Hope your husband gets better.

  3. Dear Mr. Krause:

    I should have known this choice Program for Veterans is nothing more than a scam, we will never get, or hope to have anything worthwhile as long as we have the present administration in place.

    They are just taking or trying, to take advantage of our situation but it is useless; some may believe it but not all.

    That is all I will say, gthat is my opinion.

    Yours for GOD and Country
    Frank P. Calderon

    1. The VA refused to pay two Emergency Room Bills – I had to go one time because the VA put me on the WRONG blood pressure medicine and it made my blood pressure go up to 210/180. The VA refused to pay the bill because they said that was NOT an emergency. I should have just stroked out on the way to the VA hospital or in their five hour waiting room to be seen. No thanks.

      The second time the VA tore my rotator cuff – twice. The first time, an X-ray student surprised me with two 30 pound sandbags without giving me a chance to refuse and it jerked my arms down violently and tore my rotator cuff, but the X-rays came out fine, so I was told to go home. The pain was unbearable so I did a walk-in to the nearest VA clinic and the VA doctor that examined me – told me to relax and let him move my arm- then he suddenly jerked it over my head and I felt something else tear. If I could have moved, I would have slapped him, but I was in so much pain, I couldn’t even speak. My mouth was open but nothing came out. I was trying to scream. Tears were rolling down my face and He just sat there and said” did that hurt?”.Another X-ray and I was told to go home, nothing was injured. I finally had enough and went to a non-VA Emergency Room because I couldn’t move my entire arm. The ER doctor – a real doctor, with real life experience- told me that my shoulder was frozen and I probably had a torn rotator cuff. He also told me you can’t see that on x-rays and they should have done an MRI or ultrasound. The VA said that wasn’t an emergency. Life or Limb. Loss of function of a limb was NOT an emergency.

      So both these bills were not paid by the VA and they are against my credit.

      There is no HOTLINE for me to call for this – I’m on the hamster wheel VA appeal process now.

      Sandra Hale, Retired Nurse, Combat veteran

  4. This is the idiotic VA at its best. Why not handle it like Medicare? Patient is set up in system as eligible. Doctor is set up in system as participating. Doctor bills and is paid. Claim is reviewed and if incorrect, doctor is debited. This isn’t rocket science.

    I read an article last night, and now no matter how I search I can not locate it. However, it was a regarding a panel of 15 Healthcare specialists who were empaneled and to write a report on how the VA could improve. 7 of them, the only way was to shut it down, stop all planned and current construction and transition out over a 5 year period.

  5. You do not go all in unless you have an end game.Watch for it. out side doctors are all going to be the health care of the Obama Care Unless A GIANT ALIEN COMES DOWN AND GIVES US ALL A SHOT TO CURE EVERYTHING. Or roll all the crap back bring in free markets. choice a wonderful thing, the government gives not such thing.

  6. If y’all want to understand what’s really going on with our news medias, check this out;

    From:
    InfoWars Nightly News – March 30, 2016
    Title:
    “How The Real Government Is Playing All Of Us”

    Quote: “The illusion of choice is still one of the elite’s most powerful tools”

    A stark realization of how the news medias are manipulating the minds of the world. And, a provocative look into the minds of how our government “rules” around the world!
    A must watch! It started, in earnest, after WWII.

    1. I totally agree,anytime I read,”VA plans to fix **”My rectum tightens up and I check to see if I have an adequate supply of KY jelly on hand because I have calluses already from VA changes and fixes that never benefit anyone except the upper echelon of VA with their ill gotten Bonuses at our expense.

      Veterans Choice is an Oxymoron!!
      When did a Veteran ever have a choice?
      I had no choice in Vietnam when they sprayed Agent Orange in the Jungle I was living in,I had no choice when I finally found a Good Doctor that really cared and VA transferred her,I could go on but it would be pointless,I am sure there are some people at VA,but the upper echelon Leeches control things,there is NO choice!!

      As I indicated I was a Marine in Vietnam and served my Country with Honor as we all did and I am rated 100% for 4 Major service connected conditions and I am retired in the Philippines and I do not believe a Veterans address should dictate his Benefits,BUT it does,there are 2 separate benefit Handbooks one for Veterans living in the US and one for us here outside the US and right now there are about 40,000 Military retired here in the Philippines.
      The Choice Card(I am laughing as I type this)is no good here and never was,but VA sent me one with a letter explaining it was not good here,WTF!!
      The reason the Choice card is no good here and never will be is that VA did not pay there bills here either and the small hospitals here have a tight budget,so VA’s Lack of payments due hurt them and now they refuse to even treat a US Veteran without payment up front and then you file with VA for reimbursement,LOL What a joke,but most of all the Joke is on us don’t believe their BS.
      I feel bad for those the VA screwed their credit up and I wish you good luck with the credit reporting companies because it will take an act of congress for them to fix your credit,I personally would find other Veterans whose credit was screwed and ask NVLSP https://www.nvlsp.org/ to file a class action suit against VA,But that’s just me.

      Never count on VA for anything they will always find an excuse to deny it to you like the money comes out of their pockets,we earned all and more than they will ever give.

  7. I just last week got a bill from my local Hospital for 2.300 For a Procedure that was done thru the Choice Pgm. Last August. In this little Texas Town News travels fast, Bad, Even faster. The Doctor (Also a Friend) Hasn`t been paid. He wouldn`t ever say anything to me, But Embarrassed when I got the bill. I called TriWest “Oh No That wont do” etc etc. Told me to call the Hospital & give them their number, So now on the Back & forth. It`s NO Wonder Dr`s are Bailing They prefer to get paid. Doc says “Oh it`ll go thru” etc. Finding a Doctor is now the Big Issue, “Oh, We`ve had to stop taking V.A. Patients thru the Choice Pgm” Is the reply, & Who can blame them?

  8. I was told about this new 800 number about 3 weeks ago when I talked with the head of the Patient Advocates. I wonder what took the VA so long to announce this.
    Did HealthNet take that long to add a few more phone lines to their call centers? What is this call center for the call centers costing?
    It’s good to see this being fixed, but irritating that this continues so long after billions were given to operate a program.
    Also, it would be interesting to see the difference between performance of HealthNet, Triwest and any other contractor involved in Choice. I wonder if one is seriously outperforming the other.
    As for eligibility for Choice, when I got my referral to neurosurgery, I was told ALL veterans are now eligible for Choice, the difference being in how you are referred. I was not eligible under the original Choice program because I lived within 40 miles of a VA. Since the rules have been changed, any veteran waiting longer than 30 days for an appointment is eligible regardless of how close you live. The problem is getting the referral. The other eligibility for all veterans is if your VA does not have a specialty doctor in their hospital.

    Problem is waiting weeks for HealthNet to get their act together enough to schedule the appointment.
    The VA could do a MUCH better job at advertising to veterans that they can contact “Veterans Choice Champions” in the VA. These people are supposed to help vets with Choice, but they do no good if a vet is not aware they exist.
    Given doctors do not like being stiffed for their bills, they know how to contact and donate to Congress, this program may have some success.

    1. >91 vet>> My journey thru the maze of getting all the ducks in a row (providers who are dumb assholes, healthnet choice personnel, anesthesiologist component of my operation, the hospital itself where I had surgery, and my surgeon who did the actual surgery) has really got me to yell even louder at all these assholes. A few days ago, I was speaking to a supervisor at healthnet on the phone (good thing not in person or I would have punched her stupid face flat) and I was telling her how incompetent and unorganized healthnet has been, and she says “well, congress (small c) okayed legislation and gave VA the money to do “choice”! I said “so that means healthnet can get away with the sloppy mess they can create in your opinion, right? That’s ‘okay’ then right?” I asked her how long she worked for healthnet on the choice program and she said “two weeks”. I told her to put me on with a bonified supervisor – I don’t want to speck to you. Why don’t you wake up the president of your company and put him on the phone?” She made up some excuses and I finished my conversation with her.
      So, there is proof that they don’t give a s**t about the quality of their work – as long as they got their contract. And it signifies what kind of people healthnet is scratching up to be supervisors and that they are there for two whole weeks (they certainly know a lot).! My question is how dumb does this VA think everybody is? They must think VERY, VERY, VERY DUMB.
      Choice Champions – ssssh they are a secret. Don’t get me started on them.

  9. Since I know there’s some Indiana Vets that post here and more than likely read this blog but may not post and wanted to give a personal public service announcement that in Indianapolis on April 20th is “Operation Hoosier Hire A Vet, where it’s not like any job fair because only Vets, AND will be hiring on the spot for various companies.

    This type of Veteran Job Fair is today in Columbus as well, but the very freaking day of the event was the only time I heard heads or tail about it, so if this helps but -1- Vet, Karma will be fine and all good in universe.
    Peace.

    1. Amen to that!
      I wonder if this will require yet another charade of open hands and bags ready for their newer salvo of ca$h for yet another ‘fix’, when $Billions awarded for IT was just mentioned this week…it makes me wonder if it’s entirely separate or somehow linked? Hmm-m-!?!

    2. Not only would it be easier, we MIGHT get to see more doctors in our community who currently REFUSE to deal w/DVA!

  10. I just thought of something. With HIPPA laws and such, not to mention encryption of anything “Veteran” has our serial/SSN# on each and every page…open window for ID theft and who knows the integrity of contracted ‘Choice’ employees and their technology to protect aforementioned, couple with the VA’s track record and IT.

    One last thing to hypothesize:

    What *if* the VA and Choice having access to any or all Veteran’s Credit Scores and line items, and what if say a 100% SC Vet. is nefariously determined due to some late payments or let’s say ‘Judgments’ on say Experian, the VA determines said Vet now requires a Fiduciary for his or her Compensation? That Fiduciary thing is a can of worms waiting to pop it’s head out in a scandal anytime, especially the VISN area encompassing Indy VARO/VAMC, Cincinnati, et al.—-nothing to qualify this because again it’s one of those putting patterns together of past/present behavior and could see this as a plausible concern.
    The VA has the MIDAS Touch in creating future problems in the present that always require more $$$ into the Aurora VAMC Black Hole.
    I do not intend to culture paranoia but rather, using critical thinking and all around and under the box. 🙂

    Is this a valid concern or do I need to spend more time by the river and read a book and it’s all silly to worry where the many ways this could go wrong?

    1. It’s a valid concern. Valid enough for HealthNet to include in their Form 10-K SEC filing posted on their web page. They lost 6 hard drives containing patient data, and any fine or judgement will affect their bottom line.

    2. The Indianapolis VBA Director Michael Stephens was caught hiding evidence from Sloan Gibson’s investigators to my congressman last week. By his own admission it was last seen on his desk but somehow never got uploaded to the computer or considered.
      He also tried his fiduciary scam on my husband but had to back down when the doctor almost melted down trying to tell both Stephens and “Katherine” at VES it was a mistake for two weeks but neither would take his calls. He also had an unknown Russian helper at the exam that took lots of copies of my husbands military record that never made it into the VA file, asked him about his time in South America in SF in the 1980’s etc. Stuff happens when you ignore the SOCOM rules of Fast Letter 09-52 and I have no doubt after that exam and the DRO Katrina Bone hearing where CLASSIFED info was put on the record that America’s enemies just have to hire VES doc’s to get it. VES had to admit he was unauthorized and cut the doc free.
      I have proof of all of the above. Stephens, Hickey and about 15 VA employees are on the emails going back and forth.

      1. it just never stops, one veteran after the other, you can write directly to ben and tell him everything, ben is doing a great job and this type of information in valuable so he can let his contacts know whats happening. These people need to fired or placed into jail. Everyday its something new. keep your head up, if we all stick togather we can and are making a difference. one thing we can’t do is quit !

  11. I had mentioned here about a visit with the VA dentist, he pulled a tooth and when I asked about what they were going to do about the hole, missing tooth. The Dentist told me “were not going to do anything ITS to much work and costs to much” I went home and read about what happens when they do this and it showed that it effects all the rest of the teeth and shifts, which can cause more problems.

    I called the clinic and left a message on the answering machine, repeating word for word what the Dentist said, About an hour later, his nurse called me Angry as hell and told me that the Dentist never said that and that the Dentist wanted to see me in his office now !

    I have had an employee falsely accuse me of disruptive behavior before and I could see clearly that this was a ploy to get me into the Clinic and them yelling at me and then them calling the Police, stating that I was being Disruptive. Just a week prior a VA employee told me that the VA was instructed by higher management, if any veteran comes in and becomes disruptive, don’t do anything, just call the police !

    I may have been shot in the head, but I’m not stupid. I had that feeling if you go, you will be falsely accused and arrested. I advised the nurse if the dentist wanted to speak with me he could call me ! Never got the call.

    I keep writing about the Disruptive Committee, because its an illegal process of accusing Veterans of Disruptive Behavior and punishing them with out any way for the veteran to defend themselves and when the veteran knows they did not do anything wrong and ask for the Proof and the veteran told there is no proof and they proceed to punish the veteran anyway.

    The VA is acting like a court, except (they are the accuser, judge, prosacutor and jury or a kangaroo court !

    This process is denying an American citizen of all his/her civil and constitutional rights !

    This matter must be addressed: I have written to Senator Bennetts office, where the VA director in Denver, told his office that due to the Disruptive reporting on me, (Nothing) was ever done to me.

    Stating his official medical records were never coded for disruptive behavior, nor were his records ever Red Flagged. This was and is a flat out lie. Not only did they code my records for disruptive behavior, the did Red Flag my records and punished me by making me go to another clinic 60 miles away for five (5) years and placed into my official medical records, If we the VA (EVER) hear of you becoming disruptive again or do not follow your treatment teams orders !

    you will be arrested, federal charges placed upon you and banished from all VA care !

    Many people I have spoken to tell me, the VA can’t do that with out proof, Well they did do it and I know if they did this to me, they are doing this to many other veterans ! It not if your going to be reported as being disruptive, its a matter of when !

    I have read on this site of many veterans, that have been reported disruptive ! Pretty soon half of the veterans will be Red Flagged and punished and have no way to fight back. Don’t they know that they are doing more harm, than good with this Illegal Disruptive Committee.

    The VA can not even define what disruptive behavior is and differs from VA to VA, so at anytime of their choosing you can be next !

    write to you congressman and demand this illegal practice be stopped before someone really gets hurt, Employee or veteran. We are not their toys to be played with, Veterans need to be able to face their accuser and deserve to be provided with any and all evidence they used to punish us and access to council to assist !

    As you say rant over !

    1. When my own cat one prf made the local newspaper exposing criminal official misconduct on vha for using it, they removed it. Then they cooked up a new disruptive flag. Cat two disruptive flag. It is entereed into my record with no explanation, no letter to me, put there by dbc, and there is no appeal. All jy care must be approved by dbc now. All my non face to face contacts must be referrd to dbc now. I went to the press and they retaliated openly. I have not met a single,vet family in Roseburg who is not impacted by DBC. They have all the senior staff and when
      i went public with thier treachery it took two Sunday editions to tell it. That is when they invented a dbc flag, cat two, that requires two extra people to escort me into all doc visits, even my counsellor. They refuse to say who sent them to,hear and why,but since
      i went oublic I now,have a cat two, unappeallable, flag in my record from dbc that requires all care be approved by them

      There is no possible way in America that this open and blatant retaliation is legal. These people are nuts! The media who wrote the story is doing a follow up, but the VHA will just invent a new dbc flag and keep doing what they do..

      Be wary of going to the press. You will be escorted by two,thugs from the United Federation of Government Employees into you shrink sessios, your doc sessions, and physical therapy sessions. Open thugery.

  12. Open “choice” to all SC veterans, no strings. All other veterans would require minimum co-pays. I was in Medicare A and B plus United Health care supplemental.Total for a month was $104.00 for Medicare and $40.00 for United Health which was going up each year. This total was before i paid a $20.00 co-pay to see a primary care doctor and paid prescription co-pays as well.. Make your own choice!!!! Life member DAV.

  13. Just a heads up,If you travel outside the US the Choice card is Useless so do not depend on that,I am a Retired US Marine living in the Philippines Rated 100% by VA and one reason the choice card is no good here is VA stiffed many small Hospitals here as they have done in the US,but here Hospitals can not survive without the timely payments VA promised.
    VA is bad about breaking Promises!!

    1. Dr. Cynthia Joe has done that in Alaska as well. I had the director of a small town hospital thank me when I warned him and a few of the board when I saw her touring the halls scouting a new VA clinic. She saw me and came right up and shook my hand and said she was looking the place over.

      I told them hospital group right there in the hallway: “check this lady out as she was a snake in the grass. She will send you all the vets you want and stick you with the bills afterward.” I heard she cut her visit short and hightailed it back to Anchorage. The director saw me in the hospital a month or so later and thanked me. Turns out he made a few calls and found plenty of people to back me up. She could have bankrupted that little hospital.

      Best way to fight the VA is locally. If you here about them making a deal locally let them local people know it is a deal with the Devil.

  14. So, somehow the VA has had all the Choice Program Contracted mediators that’s between the VA and Choice *~’~*~Magically~*~’~* trained to CORRECT credit issues caused to Veterans by the VA’s non-payment or molasses speed of payment??
    R-r-r-r-right!
    Three different major credit reporting agencies in which if a person does as I have and my student loans were paid off very early, even THAT placed deep scars on my personal credit history? Credit Agencies that even Attorneys have incredibly difficult hairy mess in dealing with in helping correct credit history?
    R-r-r-r-right!!

    Did the VA consult their group of employees that hold psychic medium parties in PA or was this Secretary McDonald’s ‘Disney-fication’ of the VA and had Mickey Mouse himself do a Fantasia Number and with a wave of a wand…***PRESTO*** you are NOW a credit repair specialist? HA HA HA ha ….ROFLMAO!!!!!

    Call me a cynic again but you know what I see? I see the VA really ONLY concerned that SO many private healthcare providers are not wanting to deal with the VA’s incompetence, thus, allowing the window more open for Privatization of VA Healthcare, nothing so much about Veteran’s personal credit because…I personally do not think the VA gives a rat’s ass about Veteran’s credit history being marred.
    THAT, in my opinion is placing gold leaf around a turd, meanwhile the VA has no clue that Dr.’s nor their staff have TIME to be playing Ping-Pong-phone-tag with ‘Choice Representatives’, as it really comes down to ‘billable hours’ and after so much of this then the bill gets bounced back to the Veteran then consequently, a collection agency.

    Meanwhile, has the VA changed the wording/agreement regarding ‘Choice’ in where it states the VA may or may not pay for services, and as a few here have reported, expecting a Veteran to somehow have prior knowledge if we are going to need an emergency room visit in private sector, and if not, again, the VA may not pay? How about removing those clauses COMPLETELY? Read the ‘Choice Card’s fine print’…as long as that is not changed, it will always fall back to the Veterans responsibility to pay if the VA does not or in a reasonable time frame.

    I see nothing but the VA Spin Doctor Machine on Turbo Mode. ‘Choice’ is too large of a ca$h cow cookie jar for the VA and the VA is experiencing early signs of ‘withdrawal’ from even visualizing the day they no longer have this cache of ca$h. However, am of belief the VA would love for Choice to fail out of VA employee’s job preservation. Why not cancel that shitty Choice Program Administrator Contractor to a company with a proven great track record instead of how it stands with incredibly bad reviews and ratings for same company?

    Lipstick on a very large pig called ‘Choice’. Nothing more. However, I would love to be surprised and wrong here. Benjamin: Nice ‘Bad VA Art’ today. It speaks volumes. 🙂

    1. @namnibor
      Yes, brother, we are definitely on the same wavelength!
      VA has no idea what their getting themselves into. Especially when it comes to repairing credit reports.
      If these idiots think they can “ORDER” those corrupt, (credit report), corporations into submission, that is just ludicrous! Their going to hang on until VA has to give them a piece of that “cash cow”, known as taxpayers $$$$!
      Have y’all ever talked to anyone at one of those credit report places? I have. It took me about two years to get a “bogus report” removed! I had to pay an attorney to get my credit straightened out! It was NOT fun!
      So, in my opinion, Here we go again. I can see the writing on the proverbial wall. I can see Shulkin going in front of the committee and holding veterans healthcare up for ransom, AGAIN!

      ———————————————

      Here’s an interesting article for everyone from;
      “WND Front Page-Exclusive”
      by: Leo Hohmann
      It came to my email box this morning. It’s about 12 hrs old now.
      Titled;

      “Challenger Scorches McCain For Support of Muslim Refugees”

      It’s got a “commercial” (video) from one of his rivals. And a radio talk show interview from another rival, Dr. Keli Ward.
      It’s worth the time to check it out. Dr. Ward hits McCain hard over the veterans issues in Arizona!

      1. I actually know a guy who helped write the Fair Isaac standard that became the modern FICO score. I have to try and contact him over this.

        Only guy I ever met that was taken out of the field in Vietnam to be circumcised. He was becoming Jewish. His commander thought it was an excuse. He told a group of people that so I know it is not a secret.

        I am sure he will just think this is great//sarcasm off. He also wound up millions in debt when the VA couldn’t help him with cancer. He beat it but lost almost everything.

        How about people like my husband who had a fantastic credit score when even though he is 100% SC stuck him with a ton of medical bills? His throat closing and his lips turning blue on Easter Sunday after VA doing sinus surgery was not enough of an emergency to call an ambulance. He should have driven over an hour to the VA ER.

    2. King skeptic here. How many times have I heard the VA “fixing” things? Too many to count and over the phony “choice” program.

      Boot all the VA unions out. Why the hell would the government or VA use activist and extremist unions to begin with? Like SEIU.

      I was told I could have dental work done locally then they re-nigged on many issues;
      1. That one hundred percent disability was not really 100%. One office says one thing, other offices and paper work says another, so they can’t all function as one or as they claim. What comes from Washington DC doesn’t even apply.
      2. Many physicians will refuse to deal with the VA like they do with plain ol’ Medicare. Many also refuse to try to correct what some other MD or clinic has messed up. Or will ever say one professional has made a huge mess of things or of their incompetence.
      3. I was told Indy VA dental was not included in the 40 mile rules and I had to first have the extractions done there, no “choice” about it. Then I could have one denture plate made outside and in town. Clinics like that who are contracted for in-hospital service clinics (like their dental clinic) don’t apply to the 40 mile travel rules and must be seen there, no exceptions.
      4. It was weeks and months of back and fourth to finally get the local dentist paid. Leaving me thousands in other costs.
      5. Indy dental dropped instruments down my throat, shattered my G-damn jaw line on one side, had three other oral surgeries to try to correct the mess the VA scum left me with and I doubt I will ever be able to chew correctly or use those new dentures. Hows that for “Excellence” while they tell me to “come back and we can see you again.” No friggin’ way losers.
      6. There are too many ways they can wiggle their way out of vets staying in town or in the same state to get needed care. Local better care. So it’s all just more hype from the VA, lip service as usual. The last “new card” given to me was not accepted once locally or accepted by the VA and their demands for the waiting period for notification for them.
      7. There playing student games and playing test subject has created more pain since they agitated my TMJ far worse than it was. Really bad pains now but again the VA reports there is not such thing as chronic pain, and that the new agendas must be used and side contracts with a new pain clinic signed and abided by like a strict law. No way. I left them and that’s for good, no going back. I’ll die first. Modern medicine and their “practices” compared to times before, is a total greedy fascist self-serving mess of wanna-be practitioners. Abuse and neglect today runs full circle from MDs, nursing homes, to ICUs. I’ve seen enough of all of their ways with people and inhumane treatments of folks, while it seems today animals get better care than humans or veterans. And yet ‘they’ think we are all stupid and have no experiences with such things or so-called professionals while costs have sky-rocketed beyond belief.

      (Yep, I’m pissed.)

      (We got better care with less hassle and cost when doctors made good ol’ fashion home visits and would actually take time to know us and our issues. Far from what we get today with modern joke tyrant medicine being ‘practiced.’

      With one fall injury each MD or clinic I seen told me they needed their own X-rays, they don’t accept others or belief the results. That one injury for the same shoulder was three sets of X-rays to pacify the greed and claimed need for all seen, including the VA. So much for the new needs for high tech crap and the need to sign forms saying they all can send and receive our medical information and such. It’s all a sham and a game to them. None of it is to better our health care or for concern for us, IMHO.

      It’s too dangerous today for anyone have health issues or disability to travel. Big cities are dangerous to get lost in. I am glad I don’t have to travel hundreds of miles for care now. It’s not fun being thrown around or hassled by cops when having to deal with migraines, having to walk off cramps or other issues or thinking we are high or drunk being slammed around or kicked, booted over, or ditched, for sugar issues. That’s another issue not many people care to discuss. Now I have a camera in my vehicle, but like recorders can easily be taken, confiscated. Corruption and evil can be so much fun in America today.

      Google Kyle Cardenas and his story when family called the Gilbert AZ, VA crisis line. Happened here too but our media won’t dare report such things or dare blemish the fine lying corrupt state of Indiana.

      1. Dr. Leslie Brooks has at least one complaint against his Dental license pending. We never dropped it and never got a release on it. Only after that did he approve my husband seeing an outside dentist. After three years of “I can only get you an appointment every six months”. He lost teeth because the Indy VA root canaled them and never capped them.

        As the head of the Dental clinic he was responsible for it.

    3. Your comment reminded me of two things nam.

      1. Throughout my Choice experience, I have had both VA officials and Choice officials tell me that a provider is not supposed to bill a veteran because it is against their agreement for participating in Choice. That does not square with their fine print. Besides, what does an agreement matter if the provider is stiffed for thousands of dollars that Choice is refusing to pay? If Choice refuses to uphold the agreement, why should a provider?
      2. When I talked with the head of the Patient Advocates about Choice, he told me it wasn’t a card I could use just anywhere, as if I didn’t already know that. He said even if I needed to go to the ER, the VA would still pay as long as they were contacted within 72 hours. We all know how that works in practice.

  15. “IF”, and I do mean “IF”, the Choice Program is ever “fixed”, I believe a majority, (high %), would want to use it!
    I also believe fixing veterans credit ratings is going to be harder than what VA thinks!
    The three Credit Rating Corporations, Experian etc., seems to have a life of their own. We’ve seen numerous reports where individuals have spent years and lots of money trying to repair bogus credit reports!
    Good luck VA! Your going to need it!

  16. I had an opportunity to work at one of the newer Veterans Choice Program call centers. Total and absolute chaos. We were expected to answer a litany of technically complex questions with a limited amount of training. Highly stressful and I felt like I was doing more of a disservice to our veterans than actually helping them. Most of our calls were spent dissecting why a provider hadn’t gotten paid or why an authorization hadn’t been processed. Very few calls were actually spent assisting a veteran through the appointment process. It’s my sincere desire that this program ends up working for the betterment of the veteran but I don’t see how such a monstrosity can be fixed. I just don’t.

    1. Easy fix for that. Kill CHOICE and give all vets CHAMPVA. Adjust co-pays for service connection and income.

      Same form as Medicare when it was filed by paper. Decades of proven track record and not new rules. Expand that program under the direction of the people there now. Only VA program to not let me down.
      Make your own appointment in your own community with your own doctor. No preapproval needed.

      Vets get timely quality medical care with the doctor of their own choosing like the rest of America and the communities get the benefit of those veteran medical dollars.

    1. I agree with Gordon, don’t say anything it’s just another VA pie in the sky…………………

      1. The VA is famous for not paying hospital bills. 100% disabled…had stroke symptoms…closest VA hospital 70 miles away. Local VA clinic says go to local community ER one mile away.
        Was admitted for observation and for testing. No stroke thankfully so was sent home twenty four hours later. Received bill from hospital who had filed with VA….they refused to pay. Excuse…oh so sorry it’s not directly connected to your disability. So I gather from this…screw you Vet… next time just die….
        You don’t even want to get me started on this Choice BS program. Read the milage paragraph real close. Closest VA does not mean hospital…it csn be a community clinic…too bad if you live seventy miles from hospital…community clinic is one mile away. So screw you. Oh and don’t even try to change an APPT time even if they have one two weeks earlier or even two hours earlier.. program won’t pay if you take the earlier APPT. Do again…screw you Vet….hurry up and die.

Comments are closed.