Who can you contact if...?

[chuckman]

That VA should have a patient-visitor relations department or patient advocate, someone who acts as your rep if you have a complaint. You can usually just google that VA hospital's patient advocate and get the number.

People ask me if I use the VA, the answer is 'no'. Do I qualify? Yup. But with my insurance, why would I, especially when I know there are people who don't have a choice?

The VA, and to a lesser extent TriCare (or Try-to-find-care), is a good example of single-payer healthcare and its problems.

[HKGuns]

The quality of your care is directly related to who's providing the care. When individuals become more important than the system, it's time for them to go.

Yep and you just might want to seek out the Tranny running the place to lodge your complaint. It aint going to get any better.

[AndyLate]

That VA should have a patient-visitor relations department or patient advocate, someone who acts as your rep if you have a complaint. You can usually just google that VA hospital's patient advocate and get the number.

People ask me if I use the VA, the answer is 'no'. Do I qualify? Yup. But with my insurance, why would I, especially when I know there are people who don't have a choice?

The VA, and to a lesser extent TriCare (or Try-to-find-care), is a good example of single-payer healthcare and its problems.

I could but don't use the VA (except for hearing aids) because I use Tricare and I feel I am freeing the resources for a Vet who needs them.

Andy

[Averageman]

I could but don't use the VA (except for hearing aids) because I use Tricare and I feel I am freeing the resources for a Vet who needs them.

Andy

Andy;
My thought was, I can't stay on Tricare after I'm 65, which is just a couple of years away. So, it's best to get started now.
Although I may be freeing up resources, I go there and look around and I'm one of the oldest Bastards in there. So I'm not sure who I'm freeing up resources for.
Also, toughing it out and sacrificing my Body is how I got this jacked up in the first place.

BTW: Just got a call back from the VA, They'vs assigned me a new Doctor and given me an appointment. Took three days to call back, but so far so good.

[chuckman]

BTW: Just got a call back from the VA, They'vs assigned me a new Doctor and given me an appointment. Took three days to call back, but so far so good.

That is a healthcare thing, not 'just' a VA thing.

[Averageman]

That is a healthcare thing, not 'just' a VA thing.

Well, the appointment was for next Monday and it's Thursday, so...

[chuckman]

Well, the appointment was for next Monday and it's Thursday, so...

Waiting that long to get a call is a common frustration. But getting an appointment that fast, that's great.

[ABNAK]

Never practiced at a VA hospital (except in NYC as a student) or VA outpatient clinic; but find it absolutely disgusting and appalling that veterans get such poor care in the VA system. The ones affiliated with University systems, i.e Bronx VA part of Mt Sinai, NY VA part of NYU, Miami VA part of U of Miami system have a 'reasonable' reputation of providing fairly good care, can't say anything else about the other national VA hospitals.

I think just about all VA hubs, not outlying clinics, are affiliated with med schools/teaching facilities. That's how the VA gives treatment at the hospitals (not clinics) for "free" to the vet. It's a trade-off for being part of their learning process. It isn't just VA hospitals that use med school residents as part of their staffing, I used to work at one myself many years ago that did it. Like I said, it's called a "teaching hospital" but the residents are overseen by attending physicians. Like anywhere else, the VA has either 1) awesome....2) okay....or 3) substandard folks, or a mix of all, just like civvie hospitals. Similar to the military, the VA is a slice of America.

[ABNAK]

That VA should have a patient-visitor relations department or patient advocate, someone who acts as your rep if you have a complaint. You can usually just google that VA hospital's patient advocate and get the number.

People ask me if I use the VA, the answer is 'no'. Do I qualify? Yup. But with my insurance, why would I, especially when I know there are people who don't have a choice?

The VA, and to a lesser extent TriCare (or Try-to-find-care), is a good example of single-payer healthcare and its problems.

That's how I see things. I have pretty decent insurance through work and I opt to keep it.

[rero360]

I had excellent care at the Buffalo VA back in 2009, and have had some horrible and some barely ok experiences at the West LA VA over the last 13 years. For a while I avoided the VA because I now have insurance through my wife and the Drs were great but ever since Covid they have gone to shit so now I’m finding myself going back to the VA.