The VA clinic in Las Vegas has a sign in the waiting room: "If you are still waiting 15 minutes after your appointment, come to the front desk." Does ANYBODY's doctor's office have a similar one? Because I drive a long way to get there, I often arrive 15-20 minutes early. I check in then, and many times I am taken in BEFORE my appointment time. Again, has that happened . . . ?
When I take my wife to her doctor, we routinely wait for at least a half-hour past her appointment - sometimes more. We've changed docs about twice a year as they come and go in this small town. Every one has been the same. Many of them act like my wife is a source of revenue rather than a person to heal - I don't get that feeling at the LV VA.
Besides, my Medicare is taken into account there, which helps defray the VA's expenses, so I don't see any benefits of this plan other than shuffling things around to no advantage. The "long trips" seems to be a smoke screen and I always get nervous when a politician wants to do something for my benefit. I have to drive 80 miles one way to the clinic, but thankfully it is only twice a year. They have a deal with the local hospital to take blood samples so we don't have to go down for that - no voucher involved. We also have a van service, courtesy the Elks, to LV twice a week for those vets who are unable to drive - again with no voucher.
Leave things the Hell alone.
There’s a couple of ways of looking at that. The VA has scheduled X number of patients for X number of hours. They will do that.
The private doctor is under no contract to see that you don’t have to wait. If a patient comes in and requires more time than scheduled, so be it. This is a person who could sue the doctor for not treating the injury properly.
Not so with the VA Doc. Lawsuits are forbidden unless you get permission from the government first.