Posted on 05/27/2014 3:31:17 PM PDT by Red_Devil 232
I am a Vietnam era vet and will be visiting my local Veterans Out Patient clinic on Thursday morning for my initial evaluation. The out patient clinic contacted me last week to set up this first visit after having applied for it over seven month ago. I have a couple of health Issues; one is my right hip is giving me some serious problems and the other is a dental problem.
My question is what can I expect from this initial visit? They have me in their computer system and all the info I submitted. Do I need to bring extra info? DD214 etc?
I need all the info I may need to make this evaluation go smoothly.
I am also insured by my wife’s employer’s insurance policy and Medicare.
Just wondering if anyone has some constructive advice?
At some point you will end up in front of the person doing the means testing. That person is going to look at all the documentation.
Have them scan and enter those documents into your file.
When I renewed my drivers license here in maine I needed to prove place of birth for the first time. I did not have a certified copy of my birth certificate. It was going to take 10 days and about 25 bucks to get it.
Since my DD-214 has my place of birth on it (some do, others do not) I just had to get a certified copy from my VA office about 5 miles from the DMV.
OK then, I hope it all works out for you.
With that being said, I was a benefits rep for my corporation for many years and the biggest problems I had to deal with on behalf of our employees and retirees was the "coordination of benefits" between other insurance companies and ours. Each one rejecting claims, stating the other was responsible.............
Thank you for your service
But do you realize how fortunate you are to have both your wife’s health insurance and medicare?
It might be better for you to use those resources and leave the already overcrowded VA to people with service connected disabilities and for those who have no where else to go.
for what you would have to pay in copays you could pay for a Med Sup plan and use the private sector relieving the VA of at least one apt and service that might go to someone who really needs it
Bump to the top. Thanks, Red
My understanding is the VA gives good service, you have to wait a long time for it and you pay for it if you aren’t retired from the service or service related.
Good luck, they mostly seem like really nice folks in there.
You’re welcome
I believe they cover dental for the first year after discharge. I just know that I don’t get dental.
His question was a valid one. I am a Viet Nam era vet, but I was not in Viet Nam, so I am not able to be treated at the VA.
It is currently at 100% disability. I have been trying for several years to get dental care but my VA primary care provider keeps telling me that I am not eligible despite the fact that all od my dental problems are related to old fillings put in by the army which are now falling out and causing my teeth to crack.
I do have a “service related disability” for my heart problems which first started in the army but despite Social Security stating that I am 100% disabled effective December 2000, the VA still refuses to adjust my rating above 5 percent because I was once working at a desk job as a computer programmer.
I am also suffering from constant back and left knee pain from in juries suffered in the army and documented on my service record. The VA declares these “treated and resolved by the Army” despite my constant suffering since my release from active duty. I was treated four times over a three year period while in the army including two trips to the emergency room.
I fell and knocked my left kneecap loose while in the army which lead to three major operations on my left knee about 16 years after getting out. This injury also appears in my medical records and is dismissed by the VA as of insufficient evidence since there were no broken bones, only soft tissue damage to the very important elements which hold the knee together.
Forget about the VA itself ever granting you approval for disability compensation and their own doctors will fight against you due to the rules that are required to give service under.
The only way that you can get the appropriate disability compensation is by going through an external doctor and getting their statement of disability and the more doctors the better. HOWEVER, the VA is very careful to ask if you are receiving care outside of the VA and will be quick to drop you if they find out.
I’m not saying you are wrong, but a few years ago, when I went in to ask, I was told to my face that I did not qualify because I did not serve in Viet Nam. Also, I was informed by E-Mail of the same when I contacted the VA on line. But you are right to point out that if I don’t need to be treated there, it is best to leave it alone for the sake of others. So I will.
Veterans not eligible for enrollment: Veterans not meeting the criteria above:
Subpriority e: Noncompensable 0% service-connected
Subpriority g: Nonservice-connected
HA! And it isn’t often that I DO fit in with others.
You are getting a lot of good and bad info here.
If you are a Vet the VA will treat you. The VA has 8 different classes of Vets. You will initially be put in class 8. The lowest. You will be obligated to pay a copay for treatment which may or may not be paid by your insurance. You will also be allowed to get medication from the VA with a copay of 8 dollars a month. ( It may have recently been increased to 9 dollars). The prescription must be written by a VA doctor. I have taken my Doctors RX to the VA doctor and he will usually prescribe it. Beware some medications are not in the VA pharmacology and they will prescribe a alternative.
That being said as a boots on the ground VN Vet you fall into a special category. You will be evaluated for Agent Orange. Certain Diseases are presumptively attributed to agent Orange. The most common is type 2 Diabetes. A list of these diseases Can be found on the VA web site. If you suffer from any of these it is automatically considered service connected because of agent orange exposure.
Now the kicker is that VA Health Care people are different from the people that evaluate your your claim. A claim must be files to raise your status above class 8. There are numerous agencies that will help you file your claim even certain law firms. These agencies are prohibited by law from charging you for these services even the legal firms. A NOD ( notice of disagreement) can be filed if you disagree with the decision.
There is much more I could tell you bout the VA system.
I am a VN Vet with a service connected disability and I both love and hate the VA. It is a lot of bureaucratic BS but ultimately I have won every battle. I simple read their rules and regulation and make them follow them.
For you meeting a copy of your DD214 and a valid Photo ID is all you need. The DD214 will prove you are a Vet and prove you were boots on ground VN.
Good Luck
Contact me if I can be of further assistance.
Yes VA’s give asvgood and servicevas they can but they are over loaded
Va’s are stretched to the limit with actual combat injuries and with vets who have no other way to get help.
The poster had 2 other good options.
ANY appointment and care takes time and resources away fro, people who might need it more and who have no other way.
Why do that?
Isn’t this the same as saying because I planned for my retirement I should forgo Social Security to insure the non-planners are taken care of.
I reread your initial post and wanted to add a few comments.
Dental coverage is tough, It is only thru a narrow channel that you can get full coverage however as mention in post above you can get some dental coverage with with a premium around 40 dollars a month if you are enrolled in VA health care. Bring any prescriptions you have to the PCP (Primary Care physician) and see if he will prescribe them thru VA. Get used to the abbreviation you will encounter a lot of them.
Is you hip injury service connected in anyway? If it was documented in your military records that is good and almost a slam dunk. Depending on which area you are in a claim may take 6 to 18 months. Remember a claim is not for VA health care, It is for service connection. Once my Service connection was awarded all the money I had paid the VA for copay or medicine was refunded.
Any medication for a service connected problem has no copay.
any other medicine has a copay, however if you are awarded above a 30% disability all medicine is free regardless of service connection. Above 10% will get you vision care eye glasses and such. Hearing problems, VA is one of the best sources for hearing aids. Were you exposed to loud noises in Vietnam, Compare the entry physical hearing test to you discharge hearing test. A drastic drop will support a claim with proof of exposure to loud noises. The list goes on and on So when and if you decided to file a claim make sure you use a competent disability filer. You can find help at the VA or you local VFW or American Legion. In Texas we
have County VA agents that work for the County not the VA and they are usually pretty good.
Hope this helps.
One other thing bring a book to read while waiting for the Doctor. Be courteous but don’t take any crap. Just because someone at the VA tells you something, do not take it as Gospel. I have found them wrong at least 50% of the time. Not because they are bad people but the ones above them have misinformed them. By and large the people that you deal with at the VA are good caring people it is the Layers above them that is the problem. Their reporting system on how well they are doing is just like body count in Vietnam. Greatly exaggerated.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.