Thank you.
Folks may not know of some VA particulars. Here are some.
1) They pay only board certified attending docs and pay them the going rate for their specialty in the region where they are assigned. There is a quote on requirements — “Under no circumstances are qualifications loosened in those regions where there is difficulty filling posts. Those posts will stay unfilled and veterans are transported elsewhere if need be.”
2) VA hospitals are located near to regional medical schools of high quality. Often less than a mile. It is common for residents to do their residency at the local VA hospital rather than the medical teaching hospital.
3) There are Physician Assistants and Nurse Practioners who practices under the supervision of an attending physician. This is somewhat normal in the civilian world too. No difference.
4) Disabilities declared by the VA must be service connected (some problem that developed or can be traced to active duty) for there to be pay or elevation of Priority Group.
5) Many veterans are not disabled at all. A single Vet with income less than $36K is PG 5, which means doc visits, surgeries, outpatient treatments are all fully covered. If the veteran income is above 36K and . . . I think the number is almost 60K — less than that, they remain within VA healthcare paying copays as PG7 or PG8. The copays are far below the typical Medicare Advantage copay. The income thresholds change each year, upwards. Some vets on copay one year won’t be the next.