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    April Fools?

    I got a call today (April Fools Day of course) saying my wheel chair would be delivered tomorrow.....

    Do I say WOOPIE or is it a April Fools day joke?

    When dealing with the VA, one never knows. I just hope it's for real.

    Supposedly its to be delivered before noon tomorrow, Before I have a local cardiologist apt a little past 1pm. (follow up to ER visit Sunday).

    Now IF that works out and a couple more important issues clear up, things might start looking up????

    Gomer

    #2
    I do not think it was an April Fools joke, because I am not sure there is anyone smart enough at your VA to have the ability to read a calendar.

    I would hunt down the person responsible for getting you that wheelchair and thank them for their due diligence. Workers at the VA rarely get thanked, and when they do, they remember those that do and take care of them.

    I hope you enjoy your wheelchair Gomer...it is long overdue and you deserve it. And yes, I would take it as a sign that things are definitely looking up.
    Katie
    "Yep, I have MS, and it does have Me!"
    "My MS is a Journey for One."
    Dx: 1999 DMDS: Avonex, Copaxone, Rebif, currently on Tysabri

    Comment


      #3
      It CAME!

      Wonder of wonders it came and before noon. I am like a kid with a new toy! and it FITS! I can get around so much better with it and it can go in the car when needed to boot.

      Gotta run to cardiologist now...

      More later........

      Gomer

      Comment


        #4
        That is AWESOME! I am so happy for you.


        For April Fool's Day I wanted to leave my front door ajar and create a murder scene (fake my death) for my physical therapist to stumble upon. I wanted to have a meat cleaver sticking out of my back and have a pool of blood for her viewing enjoyment. My wife nixed the idea -- sigh!

        I'm glad your April 1st news happened to be true. Roll on, Gomer ... roll on!

        Comment


          #5
          Gomer

          Great News Gomer, wonderful.

          So glad the VA finally came through with a wheelchair for you, and it fits!!!

          Miracles do happen then.

          All the best, be careful, not too many wheelies please!!

          Regards Min

          Comment


            #6
            Congrats!

            Gomer,

            Congrats on your new wheels!

            Comment


              #7
              Great min... anti tip wheels UP it is!

              Wonder if I am too old for w/c back-flips?

              Gomer

              Comment


                #8
                God bless and happy trails Gomer. You really deserved better treatment while in the hands of the VA. I have seen a much friendlier and eagerness to provide service at the Atlanta VA. When I separated, I registered at the VA and felt that they worked harder at keeping people waiting then helping them with their healthcare needs. When I lost my job and my insurance, I had no other choice but to go to the VA and dreaded it. But I have been very surprised and pleased with the care I received.

                Let's pray that all your needs will be addressed promptly by your VA. Enjoy your new wheels.

                Comment


                  #9
                  VA = Mixed Bag

                  I did send quick thank you notes to my GM (primary care did the referral) Dr and PT. Funny thing is my MS doc asked last year HOW I was getting around at home after having a problem during the clinic apt. I consider him one of my better VA docs, yet he offered NO P/T or any HELP mobility wise. (say a referral for eval or anything).

                  My new chair came w/o sides and my pants catch & rub the wheels, so I made my own sides using hard-board/Masonite. They are not as pretty as factory sides but they are working well. I also made a 'n' shape bar that goes across above my legs so I can put things in my lap or hang a bag (w/handles) on one end.

                  I took my new Aero-x out for a shake-down and we did fine. I got practice using it in public spaces, working with manual doors (not all stores/malls are H/C friendly).

                  Gomer Sir Falls-a-lot also rolls a lot

                  Comment


                    #10
                    A big thanks to all the va hospital staff!!!!

                    I really get tired of people *****ing about the VA hospitals.If you have such a problem with them GO to a civilian hospital and see how well that works. The va is under a budget limited by congress. The staff do a wonderful job working under these conditions. Also a lot of the staff volunteer extra time on their own to help. The local medical school students(nursing,x-ray techs and p.t. etc) do UNPAID internships. SO QUIT YOUR WHINING.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      To me there's a significant difference between complaining about personnel and complaining about the system. You yourself admit the VA is "under budget" suggesting they are unable to meet their responsibilities. I'll handle both issues separately as the VA does:

                      Disability compensation
                      As has been well publicized the VA disability claims backlog was over 1,000,000 claims during President Obama's first term. Even though the VA backlog began many years ago President Obama and General Shinseki claimed they would fix it. Their fix would include processing old claims over 125 days and improving the approximate 30% nationwide claims error rate. Congress approved budget to hire additional claims adjusters and approved 20 hours of mandatory monthly overtime to clear up the backlog. This past December, Shinseki claimed the backlog had been resolved.

                      Now, for the rest of the story:
                      • The VA changed the math on how they calculate backlogged claims. They did not resolve these claims they merely stopped counting them as backlogged.
                      • There is also evidence showing the VA intentionally and incorrectly denied claims solely to reduce the backlog.
                      • The American Legion audited recent results and found the error rate increased to over 50%.
                      • The VA uses administrative loop holes to reset the claim's status to zero processing days.
                      • The VA ruled on only part of claims, again resetting the processing days.

                      Without a doubt there were wonderful VA claims adjusters busting their hump on behalf of veterans. That does not make up for the underhanded method the VA employs to delay or deny benefits to veterans. VA appeals have doubled under this system reaching an all-time high. VA appeals often add years to the life of a claim and require veterans to employ lawyers they can't easily afford. Many of these veterans are already destitute and these unnecessary and intentional delays force many of them to abandon their claims.

                      So while the VA is celebrating, thousands of veteran's claims are still beyond the 125 day, self-imposed, standard. Heck, two-thirds of the remaining backlog is for soldiers that fought in Desert Storm or Vietnam. I believe by any fair measurement the VA disability claims process is failing their veterans. This is part of the reason that VA appeals have doubled, reaching an all-time high. VA appeals inflict unnecessary and costly delays onto veterans that are often already struggling to scratch out a life. This is a key reason the veteran population has a much greater chance to end up homeless or commit suicide.

                      Medical Care
                      If you review the VA healthcare system you will determine it also is plagued with backlogs for service. These backlogs have been directly linked to 1000's of unnecessary and completely preventable deaths. There was a recent report showing the VA patient deaths just since 9/11 that have been $ettled. You will also notice a number of patients that died from Legionnaires' disease -- a VA hospital where administrators were given bonuses after the patient deaths. You'll see in Phoenix where millions of dollars are missing, employees are on the lamb and additional patients have died. You'll see in California were VA whistle-blowers have claimed 1,000s of appointments were backlogged and then deleted to improve their statistics.

                      You may also remember the navy shooter that recently shot a dozen people had been under VA emergency care twice that week. Two emergency room teams were unable to conclude what a few police officers had just days before -- the guy was delusional. These are just a few of many, many examples of not only funding, but also incompetence is plaguing the VA system. Oh yes, for the record --- the federal government has also suggested the VA should no longer cover veterans with Multiple Sclerosis to save money.

                      There are even bigger scandals where the VA has knowingly and intentionally discredited Agent Orange and Gulf War Illness patients categorizing them as "mental cases." It took close to four decades for Agent Orange patients to receive full status. Twenty-five years after Desert Storm, the VA is still in disagreement with studies they paid for fearing the potential liability of the report findings. Many veterans believe that the VA will finally cover Gulf War Illness once enough veterans die. Please note the government admits that over 100,000 soldiers were exposed to Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) or chemical weapons during Desert Storm, but still will not cover their ailments. That's right -- our own government, not Saddam Hussein, poisoned over 100,000 of our soldiers and still will not cover their medical needs.

                      Unlike many segments of the population, veterans earned their healthcare by serving their country. The veterans have upheld their end of the bargain and it is the federal government that is reneging on them. Veterans are simply voicing their disapproval for the quality and quantity of care they are afforded which is their right -- the rights they were willing to die for. In many cases, prisoners and people here illegally get better healthcare than our veterans. This is not an indictment of the VA caregivers, but rather the national priorities of our elected officials. We have billions of dollars and weapons to send to Al-Qaeda linked Syrian rebels, but don't have the budget to tend to our own military casualties?


                      It's way past the time to make veterans benefits a national priority. Elected officials have no problems putting our troops in harms way, as we just sent troops to the Ukraine. Now it's time for the average American to elect politicians that will properly fund the care of our wounded veterans. That is the least our veterans deserve from an agency that is supposed to meet their needs.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        This information was published this week in the AZCentral under the title "VA bosses wrestle with criticism over care for veterans." Among complaints and allegations:

                        A July e-mail exchange among employees at the Carl T. Hayden Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Phoenix questioned whether administrators were improperly touting their Wildly Important Goals program as a success because it showed a dramatic reduction in wait times for patient appointments. Hospital officials had claimed they wiped out a longstanding access problem for new patients, reducing delays that had sometimes lasted nearly a year to an average of just 14 days.

                        Originally posted by from VA Employee
                        Reese, a program analyst, had written: "I think it's unfair to call any of this a success when veterans are waiting six weeks on an electronic waiting list before they're called to schedule their first PCP (primary-care provider) appointment. Sure, when their appointment was created, (it) can be 14 days out, but we're making them wait 6-20 weeks to create that appointment. That is unethical and a disservice to our veterans."

                        Three months later, Dr. Sam Foote, then supervisor of a VA primary-care clinic, filed a complaint with the Office of Inspector General. Foote alleged that wait-time data were being misrepresented by several methods and that administrators were reaping achievement bonuses through the WIG program. He also said up to 40 patients had died awaiting care.

                        Originally posted by from Phoenix VA Clinic Manager
                        to the inspector general in October alleged that at least 22 people died while their names were on an electronic wait list for primary-care appointments, and 18 more passed away while awaiting consultations with specialists. It is unclear whether any of the deaths were preventable, or premature. Foote claims as many as 30,000 patient records have been misrepresented, and he alleges that financial fraud and other crimes may have occurred. He copied his inspector-general complaint to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
                        All this happened at just ONE VA clinic and is not unique to the one. Our government is responsible for sending young men and women into combat and should now be held accountable for not taking care of their medical conditions.

                        In addition to combat, some of our veterans have been used as human guinea pigs with experimental treatments. Others have been chemically poisoned by our own government and then repeatedly lied to. The VA has stonewalled at every corner and routinely covers up corruption and incompetence.
                        Veterans are not "WHINING" they are trying to survive in a government system that would prefer them dead.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          WoW! Thanks Marco..ya hit the nail on the head!

                          I had my regular MS clinic apt at the VA last Thurs. Dr Segal, my MS specialist, said he would support my S/C claim; However he made it very clear that such claims are "very expensive" to the VA. Bottom line here for me is, not to expect the VA to approve my claim based on merit, money and cost control take precedence.

                          I strongly expect that was the case in the late 80s when I complained of medical problems so much they sent me to their shrinks. Even after their shrinks decided I was not nuts or even depressed, just "adamant" something else was wrong, the VA still refused to even try and figure out what that something else was.

                          I was a "GOMER" in the Navy. Even when I came down with pneumonia I was gomer'd for over a week. When I arrived at the base hospital via ambulance I was written up for criminal violation of UCMJ for failure to seek medical treatment. Reason, they said there was no way I did not know I was sick. I requested my previous 10 days sick bay records for my defense and it went away.

                          I was very good at my job, but when I started having problems working on the flight line, I was moved to hanger maint and later to IMA (an indoor air conditioned shop) and it was much better for me (far fewer sick calls).

                          I am also diabetic, I was admitted with pancreatitis in 1968. Tests and doctor notes are missing from my records, so out of luck on that issue.

                          Gomer

                          When my country needed me,
                          I enlisted,
                          When I needed my country,
                          I was stabbed in the back

                          Comment


                            #14
                            I think there are 2 points that need to be stated on this topic, 1. Not all VA facilities are this way, to say "THE VA" is doing this is incorrect, many are doing a great job of taking care of their patients and many have improved over the years. 2. If there was a way to track this for civilian hospitals I think you would also find that many of them are handling a much bigger case load than what was anticipated with limited facilities and personel to handle the load, that can be seen here on this forum were some people are waiting months for MRI and nuero appointments both of which I can get at either civilian or VA facility here in a matter of a few days max in.
                            To say the VA is black listing vets makes it sound as though they are picking out certain individuals which from what I have seen and read is not the case but rather changing their statistical records.
                            Plan for the future, but not too hard; it’s not your decision anyway

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Scooter and Bill,
                              There are individuals doing heroic work at the VA, but the complaints are lodged as the VA system and not a incrimination of the workers. It's the large, corrupt, bureaucratic system that is responsible for the health and welfare of our veterans. The veterans have a much higher suicide and homeless rate than the general public. The system that fought tooth and nail in court, but still had to paid out $200 million in 1,000 wrongful deaths just since 9/11. The system that rewards adjusters for improperly closing out claims for a bonus or the hospital administrator that gets a bonus while veterans are contracting Legionnaires disease and dying in their hospital.

                              The first time my wife visited a VA facility she said, "this is where the government puts and forgets about all their broken soldiers." I belong to a number of veteran's organizations and the prevailing objective of each of them is to improve the healthcare and accountability of the VA. The VA may be underfunded, but there is certainly enough questionable expenditures that need to be corrected. The VA has spent billions of dollars on integrated electronic medical systems and had to admit a total failure.

                              Here's a quote from the media about that fiasco:
                              Originally posted by Hannah Winston, Reporter
                              The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense spent at least $1.3 billion during the last four years trying unsuccessfully to develop a single electronic health-records system between the two departments — leaving veterans’ disability claims to continue piling up in paper files across the country. This does not include billions of other dollars wasted during the last three decades, including $2 billion spent on a failed upgrade to the DOD’s existing electronic health-records system.
                              The answer from Congress is to throw more money at a broken system, but the VA needs to be overhauled. They literally need to lay off 50% of the top-heavy administration and push those cost-savings to delivering healthcare to our veterans. Bureaucracy begets bureaucracy which begets corruption and you see if in every bloated government system we have.

                              When I found out that veterans were only permitted to have a single prosthetic device in their lifetime I knew I had to get involved. I learned of WWI and WWII veterans that needed prosthetic replacements for lost limbs and the VA would not help them. This was in the early 1990s and the lifespan of an artificial leg is not 50+ years! Not to mention the advances in medicine over a lifetime.

                              So while you may know of some good outcomes or outstanding VA healthcare providers that is certainly not the norm. My ride is pulling up so I need to close. I simply want the positive experience you two have had spread out to every veteran on every visit or encounter with the VA. While this goal is not attainable -- it is something to strive for. Our military veterans deserve nothing less than our best and that is quite far from what they currently get.

                              Comment

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