The Good, Bad, & Ugly...Rating of VA care where you live.

[Sailors Song]

Vets rate the care you get from your local ( or not too local ) VA health care here.


I get my care from the VA in Nashville and over the last 2 years it has gone from GOOD to UGLY in rating.

Calling the Tele-care ( nurse, pharmacy, scheduling) will drive you nuts quickly. Most of the time you don't get to talk to anyone, and when you do they may or may not do anything depending on the roll of a dice. This means that they don't even contact your PC or even an actual nurse about why you called. and even when they do it can be days before you get called back. This has happened many times with both myself and a Vet that I am friends with here.

Getting a consult request for problems is almost impossible. Over a month ago I was in the ER for GI problems and the ER doc told me he was going to put in a consult request for a GI doctor. To date the request for a consult has not even been put into the system despite many call by me to the VA.

Getting your medications is a nightmare. They will not refill your RX at the hospital, and getting through on the phone to get your refill does not happen very often. Earlier this week I called about one of my BP meds as I was out of refills of it. They told me they would contact my PC to get the refill order that day, to date that a refill has not been done even though I told them I only had 5 days lift of the med.

While I have documented PTSD I am getting no treatment because I live over 2 hours from the VA. They only want to treat it with group sessions.

I have had 2 heart attacks and had a 3x bypass in 2006 and have a heart murmur, yet they will not schedule any ongoing cardiac care for me.

I guess that covers most of it except the Patient Advocacy office also doesn't do their job.

Dennis

[Bob698]

OK, first the bad. Hello, Maine.
The VA rep (a state employee) I first contacted was very good. He got my claim filed fast and helped me make my rent one month so I wouldn't go homeless (this was a state grant). Things kind of unwound when I finally got an appt for a physical and a work-up with a Neuro at Togus.
Basically, I was treated like a hobo in a gated community. At one point the Neuro just asks me "Do you want me to say its MS? I can say its MS if that's what you want."
No idiot, I want an MRI and a Dx. Let's find out what's really going on because I'm not good at faking it.
My last experience with Togus was with a lovely nurse who advised me to keep doing my limp until I got to the parking lot, it looked better that way.
So much for Maine, I haven't looked back. As it turns out, my non-service connected pension kicked in while I was flying out here (my buddy fronted me a ticket which I was able to pay back after selling my truck).
As I mentioned in another thread, my buddy and I were comparing notes about the VA and he took it upon himself to make some calls for me. The VA in Iowa was basically really PO's at the VA in Maine and they wanted to see me ASAP. I came out here for a basic physical and an interview. A week later my new PA says she'll be handling my case and I get an appt for my first MRI. As it turns out, the VA is putting a push on MS and Maine was SUPPOSED to know this. I didn't know if I should hug her or cry. After eight years I finally get in the tube.
A couple of weeks later and I meet my new Neuro. A week after that I started on my DMD. One of the VA nurses asks me if I know what I'll be starting. While it should be fine, she recommends that this stuff can be tricky at first and it might hit me like chemo. She's REALLY cool, I appreciated the head's up and planned accordingly.
So, basically that's my story. I'm still on a bare-bones non-service connected pension but I get by. Its tough for me to start fighting for a regular pension. Like I said, I get by and the VA is suppling my meds for free.

[Scooter24]

I go to the facility in Salisbury NC, I have only seem a GP so far there but he had many tests run and has set me up to see Nuero and also to be eval for leg brace. I have had a bad time with fatique, he ran test for low T and Thyroid, both were not normal, He has started me on Thyroid med to get started with, my level was over 10 times what it should be, but no one else had picked this up in 3 yrs. So far this place gets an A Plus

[bubbadan]

rating

My Rating for the VA Hospital that I go to is very very low!!!, I had a terrible experience with the health care. I have taken Solumedrol Infusions many times during the 19 years of having M.S.. 250mil drip between 1-2 hours. Last year they made the mistake of trying to infuse 1000mil in approx 30min. Well, I spent the next 2 months in a long term Rehab center and am still trying to get back to how I was until the mishap!

[randys438]

I go to the Stratton VAMC in Albany, NY. It is mostly good, but I have had a few problems.

(bad)
I convinced my neuro. to put me on Tysabri in Sep. 09. I was the first patient in our VA region to take this, so it took some calls to my congressman to get the paperwork through. It still took until Feb. of this year to get my first infusion. It was easier for the next vet they put on that drug.

I called for an urgent appointment during a relapse and was told they could move me up from my next scheduled appt. in 3 months to one in 2 months. When I insisted I needed something sooner, I was told to go to the ER. The ER took care of me and the ER doctor was angry when I told him how I was treated by the neuro. receptionist. He said next time to ask to speak with a nurse.

(good)
They have been excellent about assistive devices. I got a walker, scooter, vehicle lift for carrying my scooter and running boards to make it easier to get in/out of my suv. All were provided and installed at no charge to me.

The nurses at the infusion suite where I go for my Tysabri are super. The suite is nicely setup. I get to watch tv while I'm sitting there and they provide me lunch.

The eye dr's. are very thorough and discovered a problem I was not aware of. During a routine exam, they thought they found a detached retina. I was setup for an appointment with a retina specialist the same day. He found I didn't have a detached retina, but have Retinoschisis. They monitor me closely for this.

Overall, I'm just glad I'm able to go there since I have no health insurance. I have no service-connected problems and wasn't a wartime vet having served from 81-87.

Randy

[crewzen]

Im in Cleveland and the care was real good for a while. But ever since I lost my legs and was in rehab for 3 months it's like I am a lost person in the paper chase. It's
been almost a year now and I was thinking I would get a Scooter or power chair so I could get around but, it was a good idea. I was also thinking I would get some out patient rehab to help, but no. So life goes on.

[Bob698]

I keep forgetting to ask my Neuro about Extavia. I'm trying to be mindful of my budget and how much they're spending on me (my only meds, by choice, are Beta and amantadine) and Extavia is supposed to be cheaper than Beta.

[CJake]

Memphis,TN

I have been going to the Memphis VA for over 20 years. I have seen it go from crap to much better.. not saying it is the Greatest, but by God, it's gettin better.
With the Neuro's.. I see Dr. Levin.. he is doing the Tysabri test... I have been on it for about a year and a half. It is doing great for me. and no side effects so far.
I am a vet with over 80 percent so no co-pay.
Everyone has problems with the services they have, some more rotten than others, but I have found that they pay attention to the wheel that squeeks the loudest.

[Bob698]

It was easier for the next vet

That's why we do this stuff.

[Jerrys_mom]

I am very pleased the the Jerry Brown VA facility in Chicago.

They have a Specialty Clinic with neuros who specialize in various areas. Also, there is a Women's Clinic.

I have had excellent medical care from them.

My only compliant is that I cannot use the dental services.

[gomer]

Squeeky Wheel........

Back in the late 80s, I made NOISE.........

That got me a trip to the VA shrink dept......

The shirnk cleared me as far as being nuts or depressed. They noted I was "adamant" something ELSE, was wrong, jsut not showing up on tests........

Fast forward ovver 2 decades, and the VA at long lat did brain and full spine MRIs and other tests........BINGO! More than enough to Dx several people with MS......

Things have been better, not idea but much better especially the past year.

Doc Gomer Doctor of Been There, Done That.

[epona]

White River Junction VT VA

I have had all great experiences and people here at this VA except 1 visit with my PcP. He was behind and seemed to rush and not pay attention to me.

Needless to say, I called the neuro clinic myself and got an immediate appt. with them for the symptom my PCP didn't even acknowledge.

If I call them with any kind of vision problem, they take me in as soon as I can drive there. The eye clinic has been amazing.

I had my deviated septum fixed there too and the surgery went smoothly and I had no problems. I am very grateful as now I have not had a sinus infection since and I can actually breathe! Docs and nurses were great during the surgery.

Really only the one visit so far has been bad. I even go to the Vet Center for free shrink visits. They are some of the greatest people in the VA system. There is even a guy I know from the NG working there (retired from the NG) and we sit sometimes and chat so I can catch him up on the gossip from the NG.