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When I got out of the U.S. Army, after active duty time
of a little over four years, I had a great VA Benefits Counselor.
He told me to get myself to the VA for a physical and helped me make
arrangements. What I got out of this was a service-connected
disability and more than 23 years of grief from the VA.
Again, I MUST state that the healthcare services I
received from the VA were excellent...when I could get them.
The VA staff was always the best. They are not the problem.
The people who staff our VA hospitals are overworked and underpaid
and this is a major part of the problem.
In 1999 I moved and had my VA records sent to the VA
hospital nearest me. Even though I had been in the system with
a service-connected disability for nearly 20 years...I had to wait a
full 18 months to get assigned to and see a Primary Care Provider.
At the same time I was trying to get dental care.
I had all 20 pages of dental regulations in hand yet everyone said
no. The regulations said yes...and the VA said no. This
battle took two-and-a-half years. I finally got my dental
benefits. But (I want to say I had to pull teeth to do it) I
had to beg, cajole and finally use thinly-veiled threats.
THERE IS NO REASON FOR THIS!
Below will be much of what I found out about dealing
with the VA...most of it the hard way. I hope it's of use.
WHAT I DID WRONG
My first and biggest mistake was to think that the VA
would tell me all about the benefits I had coming. HA! I
must have looked like I just fell off the turnip truck.
YOU have to find out about your benefits. The VA
will not come to you. You must go to the mountain! The
best, quick source for this information is the annual Federal
Benefits for Veterans and Dependents handbook which is printed
by the VA. You can order a copy from Powell's (see link at
left). You can download it for free at the VA website.
Or, you can download it for free right here. Click here to download in PDF format
(170 pages/983kb).
Every regulation and ruling about every benefit is available for you
to download.
Also, find a good VA counselor. They're
everywhere! And they have tons of information about healthcare
benefits and many other programs. You'll find them at VA
hospitals and clinics. Check local resources because states,
counties and many cities have VA counselors or liaison officers.
Go to the local employment office. Check colleges. And,
don't forget the veterans groups
(Useful Links for Vets
Page).
Another mistake was listening to friends.
Everybody's an expert. But they weren't. Go to the
source to get the information you need. Don't get it second-
and third-hand.
Never, ever, ever, ever take NO for an answer. I
did that once and it took me ages to untangle the mess.
And, don't expect anything from the Patient Advocate
Office at the VA. This is the perfect example of hiring the
fox to guard the hen house. My experience with the Patient
Advocate is that they will listen, be sympathetic and then say NO.
Be sure to use the Patient Advocate Office as you work your way
through the system. But, don't expect anything from them.
SOME TIPS TO HELP YOU WITH THE VA
1...ASK FOR HELP. It's out there. Seek it
out. Use sites like this and those listed on the
Useful Links for Vets Page.
Go directly to the VA. Go to service organizations. I
know this sounds so simple but help will not come to you.
2...EXPLAIN WHAT YOU WANT. Again, it seems so
simple. But you must know what you want and need so you can
explain it fully when asking for help. General requests like
"I need help" tend to get put on the back burner. Be specific
about all medical situations.
Do not use phrases like, "You haven't done this"...the
person you are dealing with does not want a bitch-list. Be
POSITIVE. State your wants and needs in positive terms like "I
would like this, please"...and you will open up many doors with a
positive attitude.
3...NEVER GET ANGRY OR LOUD. This is important!
If you tend to get angry, loud or pushy...DON'T! You will be
tuned-out immediately. And, in the case of many governmental
agencies, you could get your files coded with a "trouble-maker" tag.
Every agency will deny these type of tags exist...but they do.
Be calm. Speak slowly. Be polite. Even if you end
up dealing a dummy who you know doesn't care.
Swearing is not a good idea. Many people are very
sensitive to this...some for religious reasons and some just because
they don't like it. No "F'ing" or "S'ing" or "GD'ing"as it
will only turn people off.
Don't tell any jokes. Really? Really!
What's funny to you WILL offend someone...I guarantee it! And
NEVER discuss the BIG THREE: POLITICS, RELIGION, SEX.
This is the perfect way to PO someone who can help you get where you
want to go inside the VA system.
Never threaten anyone or joke about threatening anyone.
You WILL get thrown out and possibly end up with the VA police
chatting with you. You don't need that kind of trouble because
it can be a Federal Offense and will follow you for life.
Also, it's always best to leave any knives (no matter how small) at
home. In the current climate of increased security even the
smallest pocket knife could be considered a weapon.
4...DRESS FOR SUCCESS. This sounds so strange but
I mean it! Dress the best you possibly can when meeting with
anyone at the VA. Be sure to bathe and have clean hair.
Even if you have limited income try to find something other than
jeans and a T-shirt. The people at the VA are no different
than anyone else...they will make judgments based on what they see.
You may think this wrong, and it is, but it is human nature.
5...USE THE CHAIN OF COMMAND. Don't try to start
at the top as you try to resolve an issue. You will just
torque-off all the people you passed over on your way to the top.
Start at the bottom. If you do not get the response you
want...go up the next step in the chain of command. Having
angry people in your way does you no good. Be sure to use the
Patient Advocate Office at the VA hospitals. Just don't expect
any results. If you get what you want that is excellent...but
be prepared to go higher up the chain of command.
6...MAKE LOTS OF FRIENDS ALONG THE WAY. I cannot
stress this enough! Make friends with everyone you work with at the
VA. Remember, a PO'd clerk can "accidentally" loose your
paperwork...just think back to when you were on active duty and all
the power your Company Clerk had at his command.
Always say "Please" and "Thank you" and use phrases
like, "I really need some help with this. Can you help me?"
What this does is elevate the person with whom you are speaking and
gives them a feeling of power and control...then make sure you smile
a lot so they use their power to give you the help you need.
Gather information from everyone along the way.
Ask things like, "What is my next step?" and "Where do I go from
here?" and you'll be surprised how much information you get.
7...KEEP NOTES AND MORE NOTES. You MUST have a
paper trail! Know the name, official title and the
responsibilities of every person with whom you speak or meet.
Make notes about the conversation and keep them in an organized
file. If you communicate by mail keep all letters in a file.
If you use email save the files on your computer and then print it
out and put the hard copies in a file.
Keep a timeline of your contacts: who, title,
responsibilities, date, time, how contacted. You can't expect
to remember it all and this will really help you as you press
forward with your issue.
Try to learn as many email addresses as you can.
In the VA hospital system this will usually be:
firstname.lastname@med.va.gov. When you communicate via email
the VA will have a permanent record on their server and this could
help if someone says they didn't get your message.
8...HAVE ALL YOUR RECORDS. Make sure you have
copies of your military personnel and medical records
(Useful Links for Vets
Page). If you are in the VA system already get a copy of
your VA medical records. You can request these at the VA
hospital where you receive care.
Your records are invaluable in creating a timeline when
making a claim. Read all your records carefully. If
there are errors in your VA medical records you will not be able to
get anything taken out, but you can have information added that will
stand as a correction. Make sure any errors are corrected
because denial of a claim could come from bad information in your
records.
9...BE PREPARED TO GO TO THE TOP. After many
frustrating months trying to resolve an issue I ended up
communicating with the Director of my local VA hospital. He
was considerate and, eventually, became very helpful (see below).
But, when you get to the top make sure you have your information in
logical order and make sure it is accurate. The quickest way
to get bounced from the "halls of power" is to pass on inaccurate or
false information.
10...WHEN "THE TOP" SAYS NO. The court of last
resort is your Congressperson. Know who they are. Then,
if you have to, use them to help you. When you have filed all
the necessary papers with your Congressperson they can file what is
called a "Congressional"...basically an investigation into the
charges you are making (being denied benefits, etc.). Again,
have all your facts in order. The worst thing a Patient
Advocate Office or VA Hospital Director has to deal with is a
"Congressional"...they hate them and will do anything to avoid them
(see below) because it has the stigma of a "black mark" on their
record.
11...THE POLITE THREAT. I have used this once and
it worked. I skipped tip #10 and politely suggested to the
Director of my VA hospital that it would be easier if we came to an
accommodation rather than getting my Congressperson involved.
He agreed.
12...USE THE SYSTEM! MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU! There
are ways and there are ways! If you are in a Vocational
Rehabilitation program such as Incentive Therapy (IT) or Compensated
Work Therapy (CWT) you qualify for dental benefits if your dental
work is necessary to find employment out there in the real world.
The VA will NOT tell you this. You have to ask for it.
If you are living in a VA Domiciliary for any reason
(homelessness, vocational rehabilitation, alcohol rehabilitation,
drug rehabilitation) you qualify for full medical care including
eyeglasses and dental treatment. Again, ask for it because it
will NOT be offered.
Once you receive dental care there must be follow up
for at least three years although this may be at the discretion of
the local dental facility. Ask for it and you will most likely get
it.
And, this is IMPORTANT, it is a common practice for
vets to check into alcohol and drug rehab programs at the VA just to
get medical benefits. There is no law against this. And
it works! The best part is that while you are in the program
you will get complete medical care and the evaluations and
screenings done during this time can help lay the foundation for any
future claims.
