First meeting with VA Social Worker got cancelled due to snow, second one got cancelled because of a conflict I had with doctor's appointment, but third time was the charm on Friday.
Spent a full hour or more with a very nice young woman. She's only been working for the VA Outpatient in Greenville for 6 months, formerly worked for the VA in TX and more recently MO. She whispered, that the VA in SC was terribly ran. Kind of new that part, from all the hassle they gave me on my original Agent Orange Claim. She said she was appalled that it took nearly 4 years to resolve, and how few people she ever had met, that won it outright on appeal.
As far as my VA Medical ID Car, she said they changed the card system in October, 2013, and that no one she knew had gotten cards. She said that, locally, they don't even know where the cards were physically coming from. It's been hard to prove to some of my providers that I even have coverage, when I couldn't show them any kind of insurance card. But a late update, lo and behold, in today's mail, got a letter from the VA, and there was my nice, new shiny picture medical ID card. Took long enough, but glad to have it. In lieu, she had typed up a letter on VA letterhead explaining that I was fully insured, but now I won't need the letter.
She is setting up a major consult for me at the VA hospital in Columbia. She wants me to meet with their head of oncology, head of neurology, and head of urology for starters. Purpose - for them to decide if my current providers are giving me better service, then they can give. She said with my complex history, they very well may decide to let me keep my doctors - and they pay 100% for the charges, including all tests, exams, etc.
Will cost me a day in Columbia, 125 miles each way. But she surprised me, and said they have their own bus, that leaves every week day at 0800 and takes patients there, treats them to lunch. The after all the appointments, brings everyone back to Greenville. I wouldn't have to drive or have my wife take off time. 2nd choice, they will put me (us) up in a hotel the evening before at their expense, and pay for all my gas their and back every time I have an appointment. Didn't even know they did stuff like that.
While I was there, she was curious why my assigned doctor didn't make a follow up appointment with me. So she got him on the phone and kind of tore into him, telling him that I still have on-going issues and new issues that have popped up since the initial visit, medical costs that they should be paying for one way or the other. I had left him a list of all the on going problems known at the time.
She confirmed my initial dental visit coming up later this month, and said since I was 100% service related, they will take care of anything dental - whether it be service related or not.
And yes, the VA will reimburse me, for anything that I had to pay for related to any of my prostate cancer, including any thing that private insurance didn't pay for, anything out of pocket, etc. She's getting the forms together, and I only have to provide documentation from the providers or suppliers. This covers anything from December 2009 to present, including all the non-VA care that I have received since getting my approval late last year. She said it's that simple.
Told me that the title "social worker" was a bit misleading, in fact, she is my liaison for anything VA medical related, now and in the future, and she can help see me through the red tape and delays that are common among VA patients.
It was a very productive meeting, pleasantly surprised by the outcome, to be honest.
David
For many of you VA-seasoned vets, sure most of this thread is "old news", but for those new to us at HW PC, it might be encouraging to know that such things are available for vets.