'VA Healthcare'
You know, I'd have thought that health insurance companies are bad, but for some reason, I'm inclined to think they learned their bad habits from our own government.
Remember that problem about bleeding from the rectum that the Army didn't want to treat me for (oh, you're retirement date is too soon, better for you to see the VA Hospital once you're out)... well I went and saw the VA Hospital. I shouldn't have bothered going inside.
When you 'turn down' care from the military 'voluntarily' like I did, that means that whatever condition you have that you 'turned down care' for while in the service falls under 'optional' or 'gratuitous' care, and does not meet their definition of 'service connected', whether or not the symptoms first appeared while serving.
Apparently, I am financially liable for all the urgent care visits (to build a history) and primary care visits, and the endoscopy procedure that my primary care provider ordered. Including the care I received while I was still on active duty (from the VA), because I did not obtain written consent and referral from my unit commander before seeking treatment outside of military treatment facilities.
I've only received the first bill so far, so I don't know if all three or four visits now, plus the procedure are going to total several hundred, or several thousand dollars. What I do know is that I will be in touch with my advocate (nice term for my lawyer), about this.
For those of you who are serving, make sure you get EVERY LAST ITSY BITSTY LITTLE MEDICAL problem you have completely treated by the military. It doesn't matter if all your conditions are well-documented. Because the VA's definition that I'm observing now isn't 'for medical conditions with onset during your period of service' but rather something close to 'medical conditions incurred specifically by your military service'. This includes things that they feel they can explain away due to natural causes, such as the 'natural cause' that rectal bleeding can be caused by aging, and since it is a naturally occurring symptom of ______, to them, the Army did not cause me to bleed from my ass regardless of how poetic that would be.
Remember that problem about bleeding from the rectum that the Army didn't want to treat me for (oh, you're retirement date is too soon, better for you to see the VA Hospital once you're out)... well I went and saw the VA Hospital. I shouldn't have bothered going inside.
When you 'turn down' care from the military 'voluntarily' like I did, that means that whatever condition you have that you 'turned down care' for while in the service falls under 'optional' or 'gratuitous' care, and does not meet their definition of 'service connected', whether or not the symptoms first appeared while serving.
Apparently, I am financially liable for all the urgent care visits (to build a history) and primary care visits, and the endoscopy procedure that my primary care provider ordered. Including the care I received while I was still on active duty (from the VA), because I did not obtain written consent and referral from my unit commander before seeking treatment outside of military treatment facilities.
I've only received the first bill so far, so I don't know if all three or four visits now, plus the procedure are going to total several hundred, or several thousand dollars. What I do know is that I will be in touch with my advocate (nice term for my lawyer), about this.
For those of you who are serving, make sure you get EVERY LAST ITSY BITSTY LITTLE MEDICAL problem you have completely treated by the military. It doesn't matter if all your conditions are well-documented. Because the VA's definition that I'm observing now isn't 'for medical conditions with onset during your period of service' but rather something close to 'medical conditions incurred specifically by your military service'. This includes things that they feel they can explain away due to natural causes, such as the 'natural cause' that rectal bleeding can be caused by aging, and since it is a naturally occurring symptom of ______, to them, the Army did not cause me to bleed from my ass regardless of how poetic that would be.