The VA hospital that services the area that I live in has an overall score of 67 out of 100. This is considered below average. - The average wait time of 22 days at this facility. Not sure how many Americans would accept this kind of wait to see a Doctor. The Veterans Choice Program and Card I received in 2014, needs to be made a permanent program. I read President Trump's 10 point plan for the VA and hope it is high on his 'to do' list. Need to confirm Dr. David Shulkin as Secretary of Veterans Affairs so we can get these problems dealt with.
@Tim Burr, that is why I have Medicare plus use my VA medical. I'm not "Service Connected", so I don't get the medical attention as fast as they do.
I am 'Service Connected' and the wait time is the same here. Once you are seen, the people who work there are great. I switch over to Tricare for Life this year when I turn 65 and have Tricare Prime now, so not a problem for me, but others need the VA for their medical needs. I have faith that the 'new broom' will get to sweeping...
I've really never had a problem using the VA, but I only go a couple of times a year. Depending on the population a person lives in (here it is close to 1 million), it can be very hard to get an appointment that isn't already set. This is why I'm also getting a doctor outside the VA. Much easier getting an appt. or going to an Urgent Care place. Unfortunately, after my wife retires, I'll probably have to go back to using the VA for all medical and cancel my Medicare and Supplement Insurance. Won't be able to afford all I have now.
I do hope it gets priority with Trump, although it doesn't affect me at all, it's important that our vets get top care and quickly. I think almost everything that's wrong is because of red tape. We have the money, especially if you cut the red tape.
I hope our new President will make that one of his priorities too Tim. The year before last they built a new VA Clinic here where I live, before that the Veterans had to go all the way up to Shreveport to get care. I even brought my daughters' Dad up there a couple of times and at least I can say the waiting time wasn't to bad. But now that we have a new Clinic here it's been a big help to the Veterans that live around here.
When I worked in EMS in the Rio Grande Valley, we would transport patients to the VA hospital in San Antonio sometimes, and those were the rudest people I have ever had to deal with. They were rude to us, rude to our patients, and it seemed that they couldn't have cared less what happened with our patients. We would usually stay with our patients until after a doctor was free to see them because we couldn't trust any of the rest of the staff to even notice if they had died. In any other hospital, we would transfer care to a nurse but these people just didn't seem to have the willingness to do anything. I will say that once an actual doctor entered the room, they seemed professional and competent. Not so with the rest of their staff, including their nursing staff. There were exceptions of course but, overall, it was pretty bad. I would be more polite to a drunk who pounded on my door at 2:00 o'clock in the morning than these nurses were with their patients.
Could you imagine someone treating you that way after you fought the enemy so we could be safe at home? It must be like you think you're in a prison camp run by the enemy instead of a hospital.