GOV/MIL VA Health Care "Choice Program"

ersatzpanther

ersatzpanther

Senior Member
For those who don't know, here's the definition from the va.gov website:

What is the Choice Program?

If you are already enrolled in VA health care, the Choice Program allows you to receive health care within your community. Using this program does NOT impact your existing VA health care, or any other VA benefit.
Click to expand...

You may have heard some bad things about VA Health Care in parts of the FUSA, but the Southern Nevada Area VA Health Care is outstanding which I will vouch for personally. This does NOT include the Phoenix, AZ area which is notoriously bad.

A personal experience may be illustrative of my point. The middle of last year my heart surgeon at the VA hospital in Las Vegas diagnosed me with an irregular heart beat. This was based upon an EKG at the local Pahrump, NV Clinic (also excellent health care), an EKG at the VA Hospital (ditto) and an overnight portable strap-on EKG recorder which I took home and mailed back.

The result was that my surgeon said I needed a pacemaker implanted. OK, but the VA Hospital did not yet perform those operations, so my surgeon wrote me a prescription for a local expert civilian heart surgeon through the "Choice" program. The result was a successful implant of the pacemaker, an overnight stay in Summerlin Hospital with outstanding care and a fix on my irregular heartbeat. My personal cost? Zero.

Yesterday on Hannity's TV show, Kellyanne Conway listed the expansion of the VA Choice program as one of the things that Donald Trump was going to implement. He doesn't need the obstructionist GOPE congress critters to do this.
 
S

Switchback

Veteran Member
My experience was absolute frustration. It turned out to be a giant runaround and waste of phone time. I was told I was never entered into the Choice program at the start. Every time I was passed around to dead lines or dropped calls. I was told to call a new number. Then I needed to another type of approval. The excuse finally came forth that they were just too overwhelmed by requests and way understaffed at the Choice center. This was a very recent experience. Within the Maryland VA system. It all started because someone did not show up for work on a Monday to perform a simple ultrasound (bad back was the excuse of the employee). They offered me Choice. What a big waste of time. But I'm glad it works for some of you. You're fortunate.
 
nomifyle

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
DH and I both have had experience with the crappy choice program. I'm totally unimpressed. The organization "tri West" that handles the program doesn't know their ass from a hole in the ground.

Judy
 
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