My husband's claim, along with many others, trapped in the VA system was denied although even VA doctors along with private doctors, said it was related to his service in Vietnam. A friend of our's had his claim tied up for 19 years. Before the VA doctors diagnosed his PTSD as connected to his service, private insurance paid the bills for his treatment in the private medical world. Once the VA said it was service connected, the private insurance company said they were not responsible for any care related to this because it was the responsibility of the government. The VA took our tax returns to pay for his care while we had private insurance. The private insurance company was off the hook and the VA was avoiding it until his claim was approved. We were stuck trying to get the care he needed to heal from PTSD, fighting the VA to have his claim approved and compensated for, fighting the insurance company and then seeing what little money we had taken by the VA.
In our case, along with thousands of other veterans seeing their claim tied up, forcing private insurance to cover the care would have been greatly helpful. It would have taken some of the strain off of our shoulders. Think of the 800,000 claims tied up in the backlog and 300,000 plus claims on appeal right now. Then think of the suffering the veterans and their families are going thru. While forcing private insurance to cover the care sounds like a short time solution, in the long run, the answer is to fix the VA system instead.
The bill that allowed the VA to collect for treatment when claims are tied up needs to be changed. It is unconscionable to have wounded veterans suffering with wounds compounded by forcing them to pay for the treatment they would not need if they did not incur the wound while serving. To have them come back home after their battles were supposed to have been over then being replaced by fighting the government is an insult added to injury. These claims are tied up for months, and in too many cases, years, while a wounded veteran and their families are suffering.
Before my husband's claim was approved after paperwork was finally corrected, we were broke, trying to figure out how to pay the bills but the VA said we made too much money and had to pay for his care. When we couldn't, they simply took our tax refund. This made him stop going to the VA and he went without care, medication and therapy. My family suffered and we saw hope slip thru our hands. I kept his claim going and it was finally approved. We were repaid for most of the money the VA had taken but that did not justify what we had to go thru as his claim was tied up. If our private insurance was forced to cover his treatment, at least he would have been treated and provided with the medication he needed to battle PTSD.
Logically after a claim is approved, the answer would be for the VA to repay the private insurance company for coverage they finally admit they were responsible for. This would have helped us and countless other veterans families because of the backlog of claims.
As I said, I have not read the outline of this plan President Obama has or know the thoughts behind it. I am waiting to read it before I pass any judgment on it. If it addresses what we went through then it may help in the short term but again the answer is to fix the VA system and have these claims approved asap!
This is from the White House
VETERANS
"Keeping faith with those who serve must always be a core American value and a cornerstone of American patriotism. Because America's commitment to its servicemen and women begins at enlistment, and it must never end."
-- Barack Obama, Speech in Kansas City, MOAugust 21, 2007
As a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Barack Obama fought to end benefit disparities, bring homeless veterans in off the street, strengthen mental health care, add billions of dollars in additional Department of Veterans Affairs funding, and reform a system that often places barriers between veterans and the benefits they have earned. President Obama and Vice President Biden will ensure we honor the sacred trust to care for our nation’s veterans.
A Sacred Trust
Barack Obama and Joe Biden are committed to creating a 21st Century Department of Veterans' Affairs that provides the care and benefits our nation's veterans deserve. They will:
Allow All Veterans Back into the VA: Reverse the 2003 ban on enrolling modest-income veterans, which has denied care to a million veterans.
Strengthen VA Care: Make the VA a leader of national health care reform so that veterans get the best care possible. Improve care for polytrauma vision impairment, prosthetics, spinal cord injury, aging, and women's health.
Combat Homelessness among Our Nation's Veterans: Establish a national "zero tolerance" policy for veterans falling into homelessness by expanding proven programs and launching innovative services to prevent veterans from falling into homelessness.
Fight Employment Discrimination: Crack down on employers who commit job discrimination against guardsmen and reservists.
Help for Returning Service Members
Obama and Biden will improve the quality of health care for veterans, rebuild the VA's broken benefits system, and combat homelessness among veterans. They will:
Ensure a Seamless Transition: Demand that the military and the VA coordinate to provide a seamless transition from active duty to civilian life.
Fully Fund VA Medical Care: Fully fund the VA so it has all the resources it needs to serve the veterans who need it, when they need it. Establish a world-class VA Planning Division to avoid future budget shortfalls.
Fix the Benefits Bureaucracy: Hire additional claims workers, and improve training and accountability so that VA benefit decisions are rated fairly and consistently. Transform the paper benefit claims process to an electronic one to reduce errors and improve timeliness.
Improved Treatment for Mental Health and TBI
Obama and Biden will improve mental health treatment for troops and veterans suffering from combat-related psychological injuries. They will:
Improve Mental Health Treatment: Recruit more health professionals, improve screening, offer more support to families and make PTSD benefits claims fairer.
Improve Care for Traumatic Brain Injury: Establish standards of care for Traumatic Brain Injury, the signature injury of the Iraq war.
Expand Vet Centers: Expand and strengthen Vet Centers to provide more counseling for vets and their families.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/veterans/
We know the increases he is making for the VA budget so I think he deserves to be heard on his thoughts behind the direction of having private insurance pay.
But even if he tries to do this, there is no way it will be done according to Congressman Filner.....
Billing Our Heroes: It’s DOA!
Statement from Bob Filner, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2009
“The Obama Administration’s proposal to charge ‘third-party’ insurance companies for service-connected medical treatment will not be taken up by the Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Our budget cannot be balanced on the backs (or legs, or kidneys, or hearts) of our nation’s combat-wounded heroes. We believe we can achieve the Administration’s budget request (the first in history to actually exceed the recommendation of the veterans’ Independent Budget) in other ways.”
http://veterans.house.gov/news/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=364
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