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VA Hospital Issues - Complaints, Issues, and Concerns about the Veterans Administration Hospitals.
How to get the VA to pay for private hospital emergency room
I called my local VA hospital (40 minutes away) and was told to rush to the nearest hospital (5 minutes away) because I was having a stroke.
The hospital emergency room confirmed I was having a stroke and treated me... and told me to follow up with my primary care doctor at my VA hospital.
I am being admitted into the VA hospital for 6 days minimum to perform tests and procedures.
My local hospital now wants almost $4,000 and the VA does not want to pay. I have been told that emergency room treatment when a VA hospital is not close enough (or cannot handle the emergency) is paid for by the VA.
I have no more possessions than my clothes, some tools, and this old computer. I am 100% disabled according to Social Security and my Social Security Disability Check is my only income. My disability is not service connected.
I cannot afford a $4,000 hospital bill... I cannot afford even a tenth that much.
I would love ANY ideas and experiences that might have even the slightest chance of helping me with this problem.
Thanks
Jimithy
Emergency room
I can’t remember if I seen this after reading somewhere or was told by a person. I think that if after you were treated by your local hospital and then were transferred to the VA hospital that things might be different but I don’t know because I’m just learning what coverage I can get through the VA hospital in Detroit. Before I started going to the VA, I did have what they call a TIA which I ended having two in about a two year span and the last one did some damage to my left side and my then private doctor just called them a TIA but my VA doctor after getting my records said “ Stroke “. I would say that one thing you could do is go to the VA hospital and find out who is the patent advocate in the area your doctor is and ask that person if he/she could help you out or would know who could help. Just ask for the patent advocate.
Good luck.
Larry
The VA is paying for my Non-VAMC required ER visit
Thank you for your reply. It does look like the VA is finally accepting the fact that they have to pay for this necessary ER visit to a private hospital. This VA webpage ( http://www.nonvacare.va.gov/emergencycare.asp ) explains it fairly well.
I was dealing with the billing department in a large VA hospital, the private regional hospital's billing department, and the billing department of a ER physician's group headquartered half a continent away. None of them would admit that the VA had to pay.
It turns out that I needed to be dealing with the "Control Fee Unit" (CFU) in a VAMC in a different state altogether.
Once I found that unit then everything became simple. I was told to send the bills and a short statement to them about the reason for the ER visit... then they would handle everything. They said there was no question about the VA paying in this situation. Just like with a heart attack... you cannot delay getting treatment for a stroke.
Thanks again!
Emergency room
Great link you posted, I plan to print the information listed there just in case.
Good luck!
Larry
Emergecy room Bills
I am so upset. We here in the Greater New Orleans area have not had an emergency room or urgent care clinic since Katrina hit. They tell us to go to any ER for care after hours or weekends. But even if you are 100% SC Disabled they will not cover you if you have private Insurance. I pay for coverage for my children and husband. But of course there is a deductible to pay and on 2, 3 & 4 thousand dollar bills at 15% deducctible on each bill (after you reach the cap) each bill is over $300!! I do not think that is fair.
It makes me see RED!
'Putting Veterans First' my Aunt Fanny!!
THE VA FORM TO SUBMIT
The VA will pay for just about anything if you know how to get it.
I'm 100% DAV USMC 66-69
The VA has a form specific to this service. I can't recall the name but I will sure look it up. It's in my personal records!!! Somewhere...
It is a for for "unauthorized medical services". It is a standard VA form that the patient advocate doesn't like to give out. She or he may even deny it exists. It does.
Lets get this straight. The VA typically has a "sister" hospital it uses for services the VA doesn't or can't handle. Find out which hospital they use. Usually it is a University Hospital that sends the new doctors to the VA for residency training. Hmmm...
I joined this forum just to tell you this. I have lots of data on the VA that I have used to get what I want and I can prove that I got it. The VA doesn't want you to know what I know.
But, I figured it all out just by reading the rules, directives, chapters etc. All online! It took 6 months!
The VA gave me over $30K for voc rehab. LOL!! They tell you that all they can give is a damn computer and a book! BS! They gave me a complete video system which included 3 Canon XL-1S Cameras at $5K ea. 3 tripods at $2K ea. Computers and more! I have the complete list. There is a trick. It is all in chapter 37 (I think), I forget.
The local director of the VA can only sign for about $25 to $30K without sending the request to Regional for their approval.
If you want to copy and past my post in different areas of this site, do it.
Don't back down from the VA. Don't believe what your voc rehab officer tells you. He is a liar (probably). Most of them are!
