A Perspective on Veteran Health Care

Military service takes a toll on your body, after all, Soldiering is a full contact profession! Thankfully, service members have readily accessible health care. It may not be the best in the world, but US military health care gets the job done. This usually means patching up Soldiers to get them back in the fight.

Leaving this sometimes frustrating but ever present health care apparatus behind when a service member separates from the military is a scary proposition. Making it more concerning are the sometimes troubling stories in the media about failures in veteran health care.

In the summer of 2019, as I was transitioning out of a 24 year military career, health care (along with about 99 other things) was certainly a concern. At nearly every major military installation there are dozens of lawyers and organizations to help transitioning service members and veterans navigate the VA process.

I couldn’t help but thinking, “veterans actually need a lawyer to help them get health care”? I talked to some of the veteran support organizations about helping with my VA disability claim, but at the end of the day I decided to go it alone.

I know I may be in the minority, but I did not have any major issues with filing my VA disability claim. The installation where I out processed had my active duty medical records well organized and the retirement physical I received from my provider was superb.

When it came time to file with the VA, I simply cut and paste medical issues from my active duty medical records. Once the VA received my claim, they scheduled follow up appoints to verify each condition. The only drawback was for some of the appointments I had to drive over 100 miles from my home.  I could have claimed the mileage but chose not to.

On 02 October 2019 the day I officially became a civilian again and a veteran, the VA sent me a notification letter. As mentioned in last week’s blog, I felt the VA’s process and determination treated me fairly. Everything was very straight forward.

I thought that would be the end of my dealings with the VA but I want to share another positive experience that occurred earlier this year.  I’ve experienced neck pain since 2003. Who knows what caused it, most likely just wearing body armor and a helmet for extended periods over the years.  

At times the pain was pretty bad. At one point earlier in my career, I went to see a chiropractor on my own dime in order to mitigate the pain but keep the condition out of my medical records. As I neared the end of my career I finally went to the military health care system to have it checked out.

After a quick examination and a few X-rays they determined I had arthritis in my neck.  Very common condition for a 40+ year old career Soldier! They annotated the condition in my records, prescribed some medication and sent me on my way.

When it came time to file my VA claim, I simply cut and paste this condition along with several others from my records into my claim. VA verified the condition during my appointment and assessed a disability rating for the condition with my neck. I thought it was the end of the story.  

But in February of this year the pain and stiffness in my neck worsened.  Seeking a fresh perspective, I decided to set up an appointment at the local VA clinic.

The VA clinic in my town is a very modern and clean facility, not at all what you see in some of the dramatizations from Hollywood. After my initial labs and screening appointments I was able to meet with my VA primary care provider.  He spent nearly an hour with me!

Based on his examination he ordered an MRI of my neck, the first I had ever had in my life. The MRI revealed the issue was a little more than common arthritis. There were some issues with the discs in the top part of my spine. On a positive note, the condition does not warrant surgery. Unfortunately, the only way to treat the condition is to just mitigate the pain.

The VA assigned me to physical therapy and the staff was excellent. They were young and motivated, they did a great job. VA also referred me to a chiropractor in the community on the VA’s dime.  This care helped tamp down the pain and provided me some skills to help deal with the chronic condition.

Simultaneously, I filed another disability claim with the VA to relook the rating for my neck. Within just a few weeks the VA assessed the additional data in my records and updated the disability percentage for the condition.

Since this episode, I have transitioned my primary care to the VA. There are no co-pays when seeing VA referred providers or for meds / CPAP supplies when using the VA pharmacy system. So far so good. Only time will tell if VA health care continues to be the right fit for me.

I fully realize every veteran’s experience with the VA differs. I know there have been some epic failures. My story is but one of thousands. Hopefully, this one good news story about veteran health care might help alleviate some of a transitioning Soldier’s apprehension as they navigate the already challenging journey back to civilian life.

The views, opinions and biases expressed in this blog are the authors and do not reflect those of the U.S. Army or Department of Defense.

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