We think it's for the CT scan that Sgt. K was scheduled to have this month. So we've had a jug of barium sitting in our office for the past seven months. Even though the CT scan is over, the jug is still sitting there because, as Sgt. K. so eloquently stated, "I'm not drinking that shit!"
When he was at the actual scan, there was an older man waiting for the same test. The man yelled, "What's the point of this? By the time I get the scan, I'll be dead!" Sgt. K. said it looked like the man had been waiting there since 1975.
I understand his frustration. Ranting about the VA has become one of my favorite topics. To make an appointment, Sgt. K. has to put in a request. Then he has to wait for the VA to mail him a piece of paper with his appointment time on it. If he can't make that appointment, he has to start the process all over again. It's not like a a regular doctor's office where he could say, "I have a job interview that day, could we reschedule? Do you have anything open on a Tuesday?"
When he was putting in his claim, he had to go to two sets of doctors: one to treat him, and one to evaluate his claim. Two doctors to look at his leg, two psychologists, two brain doctors, two sets of the same tests. He had two CT scans in a month. In the weeks after he returned home, he spent nearly 20 hours a week at the VA.
When it's time to re-evaluate his claim, the doctors who have been seeing him on a regular basis can't do it. He has to see a second set of doctors all over again. Because they don't know him, he will likely need to tell the story of how he was hurt over and over again, which always puts him in a great mood.
Hey, I have a crazy idea. Why doesn't the VA have returning soldiers see one set of doctors? It could save money and time, and cause less emotional stress for veterans. I guess that's just too obvious.
OK, rant over. I can't promise that I won't have another one.
Oh I HATE Barium so nasty!!! Yes the VA system is a nightmare. Someone told me that it was the most well run hospital system in the nation. I beg to differ. Unless you are in it, don't tell me how well it runs. The right hand never talks to the left hand.
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