We all assumed that Veterans Affairs under Trump would improve, and in some respects, it has. They are handling more claims, and in September, they made some noise about approving third-party care for 12 months (for thirty types of care) instead of 6 or 3, but something changed.
My contacts tell me that the VA has reemerged with a laborious, incredibly slow approval process and will only cover a minimal number of visits to a third-party vendor for (in this instance) pain management. This means the VA would rather put you on an opioid than pay for drug-free treatment.
Pain Management
Most vets have to deal with chronic pain management. The default VA prescription is Oxycodone or some addictive opioid. If you want or need a different plan for pain management, you used to be able to get any number of treatments from massage therapy to acupuncture to acupressure to chiropractic care. Whatever kept you from becoming an addict or overdosing seems to have changed.
You are limited to three visits, period. After that, you need to file for special consideration and approval, and that could mean only one or a few more in a calendar year, where you need several a month or even weekly.
The pain will drive you crazy, and at some point, you’ll end up with a VA-prescribed opioid if you don’t kill yourself first, or something more engaging off the street. Vets end up wrecking their lives, families, or ending up dead. The best way to prevent that is holistic care, but the VA’s Community Care program appears to have put a hard stop on holistic care that veterans use to manage chronic pain without drugs.
That’s the message from the VA in Manchester, so I assume this is nationwide. Please let me know if you have had a different experience here or anywhere else.
Changes
I have seen reports from the VA suggesting it would like to move all those options in-house. Where, when, and how long will that take, if true? And words and ideas are great, but Vets are killing themselves daily to escape the pain or addiction the VA seems keen on inflicting.
Veterans have filed separate appeals for every type of holistic care.
They are placing the burden on the Veteran, making it far more challenging to get access to drug-free pain management. To use holistic care that works better, free from side effects, than toxic opioids or any other medication. The appeals cue will back up, forcing veterans to live in pain while they wait for an answer that may not be a yes.
And we wonder why vets are killing themselves.
All of this contradicts the announcement that they would make approvals valid for more extended periods. What good is a 12-month approval if it covers only three visits?
One thing we can say. If the added request for approval process is accurate, that number of claims-handled figure is going to get huge, helping the added number of bureaucrats process them and feed their families while vets suffer.
We need to do better.
