On Fri, 23 Mar 2018 19:01:19 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote:
On 3/23/2018 1:44 PM, John H. wrote:
On Fri, 23 Mar 2018 13:03:08 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote:
On 3/23/2018 12:34 PM, John H. wrote:
On Fri, 23 Mar 2018 15:48:39 -0000 (UTC), Bill wrote:
John H. wrote:
On Fri, 23 Mar 2018 07:43:51 -0400, "Mr. Luddite" wrote:
Finally got vets.gov to recognize who I am. It was a little
frustrating because several times my attempt to register was kicked out
for some reason by a related registration requirement called "ID.me".
It asked all kinds of questions like what car loan I took out in the
last year along with a list of different vehicles. One answer was "none
of the above" which I checked. Another was what year one of my bank
credit cards was issued. Who the hell knows? It's not on the card like
some that say "member since XXXX". Anyway, I was finally able to answer
all the verification questions to their satisfaction and an ID.me
account was verified
Those sound like the questions asked by some credit outfits to get your
credit report. Takes a half
hour of research to answer the damn questions. I've had to go back and
look at tax returns from 29
years ago to get answers sometimes.
So, being formally registered, I went back to the Vet.gov site to apply
for the new veteran ID card. Turns out I don't need one. It states
that if you already have a VA health card (which I do) and/or a state
driver's license that has "Veteran" on it (which I also have) ... you
don't need to get the new card as either of the latter will qualify you
for any military discounts offered.
One thing is for sure. Dealing with the government hasn't changed in
the last 40-50 years. :-)
Just try getting into the DOD website. I've quit. They want a new umpteen
letter with a dozen rules
for a password, which you must change frequently. Finally I just said
hell with it. It's cool that
your state puts 'Veteran' on your license. Virginia doesn't.
Maybe it is the new ID requirement licenses. California DL does not meet
the requirements.
Whoops, my bad. Virginia has a separate ID card for Veterans.
https://themilitarywallet.com/virgin...erans-id-card/
Funny thing for me is that although I was nine years active duty and two
more in the reserves, I never knew I was eligible for benefits other
than education (which I used) and a VA mortgage guaranty (which I also
used when I purchased my first house).
It wasn't until a little over a year ago that I found out (due to the
prodding of several vet friends) that I should apply for VA health
care. I always thought you had to be a retired "lifer" or have a
service related disability to qualify. Much to my surprise all vets
can receive health care at the VA, the degree of services dependent on
a number of qualifiers.
I've been going to the VA for regular checkups and blood tests for over
a year now and am very pleased with their services. They offer many
tests recommended for people in my age group and to establish a baseline
in my records since I really had nothing before. All the visits and
tests are free. For example, one of my blood tests indicated a white
blood cell count that was slightly higher than normal. They performed a
specialized (and expensive) test for a potential genetic mutation that
could indicate early stages of leukemia. I tested negative and blood
work since indicates the white blood cell count has gone back to normal.
The only thing I pay is an $5 to $8 co-payment for any medications.
I had been out of the Army a long time when I went to Walter Reed about my hearing. The doctor there
told me I couldn't get hearing aids from the hospital because I was no longer on active duty. He was
the one who told me to go to the VA with my ID and Purple Heart orders to get a VA ID card which had
'Combat Related' printed on the front. With that, according to him, I'd be eligible for anything
they have. And it was true, but I had no ideal I was eligible for any of that. I am on Medicare and
have Tricare as a secondary, so like you I pay only for medication co-payments. The closest VA
hospital is downtown, and a bitch to get to. If it's a beautiful day I may take the motorcycle and
go. Won't ever take the truck 'cause parking's a bitch.
I have Medicare like everyone 65 or over but have never used it for
anything. I have nothing but good things to say about the care and
services I've experienced at the VA. I go to a small VA clinic that's
less than 10 miles from where I live. The services there are limited
and focus mainly on the blood lab work that they do for every
appointment. If more extensive tests are indicated I'd have to travel
to the main VA hospitals, one about 25 miles away or to one of two in
Boston. Nice thing is that if I have to go to Boston (which I did once
for an ultrasound exam) I just go to the hospital 25 miles from me,
park, and they have a shuttle service to the locations in Boston.
I recently injured my rotator cuff in my right arm somehow. I did this
once before many years ago and I know from experience that it just takes
a long, long time for it to heal. But, I had an appointment at the
Clinic on Tuesday and she offered all kinds of help for it if I wanted
it. Told her we'll see how it is by the next appointment in six months.
BTW .. in the event of an emergency I'd probably end up in the closest
civilian hospital. If that happens all you have to do is let the VA
know about it within 72 hours and the VA covers the hospital costs.
It's really quite a nice benefit for the relatively short amount of time
I served.
I've got my Internal Medicine doctor about two miles down the road that I've been seeing for the
past 20 years or so. He takes Medicare and Tricare, which covers everything. If something is beyond
his expertise he recommends someone for me to see - neurosurgeon, cardiologist, proctologist (they
are now 'gastroenterologists'), opthamologist, etc. So far I've been very pleased with his
recommendations, and they've all been with 10-15 miles. It's nice having a doctor who knows me well.
Wasn't used to that in the military, unless I was in the same hospital for a while.