NEWS: Can I get a doctor? Military medical care fails again

POLITICS: Can I Get a Doctor? Military Medical Care Fails Again

When I joined the military, I took an oath. Every service member takes the oath. It goes something like, "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."



Now, it was my solemn hope that if I was injured, that the same people I had sworn to protect would, in same way, take care of me. I don't think it is a greedy notion: If you are injured following orders, the military would make sure that you are provided medical and financial support as necessary. Apparently, others do not feel the same way.

These things take time, right? especially...

He eventually did go home... just not as long as he had hoped.

And when will his case be complete, you ask?

Now, I can personally say that dealing with the military health system is about as fun as watching moss grow. The few who are dedicated to their jobs are often over-run by those who don't care anymore, in a system that is poorly managed and terribly undermanned. This is simply based off my dealings with the medical treatment given while I was stationed in San Diego. I cannot account for other bases in the world. The consensus seems to be that military health care will get better. But when?

The bottom line is this: Sgt. Shannon is still stuck without the benefits the military has promised him. It is pointless (in my eyes) to argue over any aspect of this war when the care of veterans aren't being handled appropriately. But that's just me, and I am in a bad mood right now.



I guess I'll share my feelings about this to my therapist at the VA hospital when I see him... three weeks from now.



code_red wishes all veterans and dependents the best of luck in dealing with the military health care system, and has the utmost respect for those who make an effort to take care of their fellow service members.

I hear you on the crap medical care that military members are forced to deal with. I think the active duty care is not nearly as good as the VA's care in my own opinion. I might have the VA held to a higher standard as my experiences with them have been as a spinal cord injury and the SCI centers I have been to were top notch. The San Diego VA has one of the best SCI departments on the west cost and the other would be where I did my rehab which was the Palo Alto VA. I really hope the government decides to get their ass in gear and starts taking care of the medical problems that military personal are dealing with and I would think it would start by more funding for the military medical services and the VA system. It seems that medical funding is always getting cut so that money can go to fight a war, which is only going to cause more injuries and burden the system that is under funded.

Everyone says that the military has such great benefits. I guess they are great if the phrase, "you get what you pay for" is true. When some says hey i'll give you this car, you know right away that it's gonna be shit. I have never had a good experience with military medical care.

i don't even use my va benifits. it seems like such a fucking hassle that i just quit giving a fuck and said "i won't get sick or injured... ever again..." positive thinking works just as well as VA health care! HOORAY!

it is sad to say but i am honestly not surprised, as a person in the service i know that the medical care is lackluster at best. it is upsetting to see the caliber of people they allow to "treat" the men and women that defend the country. the military doctors are ones that cant make it as a real doctors because you cannot sue your doctor or the military for malpractice. i just hope that i never get seriously sick or injured because i dont trust these people to change the oil in my car, why would i let them cut me open.

I guess Motrin doesn't cure everything. During my first contract, I always "sucked it up" and so when I was looking to get out, during ACAP, the VA rep, a vietnam veteran, said that if it wasn't on paper, we didn't have it.

In my last few weeks, I went to sick call as often as possible to get my back problems documented. Upon transitioning out, I had been set up for VA appointments and tests that I wasn't sure I really needed.

I remember the VA rep, during ACAP, saying that since the Vietnam vets were in charge, they were going to make sure that no future generation gets mistreated by the VA like theirs did.

I'll say my experience with the VA was very favorable (though every time I had to make a follow-on appointment, I had to tell them I was in pain NOW!), but my experiences were pre-Iraq.

The VA has military medicine beat right now.

I have to say I have had no problem with either the VA nor military medical care. I did have troops that had huge problems and were given medication that conflicted etc and I a lowly cop had to go and square a dr away. That sort of pissed me off. But what do you call a dr who graduates last in is class....Doctor.

Maybe the military should inform people of the shitty care they will get if/when they lose a leg or half their body or something. That's rediculous.

xoxo

Now that we have this in the open, here is something to ponder:

Would a 'free health care system' for all American citizens be much better?

All of this makes it pretty clear to me that - lipservice not withstanding - the attitude of the Bush administration is that soldiers are expendable widgets who have an annoying habit of living through their wounds and whining about the trauma of war.

Sort of makes me wonder why the folks in the military don't see that.

It took them more than a year to evaluate me after I ETSed and then they had to redo all of the exams with civiillian doctors, and they came up with something different... still I guess it worked out in the end. But it's a hell of an experience I don't wish on anybody else.

Better than what we have now? Yes. Yes it would. Trust me on this one.

You forgot to mention that besides Motrin, a 2 quart is also a cure all for everything!

I've worked at the VA for three years now as a Physician. Frankly, the care that the VA patient's receive is actually better than a lot of other private "highly-ranked" civilian hospitals.
The Veterans, when they actually get approved for VA benefits, get some of the best medicines and best procedures for little or no cost. The best and brightest Residents work at the VA's. And to be honest, Residents care more about proper medical care patients than a doctor years out in the private world. At least Residents are taught academically and to treat based on a huge fund of knowledge. As a doctor, I want to provide the best care I can within the confines of the VA system. I speak for all doctors at the VA, when I say that if you have a problem with the VA, it's the System's flaws. As MD's our hands are tied. We can't change the administration. We can't help it if the VA denies you something or if they can't schedule you for an appointment early enough. The VA was created by and is run by the Government. If anything needs to change, it takes years to iron out and implement a universal change. I can't say that one form of hospital is better than another, but I would recommend applying for your VA service connection early if you truly qualify for it. And I wouldn't make such sweeping comments about MD's. Especially when you may find a time when you may need one in the ER. As for amputees and spinal cord patients, Veterans at the VA's get some of the best rehab care and physical therapy after an SCI or amputation. If a civilian were to get the same equipment and care at an outside facility, they would definitely be denied unless they paid a huge co-pay.

The last line of my article was a facetious remark. I was providing information about the problems with active duty medical care as it related to the article and my own personal experiences. As I stated earlier, I have the utmost respect for those who take care of service members.

Thank you.

I too haven't bothered with the whole rigamarole of using the VA docs. Its just easier to use my health insurance from work. I had mostly shitty experiences when I was in, so I figured much wouldn't change once I was out. I'm glad to hear that isn't necessarily the case. Besides, I think my disability check every month is plenty.

There is also that old joke:
Q: What do you call a doctor who didn't finish med school?
A: Sir.

(And before anyone gets all bitchy about it, I know not all military doctors are crap. I just seemed to get the short end most of the time.)

Obligatory drunk post:
well, thats the one thing that we still lack... decent care for those who would put their lives on the line for us. It's a damn shame that so many are willing to sacrifice so much for our rights, and as a nation we can do so little for them.

It's Veteran's Day and hopefully people like him are getting what was promised them by the military. It doesn't seem fair at all and I think I would probably take out a loan and ask that the military make good on my loan payment. Chances are it probably doesn't work that way. I was never in the military but I keep seeing these guys... One guy I saw was missing half the side of his head and was walking down the street in one of the suburbs outside of LA just a few months ago. My instinct was to immediately pretend that it wasn't there. It's very hard to accept especially since I wasn't there... I didn't fight in the war and seeing that just really kills it. There was a story on msn of this kid from the south who went to war and was engaged to his high school sweetheart. He was severely burned when a bomb exploded leaving his face disfigured. The doctors gave him lips out of skin grafts. It's basically very hard for his friends and family to look at him now and see the same person, and if you see pictures of the guy before the accident compared to what he looked like after... it's terrible. I'm personally grateful to all the soldiers who were grievously injured or gave their lives to defend our country and I sincerely hope that veterans are able to receive the medical care that they deserve.