Hi everyone. Thank you all for serving. My family and friends really appreciate how much you've all done for our great nation. Anyway, it always bugs me when I hear people in government trying to limit veteran's health benefits. After all they've given to us, we really owe them that, and more. I found a petition which is fighting to increase the health benefits given to vets.
http://petitionearth.com/viewpetition.php?id=67
(what do you all think-if you like it, sign it haha)

Today I had a heart to heart talk with my son and I encouraged him NOT to join our military forces. The reason is that in my experience the administartion is NOT keeping America's promise to those who have defended our country. My grandfather fought in WWI, My father in WWII, myself in the Persian Gulf, but my family can no longer support the fight for a country that has so wrongly treated this veteran, and denied my family the kind of future my forefathers and myself so wholeheartedly defended.



The VA health care system has more than misdiagnosed me, they have totally ruined my family's and my life!!! The VA has killed the Martin Family dream!!



In April of 2007 I drove to the VA emergency room with heart attack symptoms. The doctors and nurses in the ER acted annoyed that I was there and I sat for a while in a wheel chair with chest pains watching them conduct administrative functions of some kind. They finally got to me, asked me a lot of questions, did some blood work, I think they gave me some nitro glycerin, and when the symptoms subsided suggested it was pleurisy without doing any other prudent testing such as stress testing or echo-cardiograms or anything. I was discharged a short time later with a instructions to take 800mg of motrin every 6 hours, which may have even worsened my condition and accelerated the deterioration of my cardiac function.



A month later I had to call an ambulance from work and was subsequently sent from one hospital to another for emergency cardiac catheterization on all three of my coronary arteries. It took two separate procedures to finish the surgeries and frequent emergency transport. There were also vital procedures and tests conducted during and after stents were placed which were vital.



Now The VA has unjustly denied my claims for payment of these services under the Millenium Healthcare bill/act. I called the VA and did exactly what I was directed to do and gather all the discharge summaries prior to submitting my claim. Then was told afterwards that I was too late, and that I only had a 90 day period had expired in which I had to make the claim. I was NOT told there was a second window in which I could apply which was applicable, and now they are sitting on my appeal.



At this time me and my family are financially devastated. I am being sued, have to file for bankruptcy, can never buy a house-car-or education for my children .... ever, my credit worthiness is in a state of complete ruins and cannot be redeemed in any way, we cannot afford rent, heat or food, and I lost my employment because my health concerns were not discovered in a timely fashion while I could still perform my duties at work.



My family will NEVER realize it's dreams or goals now because the VA Health care System failed in their mission to provide adequate treatment and care. Also they VA health care system has failed to fix their first mistake and at least pay the bills from other health care providers. We need help very badly and in our opinion are being victimized by the very agency that is supposed to reward me for my service to the United States of America.



I can't begin to describe the level of betrayal my family feels at the hands of the United States government agencies, and this wartime veteran cannot help but cry.









Matthew John Martin

LT USNR

Sir: I certainly agree with you. I also have not only discouraged my own sons from inlisting but others also. I VA let me down too. I have had more medical mistakes at VA hospitals than I care to remember. I did not want out of the military and rebutted my discharge until I exhausted all appeals. In negotiating my discharge, I was promised that ALL my medical needs, including dental, would be taken care of . Slowly, every year since 1988 they have taken away one benefit after another. At the VA, I have been givin the wrong medications, misdiagnoised, and one of the biggest problems was simply being unable to communicate the foregn doctors. You ever notice that anyone who has private insurance and works for the VA, and has VA benes, will go to a private hospital instead of the VA. I also worked for the VA, twice. I saw nurses steal patients drugs and when I reported it, I was moved to another floor and NOTHING was done to the nurse, evern though she tested positive for the drug I saw her steal. I saw people who worked in supplies, not sterilizing surgical intruments properly. I could go on and on. Please don't put yourself in a position where you have to use the VA. THEY will hurt you if your not vigilant.The Lake City Florida VA and Gainsville Florida VA are filthy, unsafe in the parking lots. Again. I could go on and on. GW Niebruegge-USN-RET

quote:

Originally posted by GUYSERFLA:
Sir: I certainly agree with you. I also have not only discouraged my own sons from inlisting but others also. I VA let me down too. I have had more medical mistakes at VA hospitals than I care to remember. I did not want out of the military and re****ed my discharge until I exhausted all appeals. In negotiating my discharge, I was promised that ALL my medical needs, including dental, would be taken care of . Slowly, every year since 1988 they have taken away one benefit after another. At the VA, I have been givin the wrong medications, misdiagnoised, and one of the biggest problems was simply being unable to communicate the foregn doctors. You ever notice that anyone who has private insurance and works for the VA, and has VA benes, will go to a private hospital instead of the VA. I also worked for the VA, twice. I saw nurses steal patients drugs and when I reported it, I was moved to another floor and NOTHING was done to the nurse, evern though she tested positive for the drug I saw her steal. I saw people who worked in supplies, not sterilizing surgical intruments properly. I could go on and on. Please don't put yourself in a position where you have to use the VA. THEY will hurt you if your not vigilant.The Lake City Florida VA and Gainsville Florida VA are filthy, unsafe in the parking lots. Again. I could go on and on. GW Niebruegge-USN-RET

I have at least 3 nephews serving in Iraq. I myself wish I was in shape myself to go. I remember the last time I was in the er at the VA and they wanted to help me more but I got there to late. I did not want to go at all. But ,I survived and they help me as usual. Patrick

I am truly sorry that your experiences with the VHA have been negative ones. I am at a loss as to why, and have to think that there must be other reasonings behind it. I have used the VHA more times than I can remember. My Doctor is compassionate and is devoted to her job and the care she provides veterans. I cannot say but good things about my VAMC. IN reference to your post concerning advocating your sons, others to not enlist in any Service Component is of course yours to make and I respect you for your position. I, on the other hand, have encouraged my two sons to enlist. One served in the Army for 6 years and the other in the Marine Corps, also for 6 years. I see my sons now as men. Very responsible, very oriented, very focused and very successful. Could they have been these things without serving? Perhaps. But when I look around them and compare my sons with their High School and even college friends, I can't help but notice the difference in maturity. My sons have claimed their rightful "Niche" in life and are doing extremely well, and I truly believe that their time in service contributed greatly.
I wish you the best and Godspeed.

Eres Tu !
Freddy

Three weeks ago I went in the Elsmere Va in Delaware. It was my yearly check up. I went right in saw the nurse who took my temp. snd blood pressure. Then I waited for the doctor. .I went in to see her .She told me that I needed to increase my Med.s because my sugar was off. Three hours later while I was at a Move meeting I was told to report to the doctors office now. When I got there she told me that she had made a mistake. She was reading the wrong Chart on the computer screen. My blood was normal. I was confused some because I had my blood work done after I saw the doctor not before. I guess you only get what you pay for. Just think what would of happened if I had left the Hospital sooner.

Unfortunately you are correct that our benefits at VA hospitals have diminished an this has been happening for decades. In the 70s-90s and even now, the democrats have voted down increasing our benefits even for those who were injured in combat or due to military service. In my own case, I have lost more then 50% hearing in both ears due to flying in helos as a SAR Corpsman in the 70s. Each time I go for another hearing test, I am told that eventually I would have a hearing loss. Then we have the US Supreme Court who didn't have the balls to tell Congress that the government would honor the promise to give free medical care for lofe to those who spent 20 years on the service and that is why we have to pay for our care.

Sir: I certainly agree with you. I also have not only discouraged my own sons from inlisting but others also. I VA let me down too. I have had more medical mistakes at VA hospitals than I care to remember. I did not want out of the military and rebutted my discharge until I exhausted all appeals. In negotiating my discharge, I was promised that ALL my medical needs, including dental, would be taken care of . Slowly, every year since 1988 they have taken away one benefit after another. At the VA, I have been givin the wrong medications, misdiagnoised, and one of the biggest problems was simply being unable to communicate the foregn doctors. You ever notice that anyone who has private insurance and works for the VA, and has VA benes, will go to a private hospital instead of the VA. I also worked for the VA, twice. I saw nurses steal patients drugs and when I reported it, I was moved to another floor and NOTHING was done to the nurse, evern though she tested positive for the drug I saw her steal. I saw people who worked in supplies, not sterilizing surgical intruments properly. I could go on and on. Please don't put yourself in a position where you have to use the VA. THEY will hurt you if your not vigilant.The Lake City Florida VA and Gainsville Florida VA are filthy, unsafe in the parking lots. Again. I could go on and on. GW Niebruegge-USN-RET[/QUOTE]

I realize how lucky I have been, receiving care in the V.A health system in Lubbock, Texas, Lexington Ky, & Cincinnati, Ohio when I read or hear horror stories about treatment vets have received elsewhere. I have had only one bad experience & that was at the Ft. Thomas V.A nursing Home, recuperating after complete renal failure in 2004, in all my 28 years of receiving V.A. health care