Retiree/VA Medical Coverage

[Bullet]

Bullet, do you want to help her here or should I present my 'correct world view'? Depending on the type and amount, a retiree can actually get three different checks each month. A gift of the Clinton administration.

Nay, she was doing just fine trying to explain the way service related disability pay works in relation to retirement. She CORRECTLY states that if you are evaluated "with a service related disability" by the VA, they determine an appropriate level of compensation. In my case, this was 10% of my retirement pay for hearing loss and tinnitus due to years of flying in jet aircraft. She then CORRECTLY points out that this 10% is not taxed.

Your post may give some out there not familiar the false impression that there is extra money involved. Yes, you get more checks (in my case,90% of my retirement pay from the DoD, and the other 10% of my retirement pay (tax free) from the VA, but I do not make MORE (outside of the tax benefit), I just have the same total amount deposited each month, but split between two different payees.

Please be more careful with your critiques, we wouldn't want the parents on here to get the wrong impression and be scared away.

Federal law requires service by priority. ...I am Priority One. I am entitled to all appointments within 30 days, whether related to my service connected disability or not. Within 60 days of telling my primary care physician that I would like to be tested for hearing aids, I had them in hand. My Priority Eight 80 year old needs based neighbor has been waiting over two years for his initial appointment. He is bottom priority. When I need lab work, X-rays, EKGs, etc., after I check into the clinic, no matter how full the waiting room, I am ALWAYS the first to be called.

Ahhhh, the plot thickens! You obviously had service related injuries severe enough that you are given "Priority One" classification. I truly hope these injuries weren't combat related, and if so, you have my deepest respect and gratitude for your service. In that case, you DESERVE to be Priority One, and I would never dream of begrudging you this little token of appreciation for service render to our country.

But, fortunately, I never was injured enough in my duties to receive "Priority One" status. I'm just the little ol guy with a much lower priority who has to wait my turn, gets jumped over in order seen by higher priority patients, and has to wait weeks for openings for appointments in the VA system. It's the least I could do.

You got your "Cadillac" plan from the VA (and you rightfully deserve it). I had to go to a civilian market to get mine. Can you see that my being lower in priority would lead to my dissatisfaction with the level of service I was receiving, which led me to be happy I had the opportunity for a better plan elsewhere?

I only hope that none of the young men and women here reviewing our opinions ever has to be categorized as "Priority One" for VA treatment. I can only hope they join me and the rest of the majority of military retirees in the lower echelons, wait your turn (and wait some more) of priority...


Now, as to your worry that our points are scaring possible candidates and parents away. Again, my apologies if this is the case. And as I said before, TriCare can be a great system. But like any insurance system, it has flaws. You pass scenarios where parents can find comfort that their young ones can have a guarantee of medical care when times are tough. I agree, this is the case. But I think parents should find MORE comfort knowing that when their child graduates from a Service Academy, the quality of th eeducation they received and the opportunities it will present them for success in life, both within the military and beyond, are even better guarantees that their children won't have to worry about facing long stretches of unemployment or financial hardship. Medical care guaranteed for life? Certainly. Being prepared to SUCCEED in life to levels where they can meet their particular needs and desires through means of their own choosing and don't have to rely on TriCare or the VA if they can find something better for themselves? I think this is more important, and something that should give parents more comfort than "Oh well, at least he/she has the VA."

I personally find it unseemly that you use references to scare people about "what will your children do when they retire and hit hard times?" Yes, the guarantee for medical coverage for life is a great benefit, but I think the preparations a Service Academy experience gives you towards SUCCESS in life if the greater reward. And I find your lack of faith in the quality of the education at the Service Academies have towards preparing these young men and women for success, and the opportunities that Academy experience will allow for them to succeed after their military careers..., well, I find it "disparaging"....

 

[Mongo]

Totally untrue?

Where should i begin? A simple search of the terms "military vet denied health care" brings about 819,000 results.

Some vets being denied health care

Iraq vet commits suicide after being denied treatment

US veterans ‘denied benefits’

War Veterans Being Denied Health Care

Injured National Guard troops say they were denied medical care

Iraq War Veteran Waits Two Years for PTSD Benefits

and so on and so on and so on........



So you would rather bury your head in the sand and deny that these cases exist.

Luigi, your profile states that you are a USCGA AAP. I assume that this has something to do with informing students about the CGA. When a parent looks you in the eye and asks, "Mr Luigi, the military can be a dangerous business. What would happen should my daughter become permenently disabled while on active duty?" Would you point her to the 819,000 Google hits, spend the next hour boring her with your impressions of the VA system, or simply state "The military takes care of its own".

 

[Mongo]

I tend to agree with Pima about the unimportance of VA benefits when we are discussing compensation for retirees. I was more concerned about the medical care portion. But here goes:

Your post may give some out there not familiar the false impression that there is extra money involved. Yes, you get more checks (in my case,90% of my retirement pay from the DoD, and the other 10% of my retirement pay (tax free) from the VA, but I do not make MORE (outside of the tax benefit), I just have the same total amount deposited each month, but split between two different payees.

Please be more careful with your critiques, we wouldn't want the parents on here to get the wrong impression and be scared away.

Please be more careful with your critiques, we wouldn't want the parents on here to get the wrong impression and be scared away. I gave you a hint and you missed it. The Clinton Administration recognized the inequalities of retirees basically paying for their own VA compensation with their retirement check and orchestrated a fix. CRDP and CRSC. Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay is a program to reinstate the retirement check to its full amount. It was phased in over several years and is at almost full reimbursement this year. Since it is taxable, it simply increases your military retirement back to its full amount and you will continue to get the VA compensation. The down side is that one has to be at or above the 50% rate in order to take advantage of this. The second part of the plan is CRSC, Combat Related Special Compensation, which applies to all levels of compensation, 10% and up. It too reinstates ones military retirement to its full amount but since it is tax exempt, a separate check is required. Therefore the CRSC eligible veteran will receive the VA compensation payment, his retirement payment reduced by the amount of the VA compensation, and a third check equal to the VA compensation which is also the amount of retirement reduction. Three checks. An increase in monetary benefits equal to VA compensation. No tax break on retirement for CRDP but a decrease in taxable income for CRSC.

In my case, since everything else was combat related, they also found my 0% hearing loss/10% tinnitus combat related. Seems that they thought 12 months of being around .50 cal machine guns in Viet Nam was more detrimental than 20 years of sitting next to a jet engine. And since ‘training for combat’ is a criteria for CRSC, perhaps the AF CRSC board will be sympathetic to your case. (each branch of the military determines combat eligibility for its own members). At age 62, it might help lower your taxable income below the threshold of making your SS taxable. Bottom line, my critique was correct. There can be extra $$$$ involved. Surprised they didn’t tell you this in the retirement briefings which Pima was complaining about.

You got your "Cadillac" plan from the VA (and you rightfully deserve it). I had to go to a civilian market to get mine. Can you see that my being lower in priority would lead to my dissatisfaction with the level of service I was receiving, which led me to be happy I had the opportunity for a better plan elsewhere?

I wouldn’t call any government plan a “Cadillac” plan. That would be a waste of tax dollars, would it not? Perhaps a classic Chevy running smoothly on all eight cylinders is a better analogy.
When you eventually go to the VA for your hearing aids, you will receive the appropriate priority (and probably push my Pri 8 neighbor back yet another year) as you should. You should have no dissatisfaction.

With your military benefits and employment, the purpose of the VA is not to administer to your runny nose. Sounds as if they are doing their job and causing you enough dissatisfaction to go elsewhere, leaving the VA for those who really need it. Remember, to quote JS3486, what we are discussing here is the government fixing what they break. They will do a fine job taking care of your hearing.

I personally find it unseemly that you use references to scare people about "what will your children do when they retire and hit hard times?"

I don’t think I ever said or implied that SA grads will retire and hit hard times. The furtherest from my mind. I think I might have mentioned that, due to the present economic situation, that medical benefits are presently a concern of a lot of parents and that this concern projects to their concerns for their children. However, I did ask an O-4 the other day that when he got out next year with an at-home wife and two kids and buys the two RV-8s and starts his own Executive Simulated Combat Flying Business, who is going to pay his $12 grand per year medical insurance? Mentioned only to point out that SA grads who retire are not constrained in their choice of second careers by the benefits packages so important to others allowing a wider, and perhaps more interesting, choice of second and third careers.

I think you and Pima are so familiar with the military world and its benefits that you are unwilling to recognize that there is a whole other world out there where these issues are huge. No, it is not a black and white world where one either joins or rejects the military based on VA benefits but it is indeed a world where the entire package is weighed carefully. And again, the candidate is asking about the odds of getting jets and the parents are looking at the overall package, which out here in the real world, to them, including the quality of the education and second career opportunities, and does involve medical.

the AD military docs are the best in the world, they are better then your hometown doc! They will do every thing humanly possible to heal your child

This statement totally intrigues and, in turn, baffles me. I have always sought out physicians with a military medical background. There are a lot of them out there. It has always been a criterial of mine especially when choosing specialists. Am I wasting my time? Do they lose their “best in the world” status when they leave active duty. Unlike your 80% hearing loss friend who had no trouble passing his FAA Class I physical, my ex-Navy flight surgeon FAA doc has me sweating bullets just renewing my Class III with a 0% loss.

Tricare for Life commences for me next month. Want to continue the discussion and add another unknown?

 

[Luigi59]

Luigi, your profile states that you are a USCGA AAP. I assume that this has something to do with informing students about the CGA. When a parent looks you in the eye and asks, "Mr Luigi, the military can be a dangerous business. What would happen should my daughter become permenently disabled while on active duty?" Would you point her to the 819,000 Google hits, spend the next hour boring her with your impressions of the VA system, or simply state "The military takes care of its own".

I answer every question honestly and truthfully.


So what do you say when a parent of one of your USNA applicants says "Mr , why did the military's medical providor not take care of these people when they were injured on active duty and why is not the VA taking care of them after they have retired?"

Do you lie and tell then that every single one of them is taken care of, or do you truthfully point out that occasionally mistakes are make and some fall through the cracks?

No system is perfect, but to ignore reality (that some vets denied their full benefits and services due to red tape/bureaucracy) does a disservice to the candidates and their families.

Information is power. Give it to the candidate sand their parents, don't hide the facts or the truth.

 

[Bullet]

I feel this thread has reached the end of its usefulness, as we are now just in a turning fight, low on speed and energy, cross the circle from each other without a position of advantage or turning room (sorry for the BFM analogy). However, this debate HAS been good for one primary purpose: it has raised awareness of issues and medical options for those young persons interested in a military career, and for their parents unfamiliar with the process but looking for information on their child’s future prospects. For the sake of these individuals (who are the primary reason this forum exists), please allow me to summarize some of the main points to take away from this heated discussion (then I recommend we call it a day and move onto to more important topics, like getting ready for BCT, BUDs, or UPT)…

1) When these young men and women enter military service, they will be provided with wonderful health care, free of charge (or very minor charges for dependents in some cases), from a cadre of dedicated, professional, and outstandingly caring group of military health care providers. A health care system that is the envy of those unlucky not to get to experience it. For the vast majority, health care within the military is a MAJOR positive benefit.
2) If, heaven forbid, these young men and women experience a traumatic medical event while on active duty that may require a long term medical commitment, they can have the comfort of knowing the yes, the military DOES take care of its own. Their medical needs will be taken care of for as long as they need it. We, as Americans, owe that much to them.
3) For the young men and women here who may make the commitment to stick around on active duty long enough that they are eligible to retire in 2034 (yes, 2034! I still can’t believe we are debating about something that far into the future!), they also can have the comfort that America will reward them for their service by guaranteeing them medical coverage for life, either through free service from the VA, or through a very good and inexpensive medical insurance system (TriCare) that allows them to be seen through civilian medical providers.
4) At retirement, these young men and women will need to determine what type of medical plan is best for them, at the time they need it. EVERY insurance and provider system has its plusses and minuses. Only THEY can determine what is best for them. Know the issues, know the facts, and make SMART choices based on your needs and desires. Have an opportunity for better service and support than what is provided by TriCare and the VA (and most importantly, you can afford it)? Then by all means look for what best fits your needs. Don’t have that opportunity for a choice, or can’t afford one? Well, we Americans ensure we thank you for your service by giving you the medical coverage you may need. Still a great bunch of professional and dedicated medical providers. Perhaps the ease of getting service or good admin support may not be to your liking. However, it IS there if you need it, and works well when run smoothly. And if you are high enough in priority (such as Mongo’s case), it IS an outstanding an convenient system; I envy him for that (but not for the reasons he IS that high a priority).

I think this succinctly and sufficiently ties up this thread. It is time to put it to bed….

BTW, Mongo. Thank you for a very lively and informative debate. I think everyone here learned something from both our points of view (and I DID learn stuff from your points; I thank you for that), and isn’t that the ultimate purpose of this forum?

 

[Pima]

Hometown docs are not all retired military. Please do not read into my comments for some ulterior motive slamming military docs. I do not have the time to call every doctor in the NOVA area to ask if they are retired military while also asking what insurance plan they take. If I made both of these equal requirements, I would be searching for months before I could make an apptmt. It is possible to find a retired military doc in smaller towns, especially towns that have military installations, but when you live in a Metropolitan area, that is not realistic.

I also agree with Luigi. The media has been all over the stories of the VA failing returning vets. Maybe it is more prominent here because it is the DC area, and Bethesda and Reed or in this vicinity than your area, but to deny that it isn't as bad as the media is making out is also naive.

Are there great VA hospitals? Of course there are, but there are also hospitals that are not so great. To hold the VA up as a shining beacon of the best medical system is creating an illusion that they can never live up to. Every system has flaws, there is no more perfection in health care at a VA then there is the civilian world. It is important that we give the bad and the good.

Like Luigi stated information/knowledge is power. I also see the glass half full, but that decision came because I had the ability to weigh the positive and the negatives, I was not having smoke blown up my arse.

Again, this whole issue of the VA is moot to 99% of these cadets. God willing very few will ever be injured on AD that would put them immediately into the system.

TRICARE is important. Cadets need to understand how the system works. This is a service that they will work with intimately as long as they are in it. Like Sprog mentioned earlier in regards to the VA, many service members don't comprehend the inner workings. The same is true for TRICARE. Why don't they understand it completely? Because the system is so big, that it can be like navigating a maze at times. Just look at a TRICARE statement. It states in BOLD at the top THIS IS NOT A BILL. However, it shows what the doc charged, what is allowable, what TRICARE paid and then you are left scratching your head wondering if the doc is now going to come and collect what wasn't paid. Of course, as you get more accustomed to the system, the answer is if the doc accepts TRICARE than you pay nothing. Many people don't know if they are outside a certain mileage range from your base, than TRICARE will pick it all up regardless if they accept TRICARE rates. Many people don't understand the differences between PRIME and STANDARD. Many people don't understand that they can't find a specialist on their own, that they must be referred out.

These are things we should be discussing, instead of the tit for tat that is currently occurring on this thread.

 

[Mongo]

I answer every question honestly and truthfully.

I am not sure how you answered the question. Your perception of “honestly and truthfully” could be far different than mine and also different than the real truth which neither of us might know.

First off, if an injury results in discharge, there will be a medical review board. The results are passed to the VA and one should flow seamlessly between the two systems. For those not still on active duty, there are multitudes of trained Veterans Service Officers all over the country. Municipalities have them, DAV chapters have them, American Legion and VFW have them, and all the VA clinics themselves have them. There is no excuse for anyone to be misinformed.

If the results are not to one’s likings, the VA claim appeals process is exhaustive. There are several levels of review all the way up to formal reviews represented by legal council. As I mentioned earlier, these take time and could prove disastrous to those with financial constraints. This to me is the only true issue. There is really no reason for one to “fall through the cracks” or get lost in red tape/ bureaucracy. As I mentioned before, it may take forever but persistence does pay off.

And since the claims review turnaround time has been identified as a huge problem, the present administration is making every effort to correct these problems. So unless your candidate falls out of Eagle’s riggings plebe summer, I have every confidence that this issue will be corrected and I would hope that you could truthfully state that the military takes care of its own.

I don’t know the percentages, but I would imagine that most of the 819,000 Google hits involve PTSD. All your linked examples did. A multitude of issues here. People don’t recognize it, refuse to admit they have it, do not fit in the VA’s every changing window of what defines it, etc. etc. Again, I feel that the VA now recognizes this issue and is working actively to solve it. It too will be corrected prior to your candidate’s ever needing it.

So, I would think that you, in good faith, could answer the parent, again with “the military takes care of its own.”

 

[sprog]

I also agree with Luigi. The media has been all over the stories of the VA failing returning vets. Maybe it is more prominent here because it is the DC area, and Bethesda and Reed or in this vicinity than your area, but to deny that it isn't as bad as the media is making out is also naive.

Are there great VA hospitals? Of course there are, but there are also hospitals that are not so great. To hold the VA up as a shining beacon of the best medical system is creating an illusion that they can never live up to. Every system has flaws, there is no more perfection in health care at a VA then there is the civilian world. It is important that we give the bad and the good.


Again, this whole issue of the VA is moot to 99% of these cadets. God willing very few will ever be injured on AD that would put them immediately into the system.

.

Reed and Bethesda are not VA facilities, but I think you are probably aware of that. The problems Reed had a few years ago brought negative attention to the VA, and I think that was unfair.

You are most certainly correct that VA, as a huge system, is not without fault. In fact, I think it will always be a fact of life that some veterans fall through the cracks, and that is unfortunate. In that sense, it's like the private healthcare insurance industry. That is, there are always going to be screw-ups. VA is actually the largest single healthcare delivery system in the US, and as a government department, is second only to DOD in size. Anything that massive is bound to have some issues.

The media only gives VA negative attention, because those are the juicy stories which bring in the ratings. I hate to see a vet not getting care or have a claim for earned benefits denied. This happens sometimes, and hopefully, the problems get fixed eventually. What you don't hear, though, are stories about the billions of dollars that VA does pay to vets, or about the many life-saving procedures performed at VA hospitals daily. I don't, however, think this one-sidedness of media attention is unique to VA. Really, with the exception of the active duty military, it seems that most media attention to the government is negative.

I won't belabor this too much, because I think most of us on here are in agreement with my central point. That point, is that VA does more for American veterans than any other country does for its veterans, and for the most part, it does it well. Unfortunately, like any healthcare system, and like any entitlements/benefits system, there are always going to be problems. VA is a massive government agency, and it isn't always homogenous in delivery of services. This can cause deserving veterans to be screwed, and I am sorry for that. Luckily, there is a large appellate system in place within VA (and in the courts) for veterans to continue to pursue claims.

 

[Pima]

That point, is that VA does more for American veterans than any other country does for its veterans, and for the most part, it does it well.

1000% agreement. I recall living in the UK and was absolutely appalled by the service/benefits that their military members receive.

At SJAFB, we always have Brits stationed there because the 334th was associated with the RAF during WWII. This assignment is considered the best thing since hot sliced bread, because of the perks they receive that otherwise would not exist. They actually are expected to host a Battle of Britain party at the Club, where they even burn a piano! The UK pays for this party. Most of the Brits show up with literally the clothes on their back. They spend the next 2 yrs buying everything in sight to take back with them, including cars! To them they appreciate our military system more than we as American military members do. They are just in awe over the system.

The same is true for the Aussie exchange at Elmendorf.

Our friends did an exchange with the Red Arrows (our Blue Angels/Thunderbirds). She was floored at everything from housing to health care.

I am not sure they have something akin to our VA medical, because remember it is a Nationalize Health Care System, thus, everyone has health care. I only recall how little pay they receive as retirees. Actually, it is also true for AD. They are also amazed at our base facilities, such as the Commissary and the PX/NX/BX, they don't really have facilities like ours.

Finally, It would be interesting to see if we go to a National Health Care System, will we actually no longer offer health care to retirees? It would be reasonable to believe that they would kick the retirees out of military hospitals. As stated, many military hospitals no longer accept new retirees because they are overburdened. Additionally, military docs and hospitals exist not for the retiree, or the dependent, but the AD member. If we have nationalize health care there is no true need for this bennie, since cost would not be an issue. Retirees like going to base hospitals for many reasons, but I think the highest on the list is cost.

I know that Bethesda is not a VA, however, like Andrews, they do take care of VA issues. For example, Bullet's yrly exam for the VA is performed at Andrews. I try to not muddy the waters too much for cadets. This is an aspect that is so large the more info given on how the system works to cadets just now grasping how DODMERB waivers works, really becomes very, very confusing for them. I.E. VA vs. VA hospitals vs TRICARE.

 

[Luigi59]

In fact, I think it will always be a fact of life that some veterans fall through the cracks, and that is unfortunate. In that sense, it's like the private healthcare insurance industry. That is, there are always going to be screw-ups....

That point, is that VA does more for American veterans than any other country does for its veterans, and for the most part, it does it well. Unfortunately, like any healthcare system, and like any entitlements/benefits system, there are always going to be problems. VA is a massive government agency, and it isn't always homogenous in delivery of services. This can cause deserving veterans to be screwed, and I am sorry for that.

Well spoke.

 

[Mongo]

I did my research; I asked questions, I became my own advocate. As a result, I have had no problems. I applied for and received a 100% disability finding. The whole thing took about 4 months start to finish. Considering, I thought that was pretty good.

With a lifetime income at stake it is hard to believe that people would do less. But they do. With both this and SSDI my dad could not understand all the effort that I put into both. "Don't you just apply and take what they give you?". My 100% took almost two years but it required only one review for a single item.