A quick fix solution that isn’t working.
Via KPHO
It was supposed to be one of the great fixes following the VA wait time scandal: A card that allowed veterans who had waited more than 30 days to get medical care from an outside provider. Now, it looks like more promises have been broken.
The Choice Card was part of a piece of legislation Congress passed just last year. Those choices in medical care were said to be especially useful for those who live long distances from the bigger medical centers like the Phoenix VA.
The whole point of the VA Choice Card was to give veterans like Joseph Dimeco, who spent 20 years in the U.S. Army, options in choosing their medical care.[…]
Many veterans like him have told us they feel like they have anything but choices.
“Everyone I’ve met with a Choice Card, with the exception of about one or two, hasn’t actually been able to use the Choice Card,” explained Matthew Dobson, local director for Concerned Veterans for America.
Dobson says problems with the card don’t end there.
“The outside provider didn’t get payment from the VA,” Dobson said as he remembered one story of issues with someone who did use the card. “Now you are seeing veterans who are using the Choice Card and having their credit affected for medical debt.”
Congress is expected next week to take up a “Chapter 2” of the VA Accountability Act that established the Choice Card. However, it’s expected it will focus on giving the VA additional powers to fire poor performing managers, as well as provide protections for whistleblowers.