Re: Hey Massachusetts! Coakley or Brown?
Here are my VA stories just from the past seven days.
I got a call from my provider on Friday seeking to set me up with a pre-colonoscopy appointment for this week. I let them know that I would be in the area near the medical center on Thursday, so that would work out perfectly. They agreed, and everything's hunky-dory, right?
Monday I get an automated call from the VA reminding me of my appointment on Wednesday (which is today). Yeah, imagine my shock. I spend two days trying to reach the gastroentrology clinic to rectify the problem. First, the number on the VAMC's website for gastroentrology connected me with an answering machine at hematology/oncology. Oops. Second, the appointment system (automated) only allows you to find out when your appointment is or cancel it, not move it. Pushing "0" for an operator led to a phone that rang forever with no one picking it up and no answering machine. Finally, the extension number that I managed to find for gastroentrology from another source took me directly to that same automated appointment system.
Fortunately, I got a second call yesterday afternoon, this time from the people at gastroentrology, reminding me that I had an appointment for Wednesday. I had the chance to explain that I would not be around on Wednesday and fortunately the time I'd agreed to for Thursday was still available. So it got fixed after two days of trying to fix it.
That's not all. Yesterday I also received a survey in the mail asking me questions about my "recent visit to the VA facility listed below." It listed East Orange, NJ medical clinic, 19 November 2009." I've never been to East Orange, NJ, let alone their VA clinic, and was nowhere near the VA system in general on that date.
And mind you, these stories are only from the past week. It took me over six months after my return from my tour of duty just to be seen for a possibly service-related medical condition.
Here are my VA stories just from the past seven days.
I got a call from my provider on Friday seeking to set me up with a pre-colonoscopy appointment for this week. I let them know that I would be in the area near the medical center on Thursday, so that would work out perfectly. They agreed, and everything's hunky-dory, right?
Monday I get an automated call from the VA reminding me of my appointment on Wednesday (which is today). Yeah, imagine my shock. I spend two days trying to reach the gastroentrology clinic to rectify the problem. First, the number on the VAMC's website for gastroentrology connected me with an answering machine at hematology/oncology. Oops. Second, the appointment system (automated) only allows you to find out when your appointment is or cancel it, not move it. Pushing "0" for an operator led to a phone that rang forever with no one picking it up and no answering machine. Finally, the extension number that I managed to find for gastroentrology from another source took me directly to that same automated appointment system.
Fortunately, I got a second call yesterday afternoon, this time from the people at gastroentrology, reminding me that I had an appointment for Wednesday. I had the chance to explain that I would not be around on Wednesday and fortunately the time I'd agreed to for Thursday was still available. So it got fixed after two days of trying to fix it.
That's not all. Yesterday I also received a survey in the mail asking me questions about my "recent visit to the VA facility listed below." It listed East Orange, NJ medical clinic, 19 November 2009." I've never been to East Orange, NJ, let alone their VA clinic, and was nowhere near the VA system in general on that date.
And mind you, these stories are only from the past week. It took me over six months after my return from my tour of duty just to be seen for a possibly service-related medical condition.
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