In August of 2011 my veteran’s back
re-herniated in the same locations it did while he was active duty in the
army. When the back pain first started
up in full force, he went in to see his doctor.
She scheduled an MRI, refused to prescribe him medication, and told him
to talk to someone else (who was not available), then left on vacation. She did not assign anyone to look over his
case nor prescribe him anything to help with the pain. She was gone for two weeks during which he
was forced to go to urgent care for his pain (she later prescribed him narcotics
over the phone). She returned for a
week, told him what was wrong with him and left for another week. She was gone so much an urgent care doctor
came to know my veteran by name.
When my veteran’s PCP returned my
veteran attempted to have her fill out FMLA paperwork. She did not have time to see him in person,
but she did talk to him on the phone.
During the conversation, she agreed that he was unable to work at this time. However, when she completed the paperwork she
said he could work four hours a day without informing my veteran of her
decision. My veteran then had to redo
the paperwork, which meant switching providers.
The VA stated it would take six to eight weeks to arrange a new
PCP. My veteran had less than a week to
submit the paperwork. The PA’s hands
were tied, there wasn’t anything she could do.
My veteran contacted the congressman’s office who in turn contacted the
VA to request a new PCP fill out the paperwork.
Thankfully, it was completed in time.
But if we had not gone higher up the totem pole, my family’s livelihood
would have been in jeopardy. Had he gone
back to work, he may have hurt himself further.
If the paperwork had not been completed, he would have lost his
job. It was a potentially lose-lose
situation which could have affected our whole family.
In addition, the PCP acted as if she
did not care, delayed caring for my husband, and caused unneeded
suffering. This ordeal sent my veteran’s
anxiety through the roof, which could have easily been avoided if he had been
provided adequate care.
To learn more about the State of Heroes and Families
project, please visit our main site or visit any of the following direct
project links -
Why This Started:
www.familyofavet.com/state_of_veterans_families-why.html
The Statistics:
www.familyofavet.com/state_of_veterans_families-statistics.html
Our Stories:
www.familyofavet.com/state_of_veterans_families-stories.html
What We Hope For: www.familyofavet.com/state_of_veterans_families-hopes.html
FAQ About the Project:
www.familyofavet.com/state_of_veterans_families-faq.html
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