Yet another reason why this vet doesn't do the VA....

Try some weed

I'm not military, nor Is my immediate family, but took my grandpaw (in his 90s/WW2 vet) at the time to the VA a few times when I was up visiting and helping out. Sitting in the waiting room made me legitimately sad. Not because I have any idea about whether or not they are getting decent treatment, but just the fact I was there with a bunch of guys no younger than 75 all waiting for over an hour and a half for their appointment (which they were early and the VA was late) and half the guys could barely drive or walk and many had no-one there to bring them.

TLDR: Not trying to put myself in your scenario but it makes my skin boil. Vets should get first class treatment no matter what.

And theres that universal health care progressives want so bad.

Poor guy should have been PEC'd into an inpatient facility immediately. But that's frequently the type of mental health professionals the VA employs. Just in it for the benefits and paid vacation, have never served a day in their lives and treat you like an inconvenience.

The only good mental health practitioners I know of who work at the VA... are also veterans. And thats a tiny % of an already small %.

I must be in the minority but when I use the VA it is only for psychiatry and it’s the best one I’ve ever had.

All teleheath out of Charleston. Meds in mail or UPS. I actually prefer it.

Well the nurses knew the guy was full of shite... Probably an attention whore which is why his story is on the internet.

I was almost killed by the VA in Houston. Came pretty damn close after having major surgery there. If it were a private hospital I would be very rich. Cant do anything except make a claim for damages which was denied of course. I just go for med refills type of stuff now and it helps me meet my BCBS deductible easily.

In the posted link, was someone supposed to go to his car and retrieve his gun out of the glovebox? No one's doing that at any hospital . Biggest fault you could say is that maybe the hospital/psychiatrist should have PEC the guy for 24 hours while being evaluated to see how intentful his threats were...but he wrote the story and didn't follow through, so maybe the pyschiatrist was right in his eval to discharge the guy.

In any case, VA treatment is definitely hit or miss. There are good hospitals and poor hospitals. Even the good hospitals are fairly outdated. With that said, at many of the major VA hospitals/regional VISNs etc. the physician staff in many cases are the same crew from the university/academic hospitals.

This should be a warning to everyone clamoring for universal, single payer, government run health care in this country.

They act like we will all get the Mayo Clinic, but what we will really get is the VA. And it will be exactly like what this vet describes.

All those gubt services that are so hard to find are simply political slush funds.

I help my handyman negotiate the VA redtape and they have helped him get through a few health issues. He is currently going through cataracts treatment and so far, so good. Without the VA, he would not be getting any treatment as he can't afford health insurance. Like you, he is distrustful of them but he has come around to appreciating them the last few years.