HEALTHCARE IN THE UNITED STATES

SPECIAL POPULATIONS

First Person Perspective

Mr. B. is a retired U.S. Air Force veteran.

Figure 7.5: First Person Perspective

Source: Original Work

Attribution: Deanna Howe

License: CC BY-SA 4.0

I have experienced care with Veterans Affairs (VA) once I retired from the Air Force in 2004 and lived in Texas. After retirement, the VA diagnosed me with several conditions, acute and chronic. When I needed to see a doctor, the average wait time was three to four weeks to get an appointment. Once at the appointment, there could be long wait times in the lobby before I would see the doctor. Although the wait times were long, the doctors and staff were professional during most visits, with the exception of a few occasions.

Over time, I began to see improvements in many areas of the VA.

They established a program to accelerate the appointment wait time and decrease the wait time in the VA lobby. My appointments to see a doctor decreased from a three-week wait to only a three to seven days wait. When the VA could not schedule an appointment for me within a few days, I was given an option to receive a referral to choose a doctor from town. This included all services, such as medical and dental. There was a $25.00 co-payment fee required for choosing a doctor in town. This extra fee was an issue for some folks, but I was okay with it in exchange for receiving quicker service. Due to all the changes and improvements made by the

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