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Here we go again.

Spoke with the Caregiver rep here in my area and she told me that they had decided I wasn't qualified for the program because I did not need it?

First I asked who is we, she said my health care team, so I asked who on my health care team, and she replied my PCM. I asked her who that was and she began to mumble and stumble and I asked again, if you just talked to him about this surely you know who it is. I could hear her typing on her keyboard looking up my information. She then replied, Dr. XXXOOO. I said, well that is surprising since I have never seen Dr. XXXOOO, because he was just assigned as my PCM there last month, I guess the other Doc left, and I have never even talked with the new PCM. I then asked her who else, and again she said my health care team, when I told her I had not been down to see my PCM or health care team in the last year, and I find it strange they would tell her I didn't need an attendant when the PCM prior wrote in my record I should consider having one. She then named the occupational therapist who ordered me a toilet stand so I could get up without falling over, tried to get me a Bidet, and has ordered multiple products for me to help with my multiple arthritic joints.

Then I told her I was really surprised because based on the amount of pain medication I take I cannot drive legally. She explained that was not considered for this program??? Really? Isn't part of needing Aid & Attendance having to have someone drive you to medical appointments? Do the shopping because the Veteran cannot drive there? Or I guess a Veteran who cannot drive and gets sick should just stay in their house and die instead of having an attendant who get them medical treatment. I explained this to her and she seemed more than a little confused.

Then she began telling about 2 Veterans who they are approving, 1 who is a quadriplegic, and another with a traumatic Brain Injury. I asked what that has to do with me and she told me she wanted me to know the kind of people she was approving. At this point I asked her if she was approving Veterans based on the qualifications, or something else. She said she was deciding on who needed the program. Once again I asked her how in the world she could know if I needed the program without ever having seen me, or met with me and my wife, and also isn't there a medical exam that is supposed to be performed. I asked her what exactly did these other Veterans conditions have to do with mine? I certainly feel bad any brother or sister is injured, but I don't remember seeing anything about the rep. comparing Veterans conditions to determine approval, I thought she was supposed to get an exam, do an interview, review the Veterans medical records, interview the spouse and then make a determination, not just say, "well, you are not missing 2 limbs so I don't want to approve you".

Now she said she doesn't want to argue with me. I agreed, but I had to ask if the VA was placing the qualifications and a Veteran met those qualifications, shouldn't they be considered and the full application done? What a freakin' crackhead. She wasn't aware that the Secretary had signed off on the new requirements that included multiple reasons, of which only 1 needs to be met, that would qualify Veterans for the program. A VA employee who has not reviewed the VA website which holds the new application, process, and qualifications because they feel they are the ones who gets to decide who qualifies for a VA program, and who does not. I had to send her an email describing the multiple items in the requirements that would qualify me for the cargeiver program, and an explanation that a VA employee cannot override the rules set forth by Congress, and the Secretary. It's kind of like the travel guy telling me I wasn't eligible, and then later I get a letter from the VAMC Director that tells me I am based on the instruction. WOW.

I hope that Veterans who are more seriously injured than I am are not having this same problem because the Senat VA Committee Chairwoman, Senator Murray has already explained to them they are not to make this program so difficult to get into that Veterans who need caregiver help are denied.

Apologize for the long rant but after having to go though this with the Prosthetics, VR&E, Travel, and just about every Department of the VA over here I am just freakin' pissed off.