I went and had a GWE exam. It lasted two hours. The doc was adamant about me getting into a WRIISC program and mentioned the one in DC. But the way it works is the PCP has to make the 'application' to the center. That was done. Check this out...
...it took SIX MONTHS before I heard from the WRIISC up there and the person, a clerk, who called me kept trying to tell me that I needed a second opinion. Um, the WHOLE POINT of the WRIISC is to BE the second opinion. And I don't think it's a coincidence that as you try to muddle through the online process using the va.gov website page specific to WRIISC that you come up with contact numbers that don't even work!!
The person I spoke with clearly had an agenda of deny, deny, deny and barely listened to anything I tried to relay about what I'd already done and that me and the doctors were following the steps of the internal system designed and generated by the VA itself! And she said she didn't call me for six months because she had some personal issue. Should I be surprised that no one was available to do her job for her for SIX MONTHS? How many other veterans were delayed and are now probably being obfuscated in some way as a result of that?
On top of this, the PCP that made the request to WRIISC has resigned at the exact same time that a doctor from the WRIISC center sent her queries about my medical conditions! Stall, and then stall again. At this point, wether it's purposeful or not isn't the issue, only that it's happening.
I was told by the GWI screening doc that she was recommending me to go to the WRIISC program because there are numerous medical proofs for 'GWI' in my history. She said that the next step is to do exactly what we did as I've indicated above. Now, why in the world would the WRIISC center, who exists to test and confirm on the vet, try to backpedal out of it?
Now I'm back in limbo and surrounded by va employees within that program and outside of it who don't even seem to be able to make decisions about, specifically, what happens next. So, I'm rather confused. I'm sure they'd be more than happy if I just went away.
The clerk had initially tried to tell me I should get full neuro workups. I silenced her easily when I said I had decades of such things and all with 'mysterious' or inconclusive results because many were done by civi docs totally unfamiliar with GWI or even why it exists. But the tests themselves have long since been done and I told her since I'd already signed a release for my medical records through the VBA, they could easily access them internally.
Someone on here mentioned once having gone to a doctor who is external to the VA but who specializes in diagnosing GWI. It would be greatly appreciated if I could get that info again because if the WRIISC is going to try to bulldog me on this, I would be willing to see an external doc and just hand the results of whatever he may do on over to the VBA instead of this walking in circles for months on end.
The saddest part of this is that the whole publicity campaign to get Gulf War Vets suffering with GWI to 1) register then 2) do the gwi screening 3) be referred *through the VA's own website specific to the WRIISC FORMS, that your PCP is required to do....is all of that just so you can wait like a mushroom in the dark for months on end until someone at the WRIISC program decides,"Oh, ok. You were referred to us. Come on up and we'll start."
No, that would be too sensible and logical.
Any advice?
...it took SIX MONTHS before I heard from the WRIISC up there and the person, a clerk, who called me kept trying to tell me that I needed a second opinion. Um, the WHOLE POINT of the WRIISC is to BE the second opinion. And I don't think it's a coincidence that as you try to muddle through the online process using the va.gov website page specific to WRIISC that you come up with contact numbers that don't even work!!
The person I spoke with clearly had an agenda of deny, deny, deny and barely listened to anything I tried to relay about what I'd already done and that me and the doctors were following the steps of the internal system designed and generated by the VA itself! And she said she didn't call me for six months because she had some personal issue. Should I be surprised that no one was available to do her job for her for SIX MONTHS? How many other veterans were delayed and are now probably being obfuscated in some way as a result of that?
On top of this, the PCP that made the request to WRIISC has resigned at the exact same time that a doctor from the WRIISC center sent her queries about my medical conditions! Stall, and then stall again. At this point, wether it's purposeful or not isn't the issue, only that it's happening.
I was told by the GWI screening doc that she was recommending me to go to the WRIISC program because there are numerous medical proofs for 'GWI' in my history. She said that the next step is to do exactly what we did as I've indicated above. Now, why in the world would the WRIISC center, who exists to test and confirm on the vet, try to backpedal out of it?
Now I'm back in limbo and surrounded by va employees within that program and outside of it who don't even seem to be able to make decisions about, specifically, what happens next. So, I'm rather confused. I'm sure they'd be more than happy if I just went away.
The clerk had initially tried to tell me I should get full neuro workups. I silenced her easily when I said I had decades of such things and all with 'mysterious' or inconclusive results because many were done by civi docs totally unfamiliar with GWI or even why it exists. But the tests themselves have long since been done and I told her since I'd already signed a release for my medical records through the VBA, they could easily access them internally.
Someone on here mentioned once having gone to a doctor who is external to the VA but who specializes in diagnosing GWI. It would be greatly appreciated if I could get that info again because if the WRIISC is going to try to bulldog me on this, I would be willing to see an external doc and just hand the results of whatever he may do on over to the VBA instead of this walking in circles for months on end.
The saddest part of this is that the whole publicity campaign to get Gulf War Vets suffering with GWI to 1) register then 2) do the gwi screening 3) be referred *through the VA's own website specific to the WRIISC FORMS, that your PCP is required to do....is all of that just so you can wait like a mushroom in the dark for months on end until someone at the WRIISC program decides,"Oh, ok. You were referred to us. Come on up and we'll start."
No, that would be too sensible and logical.
Any advice?
