Looking for feedback on VA (US) / discharged decades ago

@Jay.Aitchsee said:

I don’t have a VA primary nor have I seen anyone outside of the Audiology Department

May I recommend you do seek out a VA Primary Physician. It’s easy - just ask and one will be assigned. Bring a copy of your current medical records and see what the VA might offer.

Usually, the VA sees you once a year for a followup exam…that’s it.

I found the VA offers flu, Shingle, and COVID-19 plus many more vaccinations, often allowing walk-in appointments.

I have a superb concierge Physician, yet my VA Dr. noticed numerous issues on our first meeting.

I avoided VA Primary Care for 50 years because I thought it was for the people who had lost limbs, or had other service connected issues far worse than mine, but I was wrong.

My Army service gives me the right to receive medical oversight, but it also allows your local VA region to receive a stipend for each new person it serves, so in effect you’re helping ALL Veterans when you use a VA primary Physician if only once a year.

Good Luck!

I have it all handled.

Scheduled appointments for both Audiology, and a physical exam. Also took photos and ordered a VA health Id card online, which should be here in about 10 days.

The last thing is to reserve a burial plot as a veterans cemetery.

The VA audiology Appointment in San Francisco was awesome. The appointment was scheduled for 2:00pm, and they were exactly on time. The doctor spent over an hour with me, asking lots of questions regarding my health and hearing history, and performing a number of tests. It probably helped that I handed her a bulleted printout with everything I thought they might want to know.

When finished, she looked at the fitting that I did based on Target audiogram direct, compared to what she measured, and made some very good suggestions. I then asked my big question “do I qualify for hearing aids from the VA,” the answer was yes. I then asked if upgrading from my Phonak bolero Marvel 90 aids would offer a big improvement, and her answer was no.

My next question was now that I am in the system, if my present hearing aids fail, or my hearing deteriorates further, what will I need to do to get new ones from the VA. The answer is if it’s over 6 months from the last visit, just make a new appointment, we will test you again, and issue new hearing aids. She also asked me to promise not to do my own programming on them😃

Anyway it was a great experience, and I will continue using the Phonak Bolero M90 PR hearing aids I already own, and I just completed a new fitting based on the new audiogram she gave me which was quite different from the one I created previously using the Target software. Before I left she saved the fitting from the used aids I had purchased off ebay to have in their system.

In about 10 days I have my first physical at the VA here in Oakland, and if it’s anything like my experience in San Francisco, I will be beyond pleased. It turned out that after having my initial appointment in San Francisco, the same audiologist does a follow up clinic every Friday in Oakland only a few miles from my home.

All I can say is I am so happy to have run across this thread, and my only regret is not knowing about these benefits earlier in my life.

If you qualify for the VA, do it all!

After the great experience at VA Audiology, I was looking forward to my first physical exam this morning, which turned out to be another positive experience.

Having previously presented my Kaiser Permanente health card at the Audiology Appointment, they already had it in their system. When I went in for my physical examination this morning my new doctor was able to pull up my previous medical history which saved a lot of time. He also asked if I planned to keep Kaiser as my primary health provider, and keep the VA as a backup. He said this arrangement was common, because if my Medicare benefits through Kaiser should run out, the VA can step in and cover me.

I was very impressed with the professional service I received, and would recommend that anyone who qualifies for VA health care should take advantage of it regardless of any other health coverage you might already have.

The VA allows their doctors to spend twice as much time with patients than most other medical facilities.

In summary, it was a great visit, and they will send me a reminder to schedule another exam in a year to keep me active in their system. I wish I had known about this years ago.

I just wanted to stop by and give a quick update. After 9 months, my claim was approved yesterday. Plan to stop by the medical center Friday to get myself signed up for care and make my first audiology appointment. Also submitted a secondary claim for tinnitus ( I didn’t even know what this was when I first submitted). The process wasn’'t the quickest, but I knew that going in. Well worth the wait. Thanks all for your guidance!

Now to determine which aids to go with. Stick with Phonak Life, which has been good to me or try a different brand? Stick with rechargable or try replacable battery (bye Phonak). Decisions to come.

@BalashiTime said:

Now to determine which aids to go with

If you’re happy with the Phonak sound, it may be challenging to get used to a different mfg.
The VA audis are pretty good at recommending the best make & model for you based on your test results, and your goals.
As you know, they all use the top tech of each, and offer all accessories at no extra charge.

Thanks for the feedback. I adapted to my current aids fairly quick, I guess I hadn’t considered the challenge of using two separate brands. Will talk things over with the VA audi when we meet next week. Could always go with an older Phonak if I go the disposable battery route.