Vets In Rural Colorado Still Finding A 'Train Wreck' When Seeking Medical Care
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (CBS4) - Some veterans living in rural Colorado are finding it harder than ever to get the medical care they need. CBS4's Matt Kroschel visited Grand Junction where he interviewed a vet and the director of the VA Hospital talked about the problems.
"Train wreck … it ain't working," Vietnam vet Steve Pehrson said.
Pehrson says since he was enrolled in the new Veterans Choice Program, a program that was supposed to fix the widespread VA Hospital backlogs, he has found it harder than ever before to get treatment.
"In the first place you can't get ahold of them … (and) can't do (anything) without authorization from them," Pehrson said. "If you can't get ahold of them, how can you get that (authorization)?"
Pehrson drove four hours to the VA Hospital in Grand Junction after his doctor in Dove Creek dropped the VA contract because the contractor responsible for reimbursing non-VA doctors failed to pay the bill.
"The eye provider that I've been going to has not contracted with the VA again because of the Choice Program," Pehrson said.
"There are some challenges some of the providers have experienced and veterans have called and asked for help with call center and there have been some wait times," said Marc Magill, Grand Junction VA Medical Center Director. "I would hope that some of the reimbursement with the providers would get better as well."
Magill admits there are issues that need to be fixed with the Choice Program, but he remains hopeful the kinks in the year-old Choice Program will be worked out so veterans living in rural Colorado are able to get the medical care they need.
