Health & Safety

Question:

My new doctor had an issue with my positive test for THC UDS. I retested negative but he didn't sign off on refill of back pain medication until my next appointment. I went 2+ days without the pain medication I have been on since 2004 for back issues, How do I find out the procedure used around pain medication and testing positive then retesting negative for THC? Is it to immediately stop without consultation? This happened while going through 10+ pain due to a new back injury. I appreciate your help to us vets.

Jim's Reply:

Marijuana is still illegal. That isn't a VA policy, it's a federal law. The procedure for terminating your narcotic medication is pretty much the same as that used for testing employees although your risk is losing access to your narcotic meds. 
 

VA publishes a lot about policy and procedure and then doesn't usually follow most of it. You should be given informed consent to test for marijuana but nobody ever is.
 

To answer your question, in practice all narcotic medications are usually stopped immediately upon testing positive for substance abuse. The usual VA primary care provider isn't going to have the time to notify you or debate whether or not you should have your prescription. Most VA doctors, in my experience, won't bother with testing you a 2nd time, they just refuse to refill pain med prescriptions.
 

This draconian approach to marijuana use isn't only at your VA, the DEA has most civilian providers following similar protocols and of course there are nationwide drug tracking programs so if you shop around for a provider, you'll be noticed.
 

In the end the DEA has made it so that you will either give up smoking pot or give up your narcotic prescriptions. Good luck.

Question:

Hello Jim. I need a little help please. My husband was sent to Vietnam January of 1970 after basic and AIT and was sent home via medivac in December of same year. Our first son was born in 1970. Our second son was born in 1973. Our second son was diagnosed with mental retardation before the age of 2. At the age of 31 he developed endocarditis which required open heart surgery. During the surgery, he had a brain stem stroke. The head of the cardiac surgery and the surgeon that took care of my son told me that my son had 4 bicuspid valves. No tricuspid. Since my husband was 90% service connected; Agent Orange included, is it possible that the heart defects in my son's heart, which caused my son's death, could have been related to or caused by Agent Orange exposure by my husband?

Jim's Reply:

The question I can answer is, "Do I believe that agent orange may have contributed to the birth defects of your child?" The answer is, "Yes, yes I do."
 

However, my opinion carries no weight since the government long ago decided that the only birth defect that agent orange is associated with is spina bifida. 
 

In other words, although you and I suspect that agent orange caused or contributed to your child's illness, we can't prove it so we have no recourse. There are any number of articles published and you can Google search to find more. 

Question:

I am a retired military, my wife and I want to get a will done to delegate our assets to our family member.

Jim's Reply:

Having a will and having your affairs in proper order is always a great idea.
 

You have a choice to make. You can look around in your community for an attorney to help you or you can DIY it with this site https://www.splcenter.org/create-your-will-free 
 

If you have any complexities at all...a lot of money or property...you should spend the money to have all this done by an attorney who specializes in probate. If you're like most of us and your will is going to be simple, the online service is fine.

Question:

I'm a Gulf war disabled combat vet. I'm 70/30 permanent total and unemployable. I have chronic PTSD, Bipolar, and ADHD. I'm supposed to be in the #1 priority group for healthcare. Can the VA deny me care for disability for any reason at all or are they obligated?

Jim's Reply:

You can't be 'fired' as a patient of the VA. The healthcare priority groups have never had much meaning. The highest rated #1 group is supposed to receive some sort of special treatment when making appointments and such but I've never seen that work well. 
 

VA can flag a patient who is disruptive and require that the veteran have a police escort to appointments or any time he is on campus and a disruptive patient may find he sees different providers but otherwise, VA is obligated to provide your care as long as you are properly registered.

Question:

I’m 80% covered with the VA for Service connected disability. I also have part B Medicare. Should I have part A also? I’m 66 years old.

Jim's Reply:

I'm going to guess that you have Part A and you're asking if you need Part B? Part A is required if and when you receive either SSDI or retirement benefits while Part B is elective and costs extra.
 

If you like your VA health care and don't think you'll ever need any other care, you can decline Part B and save a buck or two. However, should you change your mind down the road you'll pay a penalty and a higher price for coverage.
 

I see health insurance as a process each vet must think through for their own situation. I use both VA care and Part B and I use B a lot. My civilian care under Part B is very affordable and oh so convenient. To access VA care I can drive between one to three hours or I can access civilian care in 5 minutes. Part B Co-pays are affordable and there are so many procedures done closer to home that in my estimation it's worth the few dollars it costs.
 

As you get older that little extra insurance may come in handy. Good luck.

Question:

Hello my question is my VA healthcare provider told me that I must not use any other medical and dental insurance other then then the VA. This was told to me in 2013 until present day and I have not used any other insurance since then. I have asked them why I can't use other insurance and they reply that I need to use the VA.
 

I have asked a couple of other veterans an they have never heard of this. I saw that you are a extremely knowledge with the VA policy's and am hoping you might give me some direction on this subject. I could have got a lot more dental work done and more medical issues taken care of if I could have used other insurance. It's gotten to the point that my health is now in bad shape because of I can't get anything done with the VA am having to repeat the process so many times. Any information on this is greatly appreciated an thank you for taking the time to read questions.

Jim's Reply:

I'm with all the other veterans you've asked, I've never heard of anything like this. To be honest, I'm not at all sure you understand what someone told you whenever that was. If a provider told you that there was no reason to seek care elsewhere, that's a lot different than telling you that you aren't allowed to get health care other places.
 

The first concern that comes to my mind is how you'll pay for health and dental care outside VA? Do you have civilian insurance or a pile of cash to spend? Civilian care costs a lot of money and if you don't have insurance the VA may not help you pay for civilian care.
 

You can get your care anywhere you'd like to but you'll have to foot any bills that arise. Good luck.

Question:

I know you can not refuse a drug test but can you to your family doctor?

Jim's Reply:

You have a right to refuse any test that you don't want to take at any time from any health care provider. But, why would you do that? If you refuse to take a drug test, that gives us a pretty good idea you are hiding something.
 

Drug screening isn't done to catch the user and punish them. Drug screens are a health indicator and your health provider needs to know. I'd say go for it.

Question:

Hi Jim, I’m VA 100% P&T w/SMC, and SSDI. I regularly do counseling at the VA hospital. But I feel that I have no purpose in life anymore. Do you know of any online chat/communities for military retirees? Thanks for your website. It’s nice to have somewhere to go and talk, and help to find purpose again.

Jim's Reply:

I have to be honest...I avoid most of the on-line chat communities. There are a lot of trolls and spam postings and to me it gets aggravating so quickly it isn't worth it. I have long referred to most of them as "Rumor Control HQ" and I just stay away. I tried 'chat' off and on with my VAWatchdog Dot Org site and it didn't work.
 

However, I do know of a community that does a fair amount of chat in a controlled and moderated environment. You must register and choose a user name and a password and from that point as you post you're totally anonymous. Trolls pop in occasionally but they're shown the door PDQ by moderators and then filters/'bots' control most spam. 
 

The community is helpful, military courtesy is expected in the postings or they just go missing somehow. Nobody understands you unless they've taken the oath and put on the uniform, it really is that simple and there are every generation of vet in that little community too..newbs to retirees as well as a number of VA employees who help out. You'll be welcomed there. If you participate you'll help another vet learn...it works vet to vet. Your voice of experience is invaluable to the vet who just exited active duty and who is lost, lost not only to how to deal with VA but what to do with life. You can help!
 

Check out https://www.reddit.com/r/VeteransBenefits/  
 

While we're talking about feeling lost and not having a purpose in life any more...humor me another minute. I have the answer...volunteer at the VA. I did that for a few years and it is the best job I ever had. You make your own schedule. VA buys your lunch. You choose the degree of intensity you can put into the tasks you volunteer to do. Volunteering at VA, even full time, doesn't have any effect on your benefits. VA LOVES volunteers, you're treated like you're very important because you are. 
 

The best of all...you get to help another vet. Really help...you haven't felt reward until you get an old guy into a wheelchair and to his appointment on time. I stuffed appointment letters into envelopes, helped unload wheelchair patients, answered phones, escorted blind patients around...it's really rewarding. I don't volunteer at VA any longer...I relocated and I'm just too far away. I miss it.
 

It's my understanding that VA isn't really sure what to do with volunteers right now because of COVID but do get in touch, the pandemic won't last forever and if you want to feel a purpose in life...your VA clinic or hospital is ready for you. Go for it.