I know I have discussed the upcoming Veteran Geriatrics and Extended Care Townhall and Resource Fair coming to the Hall on Saturday, July 27 from 2 to 4 p.m. in previous articles but I think this is important to mention again. 

There are still veterans who aren’t in the VA system for whatever reason but are still likely to be eligible. The reasons I get frequently told are things like, “I like my current healthcare provider and don’t want to change;” or “When I got out of the service, the VA had a terrible reputation so haven’t wanted to consider it;” or “I only did two years and don’t deserve it;” or “I don’t want to take anything from those who deserve it more than I do.” 

Perhaps now that we are getting older and are trying to figure out how to plan our future, we might want to just look into what the VA has to offer. But, let me go back to the reasons I have heard and provide my response. The first one, if you like our current service provider, great, you don’t have to change.  VA healthcare is an “addition to.”  If you are retired military, you get great healthcare at minimal cost, I am one of those, but the VA is essentially free for most and can be an addition to what your current healthcare insurance provides. In my case, I just like having all my basic needs in one facility (primary care, specialists, imagining, labs, pharmacy, audiology, ophthalmology, etc).  But, there are times I do use my other healthcare system. As to reputation, that has all changed since the ’80s. After 9/11, with all the negative publicity the VA was getting, the government focused on correcting the problems. That took financial resources and great leadership. In this case, the government got it right. The VA is now rated as one of the best healthcare systems in the country (and it is the largest). Just talk to veterans who use it and, with few exceptions, they (we) are very happy with the care we get. Does it have problems, sure. But, there are avenues in place to bring those issues to VA leadership to address. As to the issue of not serving enough time or taking services from other veterans you feel more deserving, not getting into the VA system actually hurts other veterans because the VA gets funded by the number of veterans who are currently enrolled. As a small state, it is really important we get as many veterans enrolled as possible.

So, whether you are currently enrolled in the VA or not, you should come to this VA event at the Legion and learn what is available. You owe it to your family.  In fact, addressing this to your family, even if your veteran doesn’t want to go, you should!  You just might find you can keep your veteran home longer, with more help, and no cost.