Frustration turns to satisfaction for veterans who received one-on-one help with claims assistance, benefits, appointment scheduling and more.
Leonardo Lopez has been trying to get one of his benefits claims resolved for 14 months now. Lopez, who served in the Marines, has been dealing with injuries to his right knee and a condition with his left ankle/foot.
Lopez brought a cache of paperwork and an optimistic attitude on Tuesday to The American Legion’s Veterans Crisis Command Center (VCCC) at Post 439 in La Fiera, Texas. After meeting with representatives from VA, Lopez said, “It looks like it is going to get close or adjudicated faster. They were able to look at the missing information, and I was able to provide them information for the file and that will help a lot” to get the claim moving.
The American Legion has organized crisis centers across the nation in the wake of the news about the VA’s secret waiting lists and other issues that have prevented veterans from getting timely health care.
“The American Legion has been a great source for me,” Lopez said. “Knowing I have the support of The American Legion to be able to provide this assistance on my claim will help me in the long run."There were 66 veterans who received assistance during the Legion’s two-day VCCC in La Fiera. At the crisis center, veterans received assistance with VA appointment scheduling, grief counseling, benefits claims and enrolling in VA health care.
Mario Martinez, a member of Post 390 in southern Texas, had been stymied in trying to get his unemployability rating raised from 80 percent to 100 percent.“What happened is that every time (you contact the VA) you are expecting the worse, you are frustrated, thinking it’s not going to work out,” said Martinez, who got the assistance he sought. “(Now) it feels good because they told me exactly what is going on with my case. They looked at my records and everything is in there. And I will get a response in 30 days.”
That kind of help – veterans helping veterans – comes as no surprise to Department of Texas Commander Lynn Sparks, who was among department representatives on hand.
“I have been a Legionnaire for so many years, and I spend a lot of time here in the valley in the wintertime, so the hard work is not a surprise to me,” she said. “To us, it’s what’s expected as Legionnaires. That’s what we do as Legionnaires, we help. That’s what The American Legion is.”
During the two-day crisis center and the town hall meeting that preceeded it, veterans pointed to communication issues with VA as a top concern. Specifically, veterans noted that they were not informed of a third-party company that was scheduling appointments and other miscommunications from VA.
Fixing those issues is a high priority for Robert Walton, director of Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System.
“This event is beneficial for veterans and for us. It’s one vehicle we have to communicate to veterans. When they have issues with eligibility, with appointments, with services we have available, this is a great avenue to communicate with them,” said Walton, who oversees the six clinics that make up the south Texas VA system. “It gives us a forum to get feedback from them as well. What services do you have issues with? How were you treated in the clinic? Those answers help us direct training of our staff and where we need to address issues related to customer service and accessibility to our clinics.”
Jake Watrous, a member of Post 439 and resident of Santa Rosa, arrived at the VCCC with several concerns, including a letter he received that said his disability rating was being reduced by 75 percent.
“I had an appointment that was 120 days down the road with my primary doctor,” Watrous said. “They took care of it and moved it up a month and a half. We also had a problem with trying to reduce my disabiltiy. That was taken care of. My benefits are there now. They said they were going to take away about three-fourths of my benefits, but I got them back today.
“All of my problems got solved today.”
- Veterans Healthcare