Second opinion at VA Hospitals
Submitted by M.O.N.T. on 15 May 2008 - 9:08pm.
I had spinal neck surgery (laminectomy) 3 months ago with very bad results. I functioned fine before the operation but now I have such severe pain that I can't do much more than sit in an easychair all day! My surgeon is in his 70's and the surgical records are so inaccurate and wrong that I have no confidence in him. He wants to slice and dice me again. He's the only Neuro-surgeon at the Tuscan VA, which serves all of AZ. Does anyone know how to get a second opinion without moving to a different state?
Second opinion at VA Hospitals
Edward,
Never give up, you never know what tommorrow will bring. Semper fi! With that attitude you can't help but overcome your current challenge. When the going gets though, the though get going.
By way of experience I can share a few truisms with you.
As any large organization the VA is composed of thousands of individuals whose jobs are essentially guaranteed for life. POCA (Protecting Our Collective Asses)is the mindset.
Each RO (Regional Office) and Hospital is unique unto itself. For instance, the two forums following yours show the differences between three different hospitals. The hospital here in Houston, Texas was really bad. When I was going there from '71 to about '76 a vet would hear the words "... baby killer..." by hospital personnel as we walked the corridors. Too late I learned the RO/ Hospital in Waco, Texas was far more vet friendly. As best I can tell, when a brand spanking new hospital replaced the WWI/WWII vintage one there was a complete house cleaning and I will recommend the current hospital highly.
You have a far better "feel" for the Tucson facility. If/ when you can go to the hospital and mingle where the other vets congregate and ask questions; lots of questions. Listen carefully and heed. Most vets will be frank with you, others are just angry because they're wanting something-for-nothing and the VA knows it and will not cave in.
To get the straight skinny I would contact The Paralyzed Veterans of America. I wish I had. Instead I went the the DAV (Disabled Veterans of Americans)which did a very poor job of representing me.
Ask the Prescott Public Library if they can get CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) Title 38 (Part 1)for you. READ and LEARN.
Check this web site too -- Veterans Medical Advisor (http://www.veteransmedadvisor.com). I'm going to. By the time I was internet capable I was fairly versed with CFR 38 (Part 1). I went to Board of Veterans' Appeals Decisions Search (http://www.index.va.gov/search/va/bva.html)and saw where even though the vets condition was valid, just because whoever presented his case didn't use the proper terms or requested the wrong outcome based on the information provided the vets claim was denied because of a legal snafu. Dr. Bash seems to be aware of this foolishness.
I personally think you may have to go to another VA, but, the PVA should be able to guide you well.
I know the foregoing isn't what you wanted in an answer, but the info is worth considering none-the-less.
My best for you and yours,
Sam Shelton
27wolf [at] peoplepc [dot] com