More changes needed at the VA

This morning we finally had an appointment for my husband’s lab to be drawn at the Wasilla Veterans Administration clinic; it’s been four months. As I sat there and listened to other veterans coming in there, they all said it was at least four months to get an appointment. One veteran was trying to get in to be seen because he was very ill with a fever and congestion. The old veteran was told he would have to go somewhere else. (Doctors I worked for would always work them into the schedule.) U.S. Sen. Mark Begich said the “lists” are much improved in an article published June 10. I don’t know what “list” Begich was referring to, but nothing has changed as far as I have heard or seen.

I know we had to pay out-of-pocket for my VA husband to have a doctor because VA staff refused to put him on the “list.” He was actually told, “too bad.” So where or from whom did Begich gets this information? We even asked for a doctor in Anchorage and were told there were no doctors.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg as far as how indignantly my husband has been treated. He has major health issues. Dr. Budzak, in particular, refused my husband his pain medication in an appointment. Dr. Budzak told us at a meeting she was told the VA would no longer pay or treat veterans with more than one medication. I asked Dr. Budzak to refer him to a pain clinic to be properly treated, Dr. Budzak said, No. Dr. Budzak wanted my husband to try other alternatives. That would be fine except he has 100 percent service related disability and has already tried it all. Only after calling Sen. Lisa Murkowski, was he referred to the pain clinic.

Here’s another major issue. My husband had a major heart attack in April 2012. The VA refused to pay for a cardiologist, even still currently. He was told he would have to travel to Portland, Oregon, where they have those specialists. Really? Especially since he had to be transported four times by ambulance and the last time by Lifeflight to the hospital. Thank God, Providence Alaska Medical Center had a wonderful cardiac surgeon that operated on him after his heart had stopped three times. My husband had a lot of damage; double bypass, two stints and a mitral valve replacement. It didn’t have to be so bad. He’s left with only a 10 percent injection fraction, barely working. A heart transplant seems to be the next step. Oh, I forgot, he has a pacemaker that is supposed to have monthly monitoring, but there isn’t anyone to monitor it. Thanks Dr. Budzad for your concern, ha. When he went home, there wasn’t any home health care either. Dr. Budzak said no when he requested it. There is no one to care for him after major heart surgery? That should be unheard of in our current health care system today.

I don’t know how many veterans have been treated so negligently in our Alaska VA, but please, ladies and gentleman, speak up.

Darlene Ferguson lives in Sutton.