Why my Defence doctor ‘sacked me’ as a patient
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Dear Editor,
I just read your story “Veteran refused care – because DVA paying“.
Would you be surprised that it’s not just mental health support that medical practitioners are declining if you are a DVA (White or Gold) cardholder, but any medical or health service.
I am ex-RAAF and have Bi-Lateral Foot Drop where I have no movement in my ankles at all and a host of other issues.
When I was still in service and getting treated I had a great neuro orthotist rehab specialist that defence was paying.
As soon as I got the medical discharge he told me that he doesn’t deal with DVA as they pay a fraction of the fee and take months to pay him, compared with defence.
So, he essentially sacked me as a client.
He did tell me if I registered for the NDIS he could see me, but when I approached DVA about this they said it was illegal to be registered for both NDIS and DVA and that if I registered for NDIS they would cut me off.
I also had to shop around for a new ENT, Respiratory specialist, exercise physiologist, and physiotherapist, orthopedic surgeon, and, yes, a new psychiatrist.
All my treating medical specialists that I saw whilst I was in Defence (keep in mind they are defence accepted and approved medical professionals that I was referred to my Defence GP) didn’t accept DVA White or Gold cards at all, due to the stupid low fees DVA paid them.
Someone needs to burn the DVA system to the ground and rebuild it to make it actually work for veterans.
No wonder the suicide rate of veterans is so high. How many more people need to die before change happens?
Sincerely,
Tim Pickering
via email
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Hi Tim, just read your letters and you are not alone brother. I have many “accepted” conditions that MCRS & then DVA approved but because of what one civillian wrote on my medical file in 2004 dva will not recognise any increase in whole person impairment no matter how many reports say i am getting worse. Back in 04 my ortho specialist who has done all my surgery wrote a report for mcrs. It didnt say what they wanted so in less than a month they had me seeing one of their stooge doctors who wrote a report completely opposite of my docs. Guess which one they used to assess me and then the civvy wrote that i wasnt to be allowed any more claims of increase, liability still accepted just nothing else. No matter how bad i get i am not entitled to anything other than a white card. That civvy, with a stroke of a pen, ruined my life medically and financially. I have no other option than to treat DVA as the enemy and i too can understand why so many brothers and sisters in arms are killing themselves. They get to the end of their rope dealing with DVA that they honestly believe, like myself, that there is no other option for their destroyed mobility and lives. DVA do not give a toss. God bless all the injured and intact vets out there and may they eventually get the help they need. Amen.