‘Figure out how to run a smoother system:’ CO veterans frustrated with navigating VA resources
Matthew Draxton
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A disabled veteran and his wife in Powell Butte say they are drowning in medical bills after losing their VA medical benefits. Matthew Draxton spoke with him and another veteran who says navigating the available resources through the VA is difficult.
“I’m a veteran of 21 years, three deployments, Iraq for a total of three year and eight months,” said Dennis Brophy, a retired veteran living in Powell Butte. Ten years ago when Brophy retired he and his wife enrolled in Champ VA, healthcare for veterans.
“We thought that being a veteran and spouse, that TriCare and Champ VA were our primary, for the rest of our lives,” Brophy continued.
At the time when they were well over a decade before turning 65. They didn’t know when they turned 65, they would no longer receive Champ VA coverage unless they were also enrolled in Medicare, both Part A and B. Brophy points to a lack of communication as the reason for not knowing this detail.
He said, “there’s no clear communication from the VA. There’s a pamphlet that they gave us and it’s not clearly explained.”
This sentiment is not uncommon among other Central Oregon veterans. Local disabled Vietnam veteran Bill Gabriel, shares the frustrations.
“Understand most of the Vets that get out don’t think they need medical– the Iraqi and Afghan vets. I have to talk them into going to get their card,” Gabriel said.
The issue for Brophy though, is not needing to file for Medicare, it’s about principal of having to pay a premium each month.
“I don’t have A and B and paying that extra money, who can afford that nowadays? I can’t afford $300 for you know, something that I should be getting from the army,” Brophy explained.
Gabriel added, “I don’t remember them saying I’d have to pay a copay when I signed up and got sent to Vietnam.”
Gabriel notes when he enlisted he was under the impression that health care would be provided to him at no cost once he became a veteran. Now that he has been a veteran for many years, and has dealt with the VA, he believes navigating the VA’s resources is not easy.
“They need to figure out how to run a smoother system. Most of us old vets don’t know how to navigate the system,” Gabriel said, pointing to a lack of communication by staff, workers lacking education on resources, and the process being too complicated.
“They said we streamlined it, you go home, you get on your computer and fill up the form for this. Well, it took me watching six videos before I could actually figure out which one you needed,” Gabriel says, adding if you need immediate attention, you can expect long wait times.
“You don’t have anybody in the front counters, you really can’t do that. You call the VA and in Portland especially, it says ‘because the call volume, you’re going to have to leave a message,'” Gabriel said. He continued, “three weeks later, they haven’t gotten back to me. That’s not streamlined, that’s not helping veterans.”
Both Brophy and Gabriel say they feel like the system is cheating veterans as a whole.
“You know they say, ‘oh we appreciate your service,’ but that’s just a fallacy,” Brophy hypothesized.
“Veterans sigh an open check. If you will give your life for the country, that’s your part of the contract. Their part of the contract is to take care of you.”
KTVZ reached out to the Central Oregon Vets Center for comment on what they’re doing to help better connect veterans with vital resources, but we did not get a response to our inquiry.