My Mother had a knee replacement at 92 and a hip replacement at 98. She got along fine with both of them and they lasted her until she left at 107. She said they were just worn out. She was never overweight.
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My Mother had a knee replacement at 92 and a hip replacement at 98. She got along fine with both of them and they lasted her until she left at 107. She said they were just worn out. She was never overweight.
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I'm a Cold War Veteran; Active Duty US Navy 1983-1993. I never served in a combat zone. I walked into a VA clinic and they signed me up for medical care. If you're an honorably discharged veteran, you qualify for VA medical care. You don't have a be a Vietnam vet or any other type of combat vet to get care from the VA. (Recently the VA started offering medical care for veterans who were discharged Dishonerably or Less Than Honerable for being homosexual.)
I don't know the details, but there are different priorities and services offered by the VA based on types of service and if a disability is service-related. Shoot, even veteran dependents can get medical care from the VA these days, but I expect the priority is low.
If you haven't visited your local VA facility lately I would encourage you to do so. The VA has been beaten up so hard for ineptitude and bureaucracy, they are finally starting to get their act together. I recently got excellent care from the VA. My veteran friend calls me a "Unicorn" for this, but I think she was among many who simply had one bad experience and never went back.
If you need help navigating the VA process, seek out your nearest Disabled American Veterans office. They have the charter from Congress to assist veterans. And yes, they helped me.
FYI, Medicare will now pay for hearing aids. My dad is on Medicare and recently got a set of $13,000 hearing aids free. Check it out.
Last edited by Pat Germain; 05-14-2024 at 2:39 PM.
Contributor
Originally Posted by Pat Germain
Not in Phoenix.
No veteran in his right mind would use this place unless he had Zero options.
https://www.12news.com/article/news/...9-f51cb66a99a2
"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.
It also depends on what sort of person you are.”
Contributor
Major bummer. I'm sorry your local VA is so awful.
Contributor
Thanks.... I'm OK as I am on Trad. Medicare and also still a member of a Christian Medical Sharing Ministry (Samaritan Ministries).
I budgeted for this many, many moons ago because I knew I would never want to be cornered into having to use the VA system in Phoenix.
Bear in min that the scandal came to light 10 years ago. The vets in the metro area were aware of the problems years before that.
That is how I knew how bad it was long before I retired and planned accordingly.
The folks I'm sorry for are those unemployed vets who have no other options (due to financial limitations) but don't yet qualify for medicare.
"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.
It also depends on what sort of person you are.”
[OP]
Contributor
I just went to the VA Medical website. This should be no shocker but the eligibility requirements are quite complex!
Here's what I was able to copy from the eligibility portion of the website.
Am I eligible for VA health care benefits?
You may be eligible for VA health care benefits if you served in the active military, naval, or air service and didn’t receive a dishonorable discharge.
If you enlisted after September 7, 1980, or entered active duty after October 16, 1981
You must have served 24 continuous months or the full period for which you were called to active duty, unless any of the descriptions below are true for you.
This minimum duty requirement may not apply if any of these are true:
You were discharged for a disability that was caused—or made worse—by your active-duty service, or
You were discharged for a hardship or “early out,” or
You served prior to September 7, 1980
If you’re a current or former member of the Reserves or National Guard
You must have been called to active duty by a federal order and completed the full period for which you were called or ordered to active duty. If you had or have active-duty status for training purposes only, you don’t qualify for VA health care.
If you served in certain locations and time periods during the Vietnam War era
You’re eligible for VA health care. Keep reading to learn more.
If you meet the basic service and discharge requirements and were exposed to toxins or other hazards while serving our country—at home or abroad
You’re eligible for VA health care. This includes all Veterans who served in the Vietnam War, Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, or any other combat zone after 9/11.
In the end, I'd suggest every vet should register to see IF they meet the eligibility requirements and qualify for medical assistance.
Last edited by Ken Fitzgerald; 05-14-2024 at 8:32 PM.
Ken
So much to learn, so little time.....
Contributor
OK, major misunderstanding on my part. Again, so sorry. I assumed my Dad's hearing aids were free because for years he refused to pay money to buy them. Anyway...
- Yes, my dad has a Medicare Advantage plan through Humana.
- He went to an audiologist who told him about a new discount for hearing aids through Medicare Advantage
- He got hearing aids for a little less that half price. He paid around $1,300 for hearing aids which would otherwise cost over $3,000.
So, there is a big discount on hearing aids through Medicare Advantage.
Last edited by Pat Germain; 05-14-2024 at 7:43 PM.
Moderator
To clarify, this is plan dependent, although it's a common feature to have discounted HA benefits. Medicare Advantage plans often also have vision and dental coverage for at least basic services. My plan also provides a $300 annual benefit that can be used for these things to allow for, say, buying a pair of glasses from any source, rather than just the providers in-network for the basic services. This is something that folks need to dig into the details before choosing which direction (regular Medicare with supplemental coverage or Medicare Advantage) as well as specific coverages for the latter for regular medical as well as things like hearing, dental and vision with the latter. This is obviously over and above any VA considerations which is the primary focus of this thread.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Contributor
Very good advice. Most any vet who was on active duty and received an honerable discharge can get VA health care. Of course, as Patty pointed out, the level of care varies greatly.
Contributor
I just signed up a couple of months ago and discussed things very carefully with the staff. While I'm eligible for care, I dont have service related injuries, so no free care. They told me that I could get lots of routine things done through VA, and the costs would likely be lower than through commercial providers, but they would still charge for it. They took all my Medicare & supplemental insurance info as part of the sign up process. From what friends have told me, I think that they can be pretty creative in some cases, at considering things service related.
< insert spurious quote here >
Contributor
Yes, when I signed up with the VA they took my Medicare and supplemental information. I suspect they file a claim to Medicare when I get treatment, just as my non-VA doctor would.
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
Contributor
I'm pretty sure that original Medicare will not pay for hearing aids. You may find a Medicare Advantage plan that will pay for some of the cost of hearing aids.
If you know of a link that confirms that Medicare will pay for hearing aids, please post it.
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
Contributor
I will check with my dad to get the details. I know he didn't pay for his hearing aids and he has Medicare.
Contributor
Ditto.... I'll be needing them in a year or two.
"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.
It also depends on what sort of person you are.”
Moderator
$13K for hearing aids, unless they are something really special like the implants Ken has, sounds over the top. But there are big markups out there...the Rexton aids I use and paid under $2K for from Costco are regularly sold by the "name" hearing centers for as much as $6K. (yea, wow). I do have coverage for HA's from Medicare, but I use a PPO Advantage plan from the local BCBC. I know there was talk about availability for folks on "regular" Medicare, but was not aware it was real yet.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
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