Instead, a customer service representative named Regina informed me they had a nondescript note in my "file" that said "waiting for A.N.A.". I guess that's some internal code, I'm not sure, because Regina didn't understand the note either. At first, she told me that she would have someone call me back in 48 hours. Fortunately, I have yet to put on any eye make up today, so when I started blubbering like a little baby this time, at least there was no mascara running down my cheeks. That's when she put me on hold for 5 minutes to try to find a supervisor to help me. No luck. There was absolutely no one available to help figure out why I was, once again, lost in their system.
I only went through about half of the saga with Regina because quite franky, I'm tired of telling the story. She sensed my frustration and like the last woman with whom I spoke at "Veteran's Choice", she assured me that she understood. I tersely informed her that there is just no way she can understand how I feel. I know, I was shooting the messenger, but Cheese and Rice, how much can any one person be expected to take?
So Regina put in some kind of order to whomever is hidden behind Oz's curtain to "please process the request quickly". One moment she told me that someone would contact me within 48 hours (I assume that means Monday or Tuesday) and just before I hung up she said that I should hear something within 60 days. No kidding. Somewhere between the next 48 hours and 60 days I should know whether I am approved to have a follow up mammogram that is now two months over due.
I told Liz this at our High School Reunion and it's worth repeating now. I am no one special. I am just one little veteran who typed and delivered mail during the Persian Gulf War. I'm not a hero - Hell, women weren't even allowed on Aircraft Carriers when I was in, let alone in combat zones. BUT, if this is the experience that I have had, then accept that I am the norm. That the vast majority of Veterans receive substandard care in one way or another. Accept that the ladies and gentlemen who DID put their lives on the line are treated in the same manner. Accept this because they need MORE care than me. They interact and rely on the system more. I am confident that the lump in my breast is nothing. I will be fine and that I will eventually chalk this up to a bizarre life experience. But the Veterans who DO need extensive mental and physical care, those are the people for whom we should cry out in RAGE.
Therefor, I implore you, my loyal reader; if you have gotten this far in the text, then surely you are invested enough to help me blow the whistle regarding the ongoing incompetence of the VA and Veteran's Choice. Click Here to go to Senator Chuck Grassley's Whistle Blower Page or call his office directly at: (202) 224-3744. OR, Call the CNN Tip Line at: 404-827-1500 or Click Here to send them an e-mail. Please just ask them to read this or any of the previous two blogs regarding this topic. This is about an ongoing example of incompetence that surely they must be unaware! THEN, share this story with your social media network.
Wouldn't it be fantastic if real change were effected because citizens of the United States stood up for the 2% of the population who VOLUNTEERED to serve this nation in whatever capacity the military requested of them? It's not too much to ask. Please, take just one moment.
In the mean time, I'll be waiting. Again.
