Post 171 Westerville

Westerville American Legion Post 171 member and Adjutant Tom Berg expresses his thankfulness for the VA Health Care that he received and recommends that you check out your VA eligibility.

VA Health Care’s a Big ‘Thank You for Your Service’

All my life I’ve tried to be self-sufficient, and arranged for my
medical needs through insurance provided by employers and policies I bought
myself. People suggested a number of times that I apply for Veterans
Administration Healthcare, but I was too busy to fill out a multi-page form.
And I did nothing valiant in my two years of U.S. Army service, including a tour in Vietnam, so I honestly felt unworthy of this benefit. But recently the insulin I need to treat my diabetes had become way too expensive – hundreds of dollars for about five weeks’ worth. The time had come to put aside some pride and get into the VA system.

Doreen Lafferty, a Westerville Legion and VFW member (and Army veteran), works for the Franklin County Veterans Service Commission and has an office at the Wiley Chalmers VA Center in Columbus. Two years ago she gave us Legionaires a presentation on how she helps to sign up any non-VA member, and what benefits were due us. I made a feeble attempt back then to go see her.

Now I got serious and went to her office, taking my DD214 and a few other
documents, including the new, simple two-page application form. She put all the info into the VA’s computer system, including an application for disability due to some medical conditions, in about a half hour. She said I’d hear back within two months.

In about six weeks I got two calls from the VA, one notifying me
that I had been accepted for health care and the other to set up an appointment for a “baseline physical exam.” That happened the following week at the VA center on Stelzer Road, and cost me about three hours and no money. I saw a nurse who asked some questions, took my vital signs, gave me flu and pneumonia shots, and turned me over to a pair of nurse practitioners. The NP's asked more questions about my medical history. They said I could get prescriptions for a co-pay of $9 each – a very good deal, I thought. Then they noted that I had been to Vietnam, and one left the exam room to do some checking. She returned and told me that due to my service over there and possible exposure to Agent Orange, some of my prescriptions would be provided at no charge.

I walked out of the place with a big paper bag full of blood-sugar testing
supplies and a month’s worth of insulin, courtesy of Uncle Sam. The people
were all polite and professional. Talk about “thank you for your service”!
In the days since, I’ve been regularly testing my blood and injecting insulin as I should, and my sugar count has come way down. VA reps have since called several times to set up appointments for further testing and consultation with a physician. I feel physically better and emotionally relieved that I’ll be saving a bunch of money, especially as I head toward retirement. I’m grateful for the VA.

If you’re a military veteran and haven’t yet checked into your VA
eligibility, I suggest that you to do it soon. I should’ve signed up years ago.

–Tom Berg, Young-Budd Post 171, Westerville