Bangkok—The opinion piece below is by Wayne Beverly, a Texas absentee voter, Thailand resident, severely disabled U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and member of the Democrats Abroad Global Veterans and Military Families Caucus.
I read the January 8th opinion piece by our fellow VMF member and U.S. veteran residing in Turkey. I'd like to add my two cents to his commentary, and I have my own gripes about the lack of adequate care for veterans living abroad.
I, too, am rated 100% service-connected disabled by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and have multiple challenges with the Foreign Medical Program (FMP). Last November, I flew back to the States and spent eight months in a VA hospital. The health care I received there was nothing short of excellent. After my in-patient treatment, I then returned home to Thailand. I am extremely fortunate to have an excellent veteran service officer here who assists in handling my situation, such as dealing with frequent hospital bills and so forth. Despite my medical claims to FMP, I've yet to receive any reimbursements from the VA. Sadly, the VA's reputation for taking its sweet time with the never-ending backlog of claims and its refusals to pay reimbursements to service-connected veterans abroad for reasons such as "medical document was too difficult to read" doesn't help.
I will be on medication for the rest of my life, however short that may be. Because of this, I know I will need countless expensive medical exams from specialists and special medical supplies. Fortunately, I can obtain the medications I need from local suppliers. However, whether FMP will pay for them is another story. Because I am unable to get the medical supplies I need here in Thailand, I have been told that once my medical supply runs out, I will have to return to the States for an exam and more medications. To make things worse, my condition precludes flying "economy," so I am forced to pay out-of-pocket for my "business class." People should remember that veterans living abroad are ineligible to receive travel pay for medical appointments for health care needs -- unlike veterans living within the states. Therefore, I am looking at somewhere in the range of $8,000 (USD) simply to return stateside for an exam that says I am required to have these medical supplies and that the VA refuses to send to me in Thailand. To be clear, I'm not even asking for meds from the States, just the medical supplies that enable my breathing. Why can't the VA work out its telemedicine processes for veterans abroad? For someone who fought for this country, it is outrageous that I have to put up with this to start with. If I were in the States everything would just be mailed to me. We are not second-class citizens and do not deserve to be treated as such.
Wayne Beverly
USMC Veteran, SGT-Vietnam 1966-67