Posted on Jul 9, 2019
How do Veterans receiving Monthly Medications for Severe Chronic pain from spinal injuries Travel extended time still get the meds needed?
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I am a Retired/Disabled Veteran who has to receive my meds Monthly from the VA for my Chronic Pain due to Spinal chord issues and surgeries. I would like to travel with my wife to visit Grandkids across the country. These trips will take several Months. I need to ask if anyone knows the way to get my meds without having to return home every month to get them from deldelivery service. Does anyone have knowledge of what to do and if I am able to get the meds from local VA clinics or Bases close to areas I am staying. (The Medications are Opiods for Chronic Pain). Anyone know any answers?
Posted 5 y ago
Responses: 5
Found this:
Note the reference to contacting the "Traveling Veteran Coordinator." Seamless Care for Traveling Veterans
VA wants to ensure your health care is coordinated and seamless, whether you are seen at your local VA health care facility or at an alternate VA health care facility as you travel or have a temporary change of address (for example, if you live in one state during the winter and another during summer). If you know you will be traveling, your experience can be enhanced if you contact your VA PACT or Specialty Care Provider(s) four to six weeks before traveling, or as soon as possible. If you see a VA provider while traveling, that care will be recorded in your electronic medical record for follow-up treatment options with your PACT. When you contact your PACT, be sure to have the following information available:
Travel destination(s) and temporary address(es)
A valid telephone number
Arrival and departure dates
Specific care concerns
For more information, contact your PACT or a Traveling Veteran Coordinator at your local VA facility.
Note the reference to contacting the "Traveling Veteran Coordinator." Seamless Care for Traveling Veterans
VA wants to ensure your health care is coordinated and seamless, whether you are seen at your local VA health care facility or at an alternate VA health care facility as you travel or have a temporary change of address (for example, if you live in one state during the winter and another during summer). If you know you will be traveling, your experience can be enhanced if you contact your VA PACT or Specialty Care Provider(s) four to six weeks before traveling, or as soon as possible. If you see a VA provider while traveling, that care will be recorded in your electronic medical record for follow-up treatment options with your PACT. When you contact your PACT, be sure to have the following information available:
Travel destination(s) and temporary address(es)
A valid telephone number
Arrival and departure dates
Specific care concerns
For more information, contact your PACT or a Traveling Veteran Coordinator at your local VA facility.
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Speak to your physician and Patient advocate. I have received large amount for travel, but it takes time to set up. The Opioids are the real challenge. You will have to be prepared to think out of the box to come up with a workaround. Thank you for your service.
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SrA Marcus Frey
Thank you for the information. I will be tlying to get an appointment in the next Month or whenever they can "Squeeze me in" to talk face-to-face with my PC Dr. I won't speak over the phone for privacy matters, but, yes, thank you for the Information and I also want to Thank everyone who has answered as well. Thank you All for Your Service and Sacrifices made and continuing to make!
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Honestly, that's a really interesting question...seriously, I'd actually call all three mil/vet local Congress office staffs, send them in Privacy Act (PA) requests, and explain the whole thing to them...then, I'd actually call VHA directly, at VA Central Ofc (VACO), and ask to speak with one of the senior admin staff...I truly don't know whether you'd be able to use other installations and/or VA hospitals, however, if you're being scripted them for obviously legitimate reasons, I should certainly think there oughta be a way to allow it somehow, since there are probably really tight restrictions on how such stuff might be forwarded...I'd most definitely get a letter from the VA hospital staff by you about your clinical basis for such meds to take with you, as well as ask those staff there where you are to speak with VHA at VACO...then, too, I'd most definitely ask the patient ombudsmen types assigned to social work at all VA hospitals, which youre must certainly have as well if they could possibly intercede, to get you some help from the senior admins at the VA hospital where you are, as well as maybe from their Chief of Staff, who's gonna be a physician, most likely...to my mind, the more thoroughly you document the whole thing, as well as the more physical paper you bring with you, as well as have notes added to your computer files, by both VA, as well as maybe TRICARE, depending on your circumstances, with the help of VA and the Congress local ofc mil/vet staffs, the easier you're likely to find being allowed to get such help elsewhere around the country, wherever you and your wife would be traveling to, however, I'd most definitely start early, get everything in writing on official letterhead, before you'd both leave to go on all the trips, honest...those, truly, are the thoughts that basically occur to me, at least honest, hope those were all of at least some use, if you'd care to chat more, no rush, whenever you'd want, just lemme know, OK? Have good trips, obv, as well, of course....
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Capt Daniel Goodman
https://www.va.gov/directory/guide/keystaff.cfm?id=2001
The main direct phone line for VHA is on here, trust me, call them, just be sure to ask for names, and get all the other extensions you'd be referred to, tell them exactly which VA hosp you typically use, give them names of staff there as well, with all of their extensions, as well, that's genuinely the best way we've found to be able to handle stuff like you're gonna need to get help with, honest....
The main direct phone line for VHA is on here, trust me, call them, just be sure to ask for names, and get all the other extensions you'd be referred to, tell them exactly which VA hosp you typically use, give them names of staff there as well, with all of their extensions, as well, that's genuinely the best way we've found to be able to handle stuff like you're gonna need to get help with, honest....
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SrA Marcus Frey
Thank you all for that information. I am very appreciative for the information and I will get those papers from my Doctors.. This has been very helpful. I now know the right people to talk to. The ones I have spoken to at the VA Clinic in my area have not been knowledgeable about any of my questions... I am so very glad I asked on this site... I got more pertinent information in a Minute since I posted than I have in the past 2 Months of trying to ask at the clinic. Much Thanks to everyone who has answered my question. I will post again to let people know if I actually get an answer. I am Retired and have access to bases. I am hoping everything goes the way it should.
Again, answers much appreciated and
Again, answers much appreciated and
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SrA Marcus Frey
Capt Daniel Goodman Thanks for the link, I will message the people I can to get the proper response.
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Capt Daniel Goodman
http://www.vetadvocates.org
I follow...as I'd said, start it early, you're likely gonna have to hunt at VHA on the phone, and/or through the Congress mil/vet staffs for the right ones, so don't think this is gonna be easy, by any means...also, the group here, on the site I'd sent, NOVA, is really handy to have to ask for advice about a good deal of stuff, normally, they deal with claims, mainly, however, they've got a really good search engine, plus, you can call their main ofc as well...i'm not saying you'll need them, however, I and others have sent their site in here countless times, the vet groups and law school vet law clinics are all good, we know that, plus, for a NOVA attorney, you might well have to pay a consult fee, ours was $500, the best money we ever spent, I just wanted you to know about them, should you need to use them, their guys are generally hooked into to pretty much everything VA-disability related, or svc-disability related, in their areas, we'd found, honest, trust me, call them and see if they can help, if you'd need the help, as I'd said, OK?
I follow...as I'd said, start it early, you're likely gonna have to hunt at VHA on the phone, and/or through the Congress mil/vet staffs for the right ones, so don't think this is gonna be easy, by any means...also, the group here, on the site I'd sent, NOVA, is really handy to have to ask for advice about a good deal of stuff, normally, they deal with claims, mainly, however, they've got a really good search engine, plus, you can call their main ofc as well...i'm not saying you'll need them, however, I and others have sent their site in here countless times, the vet groups and law school vet law clinics are all good, we know that, plus, for a NOVA attorney, you might well have to pay a consult fee, ours was $500, the best money we ever spent, I just wanted you to know about them, should you need to use them, their guys are generally hooked into to pretty much everything VA-disability related, or svc-disability related, in their areas, we'd found, honest, trust me, call them and see if they can help, if you'd need the help, as I'd said, OK?
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