Montana Veterans! Do You Have Health and Benefits Questions? Need Peer Support? Ask Questions Now!

MGySgt (Join to see) Thank you so much! I see you are in 29 Palms.

Lindsay- Thank you very much for being here today and all the amazing work you do in Montana Veterans Affairs Division assisting Veterans and their families!

PO3 Steve Williams depending on your location, we may be able to connect you to local resources that may help you fill the gap while waiting on VA response. You can reach out to us at [login to see] or via our website veteransnavigation.org. we are located in Billings Montana, but have resources to connect you with state wide.

SGT Blake Fuhriman
I have already communicated with Patient Advocate and Missoula CBOC Mgr and Nothing in several months!!!

PO3 Steve Williams there are many non profit entities in the state that can potentially help fill the potential gap you are experiencing. If you are in Missoula there is a pretty robust vet support network there that you could potentially connect with that may be an additional advocate for you or at least increase your support network. Email us at [login to see] if you would likebus to make that connection.

SGT Blake Fuhriman
Oh, just tracking with the press and Gov. Office…as for the VA allowing/paying doctors that do not perform and now asking for additional funds for more staff…So working on killing any additional funding for the VA, until they are made accountable…like We the People have to be!

Sgt Jennifer Schmidt You are in the right place. The live event is happening now.

Hello CPL Chanel Jackson Thank you for being with us today and I am sure @PO3BradyCartner will also answer but I want to share the Military Spouse JD Network. They have taken the charge of supporting military spouses with employment needs and support. You can learn more about them here https://msjdn.org/

Hi Chanel. I think this may be a little out of my wheel house and more of an HR issue. If I'm not mistaken, I believe the executive order only states that it strongly encourages that agencies provide greater opportunities for military spouses. I think that it is only for active duty military spouses. What the VBA can provide is a civil service preference letter since you are a Veteran.

Thank you Sir.

I do not have a good answer for you and I hope you get support today. I did find another avenue to try and help with the VA Patient Rights "If you believe the organization has failed to address or satisfy your concerns about health care quality and safety, you may contact the Joint Commission's Office of Quality Monitoring at [login to see] . If you believe that the organization has failed to address your concerns about suspected criminal activities, fraud, waste, abuse, or mismanagement, you may contact the VA Office of the Inspector General at [login to see] ." For more information, visit va.gov/oig/hotline/. More information can be found here https://www.va.gov/health/rights/patientrights.asp#:~:text=You%20have%20the%20right%20to%20communicate%20freely%20and%20privately.,as%20voting%20and%20free%20speech.

Good afternoon COL JB; If a Veteran has a complaint they can contact/call the Patient Advocate at the Medical Center. If you have a dispute about a patient's health care, call the patient advocate at the VA medical center involved. A patient advocate is an employee responsible for taking your complaint and working between different departments to obtain a satisfactory resolution for you, if possible. Call the hospital and ask for that department, or ask an employee to let a patient advocate know you require assistance. I hope this information is helpful to you.

1SG Zelda Davis - Thank you for your comments and a reply, the Issue is beyond this i am 100% Disabled Combat Veteran served in six theaters in 37 years of service, I have numerously written letters many dozens of letters to, My Senators, my Congressman, the VA OIG, the VA Secretary, the Patient Advocate, The State VO Officer, the DOJ, the State AG, obviously the Director of Ft Harrison, the Disabled Veterans Associations, The Government Office of Ethics, the FBI, State Attorney General, the National Veterans Rights Association. the simply other statement is NO ONE EVEN SENDS YOU A REPLY that even says drop death , get lost just NOTHING. the Senate and Congressman tell me that the VA is exempt from all outside jurisdiction and only answers to themselves and as such if the VA does nothing there is nothing that we can do for you.
This is the Country we all served to defend and support, that is not the Country or the government I defended, I DEFENDED THE RIGHTS OF CITIZENS UNDER THE US CONSTITUTION. As far as the Patient Advocate is concerned she says she can only do what the3 Director tells her to do, NOT to resolved any issue satisfactorily, The question still exists WHAT THE HELL DO YOU DO?

Melissa Comeau - Thank you for your comments and a reply, the Issue is beyond this i am 100% Disabled Combat Veteran served in six theaters in 37 years of service, I have numerously written letters many dozens of letters to, My Senators, my Congressman, the VA OIG, the VA Secretary, the Patient Advocate, The State VO Officer, the DOJ, the State AG, obviously the Director of Ft Harrison, the Disabled Veterans Associations, The Government Office of Ethics, the FBI, State Attorney General, the National Veterans Rights Association. the simply other statement is NO ONE EVEN SENDS YOU A REPLY that even says drop death , get lost just NOTHING. the Senate and Congressman tell me that the VA is exempt from all outside jurisdiction and only answers to themselves and as such if the VA does nothing there is nothing that we can do for you.
This is the Country we all served to defend and support, that is not the Country or the government I defended, I DEFENDED THE RIGHTS OF CITIZENS UNDER THE US CONSTITUTION. As far as the Patient Advocate is concerned she says she can only do what the3 Director tells her to do, NOT to resolved any issue satisfactorily, The question still exists WHAT THE HELL DO YOU DO?