mr. cob

Howdy Joe, The "law" as it was explained to me by both the va patients advocate in seattle and by my congress critter states that if you live within 40 miles of a va facility even if that facility CAN"T provide the care you need that disqualifies you from receiving care from an outside source provided the va can provide the service to you at another va facility within 30 days. Believe me I have fought these #^&$%@&^# for 40 years and for the last three years have had my congress critters veterans rep in my corner in a continues effort to get the care I need. For example the va used to provide me with chiropractic care at a local provider who lives less then a mile from my home as at that time the va did not provide such care. Then they examined my back, neck and right shoulder and determined that chiropractic care was no longed in my best interest as the degenerative artherites (sp) was causing bone spurs to form on my joints and they were afraid that they could be broken during chiropractic manipulation and cause even more problems. So the va authorized acupuncture. Here again as they didn't have an acupuncturist they authorized outside care through the veterans choice program, this served me well for over two years. When the seattle va employed acupuncturist, they took me out of the choice program and forced me to travel over two hours to seattle to receive the care I had been getting less then a half hour from home. The acupuncture treatment given to me by the va in seattle in no way compared to the care I was given by the outside vendor, that coupled with the fact that just going to the seattle va greatly exasperated my PTSD finally after my congress critters veterans rep intervened convinced the va to again allow me to get the acupuncture care at the vendor who had been treating me the previous two years. I know that there are many who have received great care at a va hospital, such has not been my case when dealing with the seattle va. When I was traveling back in 2010 I had a motorcycle wreck in New York State, the friend I was riding with took me to the va hospital in Buffalo New York which just happened to be about 20 miles from the wreck, I presented my va ID card and within 20 minuets I was being treated for a broken collar bone on my left side along with three broken ribs, I was supplied with all the needed medications and follow up care the two weeks I was in the area before flying back home, when I got back home it took two weeks to get a follow up appointment at the seattle va to continue the care I needed. When I was visiting a friend in Russelvile Arkansas my knees were hurting so bad I couldn't hardly walk, he took me to the local va clinic in Russelville, they checked me out, contacted the main va in Hot Springs and over night shipped to me at my friends address a pair of knee braces something I had been trying to get the seattle va to provide me with for over two years. The seattle va as huge as it is, is not known for providing the care that can be had at many other in many cases much smaller va facilities. The seattle va is also one of those who was caught putting older veterans on a list to DENY treatment to, in fact it and the va at phoenix Arizona were the top two on that list of va centers that participated in this practice. Dave

Howdy All, OK, I’ll up date as it’s warranted, thanks for the well wishes. Dave

Howdy All, Today I had an appointment with my va primary care doctor, we talked about knee rebuilds, he agrees that I need to have it done. Then we talked about my serious reluctance to have this work done at the seattle va hospital, I took my lap top with me and showed him the web site concerning the Conformis, method of doing this. Before anything can be done I have to have an exam by the va to confirm that I need the work done, the next step is they schedule to do it. Now to get this done at a non va facility at least one of two things have to happen, ONE, I have to life 40 miles away from the nearest va facility, or TWO, they can't do the job with 30 days of its being approved. Here's the kicker, I live 51 miles from the va hospital in seattle, but I only live 37 miles from the va clinic in Mt. Vernon where I get my non hospital care. The clinic does NOT do knee replacements but it is a va facility so that option is not open to me. So my primary doctor put in a request for me to be seen by the knee specialist, we are hoping that there will be more then a 30 day time lag before they can see me, if there is and if the Conformis, folks are willing to deal with getting paid by the va there is a small possibility that I might be able to have them do the job. I am now in the processes of trying to call the Conformis folks to see if they will even consider dealing with getting paid by the va if the va will approve them to do the job. An outside vendor getting paid in a "timely manner" from the va is like successfully storing ice cubes in HELL. Years ago the va approved chiropractic care for me at a local one mile away chiropractor, I was getting a treatment a month by Doc Don, 11 months after Doc Don, started to treat me he showed me a check that he had just received for the FIRST treatment he had given me. I don't want to bore you folks, if your interested in how this saga plays out let me know and I'll continue with up dates as they happen otherwise now that I hopefully have the ball rolling I'll stop posting to this thread. THANKS to everyone who has offered suggestions and advise on how to handle this situation. Dave

Howdy Henry, I live 51 miles from the seattle va hospital, that and the fact that going to the va hospital exasperates my PTSD big time has given me access to the "Choice" program which I use to receive acupuncture outside of the va. According to the Conformis, web site, they have qualified doctors within 50 miles of my home. I am taking my lap top with me to the doctors appointment, I am going to show him the web site and ask that if I am approved at some later date, like I said that could and probably will be months from now, that I be able to have the Conformis folks work on me. I sincerely doubt that such approval will be given but I am going to do the best I can to make it happen. THANK YOU for providing the information that may help me get this done. Dave

Howdy Henry, Again thanks for the detailed post. I went to the Conformis, web site, signed up for the information, according to their web site they have 4 doctors within 50 miles of me that are qualified to do this work. Of course these are all doctors who are in privet practice or work in conjunction with a regular hospital. How your friend got the va to pay for this outside of the va system is something I would be very interested in getting more information on. There is in my area a program called "Veterans Choice", this program will allow care outside of the local va ONLY if the veteran can't receive the care needed at the local facility within a reasonable time or if the local facility can't provide the care needed. In my case the seattle va does joint replacements and could if they deem it nessisary, do it within what could be considered a reasonable time frame as it is not a life threatening condition. That said I am going to present my primary care doctor with this information, he will then setup an appointment with a specialist in the va system at some time in the future, could be a matter of weeks most probably months who will then decide if and when the work would be done. I'll keep you in the loop. Dave

Howdy Henry, Thanks for the detailed post. I will take this to my doctor, show it to him and do my best to report back in detail what his response is. I am also going to do some internet reserch on this company myself to better understand the procedure and try to get cost estimate as that is the number one priority when it comes to va health care, COST. Dave

Howdy Henry, I have an appointment this coming Wednesday the 27th to talk to my primary care doctor in the va clinic. This thread has got me motivated, peed off enough to start seriously looking into what the va will do for me. I will tell you this, I have fought the va for over 40 years and have the medical records to back it up the work they have done on me so far is far from confidence inspiring, they rebuilt my nose, it was smashed by a rifle butt, telling me it would look better and work better. I still have a face perfect for radio, the nose does look much better but it works worse then it did and that is after two complete rinoplasties.(sp) I'll know after I talk to the doctor what can be done, I am going to take the information I have gotten from this thread with me and present it to him, I'll let you know what happens. The seattle va is not known for providing that good of service, sad but true, it was one of the top of the list va hospitals that DID have lists of older vets that they let DIE rather then treat. I have been told personally that the va doesn't have the money it needs to provide the care that is needed and as we vets get older we will be triage-ed when it comes to the care delivered. Of course the va will NEVER put anything like that in writing but an honest doctor will tell you that is what is taking place. One thing to keep in mind, the va is probably the largest TRAINING hospital system in the country, a vet doesn't have any choice of who works on him or her, you get what you get and a lot of those who do the work are "practicing medicine" in the truest sense. If anything I say trips your BS meter I would suggest you have it re-calibrated as I have NOTHING to gain by lying about the seattle va, I am a world class BS'er and teller of tall tales but when it comes to something like this my word is my bond and I take it seriously. Dave

Howdy Henry, When you have time please send me a PM reguarding this I really would appreciate it. I have faugth the va for over 40 years I am on a first name basis with my congrees criters va representative have been for the last 5 years constantly fighting to get the care I need to alivate pain from combat injuries aquired 50 years ago. I hate to get political but if I were an illegal alien I could walk into a hospital and get better faster care then I can as a combat wounded veteran and that’s the truth. sorry for the rant but I have had to fight my country after I fought for it. Dave

Howdy SS, I do not have Tri-Care, I am 100% disabled service connected so I am covered by the regular va health care system. There is what is called “Choice” that is available to me but ONLY if I can’t get the care I need at a local va hospital. Through the va you have no choice of doctors and are usually treated by people who are in training to be doctors that is why the outcome of much of the treatment given through the va system is so screwed up. Dave

Howdy All, This thread is of great interest to me. My knees are shot, both of them, they have been for years. Pain, yeah I got lots of it, limited movement, really impacts my life I don't do anywhere near the motorcycling I used to. All I have for health care is the va, their record of doing good joint replacements here at the seattle va is not one that inspires any confidence in a good outcome. One of my best friends had his hips replaced at the seattle va, when they did the first one the leg they worked on ended up being an inch shorter then his other leg. When Don complained that this made it hard to walk they told him don't worry about it next year when we do the other leg we will make it match the one we just worked on, in the mean time bring your shoes in so we can add an inch spacer to the soles of the shoes you wear on your right leg. That's just one example, one where I know the person worked on very well, there are many others who can give the same report of work done to their loved ones. I really need to get it done, problem is in a couple of days I'll be 71 years old and the va isn't real interested in spending the money on us old guys couple that with the deaths that have occurred at the seattle va on older vets who have had to undergo surgery and its darn hard to push to have this done. You folks that have good health care and good doctors are truly blessed. Dave

Howdy Dave, I am NOT a DOT enforcement officer nor do I pretend to be one on the internet, that said we DO have some folks on this list who are or have been DOT officers and they may comment to your thread. I am not familiar with your trailer, is it a toy hauler or a dedicated car hauler with no living quarters? If its a toy hauler and you DON'T have any signage advertising that you are a racer on the truck and or the trailer you may get by, if your trailer is a dedicated car hauler without living quarters and you have any signage on it advertising that your a racer I would wager that you WILL find yourself on the side of the road having a very costly conversation with a DOT officer. Folks who do the hobby rodeo thing find themselves in the same position. Dave

Howdy Chad, I just made the reservations for the 2019 WCR, looking forward to seeing you and all the other participants again this year. Dave, Donna and Newt

Howdy Rick, Well, if this were happening later in the year say around October I'd probably be at least in your area and would love to sit in a lawn chair and help you supervise the projects, whilst sipping a cold one of course, I am not much for story tellin but have been know to swap tall tales from time to time. Dave

Howdy Dan, Maurice and Ginny, are great folks, we sure enjoyed our stay with them, be sure to say Howdy to Maurice and give Ginny a hug from me. Dave

Howdy dblr, After the pow wow, Donna was given back the points for this stay and they are going to file an insurance claim to cover the scratches on my trailer, how that will turn out is anyone's guess. We are gonging to do a few museums today, the weather is supposed to be good tomorrow so the plan is to visit the Memorial at Angel Fire. Thanks for the restaurant recommendations, we will check them out. Dave, Donna and Newt

Howdy ShortyO, We come over from Amarilo on I-40 then turned north on 84 drove that until going north on 518 over the mountains and into Taos. I really enjoyed crossing the mountains on 518 many miles of steep grades and sharp corners but I like that kind of road keeps you alert and the views were GREAT. We will be passing through Cortez on the way home but won’t have time to visit. There is a fellow from North Dakota coming to look at the Freightliner, as soon as I get home so when we leave from Taos that big yeller kitty is going to be humming right along. Dave

Howdy All, This post is in answer to dblr, question about our arrival at the Worldmark, in Taos New Mexico, and should serve as a WARNING to anyone who drives an HDT and has a Worldmark membership. To begin we made our reservations in January of 2018, at the time the reservation was made we made it very plain that we needed access to parking for our RV which is 72 feet long, we also reserved a ground floor condo so it would be easy to take Newt, my service dog for his potty walks, we were ASSURED that these needs would be met. I went so far as to recon the place in google earth and verified the driveway and all of the turns were doable with my rig BEFORE the final reservation was made. So what happened, when we arrived the place is being renovated, everything is tore up, the parking area where I was told I could park was filled with shipping containers used as work shops and materials storage, they had given our ground floor room to someone else WITHOUT contacting us. To say I was peed off is to put it extremely mildly. After having to back out of the driveway in front of the check-in, I was directed down a tree lined narrow lane used for delivery's to get to the parking area. I was faced with having to somehow get the truck and the trailer over a large curb, this was done by the workers using old rolls of carpet to build ramps that I could drive over to get into the parking area. Needless to say this did NOT go as planed and three hours later I was finally parked. We had to use a 2nd floor condo the first day and are now in the process of being moved into the condo we had reservations for in the first place. Pictures really don't do justice to the fiasco of getting the rig into the parking area, I took a short well 4 minute video that shows what we had to do to get parked, WARNING I forgot myself and used some cuss words in the last ten seconds of the video, mute it or ignore it, I am still so mad I can hardly type. All of this could have been prevented if they had only told us that access to the parking area no longer existed and that we should make other plans, this was not done, they have known of this situation since April of this year, there is no excuse for this, there is no excuse for giving our condo to someone else. After we get moved into the ground floor condo me and who ever runs this place are going to have a pow wow and they had better offer some sort of compensation for this mess. As I said in the beginning if you drive an HDT rig, I strongly suggest that you DO NOT ever think about staying at this place. https://photos.smugmug.com/Dave-and-Donna-summer-trip-2018/i-L3BCMZF/0/e701ab25/1280/IMG_3075-1280.mp4 Dave, Donna and Newt

Howdy dblr We arrived yesterday I sure hope your Son doesn’t work at this condo complex as the “Mr Cob” side of my personality which I go to great pains to keep on a chain was in full blown display. When I get my computer unpacked I will give you a detailed reply complete with photos of the WORST parking situation I have ever been in. What we found when we arrived is NOT what we were told and NOT what you see when you look at the parking area when viewed in google earth. To be continued. Dave

Howdy All, We left from Branson, at 8:15am, pulled into my friend Ken’s place a few miles south of down town Amarilo, at 7:05pm, 619 miles today. Plugged into to shore power at Ken’s home turned on the trailer air conditioner’s went out for blackened catfish dinner, gonna hit the hay I am tired, the Peterbilt has been running GREAT have I ever mentioned how much I love this truck.................... Dave, Donna and Newt

Howdy dblr Sorry we didn't get a chance to visit last night, things were kinda hectic on our end. I'll tell you this, I would have made a professional trucker proud the maneuvers that had to be made to get 72 feet of truck and trailer through the maze of the twisting, turning and dramatic elevation changes that made up the parking lots of this condo complex. To get the truck into the only stop on the edge of the grounds large enough to park it, I had to pull up hill, then back down that hill following a twisty road for about a 1/4 mile, then spot the trailer in-between a row of boat trailers and a couple of smaller RV's. But we made it, we are here, now we have to decide what we are going to do whilst here. Wishing you safe travels and hoping that one of these days our trails will cross again and we will have some quality visiting time. Dave, Donna and Newt

Howdy dblr, As we will be traveling Sunday and getting checked in at the condo, I don't know what our time frame will be Sunday late afternoon-early evening. If its not to late when we are done with all that has to be done to get settled in, I'll post up and see if a short visit would be in order. Dave, Donna and Newt

Howdy dblr, We have never been to Brandon before is Stagecoach, a camp ground or some other type of place to stay? Are you leaving on Monday the 16th, we won’t arrive until Sunday the 15th Dave,Donna and Newt

Howdy dblr, Donna has a time share with World Mart, that is where we will be for a week. Dave, Donna and Newt

Howdy All, We are setup in the Mark Twain Camp Ground just outside of Hannible MO, going to do the caves and Indian Mound that is near by. We’ll be headed to Branson next Sunday. Dave, Donna and Newt

Howdy Alie and Jim, I passed on your message, they were pleased to hear from you folks. Dave