Looking for advice

happysailor

Active Member
PEB Forum Veteran
Registered Member
I’m in a fairly unique situation and would appreciate any assistance brainstorming ideas what to do.

First of all I am single with no friends or family in the area.

I will need multiple major surgeries. I was medically retired for my issues, PDRL. I am not concerned with VA disability, I have enough money and am grateful for that.

My issue is that there are only a few surgeons in the country that do the surgery I will need. I will need to fly in to get these surgeries. I have contacted a local veterans organization (local to the hospital I will be having surgery) to see if someone would be available in that city to sign me out of my surgery. Apparently you cannot have surgery without someone being there and I have no friends or family in that particular city. I was assured by this veterans organization that they would make sure someone is available that day, I’m extremely grateful for that.

My issue is that after I fly home I will have no one to help me. It is a major surgery and I will need help, at a minimum, getting dressed, going to the bathroom, and getting to my physical therapy appointments.

I have asked in other social media veterans groups how to approach this.

It seems no one else is in my situation, everyone just replies “call the VA” or, “get aid and attendance.”

I looked it up and I am not eligible for aid and attendance as needing nearly 24/7 care is something you would have to need permanently, not just after surgery.

I am not entirely sure there will be someone in my area who I can pay to come by and physically assist me.

I live in a military area in a rural area where most people are in the military, not lots of folks looking to make a side hustle even if I throw a ton of money at them, just helping me get out of bed, get dressed, get to appointments, etc. even though I am totally willing to do that.

I will have Tricare but I am not sure they are as strict as the VA is with their requirements on home health care.

Please don’t judge me, I don’t have family willing to help and no friends in the area (I do have friends but they are all spread across many states and countries as they have all PCS’ed, and no, no one is able to take a month off work to come help me as they have to earn an income. It’s not that no one cares about me, no one is able to just drop everything for a month.)

I will need all this help for about a month or two as it is a very major surgery.

At a minimum I will need 4 surgeries, yes they will all require this level of care.

I called Wounded Warrior and they replied “call the VA.”

Again, not sure where to turn as I would need something more chronic to qualify for aid and assistance from the VA.

I have joined a Facebook group for people with my condition but it seems everyone has a spouse willing and able to give them 24/7 care. I was told “just ask your family.” I don’t have any family in the area and it’s not that I’m not close with them, they aren’t able to take off work or leave their own families for me for a month.

Thank you.
 
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If the VA/Wounded Warrior/Tricare can’t help you. I would start looking into post-op care nurses but you would most likely have to pay out of pocket for them. I’m unsure if tricare or VA would cover that cost for you, since it is an outside service. Probably not the answer you want to hear but the best thing I can think of that I know other people (not veterans) have used before and it worked out for them.

Good luck! I hope you do find something that works out best for your situation.
 
You may be able to get home health services. Talk to the social workers at the VA. Usually these things get arranged by social workers prior to hospital discharge.
 
Have the doctor who ordered the surgery also order temporary home health care referral. See if the hospital has a patient advocate and contact them.
 
You may be able to get home health services. Talk to the social workers at the VA. Usually these things get arranged by social workers prior to hospital discharge.
Unfortunately the VA has to “approve” the surgery in order for me to get any care from them. I was medically retired for my other injuries but my main injury that I’ll need surgery on first was deemed not service connected for whatever reason. What can I say, my C&P examiner was a bag of ass. I’m not fighting it as that would open me up to review and at 100% Permanent and Total, I don’t want or need the VA to decrease my 100% rating. That all being said, the VA won’t “approve” a surgery that isn’t “service connected” even though it obviously happened in service. Like I said, not worth fighting as that could open up my 100% P&T for a potential decrease.
 
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