We have already failed if we can onky offer them free care when they are already in "suicidal crisis" to me that just sounds like fancy talk for oh no they attempted to commit suicide we better help them now.

When we should already be helping them. When soldiers healthcare is on par with the cheapest healthcare the average citizen can also obtain why did they have to fight and sacrifice so much.

I hope more soldiers and future soldiers realize this. That they arent fighting for freedom at least not right now. They are just cheap expendables for the Government playing on their patriotic spirit.

All they had to do is risk their lives.

It is worth noting that the COMPACT Bill that pushed this through specifies that vets must use a "private residential facility other than a hospital" for suicide crisis care. So showing up to the ER will NOT be covered. Just FYI.

So.. how do providers get reimbursed?

That's BS! 30 days??? It takes snot-nosed civilians who were spanked by their dads years of therapy to get over that, do we really expect a suicidal veteran who survived the horrors of war to need LESS therapy than someone abused by their dad???

Sadly no, I wouldn't be surprised because I've a slippery sock vacation. Thankfully I had insurance but my share was still like 3k?

What does it cost? Are you talking about therapy?

No, not really. You may be able to get a 72 hour observation here. Then you're on your own. I'm not even sure that's available since the pandemic.

By far, the most dangerous thing about weed is the US federal government's obsession with it.

Cause we have the "support our troops" party, that cuts them off at the knees when they come home and are no longer serving

You can thank the Reagan administration for that one. Google "Reagan VA cuts" and you will see hundreds of articles explaining how the precedent Reagan set affects the VA and its lack of accessibility today.

I kinda think they are. I was honorably discharged and don’t have any type of disability rating. All I did was show up at the enrollment office at the VA and said I wanted to apply for healthcare. They sat me down, confirmed my service record, took my picture for an ID card, and assigned me to a PCP & scheduled my first appointment and lab work. They were super friendly and helpful. I was in and out in about 20 minutes. I was surprised because I had been discharged over 10 years prior, but apparently there is no limit on when you can claim medical benefits. I had my lab work and appointment. The staff was incredibly friendly, and the first thing they did was enroll me in a VA messaging app and give me direct points of contact for everyone dealing directly with my health care. I can directly message my doctor, or anyone on his staff 24/7 and get a response typically same day. The nurse was very kind and asked me ALOT of question, many of them were mental health related. It got a little intense, but everything was very tactful and respectful. Then when I went in to see the doctor for my initial annual physical. I was in there with him for nearly an hour. He is a very kind man and wanted to know absolutely everything I was willing to tell him. Never felt rushed and he gave me his full attention the whole time.

My biggest problem is knee pain (I was a 19D SAW gunner). They ordered about a dozen X-rays and gave me 2 prescriptions for topical pain medications, some knee compression sleeves and a TENS unit and referred me to physical therapy, along with scheduling my next annual checkup and bloodwork. The whole thing took about 4 hours with labs, X-rays and all. After I do the 2 months of PT, they will send me for an MRI and refer me to an orthopedic surgeon if PT isn’t cutting it.

Everything so far has been $0. Oh and they STRONGLY encouraged me to file a disability claim. I have some major reservations about that, but they told me that filing for VA disability is not exactly how it sounds. I’m not interested in scamming the system when I have wounded friends that are dependent on that system. They told me it’s not like being a Social Security disability moocher or anything like that. They put me into contact with a veterans advocate that will basically handle the whole process for me.

I see a lot of other redditors making snide remarks about veterans care, but I’m guessing most have zero recent first-hand experience. I know from talking to the old-timers that the VA was terrible years back, but so far I’ve been really impressed and wish I had done this sooner.

If they didn't receive a dishonorable discharge, they can go. Now, the care they will get, that all depends on the quality of the VA facility. They are not all the same.

Why are all Vets not eligible for free care at all VA facilities all the time?

How are they supposed to profit off of suffering then?

Maybe one day we will care about the people of this country.

You mean this wasn’t already in place? It’s kind of World War One and two overdue no? They better start hiring EMDR therapists right and left. That means having free education like Finland. Churn out the much needed shrinks and doctor lipshitz

You know if you cut the defense budget, the first thing they would cut is the pay for members.

There is a few variables that can help explain that high budget.

Our military vehicles are maintenance heavy. I’d almost rather take on the extra knee and back pain by being with a light unit than deal with vehicle maintenance. From mechanic to just the regular soldier, all are on hand to fix shitty trucks.

The equipment you see being used by the military has to be made in the US. From the uniforms we wear to the ships we sail around in, and everything in between, has to be made in the US. This is going to drive the cost up, while yes the quality will be better than something made in china, it also comes at a higher cost because you have to pay those workers a higher wage.

Research and development is costly. Private gun ownership kinda takes a bit of this burden for our small arms I would argue though. Magazines are an extreme pain to perfect. Optics can have a number of issues. What materials make for the best hand guard, foregrip, stock, sling, so on and so forth, the civilian market really helps to figure this shit out. But the civilian market isn’t going to figure out the best steal to use on our tanks, stealth technology, and so much more.

The medical system and big pharma have their claws in the military health system as well. HIV medications? Still cost the military the same as it would a civilian without insurance. Thousands of dollars for just one month. Same with insulin. Same with epipens. It’s cheaper to do x-rays or MRIs, because you already have the radiologist in the army as well (ideally you would at least). They get paid the same regardless of how many x-rays they look at.

Training is expensive. Ammo is expensive. Fuel is expensive. The required maintenance you’ll need to do on those vehicles you used in training is expensive. And even still, some units will only zero and qualify their rifles once or twice a year. It now takes 75 rounds for a soldier to zero their rifle and complete a qualification range. 35 to zero, 40 to qualify. Multiple that by half a million, that’s how much it costs for the entire army to go and qualify on the M4 one time a year.

Waste, fraud, and abuse are a real thing in the military. But people do forget just how expensive so much of this shit is by itself.

I wonder if the VA is also still on their kick of reporting anyone that gets any mental health services to law enforcement to try to get them red flagged in states that have those laws?

It’s probably free but you probably only get care to get you down off the immediate emergency. Once you have calmed down it’s back to paying for care and waiting 3 months for an appointment where they ignore you and do nothing.

I'm sorry the what?

I have been waiting for something like that ever I read about the Sarco capsule

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too late for us. at one point we were told we'd have to drive 2.5 hours to another VA clinic because our local one wasn't accepting anymore new patients.

my husband died by suicide in 2015.

I'm reading a /s vibe from your comment, but a non-zero percentage of us would sincerely appreciate this option.