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May 2024 by Tenee Baker
This is in regards to the director of Community Care - Chiropractic CareDr. Alex Schatt:If I can leave a zero or negative 5 rating, then I would. As a disabled veteran who has the following:Complex PTSDPseudotumor CerebriCerebral Small Vessel DiseaseSubclinical HyperthyroidismSjogren's SyndromeScoliosisFibromyalgiaChronic UrticariaIBS - and Colitis (colonoscopy 4/4/2024AsthmaMigraines/Tension HeadachesChronic FatigueLower Back PainWhy would you allow a veteran or any veteran to suffer with denying extensions on community care? I was denied by you for 4 months being misinformed as to why during the winter months which I have the worst flare ups.My improvement is not enough for you, but didn't take into consideration the 2 surgeries that I just had, a colonoscopy because of hemorrhoids that I now know were precancerous polyps and I have colitis on top of my IBS that made my back pain and bloating so much worse. Norberg said that you only care about the numbers and apparently, this veteran is nothing but a number to you. My PCP feels powerless and so does the community provider.If you actually care about improvement, then you would think that having accurate quantative data which would include all factors including complex Health concerns to even ask the question as to why it hasn't approved to the national guidelines.Instead, it is denied with no other remedies that can be offered. Therefore you are doing more harm to veteran than helping. It is crazy that a doctor that has never treated me or other veterans in the community can have more power than the physicians that actually see us.You have messed with my mental health that no one deserves to ever go through. And if any veteran is treated more like a number in a Whole Health Wellness Program, then the whole goal of the program is meaningless and we deserve better treatment than that.
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March 2024 by Christopher Nuss
Apparently, this VA has too many patients. It takes you three months to get an appointment with your primary care physician. Lord forbid you were actually sick you have to go to the ER. This is probably the worst service I have ever had from this VA. They added a completely new building and supposedly added more people, and still cannot service their veterans. If you’re moving to this area thinking you’re going to get good VA benefit coverage for your medical needs. Please think again this is not the first time this has happened to me and I’m quite sure it’s happened to a lot of people and I really wish more people would voice their opinion so that may be the VA would get the idea that they need to make a change in the Charleston area.
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February 2024 by Thomas Hall
Excellent service ?
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January 2024 by Niko
As a veteran, this is why veterans commit suicide and think gee I wonder why? They do not care about you or anyone. "It's just business." this system is a part of the corruption that is supposed to care for veterans! They say they care, but that's a lie. If they did, they would be happy to help you regardless of status. Whatever happened to our country?
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January 2024 by Josh Vigder
The people who care, don’t have the power to do anything. And the people who have power don’t care.The MH section of the RHJVAMC is one of the most poorly ran operations I’ve experienced. No one calls back, I’ve been denied treatment by one provider and that’s the end of the story - no second opinion, nothing.The doctors there seem knowledgeable about medication and ECT and press HARD to go that route. It’s a bit concerning how bad they wish to quickly medicate you and send you to get shocked.As far as leadership of the hospital, I’ve been trying to contact anyone from the leadership team for over 4 weeks - promised someone will call me back and no one does. Wrote a letter directly to Mr Scott Isaacks (Director) and was told that he never received it because a staff member opened it and never gave it to him. Still never contacted.Chief of Staff Dr Blasy has been notified that I’ve been wishing to speak to him regarding my concerns and complaints over the MH facility, and for 4+ weeks has neglected to return my calls. I say neglected, because they’re all aware of my attempts to reach them, and instead they choose meetings and award ceremonies over addressing their patients issues.Not that this should really matter, but of the 5 members in leadership roles at the RHJVAMC, 1 of them is a veteran. One. So basically, people are running the show who have never served a day in their life, and some aren’t even medical professionals.Serious issues with leadership at this facility, along with decision making. I found two prior OIG investigations dating back a few years ago over mismanagement of issues regarding patients, one leading to a suicide.This facility is great for many things, and I think that’s the horse they mainly try to put in front of the pack for appearance. Frankly, the entire leadership and MH department should be revamped with a patient first mentality.4+ weeks and no response is not the definition of a leader. It’s a failure of the leadership team, the VA, and another shining example of the lack of trust a large majority of veterans have with the VA.Follow-up 1/5/2024: Mr Isaacks (Director) has blatantly ignored my requests to speak directly regarding concerns of communication and malpractice of staff members. A letter I wrote directly to him (directed by Patient Advocates) was never received by him or delivered to him, as a staff member relayed to me. I followed up the letter with an email directly to him, which he ignored and never followed up with.Mr. Blasy (Chief of Staff) called me finally over a month ago and told me MUSC would be contacting me the following day for a consult because they had a contract with them. A week ago I was told there is no contract with him, and still have yet to had a consult with MUSC. Leadership and staff still strive for incompetence and failure to communicate from top to bottom. I tried to get an operator to even transfer me to the leadership office and the gentleman told me, and I quote "we were informed we are no longer allowed to transfer individuals to the leadership office". This isn't leadership, these are business people looking to make a big buck off the backs of veterans suffering.
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January 2024 by Leonard Johnson
I had a very good and quick experience here at the VA. The staff was very friendly, and they were very complimentary of my wife’s work of patching me up before we decided to have them check on my injury (she’s a PA). I can remember a quicker or more pleasant experience in a clinic or hospital, urgent, ER, or otherwise.
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December 2023 by Shirley blade
Went here for my dad who is last stages of copd. Saw primary and was suppose to get everything in line for a pulmonary dr. Months later no appt. He can't leave the house took forever to finally get a ramp which day 3 still no show. Got glasses and he can't use them no calls back. Social Worker! Not even gonna even start.. I absolutely do not recommend this hell hole. Still waiting on ramp and this is day 3!
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December 2023 by VSO
Where do I even start?1) Community care expects you to answer every call, refuses to call when it's convenient for the Vet. I was just on hold with community care for 1 hour and 25 minutes (see photo) before I heard "I'm sorry, we're currently experiencing a system error. Please try your call again later" and I was hung up on.2) The pharmacy refuses to give me the prescription that I was prescribed by another VA, which works for me, and wants to give me another that doesn't. They literally said, "we can write you a prescription so you can go to the pharmacy, but you have to pay out-of-pocket." No joke! She instructed me to purchase it out of pocket! I'm 100% P&T service connected disabled.3) My drive to primary care takes over an hour, but they refuse to allow me community care.4) I had to find out On My Own that the VA scans of my thyroid showed level 5, highly concerning, nodules.5) I sent a secure message to my primary care regarding said results. She only called me to discuss my cholesterol. I am a health nut, fit, and have no history of cholesterol issues, but hypothyroidism IS a cause of cholesterol issues and liver failure!!Does the VA WANT me to die!!??And... 6) there are still several other appointments haven't been scheduled since my requests in August!This VA is by far the worst I have ever encountered!
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November 2023 by Ashtin Alston
In all honest I don’t even trust these ppl to put a bandaid on my paper cut. They let me walk around for almost two years with a thyroid that barely functioned. It wasn’t until I went and ordered my own blood work and threw it back in their faces that they actually believed me. Now I’m in a new battle with the Va all over an allergy consult. I’ve literally been two the ER for hives 3 times in the last month and my “genius” primary care doctor refuses to put in a new consult until she has seen me for a new patient appointment. Long story short I’ll more than likely be asking my outside provider that I pay for what she thinks and then take her advice
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October 2023 by Trauma83Trom
The treatment I'm receiving is abysmal, and my primary care and neurologist are criminally incompetent. I'm only 40, and went into the VA with neuro symptoms, migraines, neck pain and freezing extremeties, and I get told to "wear socks and gloves". It's 85 freaking degrees out, my limbs shouldn't be frigid, but that's the smallest problem. I've been having extreme brain fog and chronic migraines, I know it's coming from something in the back of my neck and right scapula, and I still haven't really been checked by someone regarding this.Neuro is basically blaming my divorce from 12 years ago for all my issues (true story), and wont look any further. I had an MRI done 5 weeks ago and can't get a call back on results,I had glasses put in 9 weeks ago and still nothing.I appreciate the things the VA does do, but I need a second opinion from an outside source because my health is terrible because they refuse to look.
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October 2023 by Mr. Mud Path
Travel pay section seems to be always late to work, leaving too early, never answering the phone and having an excuse for everything when you do finally get in touch. Billy Peker and Steve Masenburg are very rude and aggressive and offered no assistance and just much rather hang up on Vets. They for sure do not even deserve 1 star. In the end, keep your $26 travel pay if it makes you feel better to keep it out of a veterans pocket! Shame on you both!This letter is my interaction and statement with the travel pay section. Like all the other 6, my claim was submitted before the 30 days. I also sent two messages with this first one, not understanding if the incomplete was on my side or if it was meant to be incomplete on their side. My documents and messages were deleted, which they said was my fault, and they blamed me no matter what I said. Two other claims were also deleted but were still there as a create. With the travel section, I discovered that if you have patience and do not call and wait for a response on messages, I am damned. If I call too soon, they get upset.Finally, I got in touch with Liz, and she fixed everything for me and explained everything, but this one was denied, and she said nothing could be done even though she understood it was submitted before the 30 days and that it was deleted. Trying to call the travel section can waste a whole day to 3 days because they hardly answer the phone, go home, I figure around 1530-1600, and have an excuse not to help. Not a Vet, Liz was the only one there with compassion.I eventually gave up having patience and giving them time to do their job. I had to call PA because that is who Liz told me to call to resolve this issue. Steven Massenburg and a Billy avoided my calls for about a week, was aggressive, rude, and hung up on me without direction when asked. He only called and seemed upset because I called PA it seemed.
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September 2023 by Yvonne Stimpson
I consider it as 3rd rate medical care. My calls don’t get answered, my problems don’t get fixed, nor am I allowed to see a real doctor. I needed knee surgery and I was told I was to fat had elbow problem and was told nothing was wrong. Went to my private surgeon’s office and I needed a total elbow replacement. Terrible care. Wouldn’t recommend them to anyone. It’s taken 4 weeks and no answer from the sleep lab about my new equipment not even the answer they say you will get within 24 to 48 hours. Doctors at va are lazy and 3rd rate jokes
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September 2023 by Deidre Haygood
This place is the worst!!!!! I truly feel sorry for people who have to use the VA as their primary and ONLY source of Healthcare. My husband takes medication for his heart issues. He has an LVAD which is being used as a bridge to transplant, meaning the heart pump is to keep him alive until he gets a new heart. He just had a heart procedure done a month ago and has been placed on a new medication. I thank Jesus that my husband is able to get his medical care through the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville because I am convinced that if he had to go through the VA for medical care, my husband would be dead. My brother in law was in the VA hospital in Atlanta for respiratory problems,and they gave him a dialysis treatment that was meant for someone with the same last name that he has. People PLEASE be careful. My husband only goes through the VA to get his prescriptions filled and he has been trying to get this new heart medication filled for 2 weeks now and has not received it yet. The nurse of the doctor that takes care of my husband at Mayo faxed the prescription over to the doctor at the VA 2 weeks ago. My husband has had to pretty much harass the VA with phone call after phone call after phone call to get a response about why the medication has not been filled and mailed out to him.. He finally reached the patient advocate and she was able to help. He is down to 1 more day worth of his medication...FOR HIS HEART. He spoke with the VA nurse on Thursday and once they realized their mistake they said they would go ahead and fill it. He asked them to overnight it and they said that would be up to the doctor. As of today, Saturday, 8/19/2023, we have no medication that has been delivered to our home. This place (all of the VA'S) is a joke that has no punchline. Be aware of EVERYTHING that goes on when you interact with these facilities. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. NOTHING IS TOO SMALL TO DOCUMENT. AND ALWAYS HAVE SOMEONE WITH YOU (if possible). Be safe and look out for yourselves because they can care less. You're just a number. BTW...we still don't know how an accidental dialysis treatment is going g to affect my brother in law. SMH...
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September 2023 by Ron Stimpson
they will not return calls like they say, I've been trying to get cpap equipment for 5 weeks and they still won't even answer may calls. not my throat is all swollen and i have trouble swallowing because of not having a mask to use with my machine. very corrupt place. 3rd rate doctors in a third rate facility
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September 2023 by Danita Eldridge
This VA falls far short of the standard we've seen in California and Washington DC. How do you exchange medication that was working for a patient for over 10 years, you give them different meds or generics due to cost that don't work and their quality of life has drastically deteriorated since. What a poor poor disservice to our service men and women.
