According to the VA, about 8% of Veterans are female, which would make about 92% of Vets male.

About 1 in 5 female Vets are victims of MST.

This means men outnumber women in the military by better than 10 to 1.    Of course, the next question is “why”, since we have an all volunteer military, that men make a military commitment ten times as often as women.

I wonder if this would have anything to do with the number above, suggesting that 20% of military women were  sexually assaulted or the recipient of unsolicited amoral attention from superiors.

So, why would women want to join the military, when, after training, the were likely to be working in a largely male organization?

Apparently, they dont.  Less than one in 10 Vets are female.  Can’t say as I blame them.  I wont be joining ballet lessons any time soon, for similar reasons.

I digress.  So, what about the “other 92%”?   I realize that womens’ vote is critical this time of year.  Guess what?  I am not up for election, and am not worried about their vote, so I am not promising to improve health care for 8% of the Veteran population.   Before the women readers start throwing tomatoes at their computer screen, I am not advocating lowering the standards for women Vets health care to meet that of men.   Instead, how about raising the standards for mens health care at the VA, and stop rationing Vets health care in general-regardless of gender?

A few weeks ago, I went to the VAMC with wifey, who also has “VAMC priveleges”. Her waiting room was tastefully decorated, not crowded, and with a minimal wait time.

A pleasant voice calls her by name, and leads her to her medical appointment.  She is in there more than an hour.  It reminds me of when I had insurance and could afford private health care.

I go back to the “men’s” overcrowded VA waiting room.  At least 60 Vets are there, many of them with wheel chairs, and even some moaning in pain. Some are standing, even on crutches, because there are not enough chairs in the waiting room.  They are “hard” chairs, not easy chairs like in the womens waiting room.    The wait is very long.  When you do get to see the doc,  he makes it amply clear you better have what is wrong with you memorized and don’t waste their time with things like a small lump on your back. That one will go away.  “Just the big stuff”.    Was that lump pre cancerous?  We wont be finding out..there is just no time, as the “men’s” side has to see 400 patients per day.   Men should feel lucky if they get to see the doc 4 whole  minutes.    Dont even think of asking for a referral for your arthritis. Just no time for that.

So, your doc, who probably did not speak English as his “first language”, prescribes you some pills, and you begin the two hour wait and multilevel complex process for your prescription at pharmacy, and he tells you to make another appointment in 3 months.  Yea right.

I went to “optical” to make an appointment.  The secretary explained, since there were “no appointments available” in the next 30 days, I would have to “call back the beginning of next month” to try to get an appointment for that month before they get all used up.    Is this not what they call “rationed” health care?  Only so many calls can be taken at once, so if the line is busy..you try to call back the next day..and…you guessed it, all the appointments are taken for the month already.  Try again next month.   Its even worse for Ortho.

It seems my VAMC computers wont schedule an appointment for more than 30 days ahead, so when those are used  up, (usually by the 2d or 3rd of each month) you have to keep calling back to make an appointment, competing with other Vets for those few spots left, when another Vet cancels out.

Wifey had called yesterday, and got an appointment the next day.   I am one of the “other 92 %”   I wish we could vote on health care issues.   If we could, some of those hour long time slots, reserved for females, would be utilized for destitute, or homeless Vets.

Asknod notes:

I, too have encountered the phenomenon known as “Sorry, the computer won’t let us schedule more than a month out.” I have tried for three consecutive months to get an appointment at the Dental clinic for teeth cleaning. Each time I was met with the “Sorry. All filled up. Oddly, when I called the 1st of August at 0700, I got through on the very first try. Imagine my surprise to find out after only 4 minutes in computer time, that the very first date for a cleaning was September 17th at 0715.  Assuming someone isn’t pulling my leg and the computer cannot schedule more that 30 days into the future, I should have ostensibly been on terminal hold for half an hour to be pushed down the calendar to the 17th.

As for the dichotomy between genders, I haven’t encountered that. I decided the last time there to give up on their brand of medical care except for the dental offered. The “hepatologist”, an ARNP, is oblivious to my plight and keeps trying to induce me into the new Teleprevir/IFN/ Ribavirin cocktail even though my records forbid me to be in the same room with Interferon. My regular doctor is so compromised by staff shortages, he sees me twice a year and spends 15 minutes trying to catch up with the problem list. There’s no room for a discussion on my deteriorating condition. He’s worried because I haven’t had a colonoscopy in 3 years. I explained my chances of contracting  something evil was highly probable until they figured out a way to clean them after use. I got the blank stare. He must not read much.

Joe was worried this might offend women Vets. I see it the other way. Perhaps they will recognize they are golden right now. vA is bending over backwards to accommodate them now after decades of neglect. I remember one telling me of the recently converted women’s restroom in 2008 which had a wall urinal in it. Only at the vA, Shirley. Only at the vA. Perhaps for the transgendered? I asked her to get me a picture of this as we know they are worth a thousand words. True to her word, I received this several weeks later. The proximity to one another intrigues me but I know the vA has a reason for everything they do.