Ernst, Blum field questions about Veterans Choice program

One of those with a disfavorable view was Charlie Brimeyer, the former executive director of the Dubuque County Commission of Veterans Affairs. He praised the care administered at the local VA clinic, and questioned why the program is necessary if facilities are nearby.

“Once they do use the choice program, if they have any other insurance it gets charged first and the co-pay needs to be paid — what the hell is that?” Brimeyer said. “What you wrote and what is implemented, somewhere there’s a disconnect.”

Ernst said she, as a veteran, noticed the program implementation has been confusing.

“My husband and I each received those choice cards in the mail and we were trying to figure out, ‘What the heck?’” Ernst said. “It was very, very confusing, I’ll admit that.”

Another veteran shared her story about receiving care but then losing it after the Choice Program implementation.

“When I got back in 2013, a few months after I got back I had really smooth scheduling for acupuncture and chiropractic care,” said Dedra Tentis. “I could go in and the chiropractor or acupuncture was reimbursed at $50 a time.

“Once the Choice Program took over, they had to have four or five people sign off on approval and then it just dropped,” she said. “For 12 months I had a break in care unless I paid out of pocket.”

Blum instructed his district director John Ferland to look into Tentis’ story, as well as the stories of other veterans there. He said he regularly meets with veterans to make sure their care is top notch.

“We want to hear from the veterans whenever we’re around them, and we heard from them today, and my district director is going to be following up on their concerns,” Blum said. “We get the feedback and then we get back to Washington, we make the contacts, tell them it’s not how we want it to be.”

Ernst said she believes the idea behind the Choice Program is great, but needs better implementation.

“I had a veteran that lived in a very rural community, he had to commute 90 minutes each way for a blood draw that could have been done at his local hospital,” Ernst said. “That should never happen. Why can’t we make it simple for our veterans? And I think that was the intention of the law.”