Robert D. Brown: Good experience with VA

Although I am a twice-wounded Vietnam veteran and a retired Marine Corps reservist, I have never had the need to use the Veterans Administration for health care. I’ve always had insurance through my employer or, later, Medicare.

I was recently in need of hearing aids, which are not covered by Medicare. I inquired at the VA and discovered I was eligible. The process required one trip to Durham to register, another to the Raleigh clinic for a physical, two more trips to the Durham hospital to see the audiologist and an ENT specialist and finally a trip to Durham to receive my new hearing aids.

Every appointment was on time with little waiting. The physicians and staff were friendly and competent. Many would stop me and others in the halls to help us find the right offices.

Once, having had breakfast in the Durham VA cafeteria, I tried to pay and was told someone ahead of me had paid for the next six people. The attendant said, “We have several people who do that.”

I don’t doubt that some of VA clinics and hospitals have problems, but the Durham and Raleigh units are top-notch.

This story was originally published August 10, 2015 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Robert D. Brown: Good experience with VA."