Melanie Waldon on Facebook 2 years ago
07/29/2020, 11:55 AM
Today a fellow Veteran said to me "this is why we have the C word" in front of staff who didn't care at all. They were busy chasing me down screaming at me across the lobby and then calling the cops on me for answering the Covid screening but not picking up a sticker. A sticker!! Why?! Because I look like I am easily bullied like they set the precedent for the other Veteran to do?! Federal employees in absolutely no risk of impact on their job security care more about a stupid sticker than my humanity or right to receive care. After my appointment, I tried to locate the employee that treated me this way only to be further disparaged by two more employees who lied and said they were volunteers and not employees. Ms. Sheila Smith physically blocked me from entering the Volunteer Services office. She called the police who apologized and said it was wrong for me to be treated that way and to come get a police escort any time I need to attend an appointment. Because EVERY time I try to walk through the main doors I am treated as if I have no right to be there. Nobody conceives or accepts that I'm a Veteran. REALLY?!?! Just because I am a young female I have to get a police escort to go to the doctor?!?! When I went back this afternoon asking after Ms. Smith, another employee in the door across the hall said her name "sounded familiar", acted like she didn't know her, assumed I was not a Veteran, and when I said I was a Veteran I watched her blatantly look me up and down. If I don't have a male person to escort me to the ER, they leave me in the waiting room until all the men first who are sitting around joking are seen first while I'm balled up tears streaming down my face in pain. Then they tell me I'm not allowed to name my condition, demand I strip when my clothes do not obstruct the necessary examination, leave me in the arctic cold exam room for an hour, walk in advising me to leave before even greeting or examining me, then don't treat me at all. If I take a male person with me, I am ushered in and treated as top priority. I have been asking for close to a year for a change of VA providers. For months and months they continue to call asking me what I mean and can't seem to understand this simple request no matter how many times I repeat it. So I was referred to a civilian doctor whose entire staff for weeks on end could not understand the concept of sending a prescription to the VA. And when I asked for a transfer to a different provider because I did not feel I could reliably trust that provider or their staff with my care, the employee said "Excuuuuuuse me!" and did nothing. Other VA providers have referred me to civilian doctors since the staff can't seem to behave themselves, but there's nobody processing the referrals due to Covid so 6 months without care and counting. Still no providers, VA or otherwise. I'm quite certain I got Covid in June but I didn't get tested because.... how do you think that would go?!?! I tried to use the Urgent Care through the Mission Act and the VA refused to cover it so I got $3000 in bills sent to me. The Vet Center won't give me an appointment because they refuse to believe I'm a Vet either. FANFREAKINGTASTIC!! And this is supposed to be one of the most progressive places in the US. Ha!