Scheduling a doctor’s appointment can be challenging, but it’s even more challenging if you don’t know if the doctor is going to show up. That’s what Officer with Kleberg County Veterans Services Orlando Rosa said has been a problem for veterans in Kleberg county and surrounding small towns the past six months.
Rosa said several veterans have brought it to his attention that sometimes when they schedule a health appointment with the VA Mobile Medical Unit (MMU), it doesn’t show up.
“The need is here,so whenever the MMU goes down or we don’t have a driver, for whatever reason the VA says they are going to notify the veterans but they don’t,” Rosa said.
Rosa said around 15 veterans have appointments a day and are not notified when the unit will not show up. There are appointments booked until fall.
“When they show up they aren’t there so they are confused on what’s going on. So then they contact the VA again and reschedule another time slot and who knows how long that will take. My veterans are very angry, upset and they got concerns,” Rosa said.
KRIS 6 reached out to the VA and VA Public Affairs Officer Hugo Martinez said there is currently no permanent driver.
”In the interim, we have 3 VA drivers outside our healthcare system that deploy the MMU weekly to four additional rural locations in Rockport, Kingsville, Alice and Carrizo Springs,” Martinez said.
However, Martinez said a permanent driver was just hired and will start onboarding in august. This should make for a more consistent show up.
“Sometimes its feels like a coin toss whether they are going to be there or not. There’s some distrust there because it feels like they aren’t being heard or taken care of,” Rosa said.
The VA also said that last week the unit underwent an inspection and veterans with appointments were notified and some appointments were moved online. However, Rosa said even then it can be challenging for some.
“A lot of times veterans are older so they don’t get it or miss the call or they don’t get to see that doctor. It’s sometimes more difficult for them,” Rosa said.
A veteran van service is available for veterans needing an appointment in Corpus Christi if they are unable to be seen with the unit in Kleberg County. For that service, contact Rosa’s office number at 361-595-8552.
Martinez with the VA said they will continue finding ways to make sure the unit shows up on schedule to veterans including those living in rural areas.
“VA Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System is committed to delivering healthcare as close to where veterans reside as possible and will work to improve communication when unforeseen changes present themselves by providing alternatives as needed. Should a veteran have questions about our MMU, please reach out to Ms. Sarah Luna at 855-865-0516,” Martinez said.
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