Another VA horror story

December 5, 2011

I do not have all the information you may be seeking, but I do have limited experience with the V.A. and what they "offer." I watched for years as my step-dad would have incident after incident and appointment after appointment to receive the care he needed to feel better. Most of the time, it was to try a new round of prescription drugs which would work for awhile, until the dose needed to be increased and increased until the drug was no longer effective, at which time they would try another round of different drugs. This went on for years, eventually getting him addicted to the notorious Oxycontin. I've never fully understood what he went through, but I do know that every time he went to the V.A. and came back, it was for more prescription medications. There were several times he would admit himself into their hospital to get off the drugs they had originally prescribed, only to turn around and be given a different drug. It's a vicious cycle and one that I personally believe goes deeper and further up the chain than the local V.A. Hospitals. Unfortunately my step-dad, Travis Bennett, overdosed on the prescription medication that was given to him by the V.A. It's unfortunate. Although the V.A. is not entirely to blame, where else does a person turn when they've repeatedly asked for help, only to be given a room and some time and then shuffled off with another prescription drug? It's insanity... This is my experience, and although it is very limited, it upsets me to think there are other families going through the exact same issues!