The VA healthcare experience ~ North Chicago

I went to the VA federal facility in North Chicago today. I was expecting a facility that epitomized "shabby chic government" (in other words... cinderblock with gray metal doors). Was I stunned that the main building at Lovell is a brand new facility (Bldg. 133) and as nice as the new Sherman Hospital in Elgin, maybe even nicer than that. Wow.

It is also a facility that combines both Veteran services and active duty services. It took getting used to seeing Navy personnel walking around in Camouflage utilities (with a bluish tinge), black boots and standard cami covers (I thought they definitely were looking very "Marine" in the look versus the previous naval uniforms worn by the Navy while I was in the Corps). I really felt old walking through the hallways to be sure.

Speaking of hallways, they have a tramway that connects the buildings (that is as spartan "cement" that screams "government" as one would expect in a government facility - see video below).

 

 

I accomplished a lot while I was there. I confirmed my diagnosis of Gouty Arthritis at the Federal Lovell facility today. New medication has been added to my Rx war chest (in additional to the Allopurinol) and now I get a blood draw / labs every 3 months for the rest of my life (to monitor how allopurinol affects my kidneys). At least, I now have the definitive diagnosis.......

 

Building 135 on the other hand, was an old cinderblock / beige paint / beige doors with plexiglas sided window air conditioners with small rooms plus old desks type of building (now that felt familiar). The Illinois VSO's there were very helpful (unfortunately, I am still looking at over a year until my Disability Rating claim meanders its way through the process).

 

So, today was my indoctrination back into the full governmental process that I had left when I was discharged from the Marine Corps.... and I suspect it will be a part of me for the rest of my life.

 



http://corvetteraffle.com ~ We are up to 8 tickets sold. Also, Social Security listens and works with us. =)

http://corvetteraffle.com

We are up to 8 tickets out of 100 having been sold so far in the first 6 days of the raffle (so the amount is presently at $1,025.68 of the $12,500.00 goal).

For those people who have purchased tickets, please spread the news (the only way the raffle works is that all 100 tickets get sold). 92 more tickets to go.   =)

Social Security

We went to Social Security yesterday to go over Travis' hours at Walmart. Apparently, his income from Walmart is subsidized... which allows him to earn more money. We just have to figure out the % of the subsidy so we'll know just how many hours he can work. This threw us for a loop, but Social Security now has enough information in which to make a decision (hopefully within the next 3 to 5 months)..... depending on the government shutdown of course.

We also continued the effort for Social Security to re-open Penny's claim for Social Security Disability. We are trying to bypass "Res Judicata" as Social Security did not have all of her medical records and didn't have enough info to make their decision in 2008 (and since she did not have an Attorney then, I have to make it a priority to find a Attorney and fast to open that slim door).

VA Healthcare

I am going to North Chicago tomorrow for my Rheumatologist and Urologist consults. Keeping my fingers and toes crossed that they ultimately find the medical problem and come up with a plan to address it (and resolve it). I remain hopeful that my medical issues are not insurmountable.

http://corvetteraffle.com - a successful start to our Corvette raffle plus my unemployment issue has been partially resolved

Regarding the Corvette fundraiser.

5 tickets out of 100 have been sold so far in the first 2 days of the raffle.  =)

For those people who have purchased tickets, please spread the news (the only way the raffle works is that all 100 tickets get sold): The site is now easy to remember (I got the domain name from GoDaddy 99 cents for one year.... wow!!!!) http://corvetteraffle.com now points to the crowdtilt.com website directly so it is easy to remember.

95 more tickets to go. In the interim, here are a couple of more pictures showing the Vette's excellent condition).  =) 

Regarding Penny's medical coverage.

So far, we still have Penny's "Cobra" covered so she retains Blue Cross / Blue Shield..... however, we are scrambling to find alternative insurance as her "Cobra" ends soon (its already been over a year). This is due to the uncertainty of Obamacare and the Marketplace ( https://www.healthcare.gov ). Unfortunately, the Illinois marketplace website seems to be permanently broken. I've been trying since Midnight on October 1 (at least 6 times per day) to access the site and each time, the site doesn't accept my credentials.... the login site states that many are trying to access and to wait..... or the system is down for maintenance. I am trying to weigh my options, and I cannot move forward without knowing what those options are. Very hard to do when one cannot get past step 1. Considering that Penny's next Cystoscopy is in December or January, we have to have everything worked out, and a broken / horribly designed website is preventing us from moving forward.

Oy and Vey!!!  =(

Regarding my unemployment.

Today I called IDES (Illinois Unemployment) in Springfield as I was getting nowhere with the Elgin IDES office. Springfield indicated I was only on Tier 2, not tier 3 (the statements never show which Tier someone is on). Unfortunately, my next check will only be slightly over $100.00 (the end of tier 2) and tier 3 doesn't kick in until 2 weeks after that at the normal "sequester" funding level. Unemployment will end tho on 12/28 (no matter what) unless Congress extends EUC after 12/28 (so we will not know anything until the last minute). So in the interim, we will be short over $580 next week (which hurts.... a lot).

So, time to get creative...unfortunately, a yard sale isn't possible given the rain predicted for this coming weekend (it has rained 2 weekends in a row)... so I will have to figure out something else (as the mortgage & utilities won't wait for the state to wire us a check).  =(

Regarding my traversing the VA Healthcare system.

I will be seeing the psychiatrist at the VA clinic tomorrow (and I go to North Chicago on Thursday to see the Rheumatologist and the Urologist). The hunt for what my medical problems are continue....

Regarding Social Security.

We received a slew of paperwork from Social Security (which we filled out this weekend). I will be faxing that paperwork to them tomorrow morning. I suspect we won't know anything for at least another 4 to 6 months (as the Government Shutdown will affect claims processing).

Regarding the VA Disability rating claim.

We are into month 6 and no word on the claim process. I suspect we won't know anything for at least another 12 months (as the Government Shutdown will affect claims processing at the VA also).

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So, that's where we stand at this point. "Hurry up and wait" (while the world and creditors won't wait to take their pound of flesh) ...........   =(

Our fundraiser for the 1984 Corvette has started.

Here it is folks. Our fundraiser for the 1984 Corvette (1st place) and a Dell Laptop (2nd place) has started. 100 tickets available @ $128.21 each. This means, each ticket has a 1 in 100 chance to win a Corvette or a Dell Laptop. Proceeds will be going towards our continued costs as my unemployment Tier 3 benefits is ending in 2 weeks. 

Our fundraising ticket website at www.crowdtilt.com

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Please help us... help ourselves. You could win our 1984 Chevy Corvette (it is red and has 68,500 miles). All you have to do is contribute $128.21 per ticket & you'll have at least 1 chance out of 100 to win either the 1st prize (a beautiful "Red" 1984 Chevy Corvette) or the 2nd prize (a Dell Laptop configured just for you). Once you commit to the purchase of a ticket, your charge card will not be charged until we reach our goal of $12,500.00.

Our story:

• My wife's name is Penny Andersen. She has been disabled for years as she is a gunshot victim (she was at the wrong place at the wrong time) and she has permanent limitations regarding her left arm. She almost died from sepsis 18 months ago (after the removal of a Stage 1 High Grade cancer tumor). She has undergone 7 cystoscopies (5 of them involved cancer tumor removal), BCG treatment, and Chemotherapy. In the interim, we have incurred over $100,000.00 in medical costs. Her latest cystoscopy on 09/06/13 showed that she was finally in remission (and that her bladder did not need to be removed. We have been paying for her "Cobra" for over a year and a fundraiser last March (that raised $20,000.00) helped us pay down that debt plus paid for her "Cobra" payment and allowed us to stay in our home.

• My name is Steinar Andersen & I am an 50 year old unemployed Veteran. I've been unemployed for over a year now (and my unemployment Tier 3 federal benefits end in 2 weeks). I am presently receiving VA healthcare (I was just approved almost a year after I applied) and I am also waiting for a determination of a service related disability rating (as I have multiple medical problems) plus I am waiting for a Social Security Disability decision. I have been working since I was 14 years old and this is the first time I have been unemployed for over a month in my life.

• Our son's name is Travis Zurawski.He was born premature and spent his first 3 months of life in a neonatal unit (due to multiple problems including collapsed lungs, eye, ear, and developmental issues). He was given no chances to have a normal life and since then, we all have worked hard to help him become a young man capable of contributing and interacting with.... society. Despite his deficits (partial CP, Autistic Traits, and 59 IQ), he finished High School via the Sedom program. He presently has a girlfriend and works Part Timefor the Huntley Walmart (where he does janitorial services and cart service). We are presently waiting for a Social Security Disability decision on him.

Once all 100 tickets are purchased, our pastor (Pastor Adam Miller) at Fox Valley Church "Pingree Grove, Illinois" will pick the winner from a jar (which will be filled with the ticket holder's names). There will be one winner for the 1984 Corvette, one winner for the Dell laptop, and two winners for a Chicago Bears / Chicago Blackhawks (or a team of the winner's choice) Candy Jar personally crafted by my wife, Penny.

How did we get a Corvette and why did we get it? Steinar has been using a Chrysler Sebring as his daily driver for 16 months. As it had 185,000 miles (and was on its second engine), it became expendable as Steinar had picked up a 1997 Ford Handicap Van over 2 months ago for the purpose of being able to drive a vehicle given his recent joint/rheumatologic problems (he could no longer drive the Sebring when having a major gout attack). So he started bartering in order to get a vehicle that they could do a fundraiser with. He traded the Sebring for a 2006 Chevy Uplander and then traded a month later for the 1984 Corvette.

We are doing this fundraiser as Steinar's unemployment benefits are running out in 2 weeks (100 tickets will equal $12,500.00 after the 2.5% fee crowdtilt.com charges), and these funds will allow the Andersen family to remain in their home and pay for Penny's medical premium / medication / cystoscopies for the next 6 months (until the disability decisions are made by the VA and the Social Security Administration).

We are grateful to all who participated in our previous fundraiser (that helped us make it this far)  and to whom participate in this fundraiser. =)

For more information on who we are and on our life's journey, please go to our blog @ http://alifesquest.blogspot.com

God Bless,

Steinar and Penny Andersen

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I will drive / drop off the Corvette or the Dell Laptop  to any Local contributors (within 100 miles) who is the announced winner. Any winner beyond 100 miles will need to make transport arrangements to receive the Corvette or fly/drive to Chicago to pick up the Corvette at our home. Any non local winner of the Dell Laptop will receive it via USPS insured mail. Winner is responsible for the taxes / registration / title transfer regarding the Corvette. 

New siding (in one day). The continued power of immigrant labor.

Our house in 2006:

Our house as of last night:

The Eco-shield siding crew arrived on Friday around 7:00 am to start the work (with the materials dropped off at 6:30 am onto our lawn). Again, only one person out of the seven spoke English (alas).   =( 

So, I again stood off to the side to watch the process (and I stayed outside all day to make sure all aspects were done and nothing was skimped on... especially concentrating on making sure I was also seen by the crew that I was taking pictures of the process). Most important to me was that the wood on the siding was in good shape (it was, no small feat as the siding is 110 years old) and that the Dow underlayment was installed correctly along with the PlyDry housewrap vapor barrier to ensure no leaks around the house (and no open exposed areas like there was before the siding replacement today).

Below are the pictures from start to finish (and as of tonight, we officially have new 30 to 50 year siding).  =)  Over $16,000.00 in repairs (and again, still pretty wild considering we are on our last few dollars in the bank).

What a great country we live in.  =)

Now we just need to sell the Corvette in order to survive the next 4 months.