Nick's Daily Journal: July 3, 2013

Usually the third day of the month has me feeling great; however, today I find myself in really deep shit!

First, I checked my bank account and found that the deposit of my Social Security check is $177.00 short. I know where the money went: the Veterans Administration had the Treasury Department withhold $157.00 because I'm not paying the copay for my prescription medications fast enough. THe additional $20.00 is what the Treasury Department charges me for the privilege of withholding my money.

SHIT!

OK, let me try to explain. When I first signed up for VA benefits I had no copay because I had no income. If you've followed my Nick's Bytes blog through the years, you may remember that there was a time back in 2007 when I was homeless and penniless. Encouraged by my eldest son, Nick III, I enrolled in VA benefits, which obtained for me much needed medical services. Since I had no income (and no money in the bank), there was no copay for services/ medications.

At the same time that I enrolled in VA services, again at the suggestion of Nick III, I applied for Social Security disability. I really did not think that I was disabled. Call that denial on my past, for I was immediately approved as "totally and permanently disabled" and within three months received my first Social Security benefit check. I have since turned 65-years-old and now receive regular Social Security.

Back to the VA: once I reported an income, I was required to pay the Veterans Administration a $6.00 copay for each prescribed medication per month. That was not financially difficult because back then I was prescribed only three medications: 2 for genetic depression and one for diabetes plus the diabetes testing supplies. Since all VA prescriptions are provided in 90-day increments, I was paying a copay of only $24.00 every three months, which was very affordable.

However, the VA increased the copay to $8.00/month and, as you probably are probably aware, my health has declined greatly since 2007. Now I take 16 prescribed medications so that the VA copay is $128.00 per month which, since each medication is provided in 90 increments, comes to a billing of $384.00 t one time. I set up a schedule with VA that I would pay $100.00 per month, which is difficult on my limited income, but affordable. (I usually run out of money by the middle of each month).

All went well until about a year ago when my car broke down and I was forced to have it repaired Therefore, I was unable to pay the full $100.00. Since then, the VA periodically (like every two months) has the Treasury Department withhold anywhere from $150.00 to $200.00 from my Social Security. I never know when that will happen because I am not informed of it until after it is done.

Since January of this year, I have had $452.00 withhold from the Social Security checks. The $177.00 withheld this month is the largest ever. I have Medicare Rx supplemental insurance that can pay for medications, but the Veterans Administration refuses to accept it since Medicare in a federal program and some idiot regulation refuses to allow one federal agency to accept payment from another even though the insurance is through AARP, which is not a government agency.

If none of this makes sense to you, please understand that it makes no sense to me either.

Sooooooo, baseline is that I begin this month with $177.00 less money than I expected. [sigh]

Please understand me: I am not bitching about the VA. The agency has saved my life. I am concerned that no matter how I try to make ends meet, no matter how much of my property I sell, I find that my "retirement" is far from comfortable.

On a happier note, the kitty kids and Little Girl's kitten bring great joy into my life! Here are a few of the most recent photographs I have taken of Alex, Sugar, Little Girl and her 3 beautiful kittens: