Well, that is the issue. My husband is also partially reliant upon the VA for medical care. Thank goodness he checked around before giving up his primary medical insurance because trying to get help from the VA has been nearly impossible. He has difficulty understanding the dr. when he does actually see him (rarely) because the dr. has a strong accent. There is no way to actually speak with the dr by phone without a very long wait-weeks. If there is a mix up and a phone appt. is missed the veteran will be penalized even if it has not been due to his own fault. I could say more but I would imagine you have run into some of these situations. Where is medical care in all this? It is definitely the lowest priority in a system that is not working to benefit the health of the subscriber-you. The alternative health field is not going to accept insurance anyway so no loss if you don't have another form of insurance than the VA. But it is not inexpensive to visit those practitioners. If you can afford it that is really the way to go if the treatment you have been receiving is not helping you.