Veterans and OSA

by Bearcat42

Veterans of the US armed forces who are registered with the Department of Veterans Affairs, and who suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnea are in a somewhat different situation than those who are civilians. The process can be different for everyone regardless of if they are a civilian or military. VA hospitals should be dealing with OSA and veterans more closely than their civilian counterparts due to regulations in place for the treatment of the veteran who has OSA.

Here are some links concerning veterans [[1]] [[2]]

First of all comes the diagnosis by the veterans Team doctor.Each registered veteran is assigned to a Team and his/her doctor within their team is the primary caregiver for that veteran. Once the diagnosis has been made then the primary caregiver will order a sleep study. Now,within the veterans affairs, sleep study's can have a rather long waiting list so be prepared. Your sleep study may not be close to your home either. Each VA facility is set within a certain region and a sleep study can be performed in any equipped facility within your region so again,be prepared. Now your actual sleep study,or Polysomnogram,is something that is hard to prepare for in that it is different from any test you may have taken before. Your surroundings are different not to mention all of the wires and electrodes connected to your body. If your PSG is a two-part sleep study then about halfway through the test you will be awakened and placed on a CPAP machine in order to collect the data needed for the primary caregiver to make a prescription.

After completing the PSG you are sent home and told that your results should be in within 2 weeks. Again,be prepared for this to take longer than expected. Once your results are sent to your Team doctor,not you,then a prescription will be written and sent to the nearest VA hospital. Again you must wait for this order to be filled so keep exercising patience. When the day finally arrives and you are contacted to come to the VA hospital to pick up your CPAP machine,then your journey really begins.

Most veterans are generally seen by a Respiratory Therapist who will sit down with the veteran and explain the machine,the features,the mask,hose,humidifier(if ordered),and so on. A good RT will explain everything in detail including fitting your mask and hooking up the machine while you watch to make sure you understand how to operate the machine before you leave. It is a good idea to have any questions that you may have written down so you will not forget. Do not be afraid to ask if you don't understand something. Also,do not leave without a copy of your prescription. This is always an important piece of paper to have. Keep it where you wont forget where you put it. I keep mine with all of my VA paperwork. Be sure to get your RT contact information because this is your first line of defense if something goes wrong and you need a replacement part.

The VA is very good about replacing anything that goes wrong with your CPAP equipment. If it a minor replacement such as a mask or a hose then you will promptly be mailed a new one. If you are in need of a new machine or a humidifier then they may require that you travel to the VA hospital you went to when you picked up your machine. As a note,it is a good idea to take your data card with you whenever visiting the VA hospital to have the card downloaded. Any replacements are generally done at no cost to the veteran.