First off, nothing short of perfect ever deserves 5 stars…read more That being said, the Huntington VA hospital is actually, by far, above and beyond any other facility I have been to. Ranging from ER to Mental Health, the staff (of whom I'm met many) are almost always very nice and courteous and more than willing to get you any help you might need. Shout-out to the nurses and doctors working in the ICU because they quite literally saved my life. Yes, you have to do a means test before receiving treatment. That is because it is a FEDERAL hospital, which means they are REQUIRED to do so, in order to determine the extent they can treat you without any payment. This is BECAUSE you are a veteran, not in spite of it. Believe it or not, being a veteran doesn't entitle you to full (read:free) healthcare benefits if you make more money than is allowed by their guidelines. This will be the same at ANY VA hospital. It is a federal regulation, NOT 'the way management likes to do things'. There are 0 'financial hoops' to jump through. Plus, it literally takes about five minutes. And, just an FYI, VA hospitals have almost nothing to do with a veteran receiving disability compensation. They do the medical examinations and report their findings/thoughts and you're examined by a different doctor at a different facility than your own. You are awarded/denied disability by Veteran Affairs' compensation department.

Hello, I am a…read moreretired career Marine. I just attempted to get an appointment concerning painful urination with very weak stream and blood in urine. Not pleasant. Upon reaching a live human I was forward to a "means testing" line where that person was not available at the current time. The computer told me to leave a message and they would get back to me as soon as possible. It's been hours and still no contact. Firstly, It annoys me that a 'mean test' is required 'before' consideration of treatment. This is not acceptable policy. Good grief, take care of us vets first then get any needed financial information. Hey, it isn't just my current problem. I had a kidney stone several years ago. I was in agony and went to their emergency room for relief. Believe it or not, they sent me into a tiny room for a "means testing' interview with me doubled over in pain. I was not pleased then and nothing has changed since then. This is a disgusting policy and is one of the reason is stay away from them as much as I can. But, in the end, when in pain and needing help I should be able to get it at this VA hospital without jumping through financial hoops first. It's obvious where their managements first priorities lie and it is not in serving the needs of the nations veterans. William D. Boyd