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Re: External Veteran Survey
N Y Business
I'd think they would also comply with the DOJ in making services accessible to disabled people including veterans.
On Thu, Mar 24, 2022 at 12:17 PM Jim Rau <jimrau@...> wrote: NO - I did not say VA does not have to provide captioning. VA is a part of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government and as such they are exempt form ADA. But they are bound by provisions of Section 503 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act which covers the same things.
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Re: External Veteran Survey
Jim Rau
NO - I did not say VA does not have to provide captioning. VA is a part of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government and as such they are exempt form ADA. But they are bound by provisions of Section 503 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act which covers the same things.
Gald to hear you are picking up ASL. I'm an advocate for ASL as well as hearing loops. I also want veterans to know how to advocate for their own health care. You are lucky you're only 180 miles (round trip from your VA. My VA is more than twice that far away. I hope you know that you are eligible for Community Care too.
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Re: External Veteran Survey
N Y Business
Yes I have a caption phone.... Hearing aids etc. and am slowly picking up some ASL. You say the VA doesn't have to provide CC of the deaf? The disabled hearing vets are denied the same consideration in getting their records online? and that is ok ? Really ? It's a 180 mile round trip to the VA for me..
On Thu, Mar 24, 2022 at 11:09 AM Jim Rau <jimrau@...> wrote: Black87........... , sorry to hear of you difficulties with VA. I certainly can't answer your questions about why audiology records are not viewable on "MyhealtheVet". VA needs to answer that. Personally I request a copy of my audiogram before I walk out of the office. Otherwise getting it later is a hassle.
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Re: External Veteran Survey
Jim Rau
Black87........... , sorry to hear of you difficulties with VA. I certainly can't answer your questions about why audiology records are not viewable on "MyhealtheVet". VA needs to answer that. Personally I request a copy of my audiogram before I walk out of the office. Otherwise getting it later is a hassle.
VA is not required to comply with ADA. BUT they are required to comply with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation act (the Federal version of ADA). So they are required to provide accommodations for deaf and HoH. I agree there should be more accommodations in place now. But we have a duty to REQUEST accommodations that we need. We have not done a god job of requesting. We were trained by the military to "get in line and shut up". Personally I take my remote mic and phone to my medical appointments. I ask the doctor to wear the mic so I can understand. They are very willing to do that. I also use my phone which has speech-to-text apps on it. It displays the voice of a person to text that I can read. Also, as a person who is deaf or HoH, you are entitled to use InnoCaption. It is a phone service you can get for free on your mobil phone which displays text. You can then have the VA call you at that number and be able to read the text of the caller's voice Consider joining us at the next meeting of the Veterans Across America Virtual Chapter meeting. We meet on the third Tuesday of each month on Zoom.
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Re: External Veteran Survey
N Y Business
I've been banned from the secure messaging app in my healthy web site for using it too much twice. The VA is not friendly to hearing impaired or deaf veterans. We are excluded from audiology medical medical records. You can get all other test results but not a hearing test results on line. The Patient advocate They are called patient advocate one day and veterans experience another is not on the veterans side so beware..
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Re: External Veteran Survey
N Y Business
I'm late to this conversation and new to the group.
I agree about the CC on the VVC. I wont it to be known that HOH and deaf veterans can't get audiology medical info through the My healthy Vet web site. You can get test results and Images of your colon , MRI and cat scans. ,, But not the results of your hearing test. Why is that?
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My Healthy Vet web site ADA discrimination..
N Y Business
Has anyone else noticed that in the VA medical portal called My Healthy Vet . That you can get all kind of medical information. all your blood tests, X rays, MRI's and cat scans and even colonoscopy results. Images too. Can you get a hearing test results? NO..Why is that?
Also there isn't closed caption in the VVC ( Veteran Video Connection appointments. ) Why is that ? Have you noticed that in spite of the PC team knowing you are hearing impaired or deaf that they insist on wanting to call? No one else noticed this?
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Re: Hands-Free Calling with the Latest Hearing Aid Technology
Jim Rau
Interesting Ron.
Phonak has had the same system out for a while now in their Paradise hearing aids. I tried them 6 months ago. There were two problems. First they could be very noisy on the other end. Since the hearing aid microphones are used to pick up the users voice they also pick up other ambient noise so the person on the other end hears all the ambient noise from the users end of the call. Second the system was unstable. It would randomly drop connections and change programs with no input from me. The phone app that Phonak had then was awful. I think they have improved it now. Even though my phone and hearing aids are new enough to support this system I'm not really interested in getting it. I think that the problems are indicative of the problems that will come with the new Bluetooth LE that they say will replace hearing loops. They have a lot of problems to work out before we see reliable Bluetooth LE audio.
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Hands-Free Calling with the Latest Hearing Aid Technology
Ronald Drach
FYI
Ron http://www.conceptscommunications.com/team/ronald-drach/ Begin forwarded message: From: "Hearing Associates of Northern Virginia, LLC" <admin@...> Date: March 15, 2022 at 9:53:26 AM EDT To: consultrwd@... Subject: Hands-Free Calling with the Latest Hearing Aid Technology Reply-To: admin@...  Hands-Free Calling with the Latest Hearing Aid Technology Good morning! We are pleased to share an update that might be helpful to Apple users. Apple has released a new protocol (Low Energy Audio, or LEA, 2.0) that allows the newest generations of hearing aids to be used as compatible headsets for convenient, hands-free, calling. Whereas previously users had to have their phones in their hands to be heard by their caller, now your phone can reside in your purse, your bag, or your pocket, and you can enjoy effortless, two-way streaming of phone calls. Right now, this update is coming from Apple only. We have not heard yet from Android when we can expect similar updates, but we will let you know when we do. What is required to achieve this? * Hands-free communication is available with iPhone 11 or later running iOS software 15.2 or later, and iPad running iPadOS 15.2 or later. * Newer generation (e.g., Oticon More, Widex Moment, Starkey Evolv, or Resound One) hearing aids that utilize Bluetooth connectivity. * Most likely, a firmware upgrade that can be easily performed in our office in five or ten minutes. We would like to invite anyone who wishes to obtain a firmware upgrade to take advantage of this Hands-Free Calling to stop by our office on Wednesday or Thursday of this week. We will update your firmware on your devices as a courtesy while you wait in our waiting area or your car for a curbside option, and we will offer you a sweet treat! If you need adjustments to your hearing devices or wish to talk about upgrading your technology, please call us at (703) 748-3300 to schedule a visit. When you stop in to visit us for your firmware upgrade, make sure to introduce yourself to our new administrative genius, Kate Kelly! Kate joined our team in January. She is a super fast learner and is already finding ways to help us improve our efficiency around the office. Welcome, Kate! Thanks for reading, and hope to see you soon! Dr. Crovato, Dr. Yunes, and Dr. Trinka This email and any files or attachments transmitted with it may be confidential and proprietary information of Hearing Associates of Northern Virginia, LLC. The information is solely for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that distribution or copying of this email is strictly prohibited. If you received this email in error, please notify us via the address which sent this information to you and destroy/delete the copy immediately.
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Event: Veterans Across America Virtual Chapter Meeting - 03/15/2022
#cal-reminder
HLAAVeterans@hlaagroups.hearingloss.org Calendar <noreply@...>
Reminder: Veterans Across America Virtual Chapter Meeting When: Where: Organizer: Carla Beyer-Smolin cbeyer-smolin@... Description: We invite VAAVC members to attend the next Veterans Across America Virtual Chapter Meeting (VAAVC) online using Zoom. Date: March 15, 2022 This will be an open meeting. We look forward to seeing you online. The HLAA Veterans Across America Virtual Chapter is sponsored exclusively by Starkey.
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Re: External Veteran Survey
Steve Sterry
Yes. But we don't know if the changes in LA are regional or VA wide. I have an appointment at the VA on Wednesday and will try to find out what I can.
Steven C. Sterry, M.A./M.B.A. 10149 Grayling AV. – Whittier, CA 90603-2608 Phone (562) 947-2258 Email: steve.sterry@...
On Sat, Mar 12, 2022 at 6:40 PM Jim Rau <jimrau@...> wrote: I did that a couple weeks ago. The Washington Hot Line was unaware of the WEBEX in CA. The last I heard of was that VA mandated use of VVC. Washington promised me that the web people at VA were working on getting captions on VVC and should have it up and running in a couple months. They weren't interested in using a "work-around" by using ASR over a third party call-in number (which they can already do). Not surprising to get more than one answer from one VA. Sort of like "if dad says no ask mom".
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Re: External Veteran Survey
Jim Rau
I did that a couple weeks ago. The Washington Hot Line was unaware of the WEBEX in CA. The last I heard of was that VA mandated use of VVC. Washington promised me that the web people at VA were working on getting captions on VVC and should have it up and running in a couple months. They weren't interested in using a "work-around" by using ASR over a third party call-in number (which they can already do). Not surprising to get more than one answer from one VA. Sort of like "if dad says no ask mom".
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Re: External Veteran Survey
Steve Sterry
I just found out that the VA in Southern California has switched to WEBEX for video conferencing. I used it yesterday and found that closed captioning is available. We might want to check with the national VA to see if this is a universal switch and if close captioning is included for all areas.
Steven C. Sterry, M.A./M.B.A. 10149 Grayling AV. – Whittier, CA 90603-2608 Phone (562) 947-2258 Email: steve.sterry@...
On Sat, Mar 12, 2022 at 4:40 PM Jim Rau <jimrau@...> wrote: Here are the "instructions" I said were needed for the survey.
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Re: External Veteran Survey
Jim Rau
Here are the "instructions" I said were needed for the survey.
Instructions:
This survey is designed to help us evaluate what accommodations VA currently offers for veterans who are deaf or hard of hearing. It also includes virtual appointments on the VVC (Veterans Video Connect) platform. We are not addressing mobility challenged or blind patients.
Communications access accommodations can be any of a wide range of things. One group of things is assistive listening devices. Some examples are pocket talker, FM and infra red audio transmission systems, and induction loops (hearing loops), or voice to text applications. Or it can be a person such as a stenographer that types voice which is displayed in text (CART), or a sign language interpreter. It can even be as simple as a white board or pencil and paper to write on.
Please select the one BEST answer for each question.
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Event: Veterans Across America Virtual Chapter Meeting - Tuesday, March 15, 2022
#cal-invite
HLAAVeterans@hlaagroups.hearingloss.org Calendar <noreply@...>
Veterans Across America Virtual Chapter Meeting When: Where: Organizer: Carla Beyer-Smolin cbeyer-smolin@... Description: We invite VAAVC members to attend the next Veterans Across America Virtual Chapter Meeting (VAAVC) online using Zoom. Date: March 15, 2022 This will be an open meeting. We look forward to seeing you online. The HLAA Veterans Across America Virtual Chapter is sponsored exclusively by Starkey.
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Re: External Veteran Survey
Jim Rau
What is posted are just the questions for your review and input.
The instructions are not yet written and will be included with the survey when it is sent out. We are considering whether we want to address just hearing loss issues or all communication access disabilities. I will draft some instruction for the survey and forward them to Carla. We will then post them on Veterans IO and Basecamp.
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Re: External Veteran Survey
Steve Sterry
Please see my notes in green: Veteran Communication access accommodation Question Title 1. Are you a veteran, veterans spouse, or veterans caregiver? No Question Title 2. Do you (or your veteran) receive health care from VA Yes No Question Title 3. Do you or your veteran require would you benefit from communication access accommodation? The term "communication access accommodation'' needs to be defined. Yes No Question Title 4. Have you or your veteran requested communication access accommodation from your VA facility? Examples of "communication access accommodation" need to be enumerated. Otherwise, any answer will be meaningless. Yes No Question Title 5. How was the request for communication access accommodation made? Verbally In writing Email Question Title 6. Was the request Granted Denied Ignored Question Title 7. If the request was granted was it provided not provided not provided yet Question Title 8. If communication access accommodation was provided was it Used not used did not work Question Title 9. Was VA communication access accommodation provided acceptable Yes No Question Title 10. Was getting communication access accommodation at your VA medical facility hard to get? No it was easy Had to work at it Very hard - had to get intervention Impossible
Steven C. Sterry, M.A./M.B.A. 10149 Grayling AV. – Whittier, CA 90603-2608 Phone (562) 947-2258 Email: steve.sterry@...
On Thu, Feb 24, 2022 at 3:01 PM Carla Beyer-Smolin <cbeyer-smolin@...> wrote:
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External Veteran Survey
Carla Beyer-Smolin
Hi Everyone, Question Title 1. Are you a veteran, veterans spouse, or veterans caregiver? No Question Title 2. Do you (or your veteran) receive health care from VA Yes No Question Title 3. Do you or your veteran require would you benefit from communication access accommodation? Yes No Question Title 4. Have you or your veteran requested communication access accommodation from your VA facility? Yes No Question Title 5. How was the request for communication access accommodation made? Verbally In writing Email Question Title 6. Was the request Granted Denied Ignored Question Title 7. If the request was granted was it provided not provided not provided yet Question Title 8. If communication access accommodation was provided was it Used not used did not work Question Title 9. Was VA communication access accommodation provided acceptable Yes No Question Title 10. Was getting communication access accommodation at your VA medical facility hard to get? No it was easy Had to work at it Very hard - had to get intervention Impossible Thanks for your time and input!
Best regards,
Carla Beyer-Smolin Chapter and Membership Coordinator Hearing Loss Association of America 6116 Executive Blvd, Suite 320 │Rockville, MD 20852 301.657.2248 ext. 101 | cbeyer-smolin@...│www.hearingloss.org “Like” us on Facebook│“Follow” us on Twitter Sign up for our free Hearing Life e-News
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Re: Event: Veterans Across America Virtual Chapter Meeting - 02/15/2022
#cal-reminder
Ronald Drach
Hey all!
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
I have lots going on with a couple of deadlines coming up. Sorry I am going to have to miss tonight AGAIN. Hope to see everyone next month. Ron http://www.conceptscommunications.com/team/ronald-drach/
On Feb 14, 2022, at 8:00 PM, HLAAVeterans@... Calendar <noreply@...> wrote:
Reminder: Veterans Across America Virtual Chapter Meeting When: Where: Organizer: Carla Beyer-Smolin cbeyer-smolin@... Description: We invite chapter members to attend the next Veterans Across America Virtual Chapter Meeting (VAAVC) online using Zoom. Date: February 15, 2022 This will be an open meeting. We look forward to seeing you online. The HLAA Veterans Across America Virtual Chapter is sponsored exclusively by Starkey.
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Event: Veterans Across America Virtual Chapter Meeting - 02/15/2022
#cal-reminder
HLAAVeterans@hlaagroups.hearingloss.org Calendar <noreply@...>
Reminder: Veterans Across America Virtual Chapter Meeting When: Where: Organizer: Carla Beyer-Smolin cbeyer-smolin@... Description: We invite chapter members to attend the next Veterans Across America Virtual Chapter Meeting (VAAVC) online using Zoom. Date: February 15, 2022 This will be an open meeting. We look forward to seeing you online. The HLAA Veterans Across America Virtual Chapter is sponsored exclusively by Starkey.
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