Wheelchair Rant

Six or seven years ago I got a, "Smart Drive" motor assist manual wheelchair from the VA in Pittsburgh, PA. Late last year it crapped out. I used it till it totally stopped functioning! I also had completely worn out the armrests on the wheelchair; they were tattered, the armrest covers had completely disintegrated and the rubber cushions were totally exposed. So, it was time to replace it! Obviously, my first resource was the VA. Dealing with the VA became my first obstacle! Since I have returned to North Central Kansas in recent years, the Veteran's Administration in Pittsburgh, PA was no longer the right route to take. I needed to work with the Hays, KS VA office. It only took one phone call to deduce that that was not the ticket! The Hays VA clinic had me contact the Wichita VA center and they advised me that I had to be evaluated by the Wichita, KS VA center before it could help. Well, that presented a real issue. I do not have a driver's license or a car and I live alone, 200 miles from Wichita! I decided I needed to investigate the second option, Medicare! Medicare- Sure, An efficient bureaucracy is the greatest threat to liberty. The only thing that saves us from bureaucracy is its inefficiency. Bureaucracy is more people doing less things, and taking more time to do them worse. A bureaucrat is an official who is clothed with power and whom it doesn't fit. Do you get the sense that I'm frustrated? My request has been denied twice by Medicare! The first time someone failed to either cross a "t" or dot an "i". So the provider had to correct the error and resubmit. The second denial was because buried in all the backup documentation was a statement (probably a checkmark on some list of capabilities) that I could walk a mile! I think I remember making that mistake, scratching it out, and answering "No". Obviously too confusing for a bureaucrat to decipher. I have not been that ambulatory for years! Anyway, I await an appeal decision. Stay tuned, film at 10.