Veterans In Pain -
V.I.P.
  • Home
  • Origin Story
  • Veterans
    • Veteran Resources
    • SGB Application Form
    • Cervigard Request Form
    • MRI 411
    • Override Pain Program
    • Document Downloads
    • VSO Resource Locator
  • Testimonials
  • Team V.I.P.
  • Blog
  • VIP FAQ
  • Legislation
  • VIP Manifesto for Change
  • Sign In
  • Create Account

  • My Account
  • Signed in as:

  • filler@godaddy.com


  • My Account
  • Sign out

Veterans In Pain -
V.I.P.

Signed in as:

filler@godaddy.com

  • Home
  • Origin Story
  • Veterans
    • Veteran Resources
    • SGB Application Form
    • Cervigard Request Form
    • MRI 411
    • Override Pain Program
    • Document Downloads
    • VSO Resource Locator
  • Testimonials
  • Team V.I.P.
  • Blog
  • VIP FAQ
  • Legislation
  • VIP Manifesto for Change

Account


  • My Account
  • Sign out


  • Sign In
  • My Account

VIP FAQ


What is Veterans In Pain VIP?

Veterans In Pain VIP facilitates Regenerative and Alternative medical solutions for Veterans suffering from chronic pain, by connecting civilian physicians with our country’s Heroes, nationwide. 

VIP Is:

📍A GuideStar Platinum-Certified Nonprofit

📍Certified Resource of DOD Sanctioned National Resource Directory

📍Certified-Resource of Wounded Warrior Project

📍Regenerative Medicine Foundation, Member

📍Interventional OrthoBiologics Foundation IOF, Endorsed

📍American Academy/Association of Orthopedic Medicine, Endorsed

📍Regenexx Physician Network - Endorsed

How and Why Was VIP Established?

After Micaela Bensko battled a devastating chronic pain disease of the spinal cord, it was Regenerative Medicine which changed the life. Having been Vice President of her family’s nonprofit Rebuilding America’s Warriors RAW (pro bono reconstructive procedures for combat-wounded Veterans) Bensko became keenly aware of how few therapeutic pain solutions were accessible to Veterans, and branched off to establish Veteran In Pain VIP. Since its inception in 2018, VIP has developed a national network of over 200 VIP Physicians, and facilitated millions of dollars in value of services to hundreds of United States Veterans who had otherwise lost hope. 

  • Origin Video https://youtu.be/pvyXthwPSAQ
  • Awareness Building

https://youtube.com/channel/UCSUa6LnxOBHTOKambEvEy7g

  • The Gulf War Advocate Podcast Interview:

https://youtu.be/Aol5z-3x644

What Type of Pain Conditions Does VIP Address?

  • Degenerative Joint Disease - Shoulders, Knees, hips, feet
  • Degenerative Disc Disease of the spine
  • TBI
  • PTSD
  • Erectile Dysfunction related to Spine Injury
  • Systemic Toxicity

What Kind of Therapy Does VIP Facilitate?

  • Injectable Regenerative Solutions 

    PRP Platelet Rich Plasma

    BMA(C) Bone Marrow Aspirate 

  • SGB Stellate Ganglion Block
  • Intensive HBOT Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy programs
  • Intensive IV Ketamine Therapy 
  • Plant-Based Therapy 
  • Peptides
  • CBD
  • Various Therapeutic Device Options 

What Are VIP’s Applicant Requirements 

  • V.I.P. Veteran Application Form
  • V.I.P. Waiver of Liability
  • Submission of DD214
  • Submission of Drivers Lisence
  • Access to MRI’s of areas of concern, conducted within the previous 9-12 months 
  • Veteran is Officially Cancer Free for at least one year. 
  • Veteran is devoid of Heart Disease
  • Veteran is free of anticoagulants
  • Annual Household Income 
  • *We do NOT discriminate as to pre or post 9/11, by Disability Rating, armed forces, or whether one is combat-wounded. 

What Percentage of Donations Go Directly to the Program?

Veterans In Pain VIP is an all-volunteer organization. No individual receives payment or a salary. Only a small portion goes toward website maintenance, online administrative programs, office supplies, and apps we utilize to make our facilitations possible. 

What Do the Rest of the Donations Go Toward?

Although VIP Physicians volunteer their services at no cost to our Veterans, there are often hard costs associated with treatment such as OR fees, medical supplies, Nursing Assistance, etc. as well as  travel and accommodations for those needing to travel for treatment, and associated costs. 

When our funding levels allow, VIP covers the above for Veterans in need of fiscal support. However, without funding, these costs become the burden of the Veteran. 

How Can a Physician Apply to our VIP Family of Physicians?

Please visit the following link:

https://veteransinpain.org/physician-entry-form

Is Treatment through VIP Pro Bono? 

VIP facilities access to otherwise costly medical solutions which are often cash-based and outside of Insurance coverage eligibility. Therapies facilitated through VIP are provided at a 70% - 100% reduction in usual and customary costs. Any remaining hard costs are covered by the Veteran, unless VIP has the funding levels to do so on the Veteran’s behalf. 

What Do You Mean by “Hard Costs”?

VIP Physicians volunteer their services such as consultation and the act of conducting the actual procedure(s) or therapy. “Hard costs” are any costs necessary for treatment to occur.

If VIP funding levels allow, VIP works to cover these costs on behalf of the Veteran. 

Another way to help reduce certain hard costs, is to provide the Physician’s office with your insurance information, for any items eligible for insurance coverage, and would be processed as “insurance-only”. 

Hard Cost Example:

Normally the cost of a BMAC procedure to address a Degenerative Disc of the spine would begin at approximately $12,000 cash. 

Through VIP:

Operating Room Fee $1,600

Nursing Assistant Fee $600

BMAC Kit approximately $500 or Free if donated

Total: 

$2,700 approximately a 73% reduction in usual cost. 

Hard costs vary with every procedure according to the complexity and needs of each case. 

Additional forms of facilitated therapies are also pro bono or discounted. 

How Can We Reduce My Treatment’s Hard Costs? 

Please visit our Veteran Resources page https://veteransinpain.org/veteran-resources

Through PRP / BMA(C) Kit Donations

Another way to reduce Veteran-costs is through donation of the kits required for PRP and BMA(C) procedures. These are generously donated to qualifying cases by EmCyte Corporation. The Physician’s office is to reach out to MBensko@VeteransInPain.org and we will connect them directly with EmCyte for this request. 

Injectable Product Needs

For Injectable product needs, we work diligently to facilitate such requests pro bono, at-cost, or discounted.

What Does the Veteran Application Process Look Like?

Each VIP Veteran Applicant conducts a 3- Step entry process including the Application, Waiver, and Step 3 Intake Call for a comprehensive review of their case and candidacy for the Regenerative and Interventional solutions we facilitate. 

Step 1: “V.I.P. Veteran Entry Form" at: https://form.jotform.com/83447588257169

Step 2: “Veterans In Pain (V.I.P.) Waiver of Liability" at: https://form.jotform.com/200095106365044

Step 3: Schedule Phone Intake Session

www.Calendly.com/vetsinpain/veteran 

What Do You Discuss During the Veteran’s Step 3 Intake Call?

The Intake Call is to ensure each Veteran is well prepared for a Regenerative-based consultation by 

  • conducting a comprehensive and personalized review of the Veteran’s case history
  • triage conditions
  • explanation of the soft-tissue and inflammatory origin of chronic pain and degenerative conditions
  • imaging requirements
  • overview of available pre and post adjunct therapies / support measures and lifestyle guidance for optimal results
  • the complexities and origin of chronic pain
  • additional Interventional options available through our program for PTSD, TBI such as Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Ketamine, Peptides, Stellate Ganglion Blocks, and more
  • the VIP Physician Workflow
  • a grounding perspective on our treatment directives for optimal post-procedure results.
  • and more. 

What is the Veteran/Physician Workflow Like?

In a nutshell:

  • VIP emails a VIP Veteran Case Summary to the Physician or specialist who accepts or denies the case
  • The Veteran is notified of their Physician-match and schedules their Consultation 
  • If the Veteran is Approved for procedure(s), the office is to notify VIP of any Kit(s) or Injectable product(s) requests and VIP will attempt to have these donated or provided at a reduced cost. 
  • Procedure date is scheduled 

VIP Physicians volunteer their consultations and their services at no cost to the Veteran, while VIP or the Veteran covers hard-costs, depending on our current funding levels. 

I am a Veteran Matched with a VIP Physician, Now What?

Once you have been scheduled for a Consultation:

Make sure your MRI Imaging in accessible formats. If it is a local in-person  consult this would be a CD/disc. If your physician match is out of state, your consultation may then be by Tele-health for which we request you either fedex a disc of your images to the physician’s office ahead of time, or upload the MRI imaging to a shareable Dropbox folder or upload them to your myhealthevet account for link sharing. 

If you have been approved for a procedure by your VIP Physician, do not schedule any procedure until:

you have confirmed exactly what, if any, hard costs might be included. Often times there are no hard costs. Other times, especially with Bone Marrow Aspirate procedures, there may be a need for an operating room setting for sterility purposes. Ask yourself if you can cover these costs.

If funding levels allow , Veterans In Pain VIP may cover such expenses. If lack of funding levels prevents us from doing so, please refer to our Veteran Resources page at https://veteransinpain.org/veteran-resources highlighting trusted nonprofits to which you may apply for funding.

In Summary

Please be aware of ALL potential hard costs of your procedure(s) PRIOR to scheduling the actual procedure date. 

  • procedure hard costs
  • hotel costs
  • meal costs
  • travel costs

Travel

Pro bono air travel is available through our partners at Veterans Airlift Command. You may apply at www.veteransairlift.org VAC facilitates longer-haul flights via volunteer private pilots for VIP Veterans to and from treatment. 

For shorter West regional flights we refer to Angle Flight West www.AngelFlightWest.org 

Applying for Travel

Know the following before filling out the Flight application form

  • you MUST mention you are a VIP Veteran to qualify for flights
  • your departure and return dates
  • your actual procedure date / time
  • VIP Physician’s name, number, and office address 
  • weight and height for each passenger (each Veteran may bring a companion)
  • DOB for each passenger 
  • the nearest private air field to your home, and to the VIP Physician’s office
  • service animals are allowed
  • Angel Flight West requires a medical form to be signed by your own personal physician to clear you medically for travel

VIP SOCIAL MEDIA

T @Veteransinpain

FB @VetsInPain

IG @VeteransInPainVIP

Informative Links

📍Veterans In Pain VIP Origin Story

https://youtu.be/pvyXthwPSAQ

📍 What Determines the Efficacy of a Regenerative Procedure

https://veteransinpain.org/blog/f/what-determines-the-efficacy-of-an-orthobiologic-protocol

Our VIP Regenerative Procedure Directives

www.veteransinpain.org/treatment-directives

What is PRP?

https://youtu.be/4X2bWNCAv-o

What is BMAC?

https://veteransinpain.org/blog/f/what-is-bmac

Sound-Derived PTSD & Stem Cells

https://youtu.be/KdjZ-tpmtDA

What is Hyperbaric Therapy? VIP facilitates HBO Therapy through various solution partners around the country from 40-60 day Pro Bono residential programs:

Interview with VIP Director of Oxygen Therapies, and Founder of Healing AZ Veterans, Neurologist, Dr Carol Henricks

https://youtu.be/64QnVM9baeQ

Veteran-Friendly Discounted HBOT Facilities:

www.TreatNow.org

HBOT 101

A Deep Dive into HBOT Therapy by Micaela Bensko

What is Ketamine Therapy?

Our Veterans & Ketamine

https://veteransinpain.org/blog/f/our-veterans-and-ketamine

Ketamine 101

An Interview with Dr Stephen Reichbach

https://youtu.be/iuHl_67WQmA

Ayahuasca and Veterans

Interview with Jesse Gould of Heroic Hearts Project

https://youtu.be/qu8ij_LZgmA

A Moment with VIP Physician John Ferrell of ROSM

https://youtu.be/cfXIcGbVcog

Stellate Ganglion Block for PTSD - A Veteran’s Story by James Roberg, with premiere expert in SGB, Dr James Lynch 

https://veteransinpain.org/blog/f/a-veteran’s-sgb-story

VIP Virtual Pain Coaching with Override, founded by 9th Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and VIP Advisory Council Member, Dr David Shulkin

Press Release:

https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/616173021/veterans-gain-access-to-a-proven-protocol-for-combating-chronic-pain-through-a-new-national-partnership

https://veteransinpain.org/blog/f/vip-override-accessible-pain-coaching

Discounted CBD Solutions through our Partnership with Kuribl

https://kuribl.com/

How to Manage Systemic Inflammation from Chronic Pain

https://veteransinpain.org/blog/f/how-to-manage-systemic-inflammation-of-chronic-pain

How to Obtain MRI Imagery / Reports 

https://veteransinpain.org/mri-411

Obtaining MRI / Reports via MyHealtheVet

https://veteransinpain.org/blog/f/how-to-obtain-imageryreports-on-myhealthevet

Cervical Spine Tool: VIP Partners with Cervigard, the Kessler Foundation-Backed Therapeutic Cervical Spine Correction Tool

https://veteransinpain.org/blog/f/veterans-in-pain-vip-partners-with-kessler--backed-cervigard

VIP Cervigard Veteran

https://veteransinpain.org/blog/f/cervigard-case-of-the-month

EmCyte Donates PRP/BMAC Kits Helping to Eliminate Hard Costs for VIP Veterans

EmCyte & Gulf Coast Biologics Partner with Veterans In Pain VIP

Pro Bono Private Pilot Air Transportation is Provided for VIP Veterans via Veterans Airlift Command

www.VeteransAirlift.org

Residential Substance Abuse and Mental Health Support Program Tactical Recovery

https://veteransinpain.org/blog/f/substance-abuse-mental-health-with-tactical-recovery

Peptide Therapies

Dr Kent Holtorf of Holtorf Medical Group leads our Peptides division, providing discounted IV and Peptide therapies for VIP Veterans 

https://holtorfmed.com/our-services

Copyright © 2018 Veterans In Pain (V.I.P.) - All Rights Reserved. Los Angeles, CA 


Powered by

  • Home
  • Origin Story
  • Veteran Resources
  • SGB Application Form
  • Cervigard Request Form
  • MRI 411
  • Override Pain Program
  • Document Downloads
  • VSO Resource Locator
  • Testimonials
  • Team V.I.P.
  • Blog
  • Privacy Policy
  • VIP FAQ
  • Legislation
  • VIP Manifesto for Change