Recieving V.A. prescribtions through mail forwarding service question(s)

[Sniper]

According to boss in these parts, and barring some unforeseen major issue, we will be full timing this time next year. I get ALL my medical needs met through the Veterans Administration including medications in which they mail to me every 90 days. These aren't nice to have medications, these are MUST have medications. So are these mail forwarding services timely? Will they forward meds to a campground, even if it's a State Park? Should I open a P.O. Box in the nearest town where we may be work camping? Is that even legal? (I get no narcotic meds by the way)

We will domicile in South Dakota, and taking others advice we joined Escapees and will most likely use their service in Box Elder. (We are familiar with that area and the Black Hills will be our first stop) I will also process through the V.A. in either Sturgis or Hot Springs. Any and all info and advice to help alleviate what is probably MY biggest concern about hitting the road, would be greatly appreciated. I simply CAN NOT run out of these meds.

Thanks again, and safe travels.

 

[BouseBill]

Sniper, I too get all my meds from the VA, we NORMALLY move twice a year and so far have had NO problems with our summer change. If we are workcamping for less than 6 months I use General Delivery for the Post Office if the local Postmaster has no heartburn with it. So far the VA has had no problem with using the General Delivery address. The big item is getting the change of address to your pharmacy in time.
If you plan on moving more frequently, then your mail forwarding company may be a better solution
.
We also use Amer. Mail Box in Box Elder for our regular mail and they are a great company to work with, You can go online and change your mail delivery preferences as often/necessary as required.

Good luck :0 and welcome to full-timing

 

[Sniper]

Sniper, I too get all my meds from the VA, we NORMALLY move twice a year and so far have had NO problems with our summer change. If we are workcamping for less than 6 months I use General Delivery for the Post Office if the local Postmaster has no heartburn with it. So far the VA has had no problem with using the General Delivery address. The big item is getting the change of address to your pharmacy in time.
If you plan on moving more frequently, then your mail forwarding company may be a better solution
.
We also use Amer. Mail Box in Box Elder for our regular mail and they are a great company to work with, You can go online and change your mail delivery preferences as often/necessary as required.

Good luck :0 and welcome to full-timing

Thanks Bill I appreciate your reply. So lets say I get in processed in to the V.A. in Sturgis, and use the Box Elder address and the V.A. sends my meds to that address, then the forwarding service (box elder address) forwards that mail to the campground, or state park, or where ever I request? Is that correct?

 

[BouseBill]

Sniper, AMB sends mail via USPS, The address you want your mail to go to must be in the address verification database, so I would think if you're at a campground you'd have to use the nearest Post Office. Shipment scheduling is entirely up to you.
I would call them, like I said they are great folks to work with.

 

[Sniper]

Sniper, AMB sends mail via USPS, The address you want your mail to go to must be in the address verification database, so I would think if you're at a campground you'd have to use the nearest Post Office. Shipment scheduling is entirely up to you.
I would call them, like I said they are great folks to work with.

Thank you. Much appreciated. Thank you for your service and WELCOME HOME!

 

[Garypowell]

I don't think I would have VA change the address frequently. I would establish something (you mentioned SD) and have the VA start shipping there a few months before you hit the road full time so it is well established. I would do this with all of your regular mail too. Mail forwarding services are usually very good.

When we went full time between 1996 and 1998 I used my sisters place in FL and started a few months before we moved to insure all went smoothly. We had payments coming to our company that we relied on.

The fun story is that UPS was just getting into the overnight business but did not have their act together. We established an account and overnighted everthing every other week or so. About 90% of the time they did not make it overnight so I would call and complain and they would cancel the charges.......so we still got second or sometimes third day service for free. Even back then it was usually $10 - $13 charges but for over a year we paid very little. I don't think that happens much anymore.

 

[Sniper]

I don't think I would have VA change the address frequently. I would establish something (you mentioned SD) and have the VA start shipping there a few months before you hit the road full time so it is well established. I would do this with all of your regular mail too. Mail forwarding services are usually very good.

When we went full time between 1996 and 1998 I used my sisters place in FL and started a few months before we moved to insure all went smoothly. We had payments coming to our company that we relied on.

The fun story is that UPS was just getting into the overnight business but did not have their act together. We established an account and overnighted everthing every other week or so. About 90% of the time they did not make it overnight so I would call and complain and they would cancel the charges.......so we still got second or sometimes third day service for free. Even back then it was usually $10 - $13 charges but for over a year we paid very little. I don't think that happens much anymore.

We plan to domicile in SD using the Box Elder address, and I will process in to one of the V.A.'s in that area using the Box Elder address, with that service forwarding my meds, (and mail) and NEVER using any other address. Sorry if I wasn't clear on that. I have no intentions of changing my address every time we "move" to another location. The V.A. has enough problems without me adding to them LOL I trying to figure out the best, and safest way to ensure that my meds are forwarded by the forwarding mail service in Box Elder to where ever I may be. I'm probably making it more complicated than it is.

 

[kowAlski631]

We used a mail forwarding system also. It worked out well for our meds. We'd notify the campground office that we were expecting a package and never once had a problem.

 

[Sniper]

We used a mail forwarding system also. It worked out well for our meds. We'd notify the campground office that we were expecting a package and never once had a problem.

Thanks Paul. I'm glad to hear that, it makes me feel better. Like I said, getting those meds is perhaps my greatest concern about hitting the road full time. I have to have em'. I do want to add that the V.A. has taken great care my broken down arse.

 

[olcoon]

If you are staying at a private campground/park, getting your mail sent to the campground office shouldn't be a problem, they do it all the time. However if you are at a public government operated campground (state park, etc), even if you are work camping there they "may" not accept your mail. We volunteered for the USFS a few years ago, and had to get a PO box at the local post office, as they wouldn't accept mail for us, or UPS & FED-X packages. Actually we prefer the PO box if we are going to be anchored someplace for a few months, especially with a government operated campground...keeps "confusion" to a minimum!

 

[Sniper]

If you are staying at a private campground/park, getting your mail sent to the campground office shouldn't be a problem, they do it all the time. However if you are at a public government operated campground (state park, etc), even if you are work camping there they "may" not accept your mail. We volunteered for the USFS a few years ago, and had to get a PO box at the local post office, as they wouldn't accept mail for us, or UPS & FED-X packages. Actually we prefer the PO box if we are going to be anchored someplace for a few months, especially with a government operated campground...keeps "confusion" to a minimum!

Thanks. I really appreciate your input. Starting to feel a little more comfortable about a mail forwarding service with each reply.

Safe travels.

 

[olcoon]

Glad I could help, when we are on the road for an extended period we use a different forwarding service, and haven't had any problems. As we usually don't get any critical mail, (bills are paid online, etc), we'll have them send it usually once a month. I'll usually have enough meds to last until we get home. I also go to the VA, but believe it or not I can get my meds cheaper through the insurance company than VA!

 

[Lance & Jo]

We have used the Escapees mail service since 2001 and am retired Navy using Express Scripts for meds. It is easy to plan ahead for mail delivery and have never had a problem although it does get a little tricky once you get outside of the U.S.

 

[MTPockets]

We've been full time 4 1/2 years, use our FL mail forwarding address for everything. We do have meds and always check before we have mail sent, to verify if our physical location accepts mail, how they handle it after it arrives, and general mail security. If we don't feel comfortable with them we use the nearest Post Office addressed to us and General Delivery and ship via Priority Mail. Check also to verify that the Post Office accepts General Delivery Mail. There are a few locations that do not. It has always worked well.

 

[wdk450]

I fulltime, and use a local UPS store mailbox as my mailing address. I send a free E-FAX via the internet to the UPS store when I want a load of mail forwarded. I use FAX to notify them because the family that runs the UPS Store in Sacramento is from India, and sometimes we have verbal misunderstandings. The UPS store has a credit card on file for the forwarding and annual mailbox charges. Although the UPS store manager can forward to either a USPS General Delivery or UPS delivery address, I have had problems with USPS General delivery. One time the General Delivery did not go to the nearest Post Office zip code which was P.O. box delivery only, and my mail went to the next higher level Post Office 30 miles away. Recently I specified a USPS zip code in a suburban are of San Diego, and when I went to pick up my mail they told me that "This office does not do General Delivery mail". My mail forward package (with a prescription in it) sat somewhere in the Chula Vista area that the mail people could not find, and after 30 days got returned to my mailbox in Sacramento. Then it got sent to me in another mail forward at another place. Fortunately, I worked out the missing prescription with Kaiser HMO.
The UPS store manager doesn't worry about postal regulations about forwarding prescriptions through the mail, she just forwards everything. If you cannot come up with an address for UPS to deliver to, UPS will deliver to another UPS Store on your end, but the store will charge you $5 for receiving your package for you.

 

[danemayer]

In 2012 when we were traveling all over the place, I found that not all Post Office locations handle General Delivery. I had to call each prospective delivery location and ask. Several referred me to the nearest location that did.

 

[iowaone]

I always check on my phone USPS app to find post offices close by. It list services they provide and hours. General Delivery will be listed if they accept it. This year we did have one package of prescriptions hung up for 5 extra days in Jacksonville FL for no apparent reason. It was first class and had a tracking number so we were able to find it.

 

[Sniper]

Thanks everyone for your input. I'm feeling better about it. Seems there are many good folks doing it with out issue. I appreciate all your reply's.