Request for Asst from My PCP
This complaint concerns the Kaiser Permanente facility located at 700 2nd St NE, Washington, DC 20002 (Internal Medicine, Capitol Hill). On 18 March 2026 at 7:58 a.m. and 7:59 a.m., I sent secure messages to two of my treating physicians—Dr. Samuel Stone Ballew, D.O., and Dr. Earl John Delacruz Mauricio, M.D.—requesting updated Verification of Treatment (VOT) letters in support of my Reasonable Accommodation recertification. This was not a new request; both physicians have provided these documents for me in the past.
Dr. Mauricio returned his completed and signed VOT the same morning at 8:34 a.m. However, I am still awaiting the completed VOT from Dr. Ballew. I followed up again on 20 March at 9:27 a.m., and Dr. Ballew responded at 4:37 p.m., stating that he had forwarded the request to Medical Records and would review and sign once processed. I thanked him and noted that the process appeared inconsistent, as Dr. Mauricio had completed his form within the hour.
On 23 March at 4:36 p.m., I received a KP.org message from “Your Healthcare Team” indicating that HIMS had received my request but required additional information. They asked me to complete a Patient Information Sheet and resubmit all documents. On 24 March at 7:04 a.m., I sent the VOT, Patient Information Sheet, and Kaiser Medical Release Form back to Dr. Ballew. By this point, I had already begun calling Membership Services, HIMS, and multiple departments seeking assistance. Several representatives informed me that the physician could sign the VOT directly, but Dr. Ballew continued to route the request to HIMS.
On 25 March at 1:13 p.m., I received another message from “Your Healthcare Team” confirming receipt of my request. At 1:31 p.m., I again messaged Dr. Ballew requesting his signature on the attached VOT. He did not respond and has not responded since. As of today, I still do not have a signed document from him, despite multiple attempts on 18, 20, 23, 24, and 25 March.
Throughout this process, I spoke with numerous Kaiser representatives, including Jasmine (Membership Services) on 24 March at 7:38 a.m., Charles on 30 March, Ms. Sacora on 31 March at 7:16 a.m., Merna on 31 March at 7:36 a.m., and Mr. Abdella on 31 March at 8:03 a.m. I also spoke with a supervisor, Mr. Jarvis (301-931-4079), who involved a nurse and stated that the request had been forwarded to Dr. Felicia Patel, the covering physician during Dr. Ballew’s leave. I was told she would sign the VOT, but that did not occur. Follow-up calls to Mr. Jarvis went to voicemail, and he has not returned my message.
On 1 April 2026, I went in person to the Kaiser Medical Records department. The staff member informed me that Dr. Patel declined to sign the VOT and that I would need to wait until Dr. Ballew returns on 15 April.
This experience has caused significant stress and anxiety. As a federal employee with the Department of Defense, timely completion of this documentation is essential. Instead of receiving support, I encountered repeated delays, miscommunication, and lack of follow-through. This location already holds a D- rating with the Better Business Bureau, and based on my experience, I understand why. Kaiser has failed to provide the level of care and responsiveness expected, and Dr. Ballew’s handling of this matter has created unnecessary hardship.
