Question for Illinois Medical Card Holders with 3-Year Card

[ExNavyInSTL]

Last year, I got the 3-year version of Illinois' Medical Card.

I used a service called Veriheal.

After a year, they contacted me and said that even though I have a 3-year Card, I still must Zoom Call with their Doctor once a year.

I have looked, but can't find that requirement in the regs.

I ask because it is a $175 hit every time.

Has this also been your experience?

 

[Peat Phreak]

I'm not in IL, but my Google Fu is strong and I smell a rat. This says you only need to fully recertify once every three years. So it appears you are being scammed out of $350 every three years.

Extending or Renewing Your Medical Cannabis Registry E-Card

Currently, medical cannabis has two types of renewals: An extension renewal, which is a yearly incremental renewal for patients that did not purchase a three-year card at the onset of registering and wish to continue with the Medical Cannabis Patient Program. No Health Care Professional...

dph.illinois.gov

 

[Azimuth]

Just call the regulating agency in your state. They'll be able to tell you what you need to do to stay legal.

 

[CaptainLucky]

Last year, I got the 3-year version of Illinois' Medical Card.

I used a service called Veriheal.

After a year, they contacted me and said that even though I have a 3-year Card, I still must Zoom Call with their Doctor once a year.

I have looked, but can't find that requirement in the regs.

I ask because it is a $175 hit every time.

Has this also been your experience?

Call the Illinois Attorney General Fraud Division they handle your kind of cases. CL

 

[Azimuth]

And who knows, maybe there's a form that's required every year that they do as part of the consult, but that you could just as easily fill out yourself and save the scratch.

 

[ExNavyInSTL]

Thanks, everyone. I wanted to get real-world anecdotes before making the call to the state.

I'll do that, as soon as I narrow down what telephone number is the right one to stay on hold for an hour.

 

[CaptainLucky]

Thanks, everyone. I wanted to get real-world anecdotes before making the call to the state.

I'll do that, as soon as I narrow down what telephone number is the right one to stay on hold for an hour.

Ya gotta love our bureaucracy at hard work. lol CL

 

[ExNavyInSTL]

Ok, I called the state and they said they don't need anything from me until the 5-month window leading up to the expiration. That's my 5-month buffer, which is warning me I need to be proactive about renewing.

As for this situation, she said, the doctor who helped to get me into the system could have internal rules for this yearly requirement. And, IF, you don't play by their rules they can revoke you from their end and Illinois accepts their revocation. Then I have to start over.

She was very nice and helpful.

At least I got an education for my $175.

Next time, if I decide to switch who certifies me I at least know better to ask about their policy on follow-ups.

Speaking of follow-up, I write back about how it goes with the doctor tonight when I bring this up to him.

 

[Randar]

I would fight back big time on this. Even there website leads you to believe that it's not required:

I would at least do the chat on veriheal's website and ask the question. Their website is mis-leading if they require yearly doctor exams for a multi-year card. Even threatening to leave a bad review across multiple platforms could get them to change their mind.

 

[ExNavyInSTL]

I would fight back big time on this. Even there website leads you to believe that it's not required:

I would at least do the chat on veriheal's website and ask the question. Their website is mis-leading if they require yearly doctor exams for a multi-year card. Even threatening to leave a bad review across multiple platforms could get them to change their mind.

Randar: Awesome find. I will bring it up tonight.

 

[UrbanGardner]

Ok, I called the state and they said they don't need anything from me until the 5-month window leading up to the expiration. That's my 5-month buffer, which is warning me I need to be proactive about renewing.

As for this situation, she said, the doctor who helped to get me into the system could have internal rules for this yearly requirement. And, IF, you don't play by their rules they can revoke you from their end and Illinois accepts their revocation. Then I have to start over.

She was very nice and helpful.

At least I got an education for my $175.

Next time, if I decide to switch who certifies me I at least know better to ask about their policy on follow-ups.

Speaking of follow-up, I write back about how it goes with the doctor tonight when I bring this up to him.

I have had my Illinois medical card since 2020. Once you are certified you do not have to re-certify unless you let the card lapse. I made that mistake this summer. Then you need your doctor to send a new provider certification and start the process over. Sounds like a business that is praying on cannabis patients. My advice to you is ask your GP to certify you and not use the medical validation service.

Also be sure you have access to the state cannabis tracking portal: Illinois Cannabis Tracking System 8.0.28 - Sign On

Good luck!!

 

[OmarHinton]

It's a bummer that the process can be a bit tricky, especially when you let it lapse. It does seem like a hassle, but your advice about asking your GP to certify sounds like a solid workaround.

 

[OmarHinton]

By the way, have you heard anything about the process for getting a Medical Marijuana Card in New York? Always curious about the differences in these systems!