VeTALKX: 2024 Veterans Town Hall. Watch Now!

It is appalling to me that the VA can't do better for it's Veterans. Yet we can hand out $MILLIONS TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND PROVIDE THEM FREE HOUSING. While myself and other Veterans have to wait years for Claims and Appeals. I personally have been waiting almost 3 years for my appeal. And I have heard of others waiting 7 or more and others that have filed simple claims and have been waiting over a year. Anyone over the age of 50 should be a priority. Be a unlike current Veterans, we weren't told about our right to VA benefits when we got out. For the past 10-15 years, active duty military can apply for VA benefits up to 6 months prior to getting out. Must be nice because I wasn't even aware I could get VA benefits until 11 years after I left active duty. It's a damn shame the way we are treated.

At one point, Jan 2023, found myself in homeless & desperate position. I finally reached out to VA homelessness program in El Paso, TX, and received lackluster assistance from VA program staff, Ashley Lamell, the SSVF affiliated agencies, both Endeavors & American GI Forum. Case management was deplorable, rapid housing was & still is nonexistent, & custodians with job titles like Case Manager, Housing or Employment Coordinator, and Director/CEO of Agency, failed to deliver program objectives. Sent several emails & made calls to inquire about progress in housing, employment, etc., pertaining to my case. Was met with remedial responses, victim blaming and shaming, and at times, told "No, our agency isn't allowed to cover moving expenses." And things of that nature. But what incensed me more, mu case Manager emailed, 7 days prior to March 1st, when rent was due, that I had exhausted nine months of monies/rental financial assistance & dropped from their files w/out proper notification, given list of names & tel phone numbers to reach out for assistance. This lead to an immediate EVICTION NOTICE, which was filed & complied with by Judge, and causing remarkable dent in my credit file let alone my rental history. Waa this homelessness program meant as a joke? Be ause guess what? Guess who is homeless again? I am. Not one director, CEO, case Manager bothered to do their job as outlined in CFR. Instead, they blamed, scoffed, and upheld their ignorance by saying, (Karen Land in San Antonio), "We've helped you since January 2023, we did all we could for an entire year & can't continue to provide assistance." WOW!!! Words of support, guidance, and integrity to duty couldn't be made clear like hers. Let's give her a raise and a vacation home in Hawaii!!

If a veteran was injured in Basic Training, Was diagnosed by a VA Doctors after being taken to hospital via ambulance with the injuries and was recommended he be discharged and the physician wrote notes in his medical file that he had a preexisting condition from playing football/ sports. But this was not on the MEPs entrance physical and the veteran never played sports. Why is there no accountability for the injuries and veteran keeps being denied disability and treatment for those injuries even with proof that VA has had since 2006 that he didn’t have preexisting conditions nor did he ever play sports at anytime in his life before entry in the Military.

I was denied caregiver service stipend request because they neglected to review two huge medical files that definitely would have qualified me. One was a neurology file, the other was my 100% total and permanent determination made just 3 months earlier. Now I have to appeal the decision and I am told it will take 12-18 months to get an answer. My caregiver will leave long before then, because I cannot pay him. Mark Osborn -0454. [login to see] . [login to see]

Why the Veterans Board of Appeals take more than 2 years to review a Claim I have been waiting since August 2022 for my case to be view by a judge. In the mean time struggling to get by due to the VA denying my claim for TBI under SMC R1

I have been encouraged twice now by the VA IG to file a FTCA suit against the VA for malpractice and abuse by the VA. My medical records and history were shared contrary to my consent or direction to non-healthcare individuals with no right or need to know causing grievance harm.

Nurse practitioners routinely made absurd diagnoses that I had to get corrected with MD’s. I have stopped contacting the IG as it seems clear there is no accountability and it is a waste of my time to request help. This is the ‘tip of the iceberg’.

Each VAHCS seems to be its own relative fiefdom and the command climate varies from HCS to HCS. In my experience, only half of these VAHCS have patient advocates that will even respond to a patient. In one incident I was told contrary to Federal regulations and state law that HIPAA prevents them as mandated reporters from reporting financial exploitation or abuse of vulnerable individuals. The law is clear that their inaction constituted a misdemeanor criminal infraction. VA regulations clearly states that their position is completely wrong, and yet they stubbornly committed the crimes of omission. Nothing was done by the VA to address these crimes.

The APA ethical standards used to dictate that only Psychiatrists and Psychologists make mental health diagnoses. Now numerous clinicians (social workers, nurse practitioners and the like.) with a fraction of the qualifications or vetting are allowed to do so. The PhD’s at NAMRL in Pensacola were livid when the DoN willfully violated this in the 1990’s. The basis for their outrage has not changed but the permission structure has. This seems to be a function of monetary and budget considerations rather than what is best for the veterans and service members. It harkens back to the disgraceful incident of disabled dazed veterans with traumatic brain injuries found wondering around unsupervised on the grounds of Walter Reed. Corrective action was taken then.

My plea is that it be done again and that a blue ribbon panel investigate the shortfalls in care that exist by having under qualified caregivers in all aspects of VA care. I further ask that those unfit to be in health care be held accountable and purged. There are countless examples of averice driven decisions harming patients in the private sector. Please ensure that budget decisions are weighed carefully. If the budget is insufficient, then lobby congress and enlist the help of us veterans if necessary.

There are personnel that Mother Teresa would have admired. Get rid of those at the other end of the spectrum.

Why does it take so long to get a mental-health counseling appointment? Not to mention Community Care doesn't even seem to be an option for this — why not?

Why can't all Disabled Veterans receive Dental Care especially the senior ones on a fixed income especially with healthy teeth a major component of us staying healthy?

My wife left her job on 27th of February to give me home hemodialysis which requires a care giver. just doing that service is 7 hours 4 days a week. We were denied by the VA to let her be my home care provider care. I believe home hemodialysis is not in the criteria of the evaluation board. We are in the process of applying again. I wrote a point paper about the Home Hemodialysis even explaining that this method may have a high start up cost but in the long run saves the VA money. VA pays for my dialysis but now they don't have to pay facility or staff cost. Why does my wife have to give up her employment to provide me life sustaining, lengthening, and enhancing specialized care while saving the VA money and not get selected as a home care provider.

Angry social worker called and got me kicked out of my suicide prevention program , than blocked me from seeing my assigned VA mental health provider . Than flagged my behavior of saying , I am on suicide watch . My complaint to the VA hot line and Veterans affairs was blocked by , and defended by the va clinic and a group of social workers . How can they edit complaints , protect Hippa complaints , push a veteran into suicide ?