Veterans, what is your experience with the VA?

The VA is more than a medical service and I have had two experiences with it.

In the first case I applied for GI Bill benefits to supplement my income while learning a new career on the job. Yes, veterans could use their GI bill for OJT (maybe they still can). My employer filled out the forms and the benefits began almost immediately. Of course, that was about forty years ago.

About 30 years ago, I purchased a home using a GI loan. My application had been disapproved because the realtor made errors in the application. I fixed them, visited the VA offices in LA, and had my approval after a 15 minute wait and another 15 minutes in face time with the VA representative.

That was then.

This is now.

What's happened at the VA?

People are denied benefits.

Are the complaints all coming from people who were denied benefits because they simply didn't qualify?

That may explain some of it.

We read of corruption and secret waiting lists.

That can't be explained away. Something has happened.

I believe two things have happened.

Firstly, like the IRS, the VA may be weaponized to discomfort those who are opposed to the ideology that prevails in Washington. Veterans tend to be conservative. Their votes are not for sale like the unentitled who are selling theirs to incumbents and rewarded with entitlement programs.

Secondly, the staff at the VA, like all other bureaucracies, are members of public service unions. They weren't when I visited them and applied for benefits. The public service unions have sold their votes to the incumbents in exchange for generous wages and benefits, as well as retirement incomes that represent an unfunded liability that no amount of taxation can ever hope to pay. They have become self-serving. Their clients, us, the veterans, are nowhere on their radar.

Then again, I may be wrong...

Personal I haven't had the privilege of using the VA yet. My brother has medically retired and uses them a lot. He dosnt say anything bad about them and seems to be using them with no issues. Has his meds and anything else he needs. Just my .02 and I am here in KS

I need medical help and wont even go to them because I just dont trust them

My husband is a retired disabled veteran and he uses Walter Reed in Bethesda since we live in the D.C. metro. The procedures he's had done there are done with professionalism, but the follow up care are not. There are several of his doctors who could have better bedside manner, but I believe to be a problem in civilian medical field too. We plan to move to South Dakota in a few years so it'll be interesting to see the transition....

My dad also used fort Harrison and I have never heard him complain about it. Only thing he doesn't like is even if he comes and visits me and is almost out of meds they won't refill until he's close to being out.

It is what it is

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Contacted VA hospital, I needed test/monitoring of my Aorta Arch Aneurysm.. I was told by the VA that there would be a 6 month wait!! for an Aneurysm !!!, before I could even see a Doctor !! Needless to say I (because of excellent insurance) went to a well respected civilian Hospital, used the insurance to cover the medical costs.. Many other really Decent, Honorably Discharged Veterans may NOT have that luxury, not being able to afford civilian medical care, not wanting to loose their homes and leave their wife, and their children in the streets, they will neglect their health, try to save what they love, and unfortunately, they die before receiving the health care they need..

Overton Brooks VAMC in Shreveport seems very good. I have been a couple of times and found that some vets are driving over from Dallas, TX.

I was separated directly following AIT at Ft. Sam Houston and had surgery due to that service-connected (non-comp) injury back in 1995. This was at the VA hospital in San Antonio. It was a pretty awful experience for me, but I healed up and ended up going into the Navy (where I ended up having a procedure to fix the injured area after an aggravation). Since getting out of the Navy, I've not needed any treatment. All of my experiences with the VA on the education side of things have been great (and I even worked with vet education in higher ed for a bit).