What do you think are the largest issues facing the Veteran community?

I served overseas at Camp Carroll and traveled to other bases also listed in other dooming reports as bad as the one quoted below by a News Agency.
I have lots of health issues which are NOT being covered by my disability rating which should be.
My liver isn't working well and I have a cancer that is actively being monitored but not treated. I am only 57.

I am but 1 of hundreds of thousands who have served overseas in the last several decades, yet this is something no-one knows anything about. It's not talked about. It's not covered or included in Disability ratings reviews. They ignore it if you even bring it up. It's in their drinking water and has been for decades but it never makes the evening news.

Over 100 Kinds of Chemicals Dumped at Camp Carroll

Area D in Camp Carroll in Chilgok, North Gyeongsang Province was used as a
landfill for more than 100 kinds of hazardous and toxic materials between 1977
and 1982.
A joint investigation by Korea and the U.S. is under way, triggered by revelations
from veterans that they buried large quantities of the lethal defoliant Agent
Orange at the camp in 1978.
Hazardous waste was buried at Area D for six years, starting in 1977, according to a report compiled by Samsung C&T Corporation, which conducted a probe at
Areas D and 41 in the camp at the request of the U.S. Far East Command in 2003.
In 1982-1983, large amounts of chemicals and contaminated soil were dug up
again and put into 55-gallon (approximately 208-liter) drums, but where they were disposed of is not known. Contaminated residues could still remain at the site, the report says.

The above is OLD News. Nothing was ever done about this. The US says it's Korea's issue to clean up. Korea says the US should fix it. Meanwhile nobody does anything.

The VA doesn't pay nearly enough to vets to live off of. I am rated at 70% and have been unable to work for about a decade. I'm only 57 yrs old. I don't get enough to afford rent on my own.
I have very bad allergies and am forced to live with family that smoke because there is no way to afford rent, utilities, groceries, a car, clothes, OTC medical supplies, etc. on a 70% disability check each month.
Annual Disability increases should not be tied to SS increases.
Some of us have lost limbs and sustained great bodily injury in service to our country. When this 1 check is all we've got to live off of it needs to be able to allow us to live a decent life. Our ability to work for ourselves and earn a living was taken permanently away from us. We deserve more.
Also, the way that additional health issues are rated and the way that rating is added to the current one is highly unfair toward the veteran and their living expenses. I require lots of over-the-counter items each month which are out of pocket that I would not otherwise need except for the health issues that I struggle with daily.
The local VA hospital rushes us through appointments like we're on a high-speed assembly line and don't take anywhere close to enough time to evaluate us properly or really talk to us about all of our health concerns. I'm told that they get bonuses according to the total number of patients seen each month at each location so management creates hostile work environments for their providers by rushing and pushing them to work ever faster.
My local VA is always losing providers and taking months to recruit due to their pressure cooker work environment. My annual physical has already been changed 5 times since June and it was scheduled a year ago. The first change was less than a week before I was due to appear for it. I'm still waiting.
I am told often by my local VA that if anything else comes up between annual health checkups not to wait until the next year but to come to the ER right away. Even they admit it's not worth waiting months for an opening to try to see your regular provider about a health concern.
I need Dental care desperately and can't afford to get a dental plan on my own because they are very expensive and offer minimal coverage when you buy them individually.
Dental health can impact your heart health and other organs and can worsen or even cause depression yet it is something that never gets mentioned as a necessary health care need.
The VA needs to provide Dental and basic eye health care and basic glasses for each veteran. If we can't get paid nearly enough to live on our own, how can we afford to keep up with rising health care costs on our own outside of the VA?

I think the biggest issue for me is that getting approval for certain ailments after going to my Primary Care Provider in the Community Care program takes too long. I also think that there should be more feedback from those who use Community Care so we can make more improvements to the program.

The treatment in Primary care is missing a great deal of

One issue at my VA is the lack of providers. They lose providers frequently and are always hiring and it takes months to fill the positions. The management forces their doctors to see patients in the least amount of time possible and run the veterans in and out like they are on a high-speed assembly line. I was told by 1 provider that the VA locations get paid according to how many veterans they see each month so they get fat bonuses in their wallets by overworking and rushing their staff which creates a high-pressure tough place to do your job which results in high turnover for providers and very low-quality care for the veterans. I've had my annual physical moved and rescheduled about 5 times so far, and that's just since late June. My list of things that need to be checked medically grows constantly because they allow so little time to be seen during any appointment that the provider can only address 1 or two items per visit and visits are MONTHS apart. Dental and vision need to be covered by the VA as well. Most Vets can't afford any outside medical insurance and depend solely on the VA for all of the care that they can provide. Also, many veterans have had their lives permanently altered from serving their country, so WHY are annual VA raises in disability benefits tied to match what SS gives? It should be more than that. Also, why is there such a major difference in payouts for disability benefits between 70, 80, 90, and 100%? Between 90 and 100% the monthly payout almost doubles. I'm rated at 70% but have been unable to work for almost a decade already and VA Disability benefits are ALL that I have to live on. It's not enough to keep up with inflation. I have to live with family because I can't afford a place of my own. I have serious allergies and the person that I live with is a smoker, so it's tough. I am being punished financially because I haven't been rated at 90% or higher. There are vets living on VA disability alone who are not rated over 50-60% by the VA in some cases because health issues prevent us from working, yet the VA says we don't qualify for a higher percentage rating. Plus the way that additional rated items are figured in is against the veteran and in favor of saving the VA money. If I do get another health issue rated and (let's say 30%) added to my existing 70% then that only moves me to 79% and I get paid just 1 level higher at 80% rate as it gets rounded up for payout purposes only to the nearest level. That still gets me a minimal extra amount each month to live off of. Veterans need more monthly income, much larger raises than SS gets, and Dental and Vision coverage. for at least urgent health needs or maybe with a co-pay depending on disability level, etc.

Communicating with civilians. Being understood. The main group of people that “get” me are vets. I don’t translate well to civilians. Leads to feeling lonely and different

Homeless Veteran shelters and the ability to help homeless Veterans file their disability claims while homeless, some have problems concentrating and need a VSO who can walk them through the process and arrange for transportation to any necessary PT exams as well as keep them informed of the process of their claim.

The veteran has a lot of issues that they face.
1. A veteran is denied a claim for disability that happened to them while on active duty when the medical record has multiple entries showing the veteran receiving treatment while on active duty and the injury/disability is still present and has gotten worse since exiting active duty.
2. A veteran cannot get a medical appointment with the VA in a timely manner for a disability and becomes frustrated with the appointment red tape and gives up with begging for an appointment for a disability that is clearly a result from military service.
3. There are thousands of veterans that have applied for The Camp Lejeune Water Contamination and The Burn Pit Bill. Veterans and their family have and still are suffering now but the VA along with Congress continue kicking the can down the road.

I'll say this, QTC is a company that schedules appointments for veterans filing for dissability, or Vets trying to get their VA rating boosted, Since June 10th I've been given at the least 10 different answers to the same exact question, then today I am told they will now not be covering my Mileage for the 260 mile round trip I took and paid a friend to take me on this trip too see a dentist that they had initially set up for me, but on the 26 I had to cancel that days apt because I couldn't afford to pay someone to take me on that day. That day, I let them know 4 hours early that I would be unable to make the appointment, the person who took that call on the 26th submitted paperwork saying I was a no show for the apt, "found that out today" on the 26th an hour after letting QTS know I was unable to make the scheduled apt the Dental Office reached out to me and asked if I'd like to reschedule the visit, I did, and it was reset to the 11th of July, I paid $150.00 out of my pocket for the 260 mile round trip, "didn't eat for 3 1/2 half days because I had spent my food budget cash for travel to appointment. Then I receive an email from them read bellow

August 2, 2022


Dear Mr Merrow;

On behalf of QTC, we appreciate the constructive feedback you recently provided and sincerely apologize for falling short in meeting your examination expectations.

It is our mission to provide each active duty service member and veteran with a high quality, timely evaluation, while delivering exceptional customer service. We are continuously looking for ways to further improve the overall examinee experience, and feedback like yours is pivotal to that process. Please know that your concerns are receiving our full attention and we are actively taking steps to ensure this situation is properly addressed.

QTC traced the check that was sent on 5/26/2022 and it was determined that it had not been cashed a stop payment has been put on that check. In regards to your question regarding if you will be billed for your visit on 7.11.22 we cannot speak to any appointment or services where the appointment was not made by QTC. So at this time since QTC is not showing this appointment so no check will be issued.

Again, we thank you for taking the time to share your comments with us. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at [login to see] ext. 60247 or via email [login to see] .


Very Respectfully,


Tessa Sula
Veteran Service Coordinator

I am left feeling like I mean nothing to them, In short telling me I should know there company's S.O. P. which is impossible considering I don't work for them.

I think that the new choice program is draining resources and funding from the VA. I have seen civilian doctors and VA doctors. Doctors at the VA, understand our unique health risk due to our military service and exposure. They are on the lookout spend the time reviewing medical history to ensure proper treatment. I called the VA to see a doctor for a sprained wrist, and the operator told me about the choice program and told me I could go to Walgreen or CVS, something like that, instead of coming into the ER. I sat at the pharmacy for five hours waiting to see the doctor who referred me to go to the VA ER. I went the next day to the VA ER and was seen within 15 minutes. Choice helps me how? Before choice, I had surgery, the VA set up all my pre-appointments and had my funding set up and approved, and had my surgery within a month. After choice, I had to have the same operation a second time. It took two years and the cost in 2010 was 7k and the cost in 2015 was around 45k. Same operation. The choice program had me go through so much unnecessary testing, it took forever then it cost the tax paper a lot more. This is one person's experience but two different experiences dealing with the choice program. Explain to me how spreading out all this money in the community is helping vets. wouldn't it be better to invest more money into the VA where the staff and doctors know how to treat veterans and understand our issues and complex problems?