r/VeteransAffairs

Went to the ED today and turns out I broke a bone in my ankle.
I’m in a temporary splint held together with an elastic bandage.

They called me as I was leaving to get me scheduled.

Ortho is 70ish days out
Community care is 30 out ONCE CC gets my referral done and sent over.

But until then… I can’t just sit and wait around. It could heal completely wrong. There could be a tendon or ligament that’s damaged and I won’t get an MRI until AFTER I first see an orthopedist.

This splint will only last days.

I guess what are my options? Do I call a patient advocate?

70% VA rated.

So pretty much I just got a commercial driving job. I went to get my medical card and got flagged for needing a sleep study. My medical DOT card is valid till the 27th of October.

Went to my PCP and she helped me get a referral for a sleep study. The sleep center called me back and couldn't get me in till 21 September and that's just for a consult. In that time frame it's probably going to be about the 15th of October till I get a sleep study done possibly longer.

So my solution is just to pay out of pocket for a DOT approved at home sleep study. For the sake of argument let's just say it comes out positive (I have been observed gasping for air while sleeping) and I need a CPAP. The at home study price includes a prescription for a CPAP if I need one.

My main question is with the diagnosis from a doctor and a prescription, how would I go about getting the VA to pay for my CPAP so I can get an extension on my DOT medical card while I sleep in compliance with the treatment (they need 90 days to issue a 1 year) and I don't think they will give me any type of extension without at least showing the CPAP was ordered and I'm just waiting on it.

I go through the community care program as the VA is too far from me and I can't seem to find any answers. I can't really afford $1000 plus right now for a CPAP out of pocket especially while covering the sleep study myself because no one will help me get an at home study.

I’m 57 and I’ve only been with the VA for 3 1/2 years. I recently received an inheritance and would like to retire early. Yes I have money saved up but I’m wondering if I should wait till learn 62 so that I’m not only vested, but I can get health benefits. I really don’t want to wait. Please be kind in your comments as I’m just trying to figure it out if I should work another 4.5 years and retire at 62 or I should just take the inheritance and call it good. Worried health insurance will be pricey. I’m a pact nurse.
House is paid off with no debt

I keep seeing a certain type of VA content where every improvement is treated like a conspiracy, every bad decision is proof the entire system is broken, and any disagreement gets framed as “you must be defending the administration.”

That’s what I jokingly call Doug Collins Medically Unexplained Illness: a condition where people become incapable of acknowledging a positive result because the name Doug Collins is attached to it.

To be clear: VA absolutely makes errors. Veterans should appeal bad decisions, request higher-level review when appropriate, submit evidence, and hold the agency accountable. Nobody is saying otherwise. A denial is not automatically correct just because VA issued it.
But “VA makes mistakes” and “every decision is garbage, every rater is incompetent, and the entire backlog is fake” are two completely different claims.

The backlog is not some made-up number. It means claims pending more than 125 days. VA reported that the disability backlog fell below 100,000 in February 2026 for the first time since 2020, and it was below 75,000 for more than a month by early June. VA also reported an average compensation decision time of 78.6 days at the end of May. Those results do not mean every claim is perfect. They do mean people are working hard and a lot of decisions are getting out the door.

The real conversation should be: How do we improve accuracy while improving timeliness? How do veterans identify legitimate errors? How do we teach people to read a rating decision, understand why VA decided what it decided, and use the appeal options correctly?
Instead, some influencers build an audience by keeping people angry. “The VA is always screwing you” gets clicks. Fear sells consultations. Outrage sells memberships. Weaponizing followers against every employee, every leader, or every positive data point does not help the veteran waiting on a claim.

You can criticize VA. You can criticize Doug Collins. You can criticize the administration. That is fair game. But if you refuse to acknowledge any improvement, you are not educating people you are feeding them a narrative.
I’m speaking in my personal capacity: good work is being done. Errors still happen. Both things can be true at the same time.

I purchased a home recently in my state of Louisiana. I was awarded the purple heart twice and given a 90% service connected pension. My state offers tax reductions up to a certain value. WHY ARE NONE OF THE VA OFFICES OPEN? I need a A25 form to take to my city....my local VA office...not answering calls to schedule apps (no walk ins apparently anymore....) the regional number in New Orleans is disconnected and I have yet to find another way....

I contacted a office west of me about 30 mins give or take and they actually answered. I explained my situation then asked "wtf is going on around here with the VA" and she said this has been ongoing for sometime and that they feel* they are the only office to field calls with how many come thru there.

Called the capital front desk (national number) to speak to my district rep....got hung up on after being put on hold for a few mins.... lmmfao

Can not find a form A25 online or I would do all of this on my own...

I’m thinking about writing a personal statement for my mental health claim and just wanted to get some opinions from people who have done one before.

A lot of what I went through was never documented while I was in, including an SA that happened during deployment. It was a really difficult topic for me to talk about at the time, so I never really opened up about it or got it documented.

Do you think writing a personal statement explaining what happened, when my mental health started getting worse, and how it still affects me now would actually help my claim?

Would appreciate hearing anyone’s experience, especially if you also didn’t have much documentation from service.

Recently took a position as a social worker in one of the smaller cities on the east coast. I'm about a month in, I'm one of those workers who just has a standard for myself about the quality of my work. I like to know that I'm doing good work and that if someone has a question for me, I'm able to answer it confidently. I'm making guides for nearly everything I do within reason. I found myself today just defeated. My coworkers assure me that I'm doing fine and will give me praise for catching on but it's honestly hard to judge if they mean it. How common are days where you feel like you have no idea what you're doing? And how long could I expect this?

Thanks for any responses.

Soooo I have a trip that’s looking like 3 weeks basically next summer. And I just got hired, but have not started yet nor signed the official job letter yet as they haven’t sent it to me yet.

Now I will be a brand new hire, so using PTO for that time won’t work because I won’t have enough. I know it differs agency by agency across the county. I want to use LWOP (leave without pay)…is it possible since it’s personal and I am a brand new hire. I ideally would not like to use advanced leave since it’s 3 weeks.

If approved, I need to get it in writing, I understand. But I am concerned that what if I would get rejected? I let my HR know and she said to let my supervisor know ASAP.

Any advice would be appreciated!!

After seven years of supplemental claims, Higher-Level Reviews, and finally an appeal to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, I was granted entitlement to an earlier effective date.

My original Intent to File was submitted in April 2019, but when my disability claim was eventually granted, the VA assigned an effective date of March 2022.

I never really understood the rationale for the 2022 date because I was specifically told by the VA to hold on to my Intent to File confirmation, since that date could ultimately be used to determine back pay if the claim was granted.

After years of appeals, the Board finally agreed and granted the earlier effective date.

Now I’m waiting for the VA to update the effective date and calculate the retroactive payment. I received notification of the Board’s decision about two weeks ago.

For anyone who has gone through this recently, how long did it take after a BVA grant for the effective date to be updated and the retroactive payment to hit your account?

I know every case is different, but I’d appreciate hearing about anyone’s recent timeline or experience.

I have a claim secondary to tinnitus, and I also have a supplemental claim from last year that I just restarted. I submitted them around 3 to 4 days apart. I called the VA this morning as I saw i moved to step three. They requested information from my Supplemental claims DBQ exam and try to place it into my SECONDARY claim which are TWO totally different conditions. I spoke with the VA rep and made her write a letter so they can change it and I had to upload the CORRECT DBQ from the examiner so they can be directed and not interchangeable. Make sure y’all guys are checking and calling because if they mixed up my DBQ’s, n I NEVER CHECKED IT, I definitely would not have been serviced connected.

Hello! I was wondering if anyone who currently works for the VA knows whether it is possible to work full-time in a department that operates Monday through Friday and pick up occasional shifts in another VA department on Saturdays?

The school I am trying to enroll on keeps insisting on a copy of the 214 that says "member 4" on the bottom right instead of just saying "service". Asked both the VA and NPRC and have not been able to get information on how to get the Member 4 copy or if it even exists anymore. Does anyone know how to acquire one?

I have a question. I started this past Tuesday and I am full time student and I’m using VR&E benefits. But I don’t know how my pay will look? Will I get a full time check in October even though there’s a one week break? How does these payments work? Is it… prorated payment in September, full payment in October, November, December then prorated at the end of December? Can anyone help me please lol

I am a VA employed staff who is looking to launch a small private Non Emergency Medical Transportation Service. I’m interested in bidding for VA contracts?? Is this
Possible/ethical? I will have a private driver

I’m trying to find out what VA policy/procedure requires when a patient reports that a VA employee inappropriately touched them in a sexual manner while they were receiving care at a VA facility.

I’m specifically interested in what is supposed to happen after the report is made. Is there a required reporting chain, incident report, patient advocate involvement, notification to leadership, investigation, follow-up with the patient, or other standard procedure?

I’m not asking whether I should report it — it has already been reported. I’m trying to determine what the VA was required to do once it was reported and whether the proper procedure was actually followed.

If anyone works for VHA or knows the applicable VA directive, handbook, policy, or SOP, I’d especially appreciate the policy number or a link to it.

Does remember when clothing allowance is paid out?

I am currently on OWCP and received the 10 month warning letter letting me know I could be terminated from employment at 12 months. Anyone familiar with this or know what the chances are that they will terminate instead of waiting for you to come back? Is there anything that can be done to extend that 12 months if you still have sick time and vacation time and have not used FMLA.

Ending VA employment soon and getting very limited guidance from HR on what I'll need to do prior to leaving. I have emailed and reached out to many HR representatives. Basically told I'll receive a packet but I feel like at this rate it arrives once I'm done and don't have access to my
VA files or accounts. Any advice?

My guess is 2-3 Scaramucci's left in his tenure.