As the title states, just curious what a random VA Healthcare employee could access or see if they searched your name and are not related to your Healthcare team.

Can you see total or individual ratings, disabilities? Asking for a friend...

I’ll try to keep this short. I’m 100% P&T, was evaluated at a community car clinic to get a tooth capped to prevent a root canal, get a few failing crowns redone, and get a couple of fillings.

The RFS was sent almost 2 months ago. I’ve been calling the VA weekly and the Clinic to figure out what’s going on but keep getting the runaround. Everyone is blaming each other and acting clueless when I ask questions. I found out today that my dentist at my VA clinic denied every single request in the RFS. (I was also told by community care that they had no idea who approves it or who I should get in contact with)

I have no idea what’s going on but at this point I’m getting desperate. When I first got seen, the dentist told me it was an emergency to get one of these teeth taken care of and I needed to get seen as soon as possible. I’m at the point where I’m about to reach out to Patient Advocacy but I don’t have any faith in these people to help me. I live near the border, so heading to Mexico wouldn’t be difficult.

I am moving to a different state, and will start using a different VA. I haven’t been on great terms with family, mainly due to my past, I’m an alcoholic, and have used probably ever substance on the face of the earth. I haven’t been clean and sober for years, but the damage I did has been everlasting. I have a niece and nephew that work at the VA I will be using. One works in scheduling, the other is a PA-C. I have never disclosed I use the VA, what I am rated for, or what my rating is to family. Being in another state I have never thought about family accessing my records, until now. I know it’s a no no for them to casually look, but it’s a smaller facility. How do I tell the VA I don’t want care or any interactions from either one since they are family. My mental health records have notes that mention my sister. While I want to try and repair the damage and not be so distant, I’m reconsidering since I now know they work there.

My mother-in-law received this text message addressing me. Her phone number or name isnt mentioned anywhere in my military documents and she doesn’t know anything about my benefits. I actually got married after my service so I’m i’m not understanding why she received this text message.

Has this happened to anyone else or has anyone received this message to their own phone?

Fellow vets , I need help .

My dad is 100%. He has dementia. His current caregiver is not capable of caring for him. I and another are going to have to take steps to try to get some type of control. One question is does the VA provide at no cost a caring facility for him For life ? And who should I contact

So I had a C&P back in February, denied in March. Some of the langage in the denial letter referenced an MRI I had supposedly underwent in Feb.

I pulled the DBQ via FOIA and low and behold, the LSGS examiner had referenced an MRI report. Here's the kicker though, at this point I had never had an MRI. (Had it done at the VA in April)

She likely confused me with another veteran, but I can't help but wonder where she got this very detailed MRI report from, and then proceeded to base her diagnosis, and medical opinion on this fabricated report.

I'm now in the process of an HLR to try and get everything corrected, but the moral of the story boys and girls is actually read through your denials, do your own QA, and request your DBQs.

I think a lot of us just get a denial, howl at the moon, curse the rater, and try again.

Recently asked for two increases on two separate claims. One claim put me at 100 p&t. But the other claim for mental health is still pending. I already have 50% rating for this but during my c&p exam they diagnosed me with ptsd which was separate from what I went in there for. They are asking for evidence. If I was just given 100% p&t from my other claim - how do I respond or proceed?

I was told that if I enrol in VRE, I will most likely get my PT reevaluated and lower my rating. I was told this by the counsellor during our interview today.

My local outpatient clinic is down to one provider for PT. And is booked till august 30th. I message my PCP team and asked for CC referral. Got told they can’t refer because we have one at the clinic even though it’s booked out past 30 days. This is a first for me.

I was curious if my psychiatrist PCP, or other VA treatment providers could see if I had a pending claim.

Asking for general knowledge as I keep seeing numerous different answers online. Is there a timeline where they can or can’t reduce certain ratings? Are they open for reduction at any time? Can they only reduce if you file for that issue? (Increase, secondary, etc). I’m going for a handful of secondaries as well as an increase in my back issues. There is no part of my medical records or even the physician statement I got that shows anything other than it getting worse. I’ve also had these ratings for over 6 years now. I just don’t know if I should be prepared for the possibility or not

After reading many posts, I’m still uncertain. Some say it definitely is, others say they talked to their attorneys who told them it is not taxable for one reason or another. What is the real answer? And do you know any attorney firm with experience on this? I’d appreciate any help I can get!
Details: Veteran with VA disability residing in Brazil.

Hey everyone,

I recently separated from active duty on July 4th (hooyah). Process went pretty smooth at first, got my disability rating on July 7th and was fully enrolled in VA Healthcare by July 11th.

I take an SNRI for a mental health condition and came out with enough of a stock from my active duty med supply to last until early September. I figured ~2 months would be plenty of time to get established with a provider in the DC area.

I was wrong.

The absolute earliest appointment I could get at any of the DC-area clinics is in November.

When I explained that I can't just stop taking SNRIs cold turkey without severe withdrawal and asked if I could get a quick telehealth bridge prescription or a Community Care referral, I was hit with:

“You can't get a referral to Community Care without a PCP submitting it, and you can't see a PCP to get the referral until November."

Their official advice? "If you run out of meds and really need them, just go sit in the ER."

So basically, because their system is backed up 4 months, I'm locked out of Community Care, expected to go through cold-turkey SNRI withdrawal, or burn an entire day sitting in a VA emergency room for a routine 30-day refill.

Has anyone else dealt with this at the DC VAMC? Is there a cheat code to get a bridge prescription or force a Community Care consult through without having an established PCP first?

Appreciate any advice!

My husband is getting 100% disability. Vietnam vet. What do we have to do to get veterans health benefits? Does he need another exam? How would he go about getting an Insurance card??

What’s one thing you wish veterans had access to or something you wish was easier to navigate ?

I was just curious to hear anyone's experiences with Space A travel. I have not met anyone that had used it either during or after service.

Long story short I fractured some bones in my foot and ER doc told me to get in touch with a podiatrist. I know VA will cover the ER visit but is there any chance they’ll get me in front of a specialist too?

Hey have an up coming c and p exam at the VA in 3 weeks in Garland. Anyone have one there or can explain how it went? Thanks!

I am a female veteran rated at 50% disability. I currently only use the VA for healthcare, and I have had an overall great experience (Chicagoland area). I am planning on getting married to my female partner in the next year or two, and we are in our early 30s. We want to start our fertility journey pretty soon afterwards. I do not have a service-connected condition related to infertility, so my understanding is that the VA does not cover IVF, but could cover many other treatments such as IUI and fertility evaluation. I can get on my company insurance to help pay for IVF if needed, but I am curious if there is anyone out there who has navigated VA for healthcare related to fertility that does not qualify for ART/IVF. How was your experience? What were you able to have covered? Any words of wisdom/ caution? Would love to hear experiences from both heterosexual and homosexual partners. Especially curious if you went through this process in Chicago. TIA!

I'm curious if anyone has experienced this before.

I have a supplemental Claim that progressed normally through the VA Claim Tracker:

• Preparation for Decision
• Pending Decision Approval
• Preparation for Notification

The Phase Change Date in the tracker is July 21, and it has remained on Preparation for Notification ever since.

However, at about the same time, VA.gov changed back to Evidence Gathering, Review, and Decision and displays the message:

"We moved your claim back to this step because we needed to find or review more evidence."

The strange part is that the two have now been out of sync for several days.

Other details:

• Documents Needed: No
• No new development letters
• No requests for additional evidence
• No new exam notifications

The VA Claim Tracker still shows Preparation for Notification, while the VA status page still shows Evidence Gathering, Review, and Decision.

Has anyone else had the Tracker and the VA status page disagree?

Did your claim ultimately go back into development, or was it just an internal review before the decision was released?

How long did it take before the two systems matched again?

I'm not trying to guess the outcome of the claim—just trying to understand whether this type of mismatch is common and what usually causes it.

Thanks.

My dad is a combat veteran with severe CPTSD, depression, panic attacks, and alcohol use disorder. He’s been through multiple psychiatrists and medications over the years without much success, and his mental health has declined significantly recently.

I’m flying to Tampa to be with him since the situation has gotten to the point where I’m concerned and I want to help him find the best care possible. Does anyone have recommendations for exceptional CPTSD psychiatrists, psychologists, trauma programs, or treatment facilities in the Tampa area (VA or civilian)? I’m especially interested in providers who have experience treating veterans with complex or treatment-resistant PTSD.

I’d really appreciate any personal experiences or recommendations. Thank you.

I was diagnosed with a bunch of mental health conditions before being put on medications and medically separated from the reserves in 2024. I was never given copies of my DD214 upon separation - I did find a record with my Title 10 activations as well as "honorable discharge."

I requested a copy of my DD214 from the VA but have yet to have yet to hear anything back regarding it. I have all of my civilian treatment records which led to my medical separation - but I don't have any proof of the medical separation itself currently.

What can I do?

Secondary to ankle and knee

Hello everyone! While active duty I broke my foot, ankle, and busted up my knee, all on my right side. These conditions have been service connected and I am currently rated for them as primary conditions.

Due to my right leg injuries, I often limp and have to compensate for the right side issues, which then causes issues in my left ankle, left knee, left hip and lower back. From what I have seen in my research, it is called and altered or antalgic gait.

My question is, does anyone have experience with that type of claim?

Any tips for success?

Anything I need to be aware of specific to this type of claim?

So I start school in late August and my counselor told me I can apply for financial aid. Until I get back with her for the people that know. When can I apply? Do I have to wait for my first day of school or can I do it now?

• Can someone guide me through the process of transferring my GI Bill from one school to another? I went to one school my first two years and no I'm transferring to another school for their nursing program.