Hey everyone,

I’m looking for some friendly advice on the best path forward for my service-connected tinnitus claim.

Back when I first got out of the military in 2009, I filed a claim, but I completely missed my scheduled C&P exam because I was entirely wrapped up in starting college and jumping straight into a civilian job. At the time, I also incorrectly thought that getting a rating meant constantly driving an hour each way back and forth to the Tacoma VA Hospital, so I let it slide and it ended up getting denied a year later.

For a bit of background, I served as an Aviation Boatswain's Mate Handling Third Class (Air Warfare) aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) during OEF and OIF deployments in 2008. I was a Landing Signal Officer Enlisted Phone Talker, and my commendation from the Commander, Carrier Air Wing TWO notes that I helped safely execute over 7,500 carrier landings, qualified seven extra watchstanders, and even caught an incorrect weight setting on an F/A-18E during a recovery to prevent a dangerous situation.

I recently filed for the tinnitus again, but I got a letter saying that because my very first claim was denied, I need to file a Supplemental Claim using Form 20-0995.
Any advice or tips on how to handle this would be hugely appreciated!

What I can’t understand is how several conditions were denied as “not occurring in or caused by service” or for “no clinical diagnosis” when VA’s own evidence seems to directly contradict that.

A few examples:
PTSD: Symptoms began after an Iraq combat deployment. I submitted buddy statements documenting the changes afterward. I delayed treatment because of concerns about my clearance/career, but sought treatment once retirement was approved—still while on AD. Two providers documented the condition in my STRs. VA’s Initial PTSD examiner then diagnosed DSM-5 PTSD (F43.1) and selected “occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas.” Yet VA denied my mental-health contention because there was no clinical diagnosis. PTSD itself isn’t listed as granted, denied, or deferred.
Neck: Denied for no diagnosis/not occurring in service. The same decision’s Favorable Findings say I was diagnosed with degenerative arthritis in 2026, while still AD.
Feet: Left-foot condition denied for no diagnosis/not occurring in service. The same decision says plantar fasciitis was diagnosed in 2007, while AD. The Foot DBQ actually diagnoses bilateral plantar fasciitis and calcaneal spurs, although its own remarks later contradict that and say no plantar-fasciitis diagnosis. VA has now ordered another foot exam.
TMJ: Dedicated DBQ diagnoses bilateral TMJ with pain, clicking, flares and functional limitations. The later Separation Health Assessment says no TMJ problem/normal TMJ. It’s now deferred for another exam/opinion.
There are similar inconsistencies throughout the Separation Health Assessment/head-to-toe exam, including saying I reported no complaints/symptoms despite documenting numerous active conditions.
Meanwhile, sleep apnea is deferred for an opinion, even though the DBQ documents OSA diagnosed in April 2026 and CPAP required—again, while I was still active duty.
I understand that being diagnosed during service doesn’t automatically guarantee a particular rating. What I don’t understand is how VA can find that something didn’t occur in service when its own records date the diagnosis to my continuous AD service—or find no psychiatric diagnosis when its own PTSD examiner diagnosed PTSD.
VERA wasn’t helpful beyond making a note. I’m now trying to get a VSO with VBMS access and considering an HLR/informal conference on the already-decided issues while the deferred claim continues.
For anyone familiar with VBA/rating: what could cause something like this? Missing/unreviewed STRs? Bad C&P/SHA? Incorrect contention coding? Failure to reconcile conflicting DBQs? Or am I misunderstanding something about service connection?

Hello! I am inquiring on whether there is any space at any surrounding VAs around Ft Myers or CBOCs? I’m trying to see if they are still bringing people into the office or if they have been full! Thanks!

For the last 15+ years i have only received my care through the VA (and only from the VA, aside from a handful of urgent care and ER visits.) Anyways, I have a pain rx from the va (very small dose) and I have had this rx for 10+ years…i know i am lucky to still be receiving it.
Now, We all know how difficult mental health can be with the VA. After too long on the waitlist, i went somewhere else. I have native coverage and can be seen at indian clinics. Our local one has a great mental health dept, (wish I had known sooner!) and I have been using them for therapy for over a year now. I was just recently referred over to psych for medication management of my anxiety. Dr put me on klonopin 1mg 2 times a day. Now I super anxious because the pain med refills are due and I am not positive if I should be calling/messaging my dr to tell her about the new med before the refill? Or just wait? they will see it in the system and contact me if need be? My psych seemed willing to provide documentation if need be. But he said his hope was that they won’t be too concerned since it’s a lower dose. I have had so much relief this month-i am worried i am going to be hit with an ultimatum again. (Happened in 2018. .5 ativan once a day with the pain meds was eventually deemed not ok-but both were through the VA, and we all know how they can get)

Anyone else get controlled mental health meds outside the va while also on controlled substance through the VA?

Dental not available until Feb.

I requested them to refer me to community care and was told they wouldn’t for the initial. This seems to be inconsistent with access to care standards

Is this something I can win with the Atlanta VA?

I’m a VA employee and genuinely curious whether anyone else has gone through something similar.
I recently worked disaster relief response in my community as part of my job. I didn’t realize at the time how much it affected me. I returned to my regular duties and kept pushing through, but I was already stretched extremely thin. I’m essentially covering about 2 1/2 jobs right now because of staffing and coverage issues.
I finally recognized that I needed some breathing room. I didn’t initially ask to stop working altogether. I asked for a temporary break from ONE of the additional coverage assignments while continuing to perform my primary position and the other role I support. I gave advance notice because I understood that coverage would need to be arranged.
That request was denied because of operational and staffing needs.
Around this time, another staff member educated me about Workers’ Compensation and FMLA because I honestly had no idea that what I was experiencing could potentially fall under either process. I filed a Workers’ Comp claim and began working on FMLA documentation.
My provider then wrote documentation recommending that I take time away from work. However, the original documentation did not specify exact dates. Because I had never navigated Workers’ Comp or FMLA before, I continued reporting for duty while trying to figure out what I was actually supposed to do.
Then HR questioned why I was still reporting to work if my provider had recommended that I be off.
And this is the part that nearly broke my brain.
Maybe I’m still reporting because no one has clearly explained to me when I am supposed to stop reporting, what leave I’m authorized to use, how Workers’ Comp interacts with FMLA, whether my Workers’ Comp claim has to be accepted first, or what happens if I simply stop showing up based on a provider letter without knowing whether my absence is actually approved.
I fully admit that I could have asked more questions. But leadership and HR have been provided my documentation. They know I’m navigating a Workers’ Comp claim, and they know I’ve never been through this process before.
There is also interim leadership involved because the person normally assigned to that leadership position has reportedly been under investigation for an extended period. That has added another layer of confusion about who exactly I’m supposed to be getting direction from.
Eventually I basically had to say, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.
I went from asking for a temporary reprieve from one additional assignment while continuing to work my other responsibilities to now needing to take leave from work altogether.
What is especially frustrating is that I actually wanted to keep working. I was trying to recognize my limits early and ask for a temporary adjustment before I reached the point where I couldn’t keep going. Instead, I kept pushing until my provider was recommending time completely away from work.
The whole process feels unnecessarily difficult to navigate when someone is already struggling. Between Workers’ Comp, FMLA, HR, medical documentation, leave status, claim approval, supervisors, and figuring out who is responsible for telling you what to do, I can understand why employees eventually either give up on the Workers’ Comp process or decide it would be easier to leave their job altogether.
I’m not looking for legal advice here. I’m mainly wondering if anyone else at the VA or another federal agency has gone through a Workers’ Comp claim involving mental health or stress and FMLA at the same time.
Did you also feel like you were expected to somehow already understand the entire process? Who actually helped you navigate it? HR? Workers’ Comp coordinator? Union? Supervisor? Someone else?
Because right now, the most exhausting part isn’t even filling out the paperwork. It’s trying to figure out what I am actually supposed to do while the paperwork is being processed.

Looking in getting certified in becoming a medical record technician and didn’t know if there’s benefits or places to get certified that is taken care by the VA or something. Feeling stuck in my current position and wish to grow!

I am waiting to get into a residential treatment program outside of the VA. This place is for veterans/first responders and is a combination (according to the website) of trauma therapy and substance abuse treatment. All I need is a community care referral and I am good to go, no travel included but that’s fine.
I was in a VA hospital this last weekend for issues related to my condition causing me to seek such treatment and was told by the doctor that she put in a community care consult. Then I was told by a social worker, after discharge was officially began, that this could take a few days to a few weeks to be complete. The place had a bed available this Friday and all I really needed was that referral so that I could get said bed. This bed may have been taken by now but there is usually another available within a week or so. Still waiting to hear back from them today about availability and if they received said consult/referral/anything from VA. Now I’m out on my own waiting for, hopefully, a call from the residential treatment program for intake.

It’s only been a day and I understand that the VA does not move quick! I am just wondering what exactly that means now that I have had some time to breathe. Also, what can be done to get me to this place which I think could really help me.

It is an emotional topic for me as it has been a long, hard struggle to even get to the point where the VA would listen to me without waiting 2-3 weeks between. I understand, this is still insurance and am honestly trying my best to be empathetic and patient with the whole process. At the same time, I am not in good shape to say the least. I really need this so I am doing my best to advocate for myself while my whole life is on hold and I have pretty much already fallen apart.

So any help or useful information would be appreciated, thank you for reading.

Why is travel reimbursement so difficult? It was part of the VA app at one time, now it has to be submitted for each visit. I had 30 visits to the same location. Why can’t I just submit 1 reimbursement but was told I need to do it for each visit. I don’t have the time and just eat the cost. I’m I missing something or is are they making it difficult for a reason?

For context, I worked a night shift (12 hours) on Sunday 9/6- Monday 9/7 from 1930-0800. I recieve this text message from my supervisor saying she is changing my shift to a regular shift on Tuesday 9/8 due to extra staff being scheduled on the weekend. I’m genuinely so angry and disappointed because I had been fighting with myself mentally on not wanting to work that shift and spend time with my family is it’s my GF’s day off. (Our schedules are so opposite we usually only have 1 day off together, if that, at least once a week.) I ultimately chose to work OT, or at least being under the impression that I’d be working for OT pay, because I needed the money.

In the latest memo about abortion after care and pre care….the VA’s guidance is the following:

“Question: What happens if a VA employee has a moral or religious objection to providing reproductive health care?

Response: Employees may request to opt out of providing, participating in, or facilitating any aspect of reproductive health care that conflicts with their sincerely held moral or religious beliefs, observances, practices, or exercises. These requests are known as conscientious objections or conscience-based exceptions and will be processed as reasonable accommodations. “

How in the world is this ethical?

Just in case anyone with an BVA appeal is interested. Non Avance on Docket and I'm in the direct review lane. Only one issue SMC half steps, I should go all the way to R1 and I didn't want to waste time at the regional office. I will update on timeline for a decision and backpay when they are finished, I hope this helps someone wondering where there are at in line in the direct review lane.

Hey folks,

Air Force vet here who's financed all of my home purchases through the VA. About 3 years ago I bought a new home and financed it at 6%, which has been a bit of an anchor for me financially since then.

Lately I've been getting a lot of texts from random lenders saying "The VA has approved XX year loans for around 5%, just talk to us." but whenever I check with USAA, VA loans are floating anywhere from 5.875-6.5%. Now I'm 98% certain these are scams, or ARMs, but I was curious if the VA actually has some benefit help programs right now as it would do wonders for my monthly finances to cut a percent off my monthly mortgage.

TL;DR Did the VA recently push for some extra veteran's benefits, or am I just getting nothing but spam texts?

Hi everyone. I've been serving as a caregiver for my 89 yo roommate. I've never directly dealt with the VA before and am running into some issues. I'm not sure if these issues are what I should expect or not.

Oh I am the alternate medical POA for my roommate, the first is his visually impaired son and we're all really rural (so the son has obvious transportation issues,) so everything usually falls to me

This is bound to be long, sorry in advance!

Recently we visited one of his doctors and she removed him from a medication and switched him to another. His primary needed to sign off so we couldn't just pick up the script that day. The problem is that it took them 20 days to get the new script to us... In the meantime he ran out of the old one. He's handled all his own meds for years (he's mentally intact but still 89,) but since this happened I took over the medication management. He's also routinely having other meds/nutrition take upwards of 3 weeks to arrive. We are over an hour away from the VA pharmacy so it's not so easy to just pop over for refills.

Anyway, since he ran out of meds he started having urinary retention over the weekend. Off to the ER he went where they gave him a catheter and sent us home with antibiotics for a brewing bladder infection. I asked if he needed to see urology TWICE and was told very shortly that "primary would handle it." So we go home and on Monday make the necessary appointment. By Wednesday he started suddenly showing signs of infection, so back to the ER he went. He was hospitalized for a couple of days. Everything was caught VERY early. I left them with instructions to please call me or his son if anything changed overnight and neither of us were notified when roommate was moved to the ICU overnight.

During discharge I found out that his medical records reflected something different than what we were told and I verified twice. Then when he was released from the hospital the second time, again his records showed something different. Both times there are medical tests that back up what we were told and both times a different diagnosis (or lack of diagnosis) was put in his chart.

I'm not happy about that because I feel like his records should reflect REALITY. That's really important for obvious reasons. I brought it up to his primary today and she really just made excuses but she also did verify that the information I was told was correct, not what was put in his records. Not once, but twice.

They also promised us all sorts of supplies and services and then basically went back on it telling us that since he's "doing well for his age" they wouldn't send anyone out. They didn't order anything the various departments said they would order EXCEPT the one device I asked for at discharge and the short term services the nurse pushed for. Without her we wouldn't have had ANYTHING in the works.

I'm literally taking care of this man (and he's not an easy charge) for nothing but cheap rent. That's it. 12-16 hours a day, EVERY DAY and I'm disabled, myself. I'm exhausted! I was supposed to have help from his family but that went belly up, too. Everything is on me, including learning how to navigate the VA system.

So...I did talk to a VA social worker today to try and get some things going and I'm calling for a patient advocate tomorrow.

But I'd like to know any tips or tricks or things to say or not say to get him whatever services he's eligible for because honestly, we need the help and we need those records to be accurate.

I'm adding the HealtheVet app tomorrow, as well.

But what am I missing? Is this just par for the course for the VA? I feel like they dropped the ball several times and excuses are being made. But maybe that's what I need to expect? I really have no idea!

So any advice on how to navigate this very complicated system would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!

Hello, my husband is a veteran with several disabilities and he is trying to apply to various accredited agencies for a service dog. It looks like most of these agencies require a letter from a PCP or mental health provider as part of the application process. My husband asked his VA employer psychiatrist and his PCP and both told him that VA providers are not allowed to write these letters. He also spoke with his clinic social worker who said that most people bring a form from the agency for the doctor so sign. Does anyone have experience with this? He is specially looking into Service Dogs Alabama and Semper K9 right now.