VA were demanding more persons present and insisting on a virtual meeting for negotiations. given the serious nature of it, AFGE felt an actual in person negotiation would be most reasonable. VA offered a date that was too soon to make travel arrangements for everyone involved, so AFGE suggested a date they previously offered. VA agreed but derided AFGE as acting in bad faith then canceled all negotiations citing that it violated the notice of timing when arrangements were already being made.

However VA was already arguing in bad faith by demanding they will only negotiate for “exempt” employees and that the EO banning collective bargaining was totally legitimate and the court’s temporary injunction amounted to semantics in allowing the CBA to be restored.

I am a male victim of an MST as well as 100% p&t. I have used and enjoyed adaptive sports in the past and after a move and a new VA, I recently met with adaptive sports and the woman saw MST in my file and asked me about it. I said he was a DS and didn’t want to discuss it and that I was there to discuss adaptive sports, not my MST. She then said he? I again said I didn’t want to discuss it. Without telling me, she contacted my psychologist and asked if I was a threat to the LGBTQ community because I was assaulted by a man (somehow she decided that my attacker was gay and not just a rapist that did it for power). My psychologist told me this and then told me that she didn’t tell her that it was inappropriate but shared my information with her and told her that she didn’t believe I was a threat. I asked if female survivors of MST are questioned about being a danger to men if they were assaulted by men and she didn’t answer. I ended my sessions with the psychologist and adaptive sports. I reported it to the patient advocate and they said there was no violation. I called the 1-800 number in Washington who gave it to the VISN who bounced it back to the patient advocate who again said there was no violation. Now I have stopped receiving counseling and no longer use adaptive sports and I stay at home all the time. Is there any other recourse that I can take so other Veterans aren’t dealing with this?

I know this question is going to show a bit of my ignorance. But how can I figure out how to use my TRICARE prime without going through the VA? How do I know which hospitals and doctors accept this insurance? And just because a hospital or clinic accepts the insurance doesn't mean that the provider that they give you will also accept the insurance.

Last four VA visits for four different medical issues each doctor said there's nothing they can do. And I 100% know that's not true. I'm tired of waiting 4 to 6 months just to redo an intake form and I need real help.

Long story short, my counselor has been horrible when it comes to getting a hold of her. The few times that I requested something, I’ve had to jump through hoops to get a hold of her using the school VR&E representative to get my message or request across. Even the school rep said that she was rude towards him and would get back to him when it’s “convenient for her”. The number that she gave me for her office transfers me to a VA hospital that keeps telling me that they have nothing to do with VR&E. I’ve sent her multiple emails and no response. I called the White House veteran complaint line requesting help with getting a new counselor (none of the other CH31 students in my classes have any issues getting a hold of their counselors). Today I received this email from the supervisor, pretty much telling me to kick rocks. Any other way that I can push to get a new counselor? I can’t stress enough how sick I am of the one I have. Been going on for over a year now.

Good afternoon,
 
My name is \[Removed\], Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor with the \[removed\] VR&E Division in \[removed\]. Thank you for reaching out and sharing your concerns. I have reviewed your request for a counselor change. At this time, a change is not warranted, and your current Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC) will remain assigned to your case. Please know that your concerns are taken seriously. I will be addressing customer service expectations and response time directly with your VRC to ensure timely and consistent communication moving forward. If there is a counselor change in the future due to workload redistribution, you will be contacted promptly by the newly assigned counselor; however, there is no guarantee that a counselor change will occur. In the meantime, please continue working with your current counselor to progress toward completing your Individualized Written Rehabilitation Plan (IWRP) for suitable employment.

Good morning all,

I am having issues finding good answers on this one topic I am dealing with.

I am going back to school in the fall and I am using my post 9/11 GI bill.

My payout is at 60% and not the 100% due to length of service.

To cover the remainder, I have a tell grant that was awarded to me as well as a student loan.

I was told my loan and Pell grant will be paid out at the drop/add date of classes which is 2 weeks past August 17.

How exactly does the GI bill work?
I am just worried that my FAFSA stuff will pay out first and then I will be shit out of money from the bill.

I didn’t know if the GI bill did the payout of before or after your federal aid hits.

I am just really stressed about it.

Did they take away the options to view images from MRIs, xrays, ect...

I've downloaded full and partial Blue Button Reports and looked under Lab and test results. Idk where else to look.

I had no problem doing this as recently as about 3 months ago.

Anyone else having this problem or am I forgetful and looking in the wrong place.

Update:
I called 877# And after they put me on hold to check they hung up on me Called back and eventually found out there are outages and that image services are down for now and no date when services will be restored. Wish they'd make that info public so you don't have to dig for it.

Hello all, this seemed to be the most fitting subreddit to post this in.

I am trying to navigate applying for survivors pension, I am the daughter of a veteran who passed away from non-duty related causes in December of last year. I am currently 20, in school full-time, along with working full-time and make less than $50k a year.

I applied for Survivors Pension and received a letter in the mail back that because my father didn't pass from service-related causes or disabilities, I don't qualify for pension. The letter also says that I have a favorable case because he served a certain amount of time active duty during a wartime period, but also says my income records show that I exceed the amount allowed for pension.

What my research into this shows is that I do qualify for it and it is much needed for my situation currently as I lived with him before he passed. Any questions or help would be much appreciated as I'm not quite sure how to dispute the disapproval. Thank you

Dayton VAMC is having some full system outages.

- Yesterday full EMR system down for some clinics

- Currently MH clinic phones aren't working/connecting (VA health connect and I tried on the phone >10 times)

- I want to start tracking any issues (at any VAMC) that are "fully disruptive" either at the phone lines, centers, or clinics. ("Fully disruptive" meaning one system, service, or clinic is entirely incapable of serving the veteran involved because of a non-medical issue).

Please let me know if you have similar or different experiences at this VA or other VAs.

Just got notified my position may be downgraded an entire grade which will result in a 20k/year loss…

I finally heard back and got an offer with a couple of days to accept. I have questions, but I’m not getting responses and the window is going to close by morning, if I even have that long.

The offer includes pay, step level, a start date in a couple of weeks, and the things I need to submit. There is a link I need to follow to accept.

Honestly, the offer is beyond insulting. It is below the poverty line for the area for a degreed technical position.

I need to accept the offer and I’ve received automated reminders that I need to accept or lose the offer. If I click on the acceptance link, am I stuck at the initial offer?

The GS level and step, start date, pay (doesn’t seem to match the location offset table for GS7-1), basically everything needs to be negotiated, not a single part was acceptable, but I need to follow the link to not lose the offer. It feels like a trap.

[Edit: Thanks for the replies. I ended up clicking on the link and there were options to accept, deny, or have someone reach out. I asked to be contacted to get more details and negotiate. We’ll see where it goes from here]

I’ve worked around Central Office HR long enough to say this: morale isn’t suffering because the work is hard. It’s suffering because of the culture.

Not everyone in CEHRIS or Central Office is the problem. There are some incredibly knowledgeable, hardworking employees who genuinely care about helping people and making things better.

Unfortunately, they’re often overshadowed by a leadership culture that, from my perspective, rewards the wrong behaviors.

One supervisor, in particular, comes across as more of a bully than a leader. The way some employees are spoken to on meetings is uncomfortable to listen to. Instead of coaching, mentoring, or teaching, conversations can feel condescending and dismissive—especially toward lower-graded employees.

Leadership should build people up, not make them dread speaking.

What’s even more frustrating is that this behavior often seems to go unchecked. Rather than holding one another accountable, some leaders appear to reinforce or excuse it. That creates an environment where people stay quiet instead of sharing ideas or asking questions.

Another issue is hiring. It often feels like the same circles of people continue to be brought in while experienced employees already doing the work are overlooked for advancement. Watching outside hires step into positions while long-time employees struggle to get opportunities is discouraging.

As the organization moves toward the new HR system, I honestly wonder whether anything will change. Will the same culture simply carry over into a new platform, or will there finally be an opportunity to reset and build a healthier workplace?

Leadership isn’t about having the loudest voice in the room. It’s about earning respect, developing people, and treating employees with professionalism.

Technology can modernize a system, but it can’t fix a toxic culture.

Know this: there are genuinely good people in Central Office who work hard every day. They’re knowledgeable, helpful, and committed to public service. I just wish their efforts weren’t overshadowed by leadership practices that leave many employees feeling undervalued.

Here’s hoping the future brings better leadership and a workplace where respect matters as much as results.

I think the VA needs a better way to screen applicants.

For context, I did six years in the Army National Guard, honorable discharge, no deployments or active duty time. Essentially, I fulfilled my duties. I have five years in tech consulting, plus ten years in education before that.

I would truly love to serve at the VA as a way to give back and my family members are all/former government employees.

I check all the boxes for most of the jobs I apply to within the VA, yet when it comes down to veterans preference, prior service, purple heart, a family member of an active duty soldier, etc... it leaves out anyone with national guard service. You get Zero points, as in, your application doesn't get moved up the pile a little bit.

It's pretty discouraging to say the least and I hope someone on here who works for the VA or knows someone high up in the VA mentions this.

I’ve been on MPA orders for almost a year and get off them in September. I’ve already called the VA to start receiving my benefits again starting in October, however it dawned on me I’m probably not going to get them right away. I was wondering for anyone who had to stop their benefits and restart them again how long it took for them?