cut my lower forearm accidentally while trying to open a package. my closest VAMC is 30 miles. I was alone and was too panicked from the blood (it was pouring out non stop) & light headed to risk the drive so I drove 3 miles to my nearest ER.

was constant bleeding even while waiting for a room at the ER. triage had to change my bandage twice

anyway cut was deep enough to require stitches but the VA is saying it wasn’t considered an ER emergency and could have been treated by a “prudent layperson”.

ummmm I’m not a healthcare professional nor would I even be able to give myself stitches if I were because it was on my arm close to my hand, not sure how anyone could give stitches one handed but I digress …

i also called the day after to explain my visit. after my first denial letter I submitted HLR review. Just got notified that’s denied as well.

its a $700 bill I can’t afford.

What degrees did you guys get and what jobs did they ultimately lead you to?

I recently had an MRI done by a community care provider who billed the VA (Triwest) for almost $9000. The VA paid them only $250. Gdamn son! Makes you think about the true cost of healthcare

Hey everyone — quick, high-priority update on Intro 1051 (the full NYC Property Tax Exemption for 100% Disabled Veterans).

I spoke directly with Council Member Frank Morano (Prime Sponsor and Chair of the Veterans Committee) on the phone today. He answered his own office line on the first ring and mentioned he has been calling fellow Council Members all day to lock in support—and his push is already working: the bill just jumped from 5 to 7 official sponsors on Legistar with CM Inna Vernikov and CM David Carr signing on!

He is fighting hard for this bill, and he needs the veteran community to show up in force tomorrow morning.

⚡ How You Can Help Right Now (Takes 2 Minutes)

1. Call Your Local Council Member TODAY: Ask them to sign on immediately as an official co-sponsor of Intro 1051 (Find your Council Member here).
2. Attend the Hearing in Person Tomorrow (Oct 21 @ 10:00 AM): Show up at 250 Broadway, 8th Floor (Hearing Room 3) to pack the room and show undeniable community backing.
3. Testify via Zoom or Submit Written Testimony: Can't make it to Manhattan? Register online at council.nyc.gov/testify to speak on Zoom or submit written testimony for the official record (or email testimony@council.nyc.gov).
4. Get on CM Morano's Update List: Drop a quick email to fmorano@council.nyc.gov asking to be added to his direct Intro 1051 update list.

🎯 The Strategy & Goal: 19 More Sponsors Needed by November 10

CM Morano’s strategy going into tomorrow's joint hearing is to demonstrate massive, bipartisan public backing from the veteran community to put pressure on the committees and undecided Council Members.

• Tomorrow's Hearing: As Chair of the Veterans Committee, he feels confident about momentum in committee tomorrow, and a strong turnout in person and on Zoom will help speed the bill forward.
• The Target: Build strong bipartisan support and hit 26 co-sponsors (a majority of the 51-member Council) heading toward November 10th—meaning we only need 19 more Council Members to sign on.
• The Push: Once he hits that 26-sponsor threshold, his plan is to immediately ask Speaker Julie Menin to bring Intro 1051 to the floor for a full Council vote so it passes ahead of Veterans Day (Nov 11).

✅ Current Official Sponsors (7 of 26 Needed)

Check the official NYC Council Legistar page for Int 1051-2026 here. If your Council Member is not on this list, they need to hear from you today:

📞 30-Second Call & Email Script

"Hi, my name is [Your Name] and I’m a constituent in District [Your District]. I’m calling to urge Council Member [Last Name] to sign on today as a co-sponsor of Intro 1051, led by Council Member Frank Morano, to provide a property tax exemption for 100% disabled veterans. Seven Council Members have already signed on, and once the bill reaches 26 sponsors, we want Speaker Menin to bring it to the floor before Veterans Day. Can we count on the Council Member's support?"

Let's flood the phones today, pack the room tomorrow, and get these final 19 co-sponsors before Veterans Day!

So on Friday I had a c&p exam for my back (scoliosis) and already, on the very next Monday, I got a decision letter that they want to decrease my percentage from 20% to 10%, when it’s not even really physically possible for this condition to get better without surgery which I have never had. I mean it kind of just feels straight up disrespectful that they would give me a decrease within not even 1 full business day. Doesn’t even seem like they looked at anything at all. What should my next step be for this proposal and has anyone else experienced something like that?
Side note I’ve had this claimed for over 3 years at 20%, and it literally took 5 months to claim my daughter as a dependent but less than a business day to tell me my spine magically straightened out haha

I am currently rated for the conditions in the screenshot. If I were to file for osteoarthritis, would I be eligible for a specific rating for it? Or does it fall under one of the conditions I’m already rated for.

Looking for recommendations on oversized recliners. My current Ashley Furniture model broke in less than a year, now I'm getting the warranty run around.

I'm 6'5", 380 lbs (COPD and ever worsening back pain = less activity, more weight).

My last recliner came from Walmart, lasted 10 years until the kids broke it.

Not service connected for back pain, but I do get prescription lidocaine patches and a TENS unit while I wait for my appeal.

Recliner is the only thing that really takes away the pain... now this "400 pound capacity" recliner is broke, almost unuseable and I'm back to shopping for a new one.

I have been using CHAMPVA for a few years now for myself, wife and two kids. I normally dont have to ever submit anything for claims because basically everywhere we go bills CHAMPVA. However, we recently placed our daughter into some child psychology visits due to some behavior issues and testing. They dont take CHAMPVA so I have been submitting reimbursement claims on the VA site and they have been sending me checks a few weeks later. I noticed the checks have stopped and when I went to submit another claim I saw it said I had to set up direct deposit using  VA Form 10091 through the Vendor File Portal of the VA financial services site. I did this 3 times and it was rejected and when I called their customer service I learned they are completely separate from the VA disability payments. I, like I assume everyone here, get my disability direct deposit into my savings account. I asked if they can just pull my info from that and deposit my CHAMPVA requests into that account but they said no, I had to fill out the form (which again, I did 3 times and it keeps getting rejected.) He said it is getting flagged saying my banking info I put on the form is not the same bank info on file....again, if you cant pull my info from direct deposit, then how can you know what bank info is on file? I dont understand....and the bank info I am putting down is the exact same bank info as that savings account....I have never switched banks, I havent switched accounts (I have a checking account but have never used that for VA stuff-and yes I tried putting that account down on one of my 3 tries, just in case)......So, I guess, to get to the point, my main question is; when did the VA stop sending checks for reimbursement? I have been getting them about every 4 weeks ever since we put my daughter in therapy (about 8 months ago). Was that notice about setting up direct deposit always there when you go to submit a reimbursement claim? I dont remember....anyone else have this issue? Is anyone else still receiving checks? I may try calling again tomorrow in hopes of getting a different customer service rep who can help me more.....I know this was long winded, I just wanted to make sure I addressed everything and answered possible questions that may be asked before an answer is given. Thank you!

I’ve been sent a list of forms or items to complete before my initial interview.
Below I attached the form I’m currently on.
In particular this form (28-1902w) has a lot of sections that seem to be my VRCs portion.
Do I fill it out as much as possible or do I just fill out the top portion that requires me name, VA number, and my VRCs name?
Anyone that filled the form out recently and met with a VRC please let me know what information I must provide.
Thank you.

https://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/vba-28-1902w-are.pdf

I recently got decisions back for a few claims I filed and after obtaining the DBQ’s and medical opinions the information within those documents seems to be off.

I was denied service connection for sleep apnea (shocker) but the rationale seemed minimal.

The big one is my migraine condition. I was granted service connection but at a 0%. The DBQ that was filed out is way off. The symptoms I have aren’t correctly noted, for example I get Botox injections for my migraines every 6 months. Prior to that I was on an injectable medication that the VA requires you to trial three different meds before being eligible for it. However the DBQ states I take no prescription medication for this condition. The list goes on with errors but wanted to keep this short.

Any advice on how I can move forward would be greatly appreciated!

This was a first for me, I have a common prescription - I do get it refilled monthly. In the past I was given a generic (insulin) when they did not have lantus on hand. Yesterday I was told "we ran out" I was told it should be ready for pickup at noon. Has this happened to anyone else?

So I was approved for VR&E back in April, and tried calling and sending emails through EVA to no effect. In September I finally get a call from my counselor to which she gave me just 2 days to get all my paperwork and acceptance from the university I just barely transferred to. What can I do in this situation to have my counselor be more involved with my case?

We have a house on my wife’s VA entitlement. I am sure that I have enough entitlement to carry it and would like to move it to my entitlement to free hers up for our next home purchase.

Other than assuming the loan, is there any other way to get it moved over?

Posting this because I spent nine months on it and the piece that finally got my claim moving is not on VA's Rudisill/Perkins page, not in the MOAA or SVA write-ups, and I couldn't find it here.

Who this applies to. One continuous period of active duty, long enough to earn both Montgomery (ch. 30) and Post-9/11 (ch. 33). You paid the $1,200 MGIB buy-in. At some point you elected Post-9/11 and signed away your Montgomery eligibility to do it. You've used or are about to use all 36 months of Post-9/11.

The law. Rudisill (SCOTUS, April 2024) said you can use both programs up to 48 months combined. VA applied it only to people with two separate periods of service. Perkins v. Collins (Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, May 2025) said one period is enough as long as it's long enough to qualify for both without counting any month twice. VA updated its page in February 2026: single-period vets may be eligible, no deadline, and "no action is required" because VA will review files automatically.

What actually happened to me. Retired as a SFC at 20 years, 2002 to 2022 (several reenlistments - no break in service) Relinquished MGIB in 2008 to take Post-9/11. Filed a 22-1995 in January 2026 asking for a Rudisill review. Silence for seven months. Sent an Ask VA message in September saying my case is Perkins, not Rudisill, and asking what happened to the claim. Got a letter from the Buffalo RPO about two weeks later. It did not give me the 12 months. The problem was the 2008 election: I had relinquished Montgomery, and VA treated that election as still in force. The automatic review does not undo it. You have to.

What I sent. An Ask VA message (category: Education benefits and work study) that said, in substance:

I revoke my prior election to relinquish Montgomery GI Bill (chapter 30) eligibility in order to receive Post-9/11 GI Bill (chapter 33) benefits. I served one continuous period of active duty, [dates]. Under Perkins v. Collins, please attribute 36 months of that service to chapter 30 and the remainder to chapter 33, confirm that my chapter 33 benefit level remains [X] percent, and issue an updated certificate of eligibility reflecting 48 months of aggregate entitlement. I am currently enrolled at [school] under chapter 33 with [months/days] remaining. Please continue to pay my current and future enrollments under chapter 33 until that entitlement is exhausted. I intend to use chapter 30 for the remaining 12 months after that. I understand that any Montgomery GI Bill kicker will no longer be payable under chapter 33.

Reply the next day: claim sent for processing, decision letter to follow by mail. That's routing, not a decision, but it's the first time in nine months anything moved.

Things to know before you send it.

• Say Perkins, not Rudisill, if you have one period. A Rudisill review can get denied for lack of a second period.
• Revoking the election ends any Post-9/11 kicker. You keep what you've been paid; the rest comes under Montgomery. VA's page says this.
• If VA already refunded your $1,200, VA says you won't have to pay it back.
• You can't draw both in the same month. Montgomery pays you a flat monthly rate and pays the school nothing. Use Post-9/11 first.
• If you served under six years, the 36/remainder split could lower your Post-9/11 percentage. I don't know how VA handles that and its page doesn't say. Ask in your message.

Status: pending as of October 20, 2026. I'll edit this post when the letter comes, whichever way it goes. Not a lawyer, not a VSO, just a guy who read the cases.

Sources: VA's Rudisill/Perkins page (benefits.va.gov/gibill/rudisill.asp, updated Feb 27, 2026); Perkins v. Collins, No. 24-6515 (Vet. App. May 16, 2025); Rudisill v. McDonough, 601 U.S. (2024).

Sorry this is a long post. Any advice is appreciated:
I was diagnosed with bilateral bunions (Hallux Valgus) during service.  In 2017, I only claimed unilateral for the surgical removal I had done on my left foot as I thought it was my only entitlement. So I am currently serviced connected (10%) for left foot Hallux Valgus (bunionectomy). I later got a 0% and 10% for pain and scar for a total of 20%) To be clear those are the issues for left foot bunion. I submitted secondary (to those service connected) claims for issues with my right foot (arthritis, Metatarsalgia, bone spur) which I believe are associated with the bunions.  The initial claim denied all three.  I requested an HLR which found duty to assist errors etc.

I am confused by the recent HLR decision on secondary arthritis claim.  The decision seems to show confusion between my left and right foot.  Remember the secondary claim/HLR is for conditions in my right foot secondary to my already rated 10% assignment.  The decision is saying I am awarded 10% for my right foot arthritis, but it also says the assignment continues…. I don’t have a rating for arthritis (or any ratings for my right foot.) And I didn’t apply for an increase of my primary condition

The decision makes it seem I have a new rating for arthritis in my right foot.  Am I misunderstanding something? And if this an error, what course of action should I take.  

I can’t have a review of an HLR. Supplemental doesn’t seem appropriate because it’s an error and I have no new evidence, I just need them to review the mix up.  

Update: ok, after further review of my ratings and the updates VA recently made, it seems the VA has now attached my right root bunion to the initial unilateral left bunion I claimed(?) can they do this? According to the code, I was warranted 10% for unilateral because of the surgery, but how can they add the other condition and still keep the same 10% (while also claiming they assigned 10% for arthritis) or am I just confused all around.  Sorry this is long, but can someone please advise?

I had a bad experience trying to make an appt at a VA facility. I don’t want to provide all of the details here. But basically it is not applicable to report to the OIG or patient advocates. I just want to give genuine feedback after having ~4.5 hours and long drives to a different city wasted due to location issues.

Is there a spot for feedback like this online? I googled my facility and clicked through a bunch of VA site pages but could not find anywhere that fits a less urgent feedback request.

Thanks folks.

I have been going back and forth with the LA county disabled veterans property tax exemption office since the purchase of my home in April 2026. Their office has stated that since the title is not under my name they are unable to grant me the exemption. I’ve spoken to Calvet and representative stated that they have had no issues getting the exemption before. A supervisor from the LA county property tax office explained to me that Calvet has to change the title under my name and that this is only the 2nd case in thousands that he’s seen issues like this before. I can’t be 1 of 2 veterans who have filed for a disabled veterans property tax exemption and have faced this issue. Is there anyone else I can bring this issue up to? Any help is appreciated

What’s going on with the va hospital in Fort Worth? They are extremely backed up and can’t seem to keep doctors. Anyone have any information because it wasn’t like this before?

Hello everyone, don’t know where to post this so throwing it around to see if I can get anyone who can point me in the right direction. I’m expecting my PDRL letter any day now for Crohn’s disease going to be getting out. I’m concerned about the switch from active duty tricare to retiree tricare and continuity of care. I’m supposed to be getting out around when I’m going to start on my biologic for Crohn’s disease tricare should approve whichever one they want me on soon but I don’t know how to go about switching over to tricare prime for active duty over to tricare prime for med retired folks. And my doc is a civilian I really like him and would like to stay with them. Also worried that they won’t cover the biologic and their services in full like they have been. If anyone has some insight on this I would greatly appreciate it. Projected rating is 100 p&t

I am 100% P&T, married, and one child (6yr old) at home. Up to this point I had health insurance through my employer (BCBS) that I was mostly pretty happy with. When we were approved for CHAMPVA for my wife and daughter, it became our secondary insurance to BCBS. We are now considering dropping BCBS completely and using CHAMPVA as our primary. We also plan on signing up for VADIP. We do not have anything else such as Tricare or Medicaid. I imagine there are a few of you in here that have made a similar move. Can you share anything that would help us prepare for the change? Things we should do and not do? Pros and cons? Are you happy with the level of service? Were you ever caught unaware or left with a huge unexpected bill? Thank you so much in advance for your time.

I'm currently going to school using ch 33 to do prereqs for rad tech but want to pivot because the acceptance rate is atrocious for this program with most folks getting in already having prior degrees(they get bonus points for their application). My ch 33 runs out December 2027, so have been a little frantic figuring out what I was going to change to without going beyond next year in school as I'm also a single father.

Lo and behold, I literally learned about VR&E today. My thoughts right now are to do one more semester where I'm at with equivalent core classes to them transfer to a teaching program at a university in Fall of 2027 as I would have enough credits then to be an automatically accepted transfer. I'm at 80% disability with some of that being for my back and my knee and I've only ever worked blue collar jobs with the most recent being 13 years with the railroad. The railroad sucked as I was a switchman/conductor climbing on and off of rail cars and walking a couple miles on ballast every day and I'm feeling it still.

So, how feasible is it for me to apply for VR&E now, continue what I'm doing with ch 33 this semester and the spring with the goal of transferring to use the VR&E starting next fall for a bachelor's, having around 5 months remaining of my ch 33?

SWA and SCC anyone have experience with this?