Calling the VA: 'They always put me on hold'

Thank You for Being Expendable

By COLBY BUZZELL, MAY 25, 2014

YEARS after I first returned from Iraq and started having thoughts and visions of killing myself, I’d call the Department of Veterans Affairs. They always put me on hold.

First, an automated message would greet me to let me know there was an unusually long wait because of the large number of incoming calls. Then a recorded message played on a constant loop: “Welcome to the Department of Veterans Affairs ... The V.A. is here to serve you ... If this is a mental health emergency or you are thinking about committing suicide, please hang up and call 911 ... If you are having thoughts of hurting others or want to talk to a mental health professional hang up and dial the Veterans Crisis Line ... ”

I wasn’t about to pull the trigger just then, I just wanted help, so I held on. The wait was long — sometimes 45 minutes to an hour — at which point someone would pick up and either put me on hold again or transfer me over to someone else to schedule an appointment to seek treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. In my experience, the wait for an appointment was typically eight to 10 weeks, but sometimes as long as three to four months.

Keep this in mind: If I’m calling the V.A., it’s because I’m in really bad shape. But when I’d tell them I really needed to see somebody ASAP, sooner than that, they’d always tell me the same exact thing: “Sorry. But that’s the earliest we can see you.” I’ve since learned that when things are really bad, it’s better to just show up at the V.A. emergency room.

(More here.)