Question:
Is there a VA FACILITY that encompasses a hospital/rehabilitation/job placement or disability benefits all in one place for veterans? If so, what are the ratings and where are they located? Thank you for your service and your continued service in this!!
Jim's Reply:
The short answer is no, there is no such centralized service.
Ratings? The VA has it's own internal rating system and according to that everything they do is peachy-keen, fist rate, couldn't be better. Many veterans disagree with that. The VA has an Inspector General function that may offer some insight to the various failings and successes of your VA.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is the 2nd largest federal agency in America, the largest health care provider in America and is made up of 3 main divisions, the Veterans Benefits Administration, The Veterans Health Administration and the National Cemetery Administration.
These divisions operate independently of each other, reporting through their command structures to a Central Office in DC (VACO) and they work together to properly serve veterans. Since each of these 3 divisions of the VA are as large as they are, each one will have internal programs that often enough will overlap or compliment similar programs in another division.
Thus...most (disability, pension, family, education) benefits issues are managed through the VBA at regional offices, health (primary, emergency, specialty, rehab) care is managed via the VHA at hospitals and clinics everywhere and job placement programs, legal aid, homeless vet help and such are scattered about through the individual agencies.
The cemetery folk will bury us after everyone else is finished. They're pretty dependable if you are...timing is everything.
Programs to benefit dependents like CHAMPVA & DEA often seem to be in a world of their own...nobody is quite sure who they work for? Education benefits and fiduciary programs are also sometimes wild cards. As if that weren't enough we now have a civilian health care program that ties into the VHA and keeping track of that is its own task.
Navigating the VA takes patience and persistence.
The VA has some terrific benefits for those who are willing to take time to learn about them. Good luck.