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Texas (Tx): Houston


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I really do not think anyone is surprised at your post. If, you look at it deeper, it is probably worse.

Papa

Papa, I would imagine you are right. I am still officially a rookie I guess because I am still in my initial filing stage with only two C&P's under my belt with no idea for certain what the outcome will be yet. And as I have only been to the VARO building once in my life, I don't know what else is there except what a I saw including metal detectors, guards, a ton of veterans waiting, a very crowded lobby with very limited seating, and a weird gift shop with overpriced, stale food. I'm thinking that if they knocked out the gift shop/mini cafe and added more seating with a number system, and had a bank of tellers standing (or sitting) to handle veterans questions and issues, things would work a bit more effeciently, and a drive over to Houston might be worth the trip.

The VAMC looks like some other giant beast, and I couldn't even imagine what it looks like inside.

Mark

Edited by MarkInTexas
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Mark,

Apparently, you have never worked for the Government. The word "Planning" is a no no. As far as I know, there are only two Regional Offices in the state of Texas, Waco and Houston. What usually happens when a business has a big increase in customers, they expand to meet their customer's needs. The Valley has needed a Hospital for years, and its needs its own VARO. Basically, they need to access the workload at all the VAROs and make adjustments. At the start of each war they should start planning on this. Start wars, you make Veterans. Don't want Veterans, don't start wars.

Papa

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Speaking of Houston....... I have a 10:00 a.m. appt at the Michael E. DeBakey VAMC on Tuesday Aug. 22, 2012 at physical therapy. I was politely asked by the physical therapist what time I wanted my appt for in the morning or afternoon and of course I chose the morning. Its best for me to get there early and avoid the evening rush hour. It takes me 2 1/2 hours to drive to Houston. I was going there twice a week from Aug. 2011 to Nov. 2011 for TRP (Trauma Recovery Program). Therefore I got a pretty good idea of how to deal with the parking problem. The employee shift changes at 0800 so therefore a lot of parking spaces are freed up in the parking lot across the street from the VAMC. If I ever was running late for any reason, they have valet parking which I have used once. There also is a VA motor coach that leaves from the Charles Wilson VA Outpatient Clinic and stops at Walmart in Livingston, Tx. to pick up more veterans. I'm fortunate that I've been treated very well by the Va. I found out on Thursday that QTC has gotten my two C&P exams back from the July 20th and July 30th appts and forwarded to the Va. Ebenefits is showing my completion date to be Sept. 21, 2012. These are the deferred items on my original claim and they have me flagged as hardship. So I am "patiently" waiting. To serve 759,739 veterans in 90 southern Texas counties and to include the Carribean, Central and South America and Mexico to say the Houston VA Regional office has their hands full is an understatement.....

Edited by #1Cavtrooper
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Speaking of Houston....... I have a 10:00 a.m. appt at the Michael E. DeBakey VAMC on Tuesday Aug. 22, 2012 at physical therapy. I was politely asked by the physical therapist what time I wanted my appt for in the morning or afternoon and of course I chose the morning. Its best for me to get there early and avoid the evening rush hour. It takes me 2 1/2 hous to drive to Houston. I was going there twice a week from Aug. 2011 to Nov. 2011 for TRP (Trauma Recovery Program). Therefore I got a pretty good idea of how to deal with the parking problem. The employee shift changes at 0800 so therefore a lot of parking spaces are freed up in the parking lot across the street from the VAMC. If I ever was running late for any reason, they have valet parking which I have used once. There also is a VA motor coach that leaves from the Charles Wilson VA Outpatient Clinic and stops at Walmart in Livingston, Tx. to pick up more veterans. I'm foetunate that I've been treated very well by the Va. I found out on Thursday that QTC has gotten my two C&P exams back from the July 20th and July 30th appts and forwarded to the Va. Ebenefits is showing my completion date to be Sept. 21, 2012. These are the deferred items on my original claim and they have me flagged as hardship. So I am "patiently" waiting. To serve 759,739 veterans in 90 southern Texas counties and to include the Carribean, Central and South America and Mexico I would say the Houston VA Regional office has their hands full.

Wow, a shuttle would be wonderful, but nothing like that over here in far East Texas. I'll keep it mind about the valet parking though. It would be great if the VARO building had valet parking too.

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Mark,

Apparently, you have never worked for the Government. The word "Planning" is a no no. As far as I know, there are only two Regional Offices in the state of Texas, Waco and Houston. What usually happens when a business has a big increase in customers, they expand to meet their customer's needs. The Valley has needed a Hospital for years, and its needs its own VARO. Basically, they need to access the workload at all the VAROs and make adjustments. At the start of each war they should start planning on this. Start wars, you make Veterans. Don't want Veterans, don't start wars.

Papa

I agree. Texas is a big state with very many military installations, along with many veterans arriving home from other military duty stations on a daily basis, and honestly it affects many other states as well. If the federal government expects young men and women to raise their hands and take the oath, just as those of us who did it before them, they should be prepared to protect them and their families during their active duty service, and when (and if) they return home. The sad part is that there are so many out there that start wars, or want to cut back on VA programs, that have never served in our U.S. military, nor have their own children or parents.

For that matter, the VA's decision-makers, raters, etc. should be made up of qualified veterans, and veterans alone.

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You know what mark, I've even parked at the VARO and took the little va shuttle to the Vamc a few times! Lol Then after the appt catch the shuttle back to my pickup. Btw, If you ever saw the movie " Charlie Wilson's War", the Lufkin Va Outpatient Clinic was named for him. And he helped acquire that big motor coach for Lufkin.

Edited by #1Cavtrooper
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