David Shoemaker

Review of Fayetteville VAMC

So I spent about 2 hours making calls to the VA Me...

So I spent about 2 hours making calls to the VA Medical Center and to the VA trying to setup my initial appointment after retirement. The automated system couldn't find me based on my SSN. This place told me that I needed to be enrolled, the VA and the VA website said I was already approved. One lady here at the VA Medical Center said that she couldn't find me in the system, and forwarded me to another woman who "might" be able to find me. I had already talked with her, but she tried to find me, and placed me on hold for a few moments. She then came back and said that her lead tech had stepped away and that she would call me back in less than 30 minutes. I knew what that meant. I got off the phone. Took a shower and shaved. I then drove the 15 minutes down to the Medical Center. Found the information desk, went up on floor, went down to the Health Resources Center, and they were able to find me and tell me that the scheduling team would be able to get me an appointment in a few weeks. It took 5 minutes of me walking into the room for them to find me, and see that I was enrolled.

Now I sit and ponder if the "scheduling team" will be calling me in a few weeks or not. My guess is that they won't.

I try to give people the benefit of the doubt. There are a few negative reviews here on Google, but you have to give them a chance. With all the negativity that surrounds the VA, you'd think that there would be some sort of changeover that would put them on the right track. Maybe folks that worked for the DOD are used to this kind of treatment, but for those who didn't retire from the DOD, like me, this is a shock. I hope my future dealings with them go better. If they do, my review will be adjusted.