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What you can do
Hard to get or keep an appointment
The VA measures your wait from the date you asked, so getting that date on record matters.
Steps
- Ask for the appointment in writing (secure message) so the request date is recorded.
- Ask the scheduler for the first available date and whether a cancellation list exists.
- If the wait is longer than 20 days (28 for specialty care) or the drive is too far, you may qualify for care outside the VA. Check community care
- If appointments keep getting cancelled or moved, send the letter below to the Patient Advocate.
Who to contact
- Patient Advocate
- Ask your VA facility’s main number for the Patient Advocate.Handles complaints at the facility. Start here.
- Your member of Congress
- Find your Representative · Your SenatorsEvery office has caseworkers who help with VA problems for free. Ask for “casework”; they can contact the VA for you with your written permission.
- White House VA Hotline
- 855-948-231124 hours a day. For concerns the facility hasn’t resolved.
- VA Inspector General hotline
- 800-488-8244 · report onlineOnly if you believe wait times or records were falsified, or other wrongdoing.
In crisis? Call 988 and press 1, or text 838255. In an emergency, call 911.
Ready-to-send letter
Fill in the parts in [brackets], then send it by secure message, email or mail to the Patient Advocate. Keep a copy. Don’t include your full Social Security number.
After it’s resolved, or not
Update your review so the next Veteran knows what happened. If the VA marks this problem fixed, Veterans who visit afterward are asked whether it really was; your answer decides.
Update or write a reviewPractical help from Veterans, not legal advice. RateMyVA is independent and not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.