What you can do

Long wait after arriving

Clinics track check-in to visit times; reported patterns lead to schedule changes.

Steps

Note your check-in time and when you were seen; ask the front desk for the reason if the wait is long.
Ask whether a video (VA Video Connect) or phone visit would work for your next follow-up.
Send the letter below if it happens repeatedly.

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 review

Practical help from Veterans, not legal advice. RateMyVA is independent and not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.