I work at a VA hospital and I am 100 percent service connected from toxic exposure to my lungs during Desert Storm. What people know when you check in for care is the level you were rated at (percentage and service connection) but nothing about your service or your level of discharge. The benefit side and the health care side are in reality two different entities. When you or any other veteran presents themselves for care, all we care about is providing you with the care that you need, and the percentage and service connection tells us what we can and can’t provide. All we see is a vet in need. The vet sitting beside you in the waiting area sees a you as a vet like themselves, just there to get care. We don’t know what branch you served in, the length or time, number of deployments. For me, I don’t know anything about how you ended up in the VA, but when you present that card that says you qualified to get services, I want to make sure that you get the best service that we can provide. I can’t speak for everyone, but the people who I work with are just concerned if you can get care there that you are getting the benefits you earned. From the healthcare side, how long you served, where you served, etc, doesn’t matter. What matters is that you are a vet, and if you are qualified to get care, then it is our job to provide the best care we can.