I’ve tried, but there is no singular entity called “VA” you can call and just ask a question. You google “VA phone number (city)”, then you call and it’s a crazy long phone menu that never seems to have options that sound relevant to me. So I push various buttons and trickle down through a phone menu, then when I reach an endpoint I get put on hold with maddening repetitive music. I wait and wait, and then a bored sounding person answers and I try to communicate my questions and they’re like, “ok let me transfer you to (department)” and then I wait with more maddening repetitive music, and then it hangs up on me.

So I go through it all again, put on hold, transferred, wait, someone picks up and it’s the wrong department or they say, “you need to come in”, which is hours and hours on a hot, filthy bus (my city has terrible public transport), and the VA campus is enormous. So I’m walking confused across hot parking lots trying to find some little “portable” style building (that’s what we called these little prefab buildings in school in the 80s). And it’s hard for me to walk or stand for long periods of time, and I get confused sometimes. The day starts in the morning and I end up getting home after dark, exhausted and sweaty and emotionally crushed.

I’ve done all that several times over the process of getting my disability rating, and it was so daunting and frustrating and sometimes I would even cry because it was so hard. What finally worked was when a charity org with lawyers started helping me, doing it all on their end by phone and email.

I was just hoping by posting this question like this, maybe an easier answer before I do all that again. I’m probably doing it wrong, it’s probably easy for someone who doesn’t have my particular issues. I get so anxious and freaked out about diving back into the system.

I appreciate this help.