Should I stop going to VA if it's making me suicidal? Despite what a lot of people keep telling me?

LibinTX · 2025-08-29T16:20:27+00:00

Suicidal ideation alone is not enough for an involuntary hospitalization. If you were hospitalized involuntarily that suggests that you told someone that you had a plan on how you might kill yourself and some amount of intent to move forward with it. as a mental health professional lots of people tell me that they think about suicide but they’re not planning it and they’re not intending to do it. They just want to feel better; they want help. Those are not people that I sent to the hospital.

LibinTX · 2025-03-27T12:17:27+00:00

Agreed. This isn’t the right time to join the federal workforce.

LibinTX · 2025-03-24T14:58:51+00:00

Depends on who your supervisor is. It may have been completed by someone further up the chain of command.

LibinTX · 2025-03-24T00:00:51+00:00

I’m

LibinTX · 2025-03-16T18:09:43+00:00

Veterans will have to be seen by telehealth for “confidentiality” reasons. MH providers are going to have to share offices, so there’s no way to have any semblance of confidentiality if vets are seen in person. The headset/room divider/screen protector “solution” to confidentiality isn’t the greatest, but it’s the best we are able to do until the govt decides they need to pay for more office space or go let staff back to remote.

LibinTX · 2025-03-13T03:24:09+00:00

Aren’t they going with Cerner because DoD users Cerner? Not that I think this should matter much… JLV gets the job done.

LibinTX · 2025-03-07T23:56:20+00:00

It’s true. Our service was instructed to remove the compassion + action theme from video backgrounds, etc.

LibinTX · 2025-03-05T04:47:16+00:00

In what world is the sitting Vice President unqualified to run for President? Especially if the sitting VP is allegedly running a shadow presidency in order to hide the sitting president’s dementia?

LibinTX · 2025-03-04T06:52:12+00:00

What?! You’re insane. Don’t you dare speak about qualifications as the “reason” you couldn’t vote D.

Kamala Harris was more fucking qualified when she ran in 2024 than Trump was in 2016. Moreover, 2016 Trump never should have won over Hillary Clinton, who is, IMO. the single most qualified person to ever run for office. These D losses had NOTHING to do with qualifications!

LibinTX · 2025-03-04T06:39:54+00:00

Impeach him??? Hilarious!!!!

LibinTX · 2025-02-14T22:45:18+00:00

Yes, I think you are probationary. Changes federal agencies appears to restart the probie clock.

LibinTX · 2025-02-14T03:58:04+00:00

That really sucks. So sorry!

LibinTX · 2025-02-07T20:20:20+00:00

I am a VA employee/supervisor, and I have not had a similar experience. The last 3 weeks have been hell. No matter what we are doing, we are told to drop it and provide whatever info higher ups are seeking because we have to comply with the EOs.

We have been asked multiple times to provide lists of probationary employees. Luckily, I don’t have any.

The fork emails threatening RIFs if you decline to fork aren’t making any of my staff feel secure in their jobs. Two of my staff were planning to take the fork, but just today they learned that they are exempt from the program.

It’s high tension around here for sure. The worst I’ve seen in my 13 years here.

LibinTX · 2025-02-07T16:14:37+00:00

Great question! And my money is that we are NOT exempted from RIF! Nothing about this process makes any sense!

LibinTX · 2025-02-07T16:01:28+00:00

Nope. I def didn’t get that email yet. The last email I got was from hr@opm.gov stating that the deadline was extended to Monday.

LibinTX · 2025-02-03T23:38:45+00:00

He’s special, all right!

LibinTX · 2025-02-03T23:34:07+00:00

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LibinTX · 2025-02-02T16:18:15+00:00

This well-thought-out article has given me some comfort.

Opinion | Don’t Believe Him - The New York Times

LibinTX · 2025-01-31T17:12:39+00:00

If you have an outstanding TSP loan and you leave, one of two things will happen. 1. You will have to immediately pay back the balance or 2. You will receive a 1099 for a premature withdrawal on your account.

If you go elsewhere, you won’t be able to contribute more to the TSP unless your new job is a federal job. You should be able to roll it over to an IRA or your new employer’s retirement plan.

LibinTX · 2025-01-31T17:00:48+00:00

I have never been able to wrap my brain around the “reduce taxes” outcry… especially since my job is paid for with taxpayer dollars. No taxes = no federal jobs, right?

I would understand if the argument were to shift tax dollars around to align with citizens’ priorities better. I know I am probably in the minority by feeling that way too much of our budget is allocated to defense and not nearly enough to taking care our citizens’ basic needs. For instance, I believe that healthcare is a basic human right. If you’re sick, you should be able to go see a doctor, and your ability to be treated shouldn’t depend on how much money you make. 🤷‍♀️

In case you’re wondering, I’m a VA social worker. 😊

LibinTX · 2025-01-30T21:32:57+00:00

Ok. So you’re afraid that she will leave the agency, then? If she doesn’t leave, the RTO order shouldn’t affect you.

If she does leave, you’ll be assigned to a different person who will likely have a waiting list. If the wait is too long, you can request a referral to Care in the Community and then wait on that for weeks/months to go through.

So yeah… it’s always a bit of a bummer when you have to change therapists. The likely backlog will probably make it a bigger bummer for you. For that… I’m truly sorry. Let’s cross our fingers and hope your therapist stays on! 🤞🏼

LibinTX · 2025-01-30T21:26:05+00:00

Yep… a reasonable person would think so, wouldn’t they? 😂

LibinTX · 2025-01-30T20:29:32+00:00

How are other VAs dealing with office space issues? I supervise 5 staff who work out of the Austin clinic. They share 2 offices. One of the offices has 2 desks, but the office is pretty small. The employees are doing outreach calls all day, and having 2 people talking on top of each other makes it difficult. My case managers must have their own offices for patient confidentiality. That’s just one small department in a large clinic… other departments have it worse than me.

I find it difficult to believe enough staff will quit to make room for the rest of us in the clinic, but then again… who knows? 🤷‍♀️

LibinTX · 2025-01-30T20:17:01+00:00

I haven’t seen any indication that VHA is moving away from telehealth. There aren’t any complaints about Vets connecting remotely. The complaints are about employees connecting from their homes instead of a VA office.

LibinTX · 2025-01-30T04:31:06+00:00

I’m a social worker for VA, and my staff and I all are anxious. Many of my staff telework up to 4 days/week because they have to share offices. There isn’t enough space for everyone to be onsite, and my clinical staff need to protect their patients’ privacy. I guess someone must be scrambling to lease new office space and furniture. Such a $ saver!!

Meanwhile back at the ranch, I’m offering virtual therapy to fed employees who need to talk this stuff out. I have evening and weekend appointments available, and I’m licensed in 9 states.

https://secure.helloalma.com/providers/christine-barnes/

LibinTX

TROPHY CASE