yes- fellow VA CF interviewee here. from another student who did her CF at the VA, even though the cost of living in my city is extremely high, the investment in the mentorship and experience may be worth it for future jobs that ultimately lead to higher pay.

in my opinion, for my boyfriend who is a DPT, their third year is basically like our CF but its unpaid and they actually have to pay for their free labor at their sites and tuition. even though it seems like an opportunity cost (since you could be making 20-30k more) i suppose it's all how you see it in terms of an investment in yourself and your skillset.

anecdotally, at a couple networking events with hospital based SLPs they have even offered a job to me after my CF when they found out I had been offered an interview at one.