West Los Angeles VA Medical Center — Attraction in Veterans Administration

Worst VA I’ve ever been to . Every time I step in there I’m filled with discomfort an disgust. I LOVEEE VAs, I’ve been to a few all over the country Boston , Providence , Phoenix and even though Phoenix is Definitely the slowest (3hr wait in the emergency room), I still prefer it over the LA VA any day. Im pretty young looking which doesn’t change in any VA location but even if I’m the VA for the smallest thing somehow I get surrounded by creepy homeless men that only move seats to get closer to me and literally end up heavy breathing two inches from me and there’s NOBODY to help me. The doctors are great, treatment is good, but the facility is terrible and sooo dirty. I’m literally registering myself out and rather fly cross country for my appointments than to ever set foot back in this place. I’ve given it several chances but I don’t even feel safe in the waiting room .

AND DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON APPOINTMENTS! this is the only VA that the operator can’t schedule my appointments or even cancel. So I have to wait for a magic call that NEVERRR Happens especially in optometry. A month and a half wait for mental health ??! Are you serious ? Any other VA would take me in the next day. Don’t come here !

Update: 4 Aug 2019 Have cancelled all connection to LA VA, and fly cross country for appointments In Providence. Am much happier, and even after I made this post I confirmed with other veterans that they still were experiencing similar bad situations like mine. Not to be inappropriate or even exaggerate but “homeless veterans watching porn” on their smartphone in the waiting room with noise. Yep. I swear I can’t make this stuff up. When you call to cancel an appointment, voicemails are full so you can’t even leave a voicemail to cancel so you are now “no show” but nobody answers ever either. I fly to providence and in a day I get a call back. People who work at that VA are happy to be there, NOBODY is happy to be in the Los Angeles VA. It’s quite unfortunate. They really need to clean that place up, also, regarding mental health like I said earlier I experienced the Vegas shooting front row.... when I FINALLY saw a mental health specialist in Los Angeles she told I was traveling soon so she couldn’t do anything for me. Good job doc. I hope everyone has a better experience than I do or others have if you still choose to go. But I HIGHLY recommend, taking a commute to a different facility even in a different state, it’ll be worth it.

Update: Feb 2022 Been flying cross country for treatment all these years because I originally came from the New England VA system, Absolutely still worth it. I did hear recently that other VAs in California are not so bad, so hopefully those are better.

Update March 2025(since this is my most viewed): I have yet to set foot back in the Los Angeles West VA and still make efforts to this day to go to any other VA. At this point in California they did open up a second VA , Sepúlveda, which I heard is smaller but quite better. Lots of good feedback from other people, I did not have a chance to ever go directly, but I did have telehealth appmts that were great.

I now go to the VAs in Las Vegas and there are so many of them! The medical patient care here is so kind and gentle. I am really happy...

This is a "preliminary" Review, since I have not yet received any treatment at the West L.A. V.A. I came back to the country, from Thailand a month ago to get "free" medical care at the V.A., since I have 100 % disability rating and had a "mild stroke," in January, which terrified me. The good doctors over there in Chiang Mai - after a few thousand dollars worth of tests - Ct, MRI, CAT Scan, blood work, x-rays - decided I need one carotid artery fixed. Stent of endarterectomy or by-pass, like the VA in Arkansas did for my heart 4 years ago. It would cost $9,000.00 to 20,000.00 over there ( only 1,000.00 to 2,000,00 dollars in India; with a 50% chance of surviving). Plus I have half-dozen other conditions needing minor surgeries and equipment. My online research showed the the West L.A. hospital was not on the list of rated V.A. hospitals and the reviews were not kindly. But is was a one-stop hop from Thailand. I expected to have to wait a month or so to see a doctor. But (this is the good news) the ER doctor saw me in a few minutes and had me get x-rays and a CT scan ? (not sure: it was fast , not like the one in Chiang Mai, where they injected ink into my groin artery) and she told me the consensus was (this is the bad news): no surgery on my carotid artery; the other issues could wait. Over this past month Dermatology has given me some special soap and cream, which has helped my skin, which was rotting way from some tropical thing; Urology has scheduled some appts next month when I hope they will fix my things; Audio has scheduled an appt. and I hope they replace my hearing aid Which was fried in the MRI ( or CT?); Ophtham. has me scheduled and I hope they give me glasses that correct for the vision loss in left eye since I had my first stroke. A word about housing. It is terrible. So many veterans are homeless and get no respect in L.A. I had booked a decent hotel online, which cost me a lot more for two weeks than Uncle Sam pays me per month and hoped to get some assistance from the Pt Adv. or the V.A. to find a decent, affordable crib for a couple months. So far no luck with the V.A. office. The woman there acted like she was too busy doing whatever they do at the V.A. to bother about homeless, disabled veterans and she told me my address was the V.A. hospital. The V.A. hospital Business Office received my new I.D. card there and told me I could not get mail there; to go to Bldg. 297. The social worker also told me to go to Bldg. 297. There they told me a different story but sometimes they give me my mail and other times they send it to the RTPS. Why? Those Tiny Houses are okay for a dog. But I have incontinence and No!. I need a real place to stay. Now I am in this dump on Sawtelle Blvd. that charges 400 dollars a week, for a room worth $400.00 a month. I am functioning on half a brain until I get the carotid artery thing fixed. If not here then...

On my first visit, I got more wrong information that if I had my 7 year old grand son the same questions. I arrived at 4:10 P.M. Me: I just moved to this area. I would like to register. Clerk facing the computer: We are close. Me: But your schedule says that you're open until 4:30. Clerk (still facing the computers) Me: But aren't you supposed to be open until 4:30? Clerk: (looked at me for a second and turns back to the computer) I said we are close sir. Me: I world like to speak to your supervisor. World you give me the name and phone number or where I can find your supervisor? Clerk: I have no supervisor. (She continued facing the computer and looked at me to finish the frase) Me: Are you kidding? Who is in charge? I would like to go into the office and see someone that can help me. What'sthe name of your hospital director? Clerk: Sir, you cannot go in there. (The clerk is standing up looking at me) She didn't answer my questions. I walked to the information desk Me: Where I can find the office of the hospital director? One of Two Male clerks: one asked the other "hey what's the name of this guy (the director)? Male 2: He calls several names to Male 1. Male 1: No man, I don't know. (Looking at something else)

I end up with the Patients Advocate. (4:24) A male rep. walks me back to the business office. We walked into the office. The first female clerk was not there any more. Inside there are three males packing for the day and no customers. Two more patients followed us into the office. I requested help from the three male clerks. They started joking about me coming for help and who would stay and get a medal for staying. A woman walked in in the middle of the jokes and makes some smarts remarks too. When one of them agreed to see me, the other clerks promised to bring him a present. The woman promised him an apple. The other two patients left. In a master of minutes this clerks showed the worst of the Veterans Admin. They don't care and are making a check at the expenses of the VA because they probably cannot get a job anywhere else. As for the clerk that took care me; it took him less than 10 min. Next to us was the PA advocate who literally pushed a form on me to write a commendation for the clerk for staying 10 min. of over time. "Welcome to the VA" I walked away wondering, who...