Dallas VA Medical Center — Local services in Dallas

The most unprofessional medical staff I've ever seen. I've been using the VA Healthcare system in 2 states over 12 years through my Chapter 17 access to benefits. Been seen for depression, substance abuse, anxiety and a few other conditions. And then the day of my last appointment on approximately 4/15/24 I was called by the head of the Gold team in mental health, a Dr Graham.(Probably a nurse practitioner) Since that's all they seem to hire. And instead of having my appointment he told me I wasn't actually eligible for medical benefits because as far as he was concerned I was not even a veteran. Obviously these poorly educated under informed so called medical professionals could care less about the veteran and more about lightening their caseload.

Just cut off of my meds cold turkey! So I bring in my chapter 17 notice of decision dated 11/20/16 that clearly states I am eligible for medical benefits . And all I got was a complete runaround and completely disrespected by every low paid lucky to have a job lazy receptionist/appointment setter.

You have no idea how frustrating it is when everyone i spoke to did everything they could to not help me instead of find out why after more than a decade of being treated I was no longer even considered a veteran in their eyes. who the F do these so called medical professionals are!!!

And my nurse practitioner LASHONDA Montgomery was the one who flagged my medical records because I told her she was the worst of the 6 different so called Dr's I've been assigned to since I moved here in January of 2019.

I've been in touch with my congresswoman, my senator and the Dallas Morning Star to let them know what are tax dollars are actually doing.

And what bothers me the most is not one person asked me how I've been doing since they stopped my Suboxone, gabapentin and sleeping meds cold turkey on the day I was expecting my refills.

Dr Hahn and Fake Dr Montgomery are quacks and hacks and they are in charge of the Mental health Gold team which handles mostly veterans with prior substance abuse problems. And the American people wonder why so many Iraq war vets are dying of overdoses or by their own hand.

I use to reply..."You were worth it" every single time someone thanked me for my service. I guess we the veterans aren't worth going above and beyond to find out why I'm all of a sudden no longer eligible for the life changing medications they've had me on for 10+ years.

Oh and if you're wondering why I'm up at 2am on a Thursday it's because there no over the counter sleep aid that can shut my traumatized brain down. Oh, and I'm craving to get hi so bad my insomnia is even worse.

I honestly hope these lazy unable to make decision $11hr workers don't get treated at their Dr's office the way they me in my Drs...

I have lupus, and my last flare was in 2022. In December 2024, I felt a flare slowly attacking my body, and as of now, it has gotten worse. My body hurts, and I'm weak. My face has the flare on it, and my scalp hurt to. My hair is falling out and shedding every day. I don't have an appetite for anything. I was 192, and now I'm 173. I can't even walk upstairs or stand up for very long without getting dizzy. In December, I called my rheumatologist and left multiple messages, and also secured messages through the portal to have bloodwork done. When she finally called back, she told me my symptoms didn't sound like a lupus flare but rather an infection and told me to go to urgent care or the er.

I went to urgent care, and I was tested for Covid, the flu, and pneumonia. All tests came back negative. The urgent care doctor said I had to go the er for cardiac enzymes. 2 days later, I went to the VA er. I told the nurse that I'm having a flare and it's causing other problems in my body. 6 hours later, I was called to the back. No one there did any bloodwork to see how bad the flare was. They only checked my heart and made me do a Covid, the flu, and pneumonia test all over just to confirm that I don't have an infection. I don't understand how the er doctor thought I was going to get all 3 in 2 days. Then he sent me home.

On January 8, I reached out to my outside dermatologist about my scalp. When she saw me, she immediately knew something was wrong because of how I looked. She sent me to do a lot of lab work, and it was confirmed that the lupus is very active in my body along with other issues it has caused.

I sent these results to my rheumatologist at the VA, along with how I feel. The nurse proceeded to message me back with information from 2021. She also mentioned that the er doctor had done multiple tests to determine how bad my flare was. Then she mentioned that the rheumatology department was unaware of my flare because the er doctor didn't alert them. I messaged back to tell the nurse I've been calling since December, and I was ignored. Now I finally have an appointment on January 16.

I'm not thrilled about this appointment because I don't know if she's actually going to help me, and since I was ignored, my flare has gotten worse. I can't even take care of my kids. I only had one great rheumatologist at the VA, and her name was Dr. Reddy. Whenever I had a flare, she had me come in right away, and she took very great care of me. I don't know where she went but I am going to do all I can to find her. Something has to be done with how veterans are being treated at the Dallas...

I get more anxiety coming to the Dallas VA than I ever did in the US Army... In any type of deployment!!!

I've been through multiple surgeries, low back surgeries and I've been in pain ever since. The VA finally allowed me to see civilian surgeons and a civilian pain management physician. The civilian pain management physician put me on morphine for chronic back pain. This was several years ago. My new VA doctor (Dr Kumar) with all of her brilliance decided that I don't need this medication.

I strongly disagree. But it doesn't matter because Dr Kumar is not listening. Which seems pretty typical of the Dallas VA. The VA decided to do a pain management study and came to adopt a crazy policy. We're going to pull all veterans off of opiates whether they need them or not, not for medical necessity, but because of a study. A study in which the veterans cannot read or see.

So even though I've asked to switch doctors to keep me on my pain medication that I desperately need just to function and do basic household tasks, it doesn't matter!!!

The stance is if you have cancer you can have opiate pain management. But if you don't and you're just experiencing pain, then it's oh well let's try cognitive behavior therapy... Which is absolutely pointless.

The whole basis is to retrain your brain to think without pain... Sounds kinda crazy, right? Well that's because it is.

Long story short I'm in serious pain, with no relief in sight. I'm at a point where I do not trust my physicians I do not think they have my well-being in their best interest. I've been set on this ridiculous path that will do nothing more than cause me more pain. And it doesn't matter who you call, nobody cares as long as they are following this ridiculous policy.

If you find yourself in the same circumstance the VA itself will tell you to call patient advocacy and patient advocacy will let you know pretty quickly that there's nothing they can do and to call ambulatory care.... Guess what they don't care either. All they will do is tell you to switch physicians, but it won't matter because the next physician is simply going to follow this crazy policy.

This is healthcare by committee. It's not working and nobody cares, because of a fentanyl crisis that has absolutely nothing to do with veterans.

If I was you, find any doctor that's not at the VA. The VA does not care about you, people are just clocking in to make a paycheck. They are rude and they won't listen. So don't even bother because you're complaints will fall...