Early this year, the line at the travel office window became longer and longer. The VAMC put up some boxes with forms to fill out and apply without waiting each time. Win-win for Vets, right? Well, Virginia-not exactly.
The first thing I discovered was the distance from my house to the VAMC shrank. 38.5 miles to the VAMC X 2 =77 miles round trip. 77 miles X .41/mile =$31.57. $31.57 +$4.00 for the Narrows (Galloping Gertie) Bridge= $35.57. Subtract $6.00 for Dealer Prep and destination fees and an energy surcharge and you have $29.57. By some stretch of the imagination, I was always paid $27.05. Apparently they knew a 6.14 mile shortcut to get there that I didn’t.
Now, I get checks in the mail for $17.05. The bridge toll went up to six dollars so I guess I’m supposed to be using a boat and cutting across Puget Sound. Any way you slice it, the numbers are wrong,wrong, wrong. They won’t respond when I do the math longhand on the paper for them. I guess I have to risk my compromised immune system and get in line to find out how I’m supposed to do this for so little. At $3.69 a gallon for gas, it pencils out to 5.13 gallons which is $18.92. I don’t mind helping get America back in the saddle financially by taking a rump travel pay settlement but I’m going in the hole. Throw in the bridge toll and I’m paying $5.87 to go to appointments instead of reaping McDonald’s money. How did vA shrink the universe and make it less miles to and fro?
This wouldn’t be a major concern but today I discovered there were no forms and the travel pay line was clean out the door to the outside. No way can I stand up that long without getting incontinent. Wait. Maybe that’s the trick to shortening the line…run them out with the stink when I crap my pants.
VAMC Travel pay line at American Lake
asknod
Bethanie Spangenberg
kcraveiro
robinhoodesqvetsatty
Wesley McCauley
Veterans Claims Help 
Things are different here in Ca. Actually after they fuc**ed up every scenario here is how it goes. Travel office is mostly closed. They are open for a few hours each day. Split times am and pm. They are rude and assholes. There is a small office next to travel with one person manning a computer. They answer questions a few hours a day. Travel vouchers are in all clinics. No more vouchers in Travel Office. There is a drop box in wall. Put voucher in box and hope for the best. Last year they tried forms for automatic bank deposit for travel pay. They fuc**d that up too. It caused checks to be further delayed another 30 days. Why? Becuase us stupid veterans didn’t know how to fill out the form with our bank information. No way to trace or follow up on form. The travel office doesn’t take phone calls either. All calls routed to side office with one person on computer and phone at the same time. This pisses the man off if you attempt to ask a question. Lost check? Another 30 day trace check to wait. Never Never ask any questions until the 30 days have gone by. Short changed on mileage? You bet. If you complain you will lose the argument. The line here used to be the whole bottom floor. Fights and arguments a plenty with Va police laughing at us. No more lines but bigger problem now exists. I had numerous tracers going and that made my problem even worse. The travel office hates us and will not talk with us. I finally got a check which combined three appointments. It took 11 weeks. I was told my voucher for my BVA hearing in Los Angeles will be denied. It was not a medical appointment. A 220 mile round trip down the shute. I smell a lie to shut me up…
Collect your travel pay and leave them with a present.