Too much!
I cannot comment on how the app is on a desktop as I have only ever used my iPhone.
On my iPhone this app is overly difficult to maneuver. To the point that it almost feels intentional. You really have to search for options that should be front and center. And every selection requires a full refresh so you once again have to start a full search for what you are looking for.
Too many selections are at the very bottom of the page and the number and location of notifications is overwhelming. I really shouldn’t have to scroll through yet another PACT Act notification just to compose an email…
I am somewhat computer literate but for those who are 10-15 years older than me, I am quite sure that this overly complicated app is more than daunting enough to make it not worth trying to navigate.
Perhaps that was the point.
On my iPhone this app is overly difficult to maneuver. To the point that it almost feels intentional. You really have to search for options that should be front and center. And every selection requires a full refresh so you once again have to start a full search for what you are looking for.
Too many selections are at the very bottom of the page and the number and location of notifications is overwhelming. I really shouldn’t have to scroll through yet another PACT Act notification just to compose an email…
I am somewhat computer literate but for those who are 10-15 years older than me, I am quite sure that this overly complicated app is more than daunting enough to make it not worth trying to navigate.
Perhaps that was the point.
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A word on transparency
It’s nice that we can see there are steps. It’s nice that there is an explanation as to what “can happen” in each step. Problem is, we still don’t have any transparency on what is taking place on OUR claim. My current claim stayed in step 5 for 60+ days before I finally got someone that could tell me why, and that was vague at best. I did find something extremely illuminating thought; he was able to tell me that there was a dilemma with part of it, but that nobody have even looked at it in almost 7 weeks. No entries, no movement whatsoever. What that tells me is that if something gets to a point where it looks like a little extra effort is going to be needed, pigeon hole it. What’s worse, my buddy with exactly identical claims and ratings filed the exact same thing I did a week AFTER me, and did a C&P exam 20 days AFTER me, and has already received a rating, and payments.
You are busy. We get it. You are overwhelmed, we get it. But… first come first served means exactly that. No matter what, a claim should never be dumped for the sake of picking the low hanging fruit. As busy as you are, there will always be low hanging fruit, and you can’t ethically pigeon hole complicated files to attain it.
That being said, thank you to all the dedicated people at VA, that have worked tirelessly to selflessly serve others. You are an inspiration, and a treasure.
Everyone else; Tighten up!
My friends are killing themselves waiting on you!
//NOTHING FOLLOWS//
You are busy. We get it. You are overwhelmed, we get it. But… first come first served means exactly that. No matter what, a claim should never be dumped for the sake of picking the low hanging fruit. As busy as you are, there will always be low hanging fruit, and you can’t ethically pigeon hole complicated files to attain it.
That being said, thank you to all the dedicated people at VA, that have worked tirelessly to selflessly serve others. You are an inspiration, and a treasure.
Everyone else; Tighten up!
My friends are killing themselves waiting on you!
//NOTHING FOLLOWS//
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Not useful
The VA app purports to allow access to the Vet’s medical record through My HealtheVet but search as I might, I can’t find any way to access that information. The login process took forever and involved entering my phone number three times and my SSN twice—hardly the paragon of a secure system, say nothing of the lack of digital efficiency. To top it all off, this app has been around form many years and several parts are still not working—no vaccine history, no benefits information just to name two.
Between the egregious login process and the utter lack of functionality, this app is little more than a distraction. The VA will need to do much better to match the types and quality of apps coming out of the minds of 15 year olds. They’ve got a very long road ahead if they was to match the apps coming out of other health systems.
Between the egregious login process and the utter lack of functionality, this app is little more than a distraction. The VA will need to do much better to match the types and quality of apps coming out of the minds of 15 year olds. They’ve got a very long road ahead if they was to match the apps coming out of other health systems.
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Pretty Solid 🤯
I have been using the app since the beginning of 2021. They have continually improved and updated since then and the updates have been helpful and the additional resources included in the app, such as messaging your actual, personal, local, medical providers and getting real-time responses in my experience on average 10 minutes or less. This is huge in helping veterans with social isolation or suicidal ideations and PTSD and other disabilities schedule appointments and reach out for care without physically talking to someone on the phone, but still being able to reach a VA employee who can schedule all the care needed on a case by case basis and tailor it to your personal needs. Since the amount of time a claim requires for processing from beginning to end is average 3-6 months they should consider upgrading to an even more in-depth system to show the veteran where they are in the process exactly without any assuming involved, the veterans next actions/steps to be done exactly, and a ballpark/estimated completion date would go a long way in improving the attitude of veterans towards the VA claims process. I believe it would eliminate some if not all of the uncertainty around the length of time the claim will be, and the feeling that the claim is not being handled or being given the attention it deserves, both would considerably reduce the amount of phone calls received daily pertaining to claims and status. 🇺🇸FYea
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Reason for Appointment
It’s hard to remember what the appointment is for and the abbreviated Doctors title and department are hard to keep in mind. There should be some basic information listed like, ear, nose, knee, foot, or whichever area is concerned for an appointment. Not everybody has the Doctor title memorized. So if it’s a doctors appointment for hearing aides the reason for the appointment should be listed for an example, Audiologist(ear). I know some could be more complicated to list but when you don’t have all the doctor titles memorized and you have appointments for ear, knee, brain, or skin cancer it doesn’t make list the reason for the appointment and 98% of the time all I remember is that I have appointment of some type. Don’t get me wrong I know it might need an adjustment to the system for this automatically be listed like this but after having a brain tumor removed I have a hard time remembering a lot of things and remembering all the medical listings are harder than before. I know as I get older it’s going to get even harder. Thank you.
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App keeps crashing
Glitchy when signing in with dslogin, when selecting to view claim status app crashes. Never did this til the latest update.
Low functionality
It’s convenient for very few things and maintains significant barriers. The attachments in messages never load, the claims information is very minimal so you have to login on a browser anyways, additionally there are a multitude of other failures as is common within myhealthevet messaging. The biggest being the absolute garbage fest that is communicating with providers (or not being allowed to communicate with them.. even if they message you because you are not seen in their “clinic” according to myhealthevet). Additionally the names of organizations and contacts is abysmal. The effort from the latest update appears to focus on bridging the gap between a simplistic look and a more modern look so some leadership can get more big bonuses, without actually helping vet’s gain access to care anymore efficiently. The VA remains a pleasant laughing stock comparable to any modern organization and this app is the perfect showcasing of said joke.
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Conveniently annoying
Logging in and out of this app is very inefficient. I have Face ID setting turned on, yet every time I log in, there are probably six or seven screens to navigate through just to get in, including “waiting to redirect” and needing to text authentication codes every time. And when you log out, there are 4 pages and prompts to get through just to leave.
The messaging system needs some work too. It only shows a portion of sent messages, and when you click the down arrow to expand the window, it still won’t show you the full message. And for writing new messages, the main message box is irritating at best. Accidentally touching outside of the box makes the text go gray, and the screen jump up and down. The cursor is like a sick joke being played on me, and most of the “continue” buttons need to be pressed at least two or three times to activate.
I downloaded the app because it’s supposed to be simpler than using the website, but that doesn’t seem to be the reality. And considering that a lot of us veterans are suffering from PTSD and high anxiety, I would hope that the developers could create an app that doesn’t give me a near panic attack every time I need to use it. Do better, please.
The messaging system needs some work too. It only shows a portion of sent messages, and when you click the down arrow to expand the window, it still won’t show you the full message. And for writing new messages, the main message box is irritating at best. Accidentally touching outside of the box makes the text go gray, and the screen jump up and down. The cursor is like a sick joke being played on me, and most of the “continue” buttons need to be pressed at least two or three times to activate.
I downloaded the app because it’s supposed to be simpler than using the website, but that doesn’t seem to be the reality. And considering that a lot of us veterans are suffering from PTSD and high anxiety, I would hope that the developers could create an app that doesn’t give me a near panic attack every time I need to use it. Do better, please.
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Debt issue
Let me start off by saying it’s great that there’s an easy to use app for Veterans to utilize when monitoring the status of claims, correspondence with Doctors, accessing letters and all sorts of pertinent information without the hassle of logging into a computer. My issue is with Veterans who have incurred a debt through the VA. There is no way (that I can see) to track payments towards their debt, or even see how much of the debt is yet to be settled. My specific issue is in regards to payback of ISP (Involuntary Separations Pay). This is a debt that is taken from disability compensation and paid back to DFAS. VA says that DFAS tracks it for them, and DFAS says the VA tracks it. Either way, the money is coming from the Veterans disability compensation and should be able to be tracked and monitored by the Veteran. Preferably on the app.
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We can do better with this app.
Considering that the Va touts how they are the largest healthcare system in the country, the technology resources such as this app should be at the forefront of the medical community. Other services such as MyChart which is used by nearly every healthcare system that employs the epic system has a much more in depth user experience that actually allows us to see our medical information. There is no reason that we cannot make this happen. It’s time the VAHCS gets with the times and has a robust user interface for their veterans similar to the other private and public healthcare systems that we are not allowed to use unless given permission from the VA themselves.
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