From what I heard, it depends on the city/region. Some of the VA medical centers and hospitals have top notch doctors and top quality care, are well managed. People get seen quickly. Others are second rate – poorer doctors and lousy patient relations. The best ones are the ones where there is an active and creative medical community – like Cleveland, Ohio, for example. (The VA there is 10 minutes from the University Hospital and 10 minutes from Cleveland Clinic, so they get really good docs and med students in Cleveland). Sadly, not all VA facilities are as good.