VA National Call Center phone rings . . . [but] no one is there

This has been a common complaint but what makes matters worse is when the phone is answered, they don't know what they're talking about.

Senate to VA: Answer the phone
BY BOB BREWIN 03/02/2012
Frustrated lawmakers bashed the Veterans Affairs Department at a Senate hearing Wednesday for not handling the most basic service task -- answering the phone when veterans seek information from the department's National Call Center.

Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Neb., told VA Secretary Eric Shinseki that often when his constituents contact the NCC "the phone rings . . . [but] no one is there. I had high hopes for the National Call Center, but it is not working well." If veterans do manage to connect with someone, that individual often lacks the right information, Johanns said.

The VA National Call Center (800-827-1000) is supposed to serve as a clearinghouse for information about a range of veterans benefits -- compensation and pensions, education, vocational rehabilitation, employment, home loans, and insurance. Johanns told Shinseki that in his view, VA created an expectation of service that it has not fulfilled.

Shinseki said he routinely phones the National Call Center to check on it, and at times has been disappointed with the response. He told Johanns that the NCC's performance has improved over the past six months thanks to development of the Veterans Relationship Management Program, including a new call queue system designed to reduce wait times.

Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, said his staff routinely tests the toll-free number, and as of Feb. 24 could not get an answer. When the National Call Center does answer, his staff gets "an inadequate response," he said.
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