It takes three minutes to get past the “Are you suicidal” messages when you try to cal the VA to check an appointment.
At first I thought they were just showing careful concern. Then, after getting the same questions from nurses & doctors, I began to get suspicious.
If they really cared about Veterans with thoughts of suicide, then the intro phone remarks would say “Press 7 now” rather than “call 800-555-1212 and ask to speak to your mental health representative” or some such long & involved process.
Hmm...”are you suicidal?” and “do you own guns?” is a dangerous double-edged sword for vets.
“None of your business” may also trigger the flying monkeys.
I tend to look at it as if they are showing proper concern for the 22 Vets who do commit suicide every day.