I avoid the VA like the plague.
To each his own. I love the VA here in NE Ohio. Very caring dedicated staff. It’s quick fast & easy. Sometimes I’m in and out in 20 minutes. Compared to my previous private practice Doc’s up to 2 hour waits in the waiting room.
This isn’t isolated to the VA. I was in the ER at John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek, CA recently and I was asked the very same questions. The ER gambit is a real set up, because generally when you are in the ER, it’s not for a hangnail. The best advice I can give is bite your lip and give them very calm, deliberate negative answers. I don’t think it’s even wise to confront them on these questions, because you have no way of knowing how they will interpret your remarks and report them. Just another group, like cops and firemen, with whom you want to have very limited conversations if any at all.