Pros
You learn a lot about how the VA handles (or mishandles) claims. Talking to vets who finally got their retro pay was the best part of the job.
Cons
Management treats everyone the same whether they do their best to get things done correctly or they just sit there doing absolutely no work or they manage to look productive while taking shortcuts and creating issues for someone else to clean up later. Everyone is treated with the same complete lack of respect. If you want to be talked down to and treated like a 3-year-old, this is the place for you.
As far as advancement goes there is nowhere to advance to. There are no annual raises, no breaks other than lunch, and the medical insurance is horrible. They even demand a doctor's note every time you call in sick. I'm sorry but I'm not going to spend money seeing a doctor because I ate bad Chinese food the night before. They put no effort whatsoever into retaining employees and the turnover rate is ridiculous.