It happens. I know two A-100 classmates that received VLAs and both got tenure, but had to wait until the third try. Both were recommended on the second try, but apparently could not be given tenure because the VLA process had not yet concluded. I think they both eventually received a letter of reprimand and immediately received tenure afterwards.

Sorry to hear you are getting a VLA - many outstanding officers have, and many others will in the future. Keep your head up and keep fighting to make sure your case is getting processed in a timely manner.

I'm mostly basing this off second-hand accounts, so perhaps someone in big CA might have more detail on how to go about speeding things up to prevent any tenure issues. At the very least your CDO should help you navigate this process. Good luck.