VA claims assistance

[Bob]

If there is a knowledgeable member here who can answer some claims questions please pm me.

Bob

[AKcharger]

you got mail

[Bob]

you got mail

Got it.

Bob

[Steve P.]

Hey Bob, one thing you have to do right from the start is make a folder, drawer, file cabinet or just a box to keep EVERYTHING RELATED in. Trust absolutely no one to do anything they say they will and keep dates and names on EVERYTHING.... I'm telling you this from experience.  All of it bad. 

[Bob]

Hey Bob, one thing you have to do right from the start is make a folder, drawer, file cabinet or just a box to keep EVERYTHING RELATED in. Trust absolutely no one to do anything they say they will and keep dates and names on EVERYTHING.... I'm telling you this from experience.  All of it bad. 

Thanks Steve.
The VA is my primary care and they are outsourcing many of the services. So far that has not been a good experience. I have a service connected issue that has been rated but has progressed to the point where I am unable to function normally.

Bob

[Highbanked Hauler]

Hey Bob, one thing you have to do right from the start is make a folder, drawer, file cabinet or just a box to keep EVERYTHING RELATED in. Trust absolutely no one to do anything they say they will and keep dates and names on EVERYTHING.... I'm telling you this from experience.  All of it bad. 

    What he said, It took me 6 years to get mine.

[Mopar Nut]

What's his name should get it fixed!

[Bob]

What's his name should get it fixed!

[Heli143]

Hi Bob,
I am a disabled veteran and am still fighting with the VA.
The best thing I did was hire a VA advocate. She used to be a VA Nurse and got tired of seeing vets get screwed.
She was able to get me 90 per cent. But we are still fighting because I have a metal plate in my neck and very little mobility. The VA says there's no military connection even though my medical records reflect my hospital stay etc..

My next step may be to file a case with the department of justice against the VA. It is done every day. I know cause my new daughter in law works there and told me.

Go to a Local Disabled American Veterans office and get them to represent you as a first step.  They can be of great help.
Then you can step up to a private advocate like I did.
Lastly, the DOJ. But to have a case I think you would have to show you have made attempts with the VA and they are not doing anything for you.

Good luck and feel free to contact me. If I can help I will

[tcs69rt]

I agree with Heli143. Get the help of your local advocates. It took me 2 MRI's, and 4 years after retiring to get 20% for my back (spinal arthritis and crushed discs). Around Halloween this year I was mailed a VA letter and told to report to Veterans Evaluation Services. A contracted doc asked me to touch my toes and to turn my upper torso left and right. That doc took external measurements in under 2 minutes and told me I had inflammation of the spine? I told him I had more than that. He did no MRI or X-rays. On 12/07/2016 I got a letter stating the VA are taking away my disability because my condition has improved according to the external measurements taken? Now I'm getting a 3rd MRI and X-rays to show nothing has changed. Ugh! Rat Bastards!!! Wasting my time and sick hours from work to show that nothing has changed.  Good Luck!

[cooldude]

I went through the DAV and they filed some claims papers for me. The VA approved some of my claims, and denied the rest for some really stupid reasoning. They actually presented false statements, supposing that the lie wouldnt be caught. I suppose they didnt figure that I would have a copy of my military medical record.

(You need that. The DAV can help you get a copy)

The VA has two halves...the medical half, and the administrative half.

The medical half of the VA has gotten a lot of negative media exposure in recent years, but the administrative half of the VA is so much worse, and they havent really gotten much exposure and media coverage yet.

Im still fighting with the VA over it, and now my Congressman has gotten involved. So hopefully, things will get better.

The VA has gotten exponentially worse in the last few years about approving veterans claims.

I hear they just hired a bunch of people off the street who had zero medical experience or training to run the claims department in the administrative half of the VA, and told them to deny everything except the stuff that would cause too much public outcry and media attention to deny.

I believe it. 

We could probably go on for pages about VA horror stories (and this thread probably will). Funny how the VA big shots and administrators never find any problems or catch 22s that would hinder them getting big pay and perks and bonuses.

But they find many ways to knock veterans out of our benefits, even while giving themselves big raises, wasting billions of never ending construction jobs for the benfit of political croneys and donors, etc etc etc.

Oh well, I dont need to get started onthe VA. I finally gave up on my duck- taped VA glasses that broke, and just bought a pair at the dollar store. 

[Heli143]

Tcs69rt - what you said about your evaluation is exactly what happened in mine. I also had crushed discs and now have a metal plate in place of the discs because they were removed. This injury alone should grant 100 percent but the VA says there is no military connection.  Mind you it is documented in my medical records.

My next step is to file a complaint against the VA with the department of justice in Atlanta.

Take care brothers! It's up to us to look out for each other.

[Bob]

Well that was quick. I have an outsourced VA shrink appointment on the 11th of January.

[cooldude]

Hang in there Bob. Were all with you, brother! 

[tcs69rt]

Got my X-rays scheduled tomorrow and an MRI next week. The battle begins to keep disability for my back with the VA.     Not sure if any of you have back issues but I went from 200lbs to 172lbs and the pain increased? Thought I was doing my body some good with the weight loss....guess I was wrong. 

[Bob]

Thank you all for the PM's and encouragement.

Bob

[DixieRestoParts]

Man, I hate the VA. Nothing but a pain every time I try to do anything.

[ACUDANUT]

I despise the VA. They give a guy I know 100 percent and he never even graduated Navy Boot camp. Let alone become a Sailor. 
I did 28 years in the Marines (both active and reserve) and I get nothing.  I gave them all my copied Med records (my only copy)  AND they lose it. 

[Bob]

Had my appointment on the 11th and the VA has the results. It's in waiting for decision now.

[cooldude]

The VA was under criticism a while back for the slow wait times that veterans had to wait for initial claims review. They got a lot of public and media criticism over it. So, to add some smoke and mirrors to help thier public image...

The VA came out with a "new and improved" system of processing (denying) claims. Now it no longer takes years to get your initial denial. It only takes a few months to get denied.

That is because they went out and hired a bunch of people off the street with zero medical training or experience, and told them to deny everything except the few claims that would get them too much bad pres or public criticism. And so, the time it takes to get the initial denial has dropped, and the backlog of claims has been reduced in this way.

And, of course, the politicians and bureaucrats at the VA went around touting how much faster the new claims process is, and how much they reduced the backlog on claims. And so the politicians and bureaucrats in the VA upper management  were so pleased with the new and improved system, that they gave themselves a big raise!


What the news media and politicians dont mention, is that the appeals backlog is not counted. 


Appeals are never mentioned by anyone, and the backlog of claims on appeal is never mentioned by Congress or the news media. And almost all of the claims go from denial to appeal, but since appeals or not ever accounted by Congress or the media, it can take forever.

I think the average appeals may take as long as 10 years, but who knows. I saw an article from last year about a veteran from WW2 that just got his appeal approved last year.

And that was only because Fox news ran a story about it.

In other words,if you want your claim approved, you need to get as much media and political attention as you can gather. Get your Congressman involved, and some media attention would probably help too.

Cockroaches run from light.

I dont want to discourage anyone, but the VA is so scandalously dirty and rotten to the core, and they seem to all have an attitude that they are playing a game of "Beat the Vet"... that, well, that just the way it is.

[DixieRestoParts]

Frankly, the only way to improve them and stop the incompetence and corruption is to fire everyone that has been there more than a couple years. Crazy, I know, but I think that's what'll it'll take.

[shart70rt]

Guys = if you get a denial letter, file a Notice of Disagreement instead of an appeal. It will be processed years faster. You have to halve facts to challenge their decision to be successful. so document well.

Stephen

[Bob]

Guys = if you get a denial letter, file a Notice of Disagreement instead of an appeal. It will be processed years faster. You have to halve facts to challenge their decision to be successful. so document well.

Stephen

Good to know.
Thanks

[cooldude]

Frankly, the only way to improve them and stop the incompetence and corruption is to fire everyone that has been there more than a couple years. Crazy, I know, but I think that's what'll it'll take.

I agree with you!

The VA structure is so politicized, so thoroughly corrupt, especially at the top, and the culture of the VA administrative side is so antagonistic towards veterans as to seem down right sadistic and evil...that the only way to clean it up is to fire every single VA employee that has been there more than a couple of years, and start over with a clean slate.