Been Trying To Get A 100% Id Card..and The Va Is Playing Games

[leftyf]

Received this email this evening. I'm so damned confused about what I'm entitled to..and most of the veteran help boards are useless as they use the term ID Card, MWR Card, Commissary & PX card" VA...etc, interchangeably. I've talked to other 100% vets and they got MWR, and it was included on their ID card, as a matter of course, on one ID card, not two.

Are they using two cards now?? If two cards are being issued, how long is the *MWR* card good for?? My only real reason for getting the card is for the MWR priveleges

Any help would be appreciated. I cannot be the only person in the VA system having h*ll getting a simple d*mned ID Card.

Here's their message:

From: Dept of Veterans Affairs <iris_service@mailps.custhelp.com>

To: XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Subject: [inquiry: 110121-001748]

Date: 01/24/2011 06:26:10 PM

Recently you requested personal assistance from our on-line support center. Below is a summary of your request and our response.

If this issue is not resolved to your satisfaction, you may reopen it within the next 31 days.

If you wish to update this inquiry, please click on Reply and enter your additional question.

Please do not re-enter your name, file number, social security number or other personal information you have already provided to us in this Inquiry. Please just enter your question or comments.

Thank you for allowing us to be of service to you.

Discussion Thread

Response Via Email (Department of Veterans Affairs) 01/24/2011 06:26 PM

Dear Mr. XXXXXXXXl:

This is in response to your January 21, 2011, inquiry to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

You are only entitled to commissary and exchange store privileges through 100 percent service connected disability. Morale Wellness and Recreation (MWR) benefits are not included with these privileges. We suggest you contact your local base for eligibility criteria for MWR privileges. If you need another commissary letter please respond to this inquiry and provide us with your claim number or Social Security number.

Thank you for contacting us. If you have questions or need additional help with the information in our reply, please respond to this message or see our other contact information below.

Sincerely yours,

E. J. Kruse

National IRIS Response Center Manager

pac

How to Contact VA:

Online:

www.va.gov

By phone:

(800) 827-1000

(800) 829-4833 (TDD hearing impaired)

By fax:

(540) 597-1792

[Wings]

x

x

x

See Attached Fast Letter

DoD instructed its facilities that “honorably discharged veterans determined by the VA to have a

service-connected disability of no less than 60%, but rated 100% disabled based on individual

unemployability are entitled to MWR, Commissary and Exchange privileges.” This instruction is

still in effect.

FastLetter_06-271.pdf

[broncovet]

In my area, at my nearby military base, the id card people require a "special" letter from the Regional Office to get your id cards....a RO decision wont do. (More unnecessary government paperwork). Thats the bad news. The good news, at the local VA hospital, there is a "special VARO" representative that wrote out a letter for me on the spot and handed it to me. In other words, he was a VARO employee, stationed at the local VAMC, authorized to do this.

This seems to be one of those "hidden" benefits like someone posted. In other words it is available, but not advertised by the VA, so only a select few know that they can go to this guy and get a letter almost like driving the 4 hours to the RO.

If you do have to write to your RO for this letter, you may try sending it to your VARO "eligibility determination" department.

Like other VA departments, this seems to be backlogged. I wrote for my fishing license eligibility about a couple months ago, and still no license. Its like the state government and the VA are working a catch 22 on Vets. 100% P and T Vets can get a "free fishing license" but they have to have a letter from the VA EACH YEAR to get the license. Well, it will probably take a year for the VA to process the eligibility verification and then, you will have to start the process all over because your fishing license is expired. In other words you get into a year long line to wait for a benefit that lasts a year..then you get it and start over. I am going to remember this red tape come election time...the guy thats in there gets his pink slip.

[leftyf]

x

x

x

See Attached Fast Letter

DoD instructed its facilities that "honorably discharged veterans determined by the VA to have a

service-connected disability of no less than 60%, but rated 100% disabled based on individual

unemployability are entitled to MWR, Commissary and Exchange privileges." This instruction is

still in effect.

Thanks, it's stuff like this I'm looking for.

[leftyf]

In my area, at my nearby military base, the id card people require a "special" letter from the Regional Office to get your id cards....a RO decision wont do. (More unnecessary government paperwork). Thats the bad news. The good news, at the local VA hospital, there is a "special VARO" representative that wrote out a letter for me on the spot and handed it to me. In other words, he was a VARO employee, stationed at the local VAMC, authorized to do this.

This seems to be one of those "hidden" benefits like someone posted. In other words it is available, but not advertised by the VA, so only a select few know that they can go to this guy and get a letter almost like driving the 4 hours to the RO.

If you do have to write to your RO for this letter, you may try sending it to your VARO "eligibility determination" department.

Like other VA departments, this seems to be backlogged. I wrote for my fishing license eligibility about a couple months ago, and still no license. Its like the state government and the VA are working a catch 22 on Vets. 100% P and T Vets can get a "free fishing license" but they have to have a letter from the VA EACH YEAR to get the license. Well, it will probably take a year for the VA to process the eligibility verification and then, you will have to start the process all over because your fishing license is expired. In other words you get into a year long line to wait for a benefit that lasts a year..then you get it and start over. I am going to remember this red tape come election time...the guy thats in there gets his pink slip.

I understand...some od my stuff has been hanging around for nearly 10+ years.

[deltaj]

I understand...some od my stuff has been hanging around for nearly 10+ years.

My husband is a service-connected totally disabled veteran. When my husband went to get his i.d. card from a military base, the individual handling the matter held the rating letter from V.A. up to the light. My husband asked why and that individual explained that the V.A. sends the letter on special paper that is kept locked up and which shows an american eagle watermark. He said to both of us, "Here take a look." We held the V.A. letter and there was an american eagle watermark in the paper that could only be seen when the paper was held up toward light. Could a few of you who have a 100% rating take out the letters V.A. gave you notifying you of the 100% rating verify that what I am saying here is true by looking at your rating letter and holding it up to light. I mention this here because it is possible that the individual who wrote the 100% letter at V.A. didn't use the special watermarked paper.

Edited January 30, 2011 by deltaj

[jbasser]

Under no circumstances are you to take your actual award letter to the ID card issuing place. You are most likely enrolled in Deers and the required documentation is a letter from the VA stating you are a permanent and total disabled veteran. You risk too muck showing the award letter to these folks.

J