Grey_Mike

I would normally agree, however this topic kind of evolved into a place where people can get an idea of what their retro timeline might be. Having someone post every now and then keeps it current in a way. On most boards if someone were to post a new topic dealing with something that has already been posted, they might be told that the topic has already been 'answered', rather than get a new response. Especially in this case, since, in a sense, this has been answered three or four times. I don't think the OP has been subverted, since it was answered, essentially. So, I think in this case, the continued posting to the thread is useful and it has become a place where someone can get an answer just by reading the post, or new information can be exchanged as it comes up. Just my opinion, of course. I don't really have an emotional stake in this :) -Mike

Inthe wind: (Are you on ebenefits? You can track some of this there, although, often the payments are made before that is updated). Okay, let's see if we can dismantle this. First, technically, and we'll get past this technicality, technically, you cannot receive both full retired pay and full VA compensation at the same time. In fact the $3 dollars witheld as your offset proves this -- you weren't getting your full retirement. There are certain classes of retired military that can't draw both retirement and VA dis as I understand (to include those rated as less than 50% disabled). However, you are not one of those. So DFAS does owe you the amount they withheld from 1 Nov 2010 until the last time they witheld the offset. DFAS audits this themselves and pays you the difference. Remember in DFAS mind, there is just as much chance that you owe them money. But that should not be the case. VA knows that they owe you the difference in pay between 50% paid between 1 Nov 2010 and 1 Sept 2012 and the 100% rating effective 1 Nov 2010. For some reason VA has to have the results of the DFAS audit to proceed. What VA is trying to do is avoid paying you and then later determining that they over paid you (or VA and DFAS double paid you) and have to try and get the money back. I imagine, and this is only my imagination, the first payment you received was for the 2012 fiscal year. Since they are in that cycle, their payments get corrected automatically (me imagining). What falls before this year must be audited. So in about 60 to 90 days you'll receive the difference between the 50 and 100%. The letter is technically correct. If you were less than 50% you would have received VA disability and no retired pay, if the VA was more than your retired pay. If it was less than your retired pay, you would have an equal portion witheld from retired pay and then receive the full VA payment. Because VA only controls part of the payment they have to make sure it all balances out. The real problem here is that the VA does a lousy job of explaining things and letting you know what and why specifically is happening to you. But that might double their workload. Hopefully that 'splains things a bit. We all have gone through the same mind numbing turmoil. I think we all came out the other side. Take care Grey Mike

Sorry, i meant what va owes you is ibdependent of what dfas owes and pays you. I said va twice in the same sentence, sorry. Tired. Dfas is going by what amount they would not have witheld had you been 100% at the time. That is witheld retirement pay. Va is paying what you should have been paid at the 100% rate difference. Minus any retro they va has already paid. The two accounts are separate and what you see from va, is strictly va's part, not dfas. Hope that helps, sorry for any confusion. Mike

Inthewind: If i understand your question, there are really two retro payments. Dfas pays whatever youmaybe eligible from what they have witheld. Va then reviews all the payments etc and pays your retro from any changes due from %increase. If you have a dollar amt from va, that should, i say should, be independent of what va owes/pays. We d have to see all the facts of the case, etc. Everyone's mileage is slightly different. I would expect the dfas adjustment fairly quick. Va may be over 60 days 60 to 120 seems to be the norm, but hopefully earlier is the trend (closer to 60 than 120) I assume both dfas and va are now tracking your current correct % and monthly pay /compensation amounts? Good luck - mike

So, i dont know if it's because im BDD or because my case goes back to 2007, or what but, after i resigned myself to waiting for the retro until july, it suddenly, and without warning, showed up in jy account. Awesome. Over four years of stress finally winding down. Dont know what that says about a time line, but from notification of award to va retro was about 54 days. Hope it is working for everyone else. Donna, maybe that is a good sign. -mike

Awesome, i was pretty sure you were close. Glad it finally worked out!

Donna: Im not sure. I got my letter on 11 feb and on 14 mar (35 days), i got my dfas retro. But my ras was already updated with my new va/crdp amount. So with dfas youre likely to get an ras update first. And, as i said in my post, the never issued me that ras. On 21 march they created another ras which is now my monthly ras. Youre BDD, if i remember. BDD is supposed to be expedited so i wouldnt be surprised if there are different time lines. Hang in there. I think your key dates will be 30/35, 45, 60 and 90. -mike

Donna: Watch mypay first, your ras should change to show your new crdp rate 0%? Then you should get a payment fairly quickly from dfas, assuming they owe you. Then you have, what looks to be, about a three month wait. You might get some kind of partial va payment. I still dont know why i received a 2800 payment, except that they were also catching up the cost of living increase in feb. -mike

Cool: Wasnt it the friday after the ninth? Hopefully theyll mess up and get it this friday

Donna: When did you get the letter from va that upgraded you to 100%. We'll put you on the time line. -mike

I also noticed on my decision letter from the va where they show the pay adjustments over the years, it says "retired pay witheld". I thought the same thing - what does this have to do with retirement pay? Maybe it means "retired; pay witheld" Maybe im going over the edge too...

That might just be a routine remark. I added a date of birth to a dependent. It said no documents were required, then, the next day, i had a claim opened - freaked me out. A few days later it was "resolved" and said "appeal possible". I thought the same thing - what the hell would i be appealing? I think it's just part of their tracking system. Means more to va than to you. I hope. Hopefully youre at the bank right now.... -mike

Cool: Yeah i think (hope) youre right, its pretty close to done. I was tracking folks on a couple different topics and it seemed like four months from va letter adjusting percentage to actually getting the retro. That would put you in that same 4 month window - give o take. Hopefully the cash will show up tonight. I see nothing on ebenefits about anything since my appeal was done. If what you say is correct for everyone, i may still be waiting for that to show up on my account. Of course in the 4 month formula, im still slightly over two months out (where you would have been early february). So we ll see if i get some action on ebennies. I was hoping to just get paid but it isnt going to work out. -mike

Ebenefits has a link to a page where your doctor can download the exam forms along with how to report symptoms, etc. Wont take the place of a c&p but in the file it will appear in terms that the adjudicators can handle. Seems like for presumptives there are illnesses and undiagnosed/unknown illnesses. If you have a diagnosis, i would go with that. Symptoms and no diag, go that way. I have a number of problems and the va docs say, well, it cant be this and cant be this, we re stumped... That is undiagnosed. If you have symptoms that fall outside a diagnosis and are missing some that should be there, i think that is undiagnosed. Your doctor will have an opinion that is what the va will prob default to. -mike

"...Last month I got two pairs of glasses through VA, the first pair free, and the second pair of sunglasses for $36. Countary to some the frames are every bit as good looking as the ones I use to get from lenscrafters..." You definitely need to check out a different lenscrafter then... Lol!!