Irish-7

I received a letter today that listed my retro-pay amount. I called the bank and confirmed the deposit. My financial affair with the VA is closed. For my military friends who may go through a similar scenario, here are the time frames: Filed-JUL 10, Retired-SEP 10, C&P (VA) Exam-OCT 10, Award-SEP 11, Unemployability approved-JAN 12, back pay-APR 12.

I would be willing to bet that the individual who committed the crime is the driving force behind the secrecy. The Veterans Administration as a whole cannot be embarrassed. Think about it. They take over a year to decide your disability claim, and the award you finally get is wrong. Then, you don't get the back pay owed for another year. If you appeal, that takes several years. They don't care about their reputation. They never did. If they really were concerned, they would fix the problems that run rampant through the system. Truth be known, the VA has vastly improved over the last 50 or 60 years. This guy who scammed for personal gain has political connections. He knows someone, or is related to somebody important. Or, he is a high ranking member of a local social organization. That's why nothing is being said.

CONGRATS, DONNA! You have every right to complain. But, I would not start too early, as you may be postal by the time the VA gets around to paying you. It truly is a travesty to make veterans wait for their back pay. On one hand, I feel fortunate to have been granted IU and get 100 percent. On the other hand, I am out ten grand in expenditures that I would not have spent if they paid right away. I am waiting for retro since September 2011.

Thanks, John. I did not initially believe that I had PTSD. My diagnosis was made by a counselor at a VETs Center. I did have nightmares for over 25 years. I just figured that was a "right of passage" for the Combat Infantryman. I started to experience mood swings, depression and stress related disorders in early 2006. I believe the triggers were multiple duties as Casualty Notification Officer, Casualty Assistance Officer, NCOIC of Military Funeral Honors for one of my soldiers that was KIA in Afghanistan and the intricate involvement in the services for another one of my men that committed suicide in 2009. Working the other end brought things full circle for me. I was coaxed to claim these conditions when I filed for disability. I ignored the advice of fellow veterans who told me to talk about people getting shot, dead bodies and all the gory details of battle. I felt that I had enough serious physical disabilities to be rated 100 percent. Hell, I read the criteria in WARMS and highlighted evidence of service connection in my file. During my mental evaluation of the Comp & Pen exam, the doctor controlled the conversation. I just answered his questions. He really did not talk about combat. He asked me the same questions over and over. "What made you start going to the VETs Center for counseling"? I thought, "Either this guy can't hear, or he is just plain stupid". He was dumb like a fox. He asked enough things about the positive aspects of my life to make me look fine. I think that the raters just give you 10% if you have war related decorations, like the Combat Infantryman's Badge or Combat Action Badge. Obviously, I did not receive the individual disability ratings that I expected. Now, I am second guessing not taking my friends advice. I am the only veteran that I know, that admitted anxiety issues, but was denied PTSD. I also have serious reservations about the staff in the mental health department of the VAMC. My counselor at the VETs Center was very angry that I was denied. He knew the Psychiatrist that evaluated me. They worked together for over 20 years. I get the feeling that there is some "bad blood" there. Anyway, I have the name of a different doctor in the same hospital. I set up an appointment with my Primary Care Manager today. I believe that I must go through the PCM to see specialists. I will talk to the new shrink and see what he has to offer. I won't hold back this time!

Honestly, Mike, in reference to efficiency or proficiency, I would not compare the Veterans Administration with the military. My brief experience with the VA and my many years in the Army tell me that the VA would be much better if they worked like the military. Since I retired, DFAS has been very timely in most transactions. In the Army, everyone answers to someone. There are systems of checks and balances. For the most part, they follow their established rules and regulations. I truly believe that if the Veterans Administration became an entity under the Department of Defense, that there would be vast improvements.

In response to Donna: I read the attached section of WARMS about a month before I filed for Service Connected Disability. Actually, it was a few days shy of my Army Retirement Exam in June 2010 (as I was coming off my 2nd period of bed rest). This information is what made me think that I would get 60% for my lumbar spine. Anyway, let me try to answer your statements from your first post in order. I separated from the Army by a normal retirement. There was no severance pay. Shoulder: I cannot lift my left arm above shoulder level. WARMS listed percentages of 30 & 40%, depending on how severe or if your dominant arms was affected (Diagnostic Codes 5301 thru 5306). Lumbar / back: So, what you are saying is that if I was awarded 60% (for IVDS) in 2010, it would have dropped to 0% if I did not have bed rest the next year? I figured that the MRI's, X-rays and 10+ years of treatment notes would be worth something beyond the incapacitation time. But, if I am understanding you correctly, that my award would have dropped to zero, then I am better off with 20 percent. I realize that there are no precedents set, but I know a few guys that were rated higher for their back than me, even though they lacked the same volume of supporting clinical notes and MRI's verifying degenerative disk disease, bulging and herniated disks. They each only had one or two disabilities, so perhaps the VA gave them a better consideration. Since I had a whole stack of conditions, to rate me high would risk breaking the unwritten rule that you don't get 100% schedular on an initial claim. (Not as a regular retirement, anyhow. I would like to think that this does not apply to severely wounded/broken veterans that were discharged by a medical review board). As far as the mental disorders go, I met the criteria for 30%, almost word for word. The C&P doctor hardly asked me about combat. I feel that the Psychiatrist and Comp & Pen General Practitioner were of the mindset to downplay or reduce my rating. They are the reason that I am worried about VA medical care. My PCM at the local VAMC seems alright. I am about to make another appointment. I thank you for your time and effort. Are you the same Donna from the VA Benefits Blog on Facebook? If you are, I am pleased that we meet again. Please say "Hello" to Richard, Ben and Wendell for me. I am lost with the new program, so I dropped out when the site went to Timeline.

I am too new to the system to know the difference between VA Medical Staff and the people responsible for the Comp & Pen exam. Perhaps, in some cases, there is a difference. The foreigner that did my exam was very hard to understand. He deliberately avoided my questions, then wrote the wrong thing on the exam narrative. There were over 20 errors on the 40 page report. He may not see patients at the hospital. That seems pretty suspicious to me. Why would a separate group of doctors perform the exams that determine your eligibility. The PCM that I have was a nice guy. Time will tell if he has my true concerns at heart. The P.O.S. that did my anxiety/mood disorder/PTSD screening does see patients at the VAMC. I know several other veterans that hate him as much as, or more than me. I did not receive the results of my Social Security appeal yet. I'm not too confident that the judge was very sympathetic to my case. He was another foreigner, so I doubt that service to my country in demanding positions will gain any favor with him. He at least spoke perfect English. I know that Social Security and VA Disability are not related. But, I don't believe that SS would have denied me the first time if the VA had completed my decision. After all, Social Security asked for the VA decision 3 times. Aside from paying off credit debt and making charity contributions, I want to do some work on my house. My wife and I are both "preppers". We believe that a crisis is pending. Consequently, I wanted to put solar panels up for back up power, change my windows and doors and buy some wire to secure my property lines. We will also need to stock the 3 B's, beans-bullets-bandaids. I cannot put any of these plans into place without the money. Sending us all retro-pay after a period of hyperinflation won't be much help at all. I need MY MONEY now. With what the VA owes me, and what Social Security would pay if I am approved, I can secure my family's future. I sometimes wonder if these stall tactics are deliberate, so they never have to pay. How horrible is that, to stall with the hope that some event (death, jail, etc) will end the entitlement. I thank you all for your input. I wish you luck with your cases.

Well, I am not going Congressional just yet. While I was waiting for my initial award, about a year ago, I spoke with an attorney that specializes in VA law. She told me NOT to go to the Congressman at that point. She said that as soon as the VA gets the Congressional Inquiry, they pull the file from the person who is supposed to be working on it and put it on someone's else's desk to look into the problem. She also stated that there is a 60 day freeze on closing the case while the VA investigates and prepares a reply for the Congressman. I am expecting a ruling from my Social Security appeal any day now. If I win, they will owe me a similar amount in retro-pay. They at least square up with you right away. The real shame in my situation is that I am not the only one affected here. After I pay the debts accrued waiting for my award, I have commitments to support others with this money. I have a brother in real estate that is losing his business. I told the priest that I would double my weekly contribution. I actually saved every charity request since I retired with the hope in sending them something when I had closure to my case. The Disabled American Veterans, Knights of Columbus, VFW Charities, Food For The Poor, AMVETS, Catholic Social Services, Police & Firefighters, Bishop's Appeal and even the VA Medical Center that took a year to decide my claim. So, delaying my back payment is hurting countless people. Wrong as it may be, I do draw some consolation from the thought that whoever is stalling my payment, can burn in hell for it.

I have chronic neck and shoulder pain, too. Those were 2 of the other conditions that I feel the VA shorted me on. They gave me 20% for my left shoulder and 10% for my cervical spine. Again, I believed that they would follow the criteria spelled out in the Web Automated Reference Material Systems (WARMS). If they went by their own rules, I would have received 30 or 40 percent for both neck and shoulder. You are correct, I should be seeing a psychiatrist. But, the POS at the VA Medical Center that did my Comp & Pen Exam, said that I did not meet the criteria for PTSD. I admitted that I had nightmares for more than 25 years. He gave me 10% for "Mood Disorder". I am afraid if I pursue some sort of treatment at the VAMC, I will end up on a couch in his office. We did not really talk about combat during the C&P screening. This "Company Man" just beat around the bush until he found some positive things in my life (active with RC church, close to family, etc), then more-or-less said "He's alright". He must have been worried that the VA would make him pay me out of his check if I had PTSD. I am planning on calling my PCM to see if there are other physicians available. I have been putting it off out of fear that the shrink will want me to take some sort of anti-anxiety drugs. I am not doing that. I already take multiple medications for chronic pain, ulcer, high cholesterol, arthritis, etc. I am pretty sure that you cannot mix those medications. Anyway, thanks for your input. I am calling for an appointment this week to ask about several things. I will check out the availability of other "mental health" provider.

I just called the phone number for DFAS Retro-pay that Deacon 2011 provided in the 31 JAN 12 post. That number (877-327-4451) is no longer in service. The new # is: 800-321-1080. There are multiple options on the menu. One is for CRDP or Retro-pay. I don't recall which option number it was because I was trying to write down the previous selections and could not keep up with the recording. It may be #6, as the last thing that I wrote down was "General-#4" before I heard Retro or CRDP. There are 2 options after that. Take the first one (as though you received written correspondence from DFAS), it will get you a live representative. Number 2 is just a recording. The guy that I spoke to, Monroe, was pleasant and knowledgeable. He told me that the VA takes 2 to 4 months after the change in disability percentage (and increase in military pension) to process Retro-pay. I just went to 100% this month, so according to this schedule, the earliest that I'll get the back pay would be 01 MAY 12 and the latest should be 01 JUL 12. Unbelievable. If I don't get paid until July, that will be 2 full years from filing to complete payment. Imagine the civil unrest that we would have in our cities if the government told the Welfare crowd that they will have to wait 2 years to receive benefits. There would be riots, looting, robbery and burglaries beyond the scope of 1968. But, with the thousands of broken veterans, this is just "business as usual". Mind boggling.

Thanks to Steve G for pointing me in the right direction and to Deacon 2011 for posting the number to DFAS Retro Pay office. This was my first month at 100%, so I hope that Deacon 2011 was correctly told that retro-pay is coming soon. I did receive a surprise payment of $94.35 from DFAS earlier this month. This was a repayment of VA Waiver (CRDP Offset) that were deducted from my military pension during the 5 months that I got compensation at the 90% rate, minus taxes of course! Steve G: I am also confused why DFAS is involved in these transactions. It must have something to do with CRDP. Perhaps the VA is verifying that the VA Waiver is paid before they release the disability entitlement. Deacon 2011: although I admire that you can avoid stressing about retro pay, I am not so sure that all of us have that patience. Words cannot truly reflect the adverse effects that waiting a year for the initial award had on me and my family. I won't bore you with the details, as many of you have experienced the same problems, I'm sure. The thought of waiting another year is hard for me. Reality is, my retro could be calculated at the wrong percentage (90%). I am expecting that retro pay will consider my IU award. But, the CRDP Audit sheet that DFAS sent me 4 months ago was generated before the IU decision. Good God, this could actually take years! I can only hope that all of those people involved in the delay of benefits, or the deliberate downgrade of medical conditions suffer the same as we do. After all, if I was rated as the criteria is written in the VA WARMS, there would not have been an offset, or request and wait for unemployability. The thing that bothers me the most is that only veterans are treated this way. If you file for Welfare, or food stamps, or WIC, or any of these government handouts, you get your money right away. It does not matter if anyone in your family tree ever worked a day in their life. You are provided for without question or delay. But, if you give your entire adult life in the service of your country, in the most demanding circumstances in the truly most horrible places on earth, you wait indefinitely to be compensated. Disgraceful! This is why our nation is doomed for economic collapse. We have our priorities all screwed up.

Perhaps I made an error in posting this question at this part of the blog. I see there were lots of people that viewed my entry, but there has been no responses. I cannot image that no one that read this was in a similar situation: retiree, disability decision takes a year, back pay from that time frame received _______________?

You folks know the system far better than me. I had some exposure to the VA criteria in helping countless soldiers file for disability. I did their Line Of Duty, pulled the supporting documents from their Army Health Record, secured the required treatment notes/tests/labs or surgical reports from their civilian physicians, then put it together and told them "Send this to the VA. Bring me a copy of the decision when it comes". I was not familiar with the bed rest / incapacitating episodes clause until right before my retirement exam. That question came up on several of the forms for the Army physician that verified my conditions. Honestly, until my case came up, it was my observation that the VA was very generous, highly sympathetic and overtly supportive of my part-time soldier's injuries. When I highlighted the evidence of service connection for my disabilities, I expected the same treatment that all my soldiers received. Looking back at it, I feel as though my rater did not take me to be assisting or expediting the decision of my case, but rather developed the attitude "I'll show this know-it-all". Reality is, the rating that I received for lumbar spine was only one of the disagreements between the VA's criteria and the percentage actually assigned. After 30 years in the Army, I have grown accustomed to following written rules and regulations. I admit that I am having difficulty dealing with these discrepancies and the potential results in challenging them. As Hoppy pointed out earlier, the DRO can further add or read into rules that the VA did not follow to begin with. I feel guilty pursuing the truth in that I was approved for IU and am eligible for the maximum pay and benefits. What a system! I have not even been paid yet, and I am already worried about them taking it back. Anyway, I appreciate everyone's input. At the very least, I have learned not to "expect" or "anticipate" anything. I now know that this will never really be over. I pray for those veterans that are far worse off than me. Thanks again timely replies.

Thanks again for your input, Hoppy. To answer your questions, I believe I was rated under Diagnostic Code 5240 Ankylosing Spondylitis as my award letter refers my range of motion as 0-60 degrees. It also listed lumbar strain (5237) and disk dessication (5242?). There are no numbers (Diagnostic Codes) typed anywhere on my decision. I don't think that they would use 5243 (IVDS) in that would be admitting that they read the clinical notes ordering bed rest for the 6 weeks in 2010. I read somewhere in WARMS that the VA is REQUIRED to give the veteran the HIGHER percentage where a condition meets the criteria of multiple codes. No, I did not have bed rest in 2011. That should not have any bearing on my award. I filed for Service Connected Disability a few months before I retired in SEP 2010. I assume that the 12 month period goes back from the date that I filed. The VA decision should have been made on the complete records that I turned in, not the presumption of repeating the treatment in 2011. I felt that I met the criteria as stated in WARMS at the time I filed. Now, if they wait a full year to make a decision, I no longer meet the criteria. Perhaps that is what I am misreading. If(?) the clock goes back 12 months from when they finally get around to deciding your case, not from when you turned in your evidence. Anyway, please don't tie yourself up with it. You have done far more to explain this stuff than anyone that I have asked (VFW VSO, VA County REP, VA Benefit Blog, Wounded Warrior Project). If your example of how the DRO treated previous veterans with the same issue is the norm, then I don't have a leg to stand on. It sounds to me like the DRO in your story was determined to shoot the guy down. I don't know exactly what their powers are, but it appears that this DRO is reading far too much into it. I will end up hiring a lawyer that just does VA cases. Thanks again for your efforts.

Perhaps treatment methods have changed recently. It was always my observation that the military was highly reluctant to issue narcotic medications. The 800mg Motrin was a favorite cure for whatever injury you had. These deaths are indeed tragic. I pray for their families. Present day pharmacies issue a computer generated print-out that gives all the warnings of the prescribed medicine. It only takes a few minutes to read it. In my view, the extended release formulas that have surfaced in the past decade are a miracle for those who suffer with crippling injuries and chronic pain. No service member should live out their remaining time unable to perform basic functions. My civilian physician explained the dangers of the pills that he gave me. He stated that pain medications could NOT be taken within several WEEKS of many anti-anxiety drugs. I hope that veterans treated at the VA benefit from coordination between their psychiatrist and primary care managers so as to avoid mixing these powerful medications.