OSC(SW) Retired

Update VA received audit from DFAC on 06 June...VA deposited full 2 years retro today 13 June. Thanks VA Houston for a timely response!!

Update: 16 May Dfas sent email notifying me of pay change. 17 May deposited backpay . Now waiting for VA for Retro.

You need a premium account to view your results. You must go in person to any VA Health Facility and fill out VA Form 10-534 takes just a minute. I was able to view mine the same day. https://www.myhealth.va.gov/mhv-portal-web/upgrading-your-my-healthevet-account-through-in-person-or-online-authentication

You bring up a good point killemall concurrent receipt could be changed at some point. We can hope it won't be changed or possibly grandfathered if it is, but in reality the only thing apart from exercising your right to vote and writing your congressman is planning for the worst and assuming it will be changed at some point. Look at the history of changes made to retired pay, social security and disability pay over the years. Like all recipes, each person adds or takes away ingredients. We can plan in advance for how we allow those changes if any to affect us. I am very fortunate in that upon retirement at age 38 found a second career and was able to save and invest and decided not to touch my military retired pay until I decided to retire for good. I plan on doing the same with my disability pay. I am extremely fortunate in that my rating is combined and I don't have one large one that prevents me from working. I plan on using the next seven or eight years to be as productive as I can maximizing my earnings and savings so I can truly enjoy retirement when that day comes.

Gastone, Yes, FDC Dec 2016, Retro Date Established 2015. No MH issues, no inferred. Combined 86%. Agree with award. Didn't procrastinate as I didn't make the decision to apply until 2015:) Semper FI

Thanks for the info you posted! It really helped me navigate the system!

Thanks for all the help Buck! Just posted my success story and plan on sticking around to assist others. Great site!

My Successful VA Claims Story Thanks to all on this site who have shared information, web site links, successes, failures, delays, processes, procedures, and advice. Your advice helped my complete my claim on-line with zero issues. I didn’t post or comment on any threads while I was in the process, but waited till all was done; now I have time to comment and return the favor and answer any questions. At the time of my retirement in 2001 after 20 years of service, filling a claim was the farthest thing from my mind. Sure I had aches, pains and scars but I was 39, didn’t feel disabled and honestly didn’t want anything to delay me from getting out on time and honestly felt there were more deserving of compensation. It took me several years to understand I did have injuries that affected me and I should file a claim. I was also going thru a divorce, custody battle, relocating from overseas, looking for a house and a job to pay for it all at the same time. Luckily I was successful on all accounts. Fast forward to 2015 I finally decided to start my claim after close to 15 years. After reading numerous postings and threads on this site and reading the length of time people have waited and hearing the horror stories associated with so many claims, I decided that while there are some very knowledgeable, dedicated and helpful people and agencies out there to help with claims that no one probably cared about my claim as much as I did. I went to work learning the process and reading the CFR cover to cover and read it again and read it again (did I mention I read it again). Obtained my records, civilian and military and made a list of each condition no matter how small that I believed I had solid enough documentation on. I then got busy making medical appointments for each the conditions I claimed. I did these one at a time to ensure everything was correct before moving on to the next. After each Dr. Visit I scheduled another appointment with the sole purpose of having the Dr. Complete VSARD. (This process took me approx. 8 months) After submitting claim on e-benefits I started preparing for my C&P Exam. Simply made an outline for each item I wanted to address and had copies of everything I submitted (which I was glad I brought with me, three items had not been uploaded to my file). The C&P exam was painless and professional the Dr. simply asked questions on each issue and did the exam to confirm what had previously been submitted. My appointment lasted 3.5 hours. I recommend you be patient and quiet while the Dr. reads your C-File and types notes for each condition and completes a VSARD for each. Don’t distract them let them work. I know I make errors typing if someone is talking at the same time and my claim was too important to have something missed by me talking and asking questions while they are typing their medical opinion. They take the issues one at a time and complete each before moving onto the next. You will be afforded a time at the end for questions, take notes of questions that pop into your head and save them to the end of your appointment. My Dr. was very thorough and took her time for each issue. Honestly I was blown away by the way I was treated at the Houston, VA after some of the horror stories I have read about C&P exams. I simply followed advice I came across from those that were successful with their claims and treated the C&P Exam like a business meeting. After the Doctor introduced herself the conversation basically went like this. I simply said...”Thank you for making time to speak with me today, Have you been given time to review my file for the following conditions”? Gave her a list of my claimed conditions (I listed all 10 on one piece of paper). She said all but these three. I then showed her the screen shot where they had been submitted and gave her paper copies which she appreciated. (Later in the exam she was able to retrieve them from the system as it was uploading slowly that day) At the end she asked what questions if any I had, I had two or three that I wrote down for clarification which she answered. I simply thanked her for her time and left the appointment. Recommend getting an account on the VA Blue Button, my exam notes were online in two days and after reading the Doctors notes I knew my claim would be just fine. My time line is below. Dec 1 2016 Claim submitted Dec 4 2016 Under Review/Gathering of Evidence Jan 25 2017 C&P Exam Mar 08 2017 Initial Review Complete/Preparation for Decision March 20 2017 Moved back to Gathering Evidence March 27 2017 Moved to Pending Decision Approval March 28 2017 Preparation for Notification March 28 2017 Complete awarded 90% Thanks again to all those that posted info and advice! Best wishes....OSC (SW) Retired