The Journey Begins

[Sgt Schmidt]

Hello Friends,

Well, after doing much research here on the forum and getting a letter from my family doctor, wifes statement, and old records from the mental stress center from years gone by, I'm filing my claim Monday with my VSO.

I know it will be a long bumpy road to follow but I'm hoping that any obstacles I run into can be handled with help from my friends here at hadit.

Like most of us, I'm not looking forward to the scuffle with the VA but I guess that's what they get paid for.

Wish me luck,

Jeff

[Berta]

Unless you have CIB, CAR, or the PH on your DD 214-as you know- they will need to verify your stressor through the Joint Services Records Research Center.

It pays to give them details as to time and place, as best as you can and I feel any vet with a stressor that VA will need to verify should do all they can to try to obtain buddy statements, or unit records themselves that put them at the stressor event without question.

If I were a vet needing a stressor verified-I would actually write to JSRRC myself without waiting for VA to do it-I have seen BVA remands due to the fact that VA did not attempt to get the vet's stresspr verified by JSRRC at all.

That doesn't happen often but still when this happens it adds considerable more time to a claim.

I assume (but I might be wrong) that this claim is a new claim and has no relationship to the 10% you get now ?

Just about every unit has a web site these days- often they have reunion rosters and even google has made finding a buddy a lot easier than it was in the olden days.

A buddy should state they were in same unit as you and same timeframe- and their MOS put them where the stressor occured and they should verify you were there too and give some details as to what happened.They should give VA their contact info and I feel buddy statements should always be notarized.

My daughter helped some Vietnam vets get awards they didn't have on their DD 214s as well as helped them get VA comp.

Her involvement was primarily because she is fluent in Vietnamese and could translate a document one of them found in Vietnam with names and SSA numbers of men in this specific unit they all were in.The document (feared to be an enemy hit list by the vet who had found it) was from Command in Vietnamese Army honoring them all for exempliary actions in a battle situation that saved lives.

One of the vets who prepared a buddy statement for another of the vets in this unit and part of the same stressor event gave the VA in his statement his C file number and rating for PTSD which he said came from this very same event.

You might well have a combat award on your DD 214-so maybe this buddy info will help someone us.

Edited February 21, 2010 by Berta

[vperl]

Jeff, you old 2/3 dog, keep the good fight going. research is overrated. I have a feeling that the VARO are getting little rubber stamps made to speed up the process. Monday your feelin bad, you stamp off 3 in 5 claims, Friday when you want to go home you stamp off 4 of 5 claims... , there maybe a tip off.. the stamp says " NO Way, Jose "

Hello Friends,

Well, after doing much research here on the forum and getting a letter from my family doctor, wifes statement, and old records from the mental stress center from years gone by, I'm filing my claim Monday with my VSO.

I know it will be a long bumpy road to follow but I'm hoping that any obstacles I run into can be handled with help from my friends here at hadit.

Like most of us, I'm not looking forward to the scuffle with the VA but I guess that's what they get paid for.

Wish me luck,

Jeff

[Sgt Schmidt]

Unless you have CIB, CAR, or the PH on your DD 214-as you know- they will need to verify your stressor through the Joint Services Records Research Center.

It pays to give them details as to time and place, as best as you can and I feel any vet with a stressor that VA will need to verify should do all they can to try to obtain buddy statements, or unit records themselves that put them at the stressor event without question.

If I were a vet needing a stressor verified-I would actually write to JSRRC myself without waiting for VA to do it-I have seen BVA remands due to the fact that VA did not attempt to get the vet's stresspr verified by JSRRC at all.

That doesn't happen often but still when this happens it adds considerable more time to a claim.

I assume (but I might be wrong) that this claim is a new claim and has no relationship to the 10% you get now ?

Just about every unit has a web site these days- often they have reunion rosters and even google has made finding a buddy a lot easier than it was in the olden days.

A buddy should state they were in same unit as you and same timeframe- and their MOS put them where the stressor occured and they should verify you were there too and give some details as to what happened.They should give VA their contact info and I feel buddy statements should always be notarized.

My daughter helped some Vietnam vets get awards they didn't have on their DD 214s as well as helped them get VA comp.

Her involvement was primarily because she is fluent in Vietnamese and could translate a document one of them found in Vietnam with names and SSA numbers of men in this specific unit they all were in.The document (feared to be an enemy hit list by the vet who had found it) was from Command in Vietnamese Army honoring them all for exempliary actions in a battle situation that saved lives.

One of the vets who prepared a buddy statement for another of the vets in this unit and part of the same stressor event gave the VA in his statement his C file number and rating for PTSD which he said came from this very same event.

You might well have a combat award on your DD 214-so maybe this buddy info will help someone us.

Berta,

Getting a buddy statement will/would be probably the hardest thing for me to do since I never got addresses from anyone and I couldn't even begin to remember names since I have Early-onset Alzheimer's. Damn, I'm to young for that stuff. Remembering some of the places like "Mutters Ridge", "The Rockpile", and a few more I can remember like it was yesterday. I remember being woken by a buddy because I was screaming in my sleep and asking me what was wrong. "Just a bad dream."

I can recall maybe 2 or 3 names but no clue to where they live or if they are still living. It's been many years.... Also, our division pulled out of country and we all got transfered to other units.

By the way, this is a new claim.

Jeff

Edited February 21, 2010 by Sgt Schmidt