Filing On Your Own :: Unwise Or Wise?

[autumn]

is it better to have the pva and others like them to file the claims for veterans?

do veterans stand a chance doing so on their own?

i don't know, maybe i'm just beating a dead horse on a sat. but sometimes, going through these org's is frustrating. it's like they just type a little note to the VARO and yet we're still at the mercy of the VARO. that is, what's the difference between them writing a note to VARO versus me?

i'll add this, i had to go with a pva rep out of state here due to the pva rep here was a bit unhelpful and detrimental to my case. so i don't know if the VARO resents that or what. you know?

[john999]

I was a VSO for the American Legion for a while. I spent months trying to help this lady get a death benefit. I felt so sorry for her because she was living in poverty and her son was living off her. Anyway I found out that her husband never even served in the military. He worked in a factory that made war goods. I just tried everything I knew to find some Catch 22, but to no avail. You never know how hard it is to win a claim until you become a VSO. I had people who wanted me to give them money and wanted me to drive them around while they visited the RO. I do know that if I was looking at 22 years of potential retro I might just interview a few lawyers if I thought the case was going to the BVA and beyond. If you get to that stage you want your claim to be perfected with all the escape routes for the VA to be blocked. So they get 20%. At certain stages of a claim the smallest error can wreck it. There are not many people like Berta, but I think she would admit that even she has made mistakes. When you get emotionally involved in your own claim (impossible not to) it can give the other side an advantage. At the same time not many VSO's or lawyers are going to look at your 40 year old C-File for a thread that might mean a payoff. So at certain stages you are your best VSO and at other stages you need a lawyer I think. You would not go to the Court of Vet Appeals by yourself I hope. I say if the other side has a lawyer then you need one.

[Chuck75]

My general experience was that the VAROs don't like veterans in the various office areas.

That's not saying that a veteran cannot or should not represent themselves. I choose not to do so, because of the 100 mile away VARO location, as well as my age and medical conditions.

My experience with VSOs was mixed. They are generally OK for providing basic help in making initial uncomplicated claims, and seem to be "at sea" about the rest.

My initial experience with this VA escort business was also an illustration of how dumb (or lax) the VA can be at times.

Basically, the VA had hung up payments and authorization for flight schooling. I had a small family at the time, and could not afford to carry the costs by my self.

Thus, the VA delays put a serious crimp in things. At the time, I worked for a bona fide defense plant, and was part of the B1 bomber engineering team.

As a result of the job, I had a picture ID card that was very impressive looking. It even carried the government security classification that I was cleared for.

That, along with a very conservative suit and tie, including the usual B1 aircraft tie tack, and the flag lapel pin, evidently made me look exactly like one of the major vet org VSOs,

or a "wheel" of some import.

Basically, the VA gave me free run of the Chicago VARO, unescorted.

I was able to get a hand written and signed certificate of entitlement, and a written form showing the amounts due and past due me from the VA.

Normally, such a computer generated entitlement form covered only the next step in the training process. The hand written one authorized training to include the ATR (Airline Transport Rating)

Edited March 7, 2011 by Chuck75

[autumn]

Go to va.gov website and download the VA Form #21-526EZ.......read the directions carefully and gather the paperwork that the form tells you to gather (very good "instructions" are included), then fill out the form and send it, along with your "evidence", to your local VARO, return receipt requested (I prefer FedEx, though, myself). As to whether you should send in "all" your claims on this form or not.......................I dunno. I, if it were me, would include all the claims that deal with specific "body parts" or that would be associated with each other (i.e., this is my Main Disability that I am claiming, these other two were aggravated by this Main Disability....).

that's what I'd do, but, then again, wtf do I know...........

more than i, thanks for the link, i'll start that process

[autumn]

My general experience was that the VAROs don't like veterans in the various office areas.

That's not saying that a veteran cannot or should not represent themselves. I choose not to do so, because of the 100 mile away VARO location, as well as my age and medical conditions.

My experience with VSOs was mixed. They are generally OK for providing basic help in making initial uncomplicated claims, and seem to be "at sea" about the rest.

My initial experience with this VA escort business was also an illustration of how dumb (or lax) the VA can be at times.

Basically, the VA had hung up payments and authorization for flight schooling. I had a small family at the time, and could not afford to carry the costs by my self.

Thus, the VA delays put a serious crimp in things. At the time, I worked for a bona fide defense plant, and was part of the B1 bomber engineering team.

As a result of the job, I had a picture ID card that was very impressive looking. It even carried the government security classification that I was cleared for.

That, along with a very conservative suit and tie, including the usual B1 aircraft tie tack, and the flag lapel pin, evidently made me look exactly like one of the major vet org VSOs,

or a "wheel" of some import.

Basically, the VA gave me free run of the Chicago VARO, unescorted.

I was able to get a hand written and signed certificate of entitlement, and a written form showing the amounts due and past due me from the VA.

Normally, such a computer generated entitlement form covered only the next step in the training process. The hand written one authorized training to include the ATR (Airline Transport Rating)

love that story, nothing wrong with being incognito/undercover at times...i might need to buy a tie someday soon

[autumn]

I was a VSO for the American Legion for a while. I spent months trying to help this lady get a death benefit. I felt so sorry for her because she was living in poverty and her son was living off her. Anyway I found out that her husband never even served in the military. He worked in a factory that made war goods. I just tried everything I knew to find some Catch 22, but to no avail. You never know how hard it is to win a claim until you become a VSO. I had people who wanted me to give them money and wanted me to drive them around while they visited the RO. I do know that if I was looking at 22 years of potential retro I might just interview a few lawyers if I thought the case was going to the BVA and beyond. If you get to that stage you want your claim to be perfected with all the escape routes for the VA to be blocked. So they get 20%. At certain stages of a claim the smallest error can wreck it. There are not many people like Berta, but I think she would admit that even she has made mistakes. When you get emotionally involved in your own claim (impossible not to) it can give the other side an advantage. At the same time not many VSO's or lawyers are going to look at your 40 year old C-File for a thread that might mean a payoff. So at certain stages you are your best VSO and at other stages you need a lawyer I think. You would not go to the Court of Vet Appeals by yourself I hope. I say if the other side has a lawyer then you need one.

Lord no, i did not go to an appeals court. i had a lawyer for that and all the documented paperwork. the c&p guy only saw me for like 15minutes and said you have ms. i handed my paperwork (c-file stuff) to him and he wrote service connected due to onset for ms documented from navmil documents plus the years since of documented symptoms. wasn't much fuss really and the lawyer did all the correspondance which i totally needed. he got paid, done deal.

since the va didn't include any retro for those years or secondary issues related to ms, i turned that part over to the pva. so, i can only hope they "go for it" but i know they are giving the va some time to get stuff together and here, it takes a while to get those appts for secondary issues...though i often wonder if the va really is going to setup those appts or drag em out to eternity. hard to have much faith in an org that goes out of its way not to diagnose veterans if an inkling of SC could be there. so you get to experience ms symptoms and told your nuts. ;-) happens all the time.

[Pete53]

If someone is helping me I appreciate it. The reason the system is what it is mainly cause that is how VA and Service Organizations wanted it. I think that any Veteran with a legitimate claim is nuts to trust their claim 100% to someone who does not get paid by their clients and that there only certification is by the people who are in many cases trying to shoot the claim down.

I think that if the Service Organizations wanted to do right that they would hire Lawyers for the Veterans once the claim left the VARO. Yes I do believe that many claims are simple and not that complex and can be handled quickly and efficiently by motivated Service Officers.

Also don't forget that if you want to use a Service Officer if you plan to handle your claim you owe them a visit by phone or letter letting them know what you are doing.

I have a Service Officer that I trust so I am very fortunate.