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Changing Date Possible?

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SueEdel

Question

My 86 year old father-in-law just received a C&P notice as he applied for an increase in SC and perhaps adding some other issues to the claim. The C&P is scheduled at the usual place 2.5 hours away on a good day. When he applied we planned/hoped to be available to assist in the drive and since it is 2 exams at 2 different locations we thought it might be a bit much for my mother-in-law to handle. FIL no longer drives and has dementia issues.

The letter arrived and we will be out of the country on that date. One day later and we would have been fine. We are unable to change our plans.

What steps can we take to request a change of date? The C&P letter always sounds threatening (I am SC too--so I know). It states you CAN NOT change the date. YOU MUST show up etc.

How do they expect an 86 year old veteran to get to these exams?

In the old days we could request a change of venue and go to Ann Arbor--which is 45 minutes away vs 2.5 hours--but that request is usually denied now.

Any thoughts?

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I'm not sure how the VAMC is in your area but the one here has a shuttle van service that picks up vets and takes them to apts free if charge. They will even take you to your apt if its hours away. I've rode it before from Beckley WV to Richmond VA (a 5 hour drive).

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yes you can call and change your c/p appointment. However, let me tell you the experiences I have had with several veterans that called and changed their appointments. The VARO sent a denial letter to the veteran and stated that the reason for denial is due to failure to meet scheduled appointment. Now the veteran has to re-file and request another c/p exam. I have called the C/P exam folks several times on behalf of veterans that have gone through this ordeal. Amazingly they have had no record of any telephone calls.

I strongly suggest that you find someone to take him to his appointment, Even at his age, his claim is handled expeditiously, but with no c/p appointment, you can almost count on a denial. This has just happened too many times

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Hello to all Veterans. This is my first post on this site and I hope that I am following all the required protocols that are established for this site. I hope that my experience with the Comp and Pension department of the VA will save someone else from the same disastrous misfortune that I have fell upon. I received a phone call on November 18, 2013 from the C/P at my local VA hospital in Broward County Florida. They explained to me that they scheduled an appointment for me on November 23, 2013 and December 09, 2013 however, I explained to the women I was going to be out of the state for a deposition which had been scheduled six months prior. They were giving me five days notification of this exam. She told me that she would cancel the appointments, which I went on to tell her that I would be able to make the December 09, 2013 one. The woman told me that she had to cancel both if I cancelled one because they were a cluster. If one was canceled than both had to be canceled. She went on to say that it was no problem to re-schedule when I return from my trip. Upon arrival from my trip I was shocked to see a large white envelope in my bundle of mail from the VA when I returned on December 02, 2013. When I opened it I was even more shocked to see that it was a denial of my claims for failure to show up for the Comp and Pension exam. The letter was dated November 25, 2013 (remember, the appointment that I had supposedly cancelled was on November 23, 2013.) That is the fastest that I have ever seen the VA move on anything. I immediately called the scheduling office and was greeted by the exact same lady who canceled my appointments arguing with me that I was a no-show for the appointment and she could not help me and I needed to call that 1-800 number to reschedule. I called the 1-800 number only to be told that I would have to re-open the claim since it was denied after waiting about one hour to speak to someone through the call back service. I called a VSO who is working on an appeal I have been waiting for over two years however, he was absolutely no help and told me to write a letter to him explaining the extenuating circumstances and he would submit it to the regional office. Still, no word from anyone. If you receive an appointment from Comp and Pension GO! Unless you can get verification in writing from an employee that works in the Comp And Pension scheduling office in writing with their signature for proof, than DO NOT TRUST! I fell for a fool trusting the employee that they were going to do the job that they are paid to do and they didn't.

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