Loose Cannon

Well after receiving this response to my IRIS yesterday..."Your claims are all pending review. They are considered Non-Rating claims which this Regional Office currently has over 38,000 to process with a handful of personnel. We apologize for the delay. Please continue to monitor your Ebenefits account for future updates." I logged on eBenefits today and my claims have ALL been sent from my Winston-Salem, NC VARO to the Nashville, TN VARO and they now have temporary jurisdiction to review & complete them! Thank you Lord!!! This is, in my opinion, a major breakthrough...woo-hoo! I guess the figured they were maxed-out at claim 37,999 and decided it would be prudent to send my stuff to a VARO that may be staffed accordingly and have a lighter workload...hee-hee! Gotta keep a sense of humor or I won't live to see 98 like my Grandpa :-) LC

Here' what my iris response says. It arrived today... "Your claims are all pending review. They are considered Non-Rating claims which this Regional Office currently has over 38,000 to process with a handful of personnel. We apologize for the delay. Please continue to monitor your Ebenefits account for future updates." So...anyone going through the Winston-Salem, NC VARO can expect to wait a very, very long time according to them. LC

Thanks for the info. I appreciate the efforts you made...awesome ! I will consider my next move carefully. Like you, I also believe DFAS has done their job. I will call them again next week and get a copy of the audit just for my own records...Might have them re-send one to VARO as well for good measure. Thanks Kray! Hope we both get good news someday soon! LC

Congratulations Big Time to you for your victory!! I hope you continue to have better days ahead. Keep your doctor well informed on how the meds affect your symptoms as they can be adjusted. I take Ambien too and it has helped me get a good continuous sleep. Also take Prazosin for nightmares & dreams but the high dose was making me very dizzy and lightheaded so my doc reduced doseage. Stay with it and give it time to really evaluate what the medication bennies are for you. Best of luck as you move forward in your life. Thanks for your service to our country! LC

Just sent another iris with the dates and claim status update request... Considering pitching a tent outside the Winston Salem RO like the folks do on the eve of Black Friday except one thing...I would continue to live in that tent right near the main entrance until my claim gets completed or the police arrest me. Any guess which would come first? LOL! Hey...maybe the local news would get word of it then and it would bring some awareness to what so many of us are facing. This is absurd.

I agree. If you listen close, you can hear the circus music through the phone...LOL!!! LC

Don't want to hi-jack your thread but I made a call to DFAS this week to inquire IF they completed their audit for my retired pay adjustment?...Answer:YES, on Sept 28, 2012. Next question...When was the audit sent to the VA?...Answer: Oct 19, 2012 !! Today's date is Dec 12, 2013 last time I checked...Do the math and it's coming up on 14 MONTHS! DFAS said the VA owes me upwards of 25k but I'll believe it when I see it...and there is't a damn thing I can do is wait. Meanwhile, the whole time it has simply been displayed in eBenefits as "CLAIM RECEIVED"...If I had that kind of $$ in a bank earning intrest, anyone want to guess how much I'd have now? Wait...don't answer that 'cause I'd probably start cryin!!!! Just sayin' what's allready been said...but nobody listens at the VA...FIX THE BACKLOG PLEASE! LC (a very frustrated LC)

Continuing Requirements for IU Award: After the initial IU award has been made, the veteran must submit a VAF 21-4140, Employment Questionnaire, on a yearly basis to certify continuing unemployability. The VAF 21-4140 is required unless the veteran is 70 years of age or older, has been in receipt of IU for a period of 20 or more consecutive years (as provided at 38 CFR 3.951(b)), or has been granted a 100 percent schedular evaluation. The form is sent out annually to the veteran from the Hines Information Technology Center and must be returned to the regional office. It requests that the veteran report any employment for the past 12 months or certify that no employment has occurred during this period. The VAF 21-4140 includes a statement that it must be returned within 60 days or the veteran’s benefits may be reduced. Check the Fast Letter link below for additional info: http://www.hadit.com/forums/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_id=3920 Hope this helps. LC

Very happy for you penmar!!! Hope you are able to take a deep breath and enjoy your victory...Best of luck going forward. LC

I think Carlie has given you good advice. Can you do with less annual income is what you need to ask yourself before stepping away from a good paying job? Also...do you have enough savings to sustain you while the VA claims process plays out, which unfortunatly can drag on for several years? Good luck...not easy things to consider. LC

Congratulations on a major victory. Like you, I suffer from PTSD and it can really take away your spirit and motivation. There are good days and bad days but like penmar pointed out, you do have a family/kids that care about you so try to keep that in mind. There's also a family here at HadIt that you can always turn to for advice or simply to vent...God knows I've done it many a time! I'd suggest you seek out regular counseling through your closest VA Medical Center. You are a vet, you have been rated by the VA to have been service connected, and it all can be done at NO COST to you. Please do it for your kids if nothing else. I felt completely overwhelmed by this disorder and enrolled in the VA health care system at the VA hospital. Bring your ID card and your paperwork from your claim and they will get you enrolled. I actually visited the ER at my VA hospital because I was feeling so down. The psychiatrist on duty will see you there and set you up with a local VA community based outpatient counselor who can address your needs. Trust me, it was the best thing I ever did! They not only will help with the PTSD but they can refer you to other agencies that can help your financial situation. What have you got to loose? Try to enjoy your victory...set a few realistic goals you want to accomplish each day but don't try to do everything at once. Feel free to contact me or others here at HadIt. We're here for you brother!

Solid advice! I've actually submitted some from when I was in Iraq...Not sure about other services but the Marine Corps fitness reports while in a combat zone actually have a special section for showing the report covers a combat tour. I figured they would help my case if there were any questions.

Found this link that conveys things as I see them... http://www.vawatchdog.org/How_To_DIY.html Good night all! Lc

Yeah Meg, I agree with Infantry and hope you don't take what I say personally. I thank you for what YOU are doing on behalf of my brother/sister vets and our families. Something I learned early in my Marine Corps career is ACCOUNTABILITY and let's face it, there doesn't seem like there is any. I can tell you take your job seriously and I applaud that! But when so many of us keep telling horror stories about our experiences, someone has to stand up and "tell it like it is" and report this behavior as unacceptable. As I stated in other threads about this issue my VSO never, ever, ever has picked up the phone once to call me. Let a few days go by...they turn into weeks...then they turn into months. Later, you find out as in Infantry's case that a lack of action puts you in the poor house with creditors breathing down your neck and your home getting foreclosed on. Why? Because the person you trusted enough to act on your behalf did not do something so simple as submitting a form to the VA. Look...we are disabled veterans seeking nothing more than an expeditious and accurate filing and some follow-up along the way. If the VA doesn't decide in our favor then we either accept it or appeal. That process is long enough without the unnecessary delays brought on by incompatent representation. Perhaps my statements in regards to VSO's are too broad so for that I apologize if I offended. But based on what a lot of us continue to experience, maybe there's some truth to it. Sure wish I had a VSO like you Meg...maybe things would have been better...Sorry for venting here but it frustrates the livin' hell out of me...the lack of accountability.

good on you for doing that...If some of these service organizations were doctors, they'd be facing malpractice lawsuits.

infantry- So glad to hear your finally getting your check. This is MAJOR BS and needs to be stopped. Anyone know how to relay our experiences to the people giving "accredation" or approval for a service organization to be on the list of groups that are approved to assist vets with claims with POA's??? These groups need to be heald accountable...Their VSO's are costing us time and money because of their incompatence! I'm soooo pissed off and want to do something about it.

Like you, I am awaiting back pay from the VA. I called DFAS today and inquired IF and WHEN a DFAS audit was performed and sent to the Winston-Salem NC VARO. I was informed it had been performed on September 28, 2012 and sent to DFAS on October 19, 2012. Records show that DFAS paid me "their share" on October 3, 2012 but that the VA still owes me upwards of 25k!!!!! The woman from DFAS said they are prohibited from telling me the exact amount but she did tell me that much for which I was very grateful for. She also said she was amazed that I have waited this long and that she never heard of anyone waiting this long...Guess she hasn't logged on here and heard our stories... Incredible, but what else can be done? Don't mean to scare you but these are the facts of my case. Hope your wait won't be nearly as long! Good luck & I wish you the best. LC

Here's a letter FULL of links and info on this subject I received...Hope it can help someone: Dear Sir or Ma'am: On December 4, 2013 the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's (ATSDR) "Evaluation of exposure to contaminated drinking water and specific birth defects and childhood cancers at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina: a case--control study" was published (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/lejeune/update.html). You will receive a hard copy of the ATSDR fact sheet summarizing the results of this study in the mail in the coming weeks. ATSDR's study evaluated whether or not maternal exposures to drinking water containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at Camp Lejeune increased the risk of certain health conditions. The study used ATSDR's previous water modeling efforts to estimate past exposures (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/lejeune/watermodeling.html). VOCs were commonly used as solvents for cleaning machinery and weapons, for dry cleaning, and some are found in fuels. This study is the first of several health initiatives that ATSDR is expected to complete in the next several years. For more information about these studies, visit http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/lejeune/ or call (800) 232-4636. Since 1991, the Marine Corps has supported the health initiatives conducted by various scientific agencies. We are also working diligently to identify and notify individuals who, in the past, may have been exposed to the chemicals in drinking water. For more information about these efforts or to update your contact information, please see: http://www.marines.mil/clwater/, call (877) 261-9782 or e-mail clwater@usmc.mil. For the complete report and for information about studies being conducted by ATSDR, visit http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/lejeune/ or call (800) 232-4636. To contact Veterans Affairs to learn more about health care benefits, please visit http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/camp-lejeune/ or call (877) 222-8387 (Healthcare) or (800) 827-1000 (Benefits). Sincerely, The Camp Lejeune Historic Drinking Water Program

My experience has been good without any problems when I mail things via the post office with the green return receipt. The extra couple of bucks gives me piece of mind. With that said, I don't think this method is by any means "fail safe". I've herd way too many stories of others who got the green RR back only later...much later...to hear from the VA that they claim it was never received!!! I really wish a few things would be done to improve this line of communication between VA and vet. Some suggestions would be: 1) Allow documents submitted to the VA via ebenefits to be viewed to ensure evidence is not only received, but viewable. 2) Having our VSOs actively engaged on our behalf and able to confirm documents are in VA's possession...a sore subject for me! 3) Timely & accurate updates of Ebennefits Claim Status...This one boggles my mind. Just think of how many calls are placed to "Peggy" by vets trying to find the answer to something that could have been easily viewed on the website had it been updated properly. I'd love to see this system work better for everyone's benefit. Until it is, there will continued confusion, unnecessary added appeals, and ultimatly it is you and I as veterans that suffer...just sayin' LC

Yeah...something's not right based on the info you posted. Was there any reason the VA could say your dx of PTSD was caused by anything other than your military service? Perhaps there was some other traumatic event in your life?? Stay strong and keep researching here. Thanks for your service Devil Dog. Semper Fi! LC

aggie made so many good points...not sure what to add to his advice but I'll say this: I totally relate to how you feel 'cause I suffer from PTSD and TBI too. I go to monthly meetings with other vets who have PTSD and eveyone has been through what the VA refers to as CPT (Cognitive Processing Therapy). I'll be honest with you, there have been days when it's been a struggle to get in the car and go but I always feel better after attending. Sometimes it's just nice to know others are experiencing the same thoughts and feelings...plus, I always learn "something" from my fellow brothers. If nothing else, you are adding/creating a paper trail that can only help you should the VA ever try to reduce your compensation. Our military experiences in combat affect us in so many ways. Withdrawing and not wanting to be around family members is how we cope. Like you, I often have a short fuse and find it less confrontational to be around military people so that's what I do and it's how I cope (one of the ways!). So I hope you will continue to seek counseling with your VA doctors, LCSW, or whomever you feel most comfortable around. I am about 30 miles from you in Fayetteville. If you ever feel well enough to hang out and do some fishing or just to BS about things, feel free to contact me. We could sit around and swap "mom stories"...God knows, I've got some good ones...LOL! Hang in there maset... LC

Sorry to hear of your situation. If it were me I would look at doing the following before involving my elected official. I bet you've probably done some of these already. Hope you get the news you have been waiting for and that it's good news! Again, just my humble opinion...I'm sure others will chime in. 1) Make contact with your VSO even if it means paying them a visit in person. Most are poor at returning calls! 2) Call the 1-800 number and talk to "Peggy" and explain your dire need. 3) Do an IRIS requesting a claim status update. Usually takes 5 working days for a reply so don't expect an immediate response. 4) Call the bank that holds your mortgage and speak with a human. Don't just leave a message. Not sure if you are a few months behind or if foreclosure has been started or is imminent. See if they will accept a partial payment until your settlement check arrives. 5) Bankruptcy. Believe it or not, there are options that could in fact allow you to keep your house and most personal items while making one combined payment to the Trustee. Going this route has helped many veterans so don't rule it out without checking with a lawyer who specializes in bankruptcy. 6) Contact elected official like you said. Perhaps they can get some answers without actually doing an "official inquiry" which has been known to actually slow the claim process down! Keep the faith and remain strong (easier said than done, I know). From what you wrote, your claim is soooo close to the end. For what it's worth, I feel your pain but will pray for a quick resolution. LC

Been waiting since 2012 for my "Retired Pay Adjustment" claim to move out of the "claim received" status. I am aware this type of claim takes awhile depending on various issues but...How can I verify without calling DFAS that the audit of my account has been completed and sent to the VA (Winston Salem,NC)? I just want to ensure my RO has everything they need so when my case finally gets a look, they won't toss it to the bottom of the stack if they say an audit was not done or sent to them?...Any ideas? Trying to make contact with my DAV VSO but no calls have been returned. That's another story for another day!! Since it's not with any review board or in an appeals process, I will give the DAV until close of business on Monday to call me back. If no call...I will send letter to revoke POA and look for another VSO that is more interrested and willing to assist. LC

Something to think about... http://burnpit.us/2013/12/va-identification-card-open-vulnerabilities LC

Me either!! Leaning towards just mailing it RR via post office like I've done in the past but I'll keep you updated...Thanks Slowlane I also wonder how I would get a "receipt" from ebennies indicating it was in fact received electronically. I've got a 3-in-1 machine like you but the signature part is what stumps me. If it was just a regular document I'd give it a shot straight from my computer. Looks risky at best but might just be my ignorance....Thanks navy04 Lc