qmasters3240

Has anyone on this site either personally received or know of any other veterans who have received a letter from the VA asking them to either check if they have no additional information to present in support of their claim or check that they have additional information that they are seeking an will provide it within 60 days. If so, do you know what this means? Is it possible that they are close to reaching a decision ,or is this just another stall tatic?

If a veteran receives aide & attendace, does anyone know wheter or not that makes the veteran inelgible to receive compensation from other claims down the road such as PTSD, depression, etc...?

Can someone please help to explain why Iraq/Afghanistan claims seem to receive more precedence/priority over other outstanding claims...? (This includes unresolved World War II Veteran Claims that for whatever reason continue to get tossed aside with no intention of an expedite in site)

This is just my personal opinion, but I think it would be better if the veteran would just concentrate on one type of claim for compensation initially. In this case, the head injury. From there, depending on the outcome of the first claim, the veteran can try and seek compensation for the other conditions, but as a secondary to the initial. Meanwhile, you can gather information for the other conditions, but sat that aside for now. You're trying to do too much at once and it's taking away from trying to get compensation for the first initial claim. As far as the letter from the wife, neighbors, friends, or other family members, doctors etc.., don't wait. Gather and provide that information as soon as possible. The more the better. Once again, if you have not already done so, contact all and any treating physicians for the veteran, and ask for a copy of his complete medical file. You want to provide as much information as possible pertaining to the head injury, and see if they would be willing to write a letter on the veterans behalf. *****It is imperative that you use your state senators or congressman's help and have them contact the National Archives or Archives II facility in Washington, D.C. on the veterans behalf. They get the ball rolling quicker. Ref. the following: Name Address Phone Number SS/DOB Branch of Military/Rank etc Dates Served Service Number and VA File number if you have one State Unit name (don't forget to check for attachment(s)) Ask for copy of unit roster, morning reports, after action reports, duty officer logs, sick call records, and hospital records.... Provide a specific 2-3 month window. Have veteran sign this information authorizing senator or congressman's office to request this information and have it sent off ASAP. It's going to take a minute because all of this information is on paper, and someone will have to manually retreive this information, so don't wait. Also if you get your information, this is proof in the pudding that the injury did occur. National Archives and Records Administration 8601 Adelphi Road College Park, MD 20740-6001 (301) 837-3510 If you don't provide this information personally, you can almost bet that the VA will come back and say that the records were destroyed in the fire back in 1973 and they could not verify proof of the information, request for service connection denied. If at all possible, just try and avoid that before it happens. Don't even waste your time with the office in MO. They now want to charge for information that may or may not be available on microfish. Other Suggestions: Go and hang out at a local VA hospital facility. Meet and mingle with other veterans and their family members. You could possible learn valuable information that would be helpful with your claim...etc...What DAV REP etc.. is one of the best and will go above and beyond to try and help your claim, and which you need to stay clear of etc.... You may also want to search the net for old unit members if they are still living or place an add in one of the local VA publication mags available at most VA medical treatment facilities. Good luck. My family and I are still waiting. I just wish we knew some of these things up front.

Charleese, one other thing. Go to the www.va.gov website and look under appeals. Type in the key word pertaining to the type of compensation claim that you are seeking and just research previous decisions. For denied claims, you may want to see what information the veteran failed to present that would have served as supporting documentation helping to prove a veterans claim and make sure you take whatever necessary steps in order to avoid the same mistake. For approved claims, see what evidence the veteran presented to help win their claim, and see if you can do the same. Once again good luck.

Charleese, I agree that it seems that the claim for compensation is much too generalized, and the veteran will need to be much more specific. That’s not saying that the claim is not worth fighting for, but it will definitely be an uphill battle. With that being said, you may want to try and provide the VA with more specific information upfront that will serve as supporting evidence and help the VA arrive at a favorable decision on the veteran’s behalf. Be sure to have a copy of all of the Veteran’s service medical records and discharge papers. You also mentioned that you already have a have a copy of a hospital report from the 6th General Hospital in North Africa letting his Commanding Officer know that he was admitted to that hospital on April 14, 1944 which states for head injury, dated April 15, 1944 in which the veteran was hospitalized for 7 days or more. That is good. Whatever you do, please make several copies of this information if you haven’t already done so. (I don't see the relevance of the mention of hospitilization for the Acute Tonsillitis) In cases such as these, information is often never found or may have been lost or destroyed mysteriously, as the case with the fire in Army Record Center St. Louis, MO back in 1973. It makes one wonder would a country so rich and powerful as ours be so ____ as to put all U.S. military records in one facility and it burn down. Mmmmmmmmmhhhhhhhh?????? Doubtful. Please check with the Archives II office in Washington, D.C. They will not be able to provide you with the Veteran’s personal records, but they should at least be able to provide you with supporting documentation from the veteran’s unit. You could try checking for unit reports, morning reports, and medical records relevant to the date that the veteran was injured. (Research over the internet and check and see if the veterans unit may have been attached out under a different unit(s). If so, that may be key when trying to obtain supporting documentation) Never give more than a three month window for your search request, and if at all possible try and keep it limited to a two month request interval. Things were not kept on computers back during this time frame, so you don’t want to overwhelm others that will be trying to assist you with your research request. Question for you??? Since being discharged from the service, has the veteran ever received treatment from a VA treatment facility? If so, was it prior to the fire in 1973? If your answer is yes, it’s quite possible that this particular VA facility may have retired records that could possibly contain the veteran’s individual personnel records. Meanwhile, if you have not already done so, contact any and all of the veteran’s treating physicians over the years and request a copy of his/her medical records. Organize as much information as possible pertaining to the aforementioned injury. For example, **** type symptoms as early as ______, by Dr. ____, showing proof of treatments from _____hospital. Current letters from the veteran’s personal care physician on his/her behalf, as well as a VA treatment facility might not be a bad idea as well. (physician description/affect on daily activities…presently as well as to it’s correlation in the past) If the veteran has any sworn affidavits or buddy statements from fellow unit members, referencing his/her injury include it. Also include any letters that could be given on his/her behalf from friends or family members showing how the following condition has affected the veteran over the years. (illustrating it’s effect on family members, co-workers, neighbors, or any others affected in their daily interaction with the veteran) As for as the head injury, be specific. Be graphic, Re live the moment. Include even the minutest detail. The VA will try and be clueless. You are going to have to recreate a mental picture for them and how it has affected, traumatized, or affected the veteran medically when and since the incident has happened over the years. Be patient, be persistent, and whatever you do, don’t give up. Good luck, and don’t forget the request for an expedite due to the veteran’s age. Hope this information helps you. Last and not least, MAKE A COPY OF EVERYTHING!!!!!

For now, the claim is being handled in house via the Atlanta regional office.

Does anyone know if in fact VA offices actually honor expedited claims because of a veteran's age or do they continue to string them along as they normally do other backlogged claims? Also, if you do know of an instance of an expedite claim, approximately how long should it take with the current backlog of claims across the country?