rodin57

Thank you for your assistance, Capt. C. Please understand that I am not ignoring anyone's advice here. I am, however, getting advice from several sources, not just Hadit. I am "climbing the ladder"... rung by rung. Some think it was important to get an inspection and analysis from the Postal professionals as to the condition of the package I received. I thought I would probably get some voicemail from the USPS and I was extremely pleased to receive their written statement. Finally, rest assurred that I will not quit. I will continue to post my progress here, so that others who experience this type of situation will have an idea of how one veteran handled the issue. I will post more as I get it!

Just received a response from the Post Office. They have verified that my C-File copy was mailed (by the VARO) in an unsealed USPS Priority Box. At least the USPS acknowledges their error for not following their own procedures when dealing with open/unsealed packages. Attached is a copy of the USPS letter for those who may experience the same thing. Now I will be filing a complaint with the VARO. I will keep you posted!

Thanks for you kind words, Capt. C. I have just finished a second examination of my C-File. I have concluded that it is completely out-of-order. Since the file was opened at some point in the mailing, I think it's possible that it spilled-out during handling, and whoever was handling it just scooped the papers up and put them back in. Now, I have never had my C-File before, so maybe the C-File copies never come in order. I don't know. I do know that there are notes and reports missing, as I went back one year to my copies I got from each visit to the VA hospital, and they are not in the C-File that was sent to me. It does make me feel a little nervous to have other peoples social security numbers, too. I hope this snowball doesn't turn into an avalanche! I am now trying to put my file into chronological order.

Still going thru the C-File sent to me by Phoenix VARO. I have now found documents from another veteran's congressional inquiry & complaint. I am enclosing a copy of the Congressional Inquiry (identifying info blacked-out) so you can see for yourself. I feel so bad for these other veterans, if the documentation is missing from their files. I think this kind of buffoonery has earned the Phoenix VARO a giant bitch-slap. Still, does anyone know how the average VARO copy procedures work? Do I have the other veterans original copies in my original C-File? Or is this just a copy-job gone bad?

Just so I understand about the other veteran's medical and financial info that I received as a part of my C-File: 1. Does this mean that my C-File actually contains the original documents for these other veterans? OR 2. Was this just a large VA copying & printing job where the sorting just got mixed-up? (In other words, my C-File does not actually contain any original documents of other Vets, just copies.) I only ask this because I think if #1 is true, it is a worst-case senario. Either way, I see an unplanned trip to Phoenix for myself.

Okay, I just did a quick & dirty exam of my C-File. It contains a few of the medical records of another veteran from Tucson. (If I wasn't honest and I had this guys mother's maiden name, I could probably get a home loan in his name.) It also contains financial information from three other veterans. I see from reading the forum that this is not a rare thing. What do most people do with the other records in their C-File? Should I just shred them? Should I try to contact the other veterans? This is just unbelievable incompetence on the part of the VA. (I will not be attaching a scan of their records for this post.) Now for my real concern: Does some other veteran have copies (that I am missing) of my C-File mixed into their records? If I knew who did this at the RO, I would beat their ass.

Philip Rogers wrote: I would've taken it to the postmaster, as soon as I received it, opened. jmo... Me too, except it was after 1800 when the package was received. Our postoffice closes at 1700. Best I could do was take it in first thing in the morning.

71M10 wrote: I will try to keep my BS off of any of your threads in the future. I will believe it when I... don't see it! 71M10 wrote: I sure hope you don't have a question or problem that I have the answer to... Great! A closing "threat". Another internet bully. And now I will make a legal statement: 71M10, STOP interacting with me in any way.

71M10 wrote: Wow accused of mis-reading someones comments. My question still stands. How is this situation worthy of a VA Inspector General Report? Here we go. Show me where ANY of my previous comments state anything about a "VA Inspector General Report". First you are mis-reading my post, then you are adding words to my post that I NEVER used. Go post your BS on some other thread. Respectfully, Rodin57!

Commander Bob wrote: How long did it take for you to receive your c-file after you requested it? I mailed my request on November 1, 2011. I received my C-File on February 29, 2012. I see that my time-lag was nearly 4 months.

For those who are interested, attached is a copy of the complaint letter I hand-delivered to my Postmaster today. I will begin to check for identity-theft today as well.

71M10 wrote: I am curious as to why you think it is appropriate to file a VA IG complaint? The "such as VA IG" means as an example- not that I am filing a VA IG complaint. If you look at what I wrote, you will see that I filed a complaint with the Post Office today. The "such as" refers to after a Postal investigation. If the Postal Investigation shows they had nothing to do with the opened package, then what? This is where the "such as" comes into play. 71M10, have you actually encountered this type of problem? If yes, how did you deal with it? If no, I thank you for mis-reading my comments.

Well, it's been a while since I last posted. I finally received a copy of my C-File today at my PO Box. It was sent from the Phoenix RO and the box it was mailed in had the end open. (See photo) There was no Postal notice addressing the opened mail. Of course, I will file a complaint with the Post Office tomorrow. The C-File contains many of my VA Medical Records, which I am sure have been compromised. I am sharing this for two reasons- 1. So the members will be aware this type of problem exists, and 2- To determine if there are any further actions I should take (such as VA IG Complaint?).

Hi Berta! Thanks for all your help! The Air Force does not have an MOS. They have what is called an Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC). I was a Nuke guy, and not a Personnel guy. In my 10 years in the Air Force, I never heard of one single classified AFSC. Many AFSC's use classified information & materials. When you are retired or discharged, the Air Force has a classified type of "gag order" that you have to sign. It doesn't say they will kill you if you talk, but the legal-ese wording sure seems to imply it! I'm just sayin'.

I need to get all the documentation relating to my most recent claim. I am 4+ hours from the VARO, so it will have to be done by snail mail. I searched the forums, and couldn't locate anything related to requesting claims documentation. If a documentation request is already written, could you point me to the link? If I need to write a request myself, is there a "wording" that is more successful in helping to get the docs?