MarkInTexas

Thursday, I spoke with my American Legion representative at the Houston VARO to check on my status. I usually do it once a month to see how things are percolating. He said that as of October 29th, my file had moved to "Special Ops", and he noted that it was probably because my claim was on of the ones that is over two years old. Anybody had their claim moved over to that section in the past? If so, does it mean a good thing? Or just another delay? I'm still in Gathering Dust stage on eBenefits, but still patiently watching the paint dry. Good luck to all of you, and happy Veterans Day tomorrow! Peace out! Mark

Congratulations on the increase, and good luck on future rating increases. 40% should open the door for many VA benefits, and state benefits, depending on what state you live in. Good luck and thank you for your service! Mark

Congratulations! And thanks for your service! Mark

bbow, I agree with everybody else. It sounds like you are getting very close to being done. Good luck on your rating, your retro and your health. Thanks for your service! Mark

Papa, I definitelyl understand your frustration. My own Timeline jumped forward in time this week from an estimated completion date of 09/01/2012 to 09/24/2012. It has jumped forward and backward in time many times now, and I no longer pay attention to it. Now I won't lie, and say that I won't get mad if they push it forward to 2014 or 2015 again. My own claim is a little younger than yours, since it all started on 06/19/2010. I wish I had some answer, or idea the method of their madness is, but I don't......other than like has been said many times on here......they are hoping that a Veteran will either lose interest in their claim, or die. It seems like eBenefits has been offering the survey link suggestion several times lately when I log on, and I always complete it just so that the VA can get some input. I keep asking them to provide digital images (jpg's or PDF files) of all records belonging to a Veteran that are filed with the VA.....imagine how great it would be to be able to log in and view or print out your C-File contents, or other VA documents that attached with your files. I also keep asking them to bring eBenefits into a more "real time" mode whereby there is little delay in between the time a Veteran, doctor, medical center or the VA submits information and it is available almost immediately for viewing or printing. It would save the VA tons of money on call center staffing, and in answering FOIA requests, and God only knows how much money in postage, envelopes, etc the VA would save if a Veteran could view/print documents themselves. I look at it this way. If I can drive down to the bank and deposit a check, and then drive 5 minutes and get back home, turn on the computer and view/print my deposit slip online when the ink is not more than 10 minutes old, then the VA should be able to at least have documents viewable within a week long period. Good luck on your claim, and I'll keep y'all posted on my own Gathering Dust status as it changes.....or grows moss. Peace out and have a great week. Mark

Wow! Sounds like a near Grand Slam! Congratulations on your claim, and on the engagement. Smart move taking advantage of the lower interest rates on mortgages. Good luck to you, and thanks for your service. Mark

Congratulations! Good luck to you, and thanks for your service! Mark

I like it too. Good call on that one, Papa! I am sitting at over 28 months, still in Gathering Dust....I mean Information....stage..... I did call the American Legion office at the Houston VARO this week though, and spoke with the representative who said that my file had been pulled for another Congressional review at the request of the Senator's office. This is another pitfall with using Congressional inquiries, and something I didn't know. Everybody, including me, has already read the warnings by Carlie and others about Congressional reviews delaying things. Here's a kicker to that. About once every month or two I receive a letter from the Senator's office with some bit of information about the progress of my case. Sometimes it even contains a copy of the facsimile message from the VA to his office for my own records. I definitely appreciate that. However, this is the extra bit of information I learned about Congressional inquiries that are "ongoing". The American Legion representative told me that when the VA has to pull a file for a Congressional inquiry, it can be out of circulation by nearly 3 weeks these days. And if it is an ongoing inquiry, then each time the file is pulled out of line, it delays another 3 weeks each time. So, although I've been enjoying at lesat some updates from the Senator's office, I have also been self-inflicting myself with many, many delays over the past 2+ years. Just a word of warning. I'm done with submitting evidence, and I hope that the VA is done sending me to C&P examinations (only two so far), and now I am just "waiting in line". I'll keep y'all posted on my pregress, and also of any other mistakes that I may have made during my own quest. Peace out, and have a great weekend! Mark - Class of 2010

And ......I just read your initial post even closer, and now realize that you are on DRO review....which is different from the initial claim that I am filing. Sorry about the misunderstanding. I need to finish my first cup of coffee before responding to posts I think. At any rate, it's still a "hide and watch" type system here. They will move at their own pace no matter who or what intervenes it would seem. Good luck though, and I hope you get the increases that you requested. Peace out, and have a great weekend. Mark

I definitely understand your frustration. I hit my 28 month mark yesterday. (It sounds less painful to say 28 months, than to say 2 years and 4 months.) I'm out of the Houston VARO, which is apparently notorious for lost information, delays, frustration, long lines and paranormal activity. (OK...I just made the paranormal activity up....but wouldn't it be cool if it did happen there....particularly to the raters. ;-) ) Keep the faith, and just think of it as being on some giant conveyer belt moving along and that as long as your file doesn't get pulled due to a Congressional inquirty (I'm guilty of that), or questions asked (I'm guilty of that too), additional conditions claimed in the middle of the initial claim process (guilty...again), and there is no other weirdness......then it should reach it's destination.....hopefully. Good luck on your claim, and thanks for your service to our country. Mark

Yeah, I can't access it this morning either. Ever since joinging EA (eBenefits Anonymous), I've tried to lessen the number of times I access it for a couple of reasons. 1.) Everybody on here that has been here a while advises not to keep accessing it because it will probably result in insanity......and 2.) It's a giant roller coaster ride of false, or delayed, information. I now try to access it once a week, just to see if there has been movement or something astounding. So far no movement.....nothing astounding...... I think that it can be an addiction, much like cigarettes or alcohol. I don't have an addiciton to either of those.....but I have to admit that a cold Coca Cola will drive me crazy in the summer, and eBenefits was/is the closest thing that I have experienced to that. I really don't have any other information to allow on the subject, except that I still get tempted from time to time to "check", and sometimes I tell myself not to, and others....especially when I'm bored or something, I cave in and login, only to be disappointed once more. I'm sure they'll crank it back up again, either with little to no changes, or even worse, some crazy pile of information that scares the bejesus out of everybody (that's happened to me before too.) But in the interim, y'all have a great weekend, and good luck with your claims. Mark

I've touched on this before as well. My local county VSO is a part time employee, who is about 75, and has early onset of Alzheimer's (spelling?)....he's a nice guy, and has a fixed income, and was a Korean War-era Veteran. Nobody really wants to cut him lose, and I would feel bad about that myself. I learned about how limited his skills were when I inquired about accessing my GI Bill benefits for college years ago. Great guy, but things have changed. I used the American Legion as a VSO after I had filled all my documents, and ended up signing with them in mid-2011. They really don't help in getting things "moved" and what I really only use them for now is to get a status update by calling them directly instead of waiting for an hour or more on the 1-800 Peggy line. That part is worthwhile. They pretty much can only tell you what Peggy can tell you, and it's not much, but saves you from wasting time. Asknod's book (which is a really GREAT read) warns that VSO's located in the VARO's sometimes make deals with raters just to push their own stats of "completed" cases forward. In other words, you are seeing 100%, but end up with a 30%, because somebody had a talk over a sandwich in the cafeteria. Then they just lay odds that you settle for your 30%, and don't push with a NOD....think about the millions of claims....it's better than Vegas. I am not saying that this DOES happen. (I've been chewed on before for insinuating it), but I trust Asknod, and I also can see where it can definitely happen. The VSO's located within the VARO are not in an adversarial system. They all share office space, utilities, cafeteria area, and information. So you do run a gamble in my mild, humble opinion. Use 'em for a quick information source, but don't gamble your claim on what they say they'll do. Make sure you do as much work as possible, and then document it....and make personal copies of EVERYTHING. Mark

Unfortunately I'm still waiting, waiting, waiting still. The VA added an additoinal claim on their own (I had added a couple during my earlier filing time though), and I was in limbo, until it was discovered that they hadn't sent a VCAA notice to me. That was resolved, and I signed off urging them to adjudicate as soon as possible, but waited even longer not knowing what was going on until I received my monthly update from my Senator's office that included a fax from the VA to his staffer showing that they were waiting on my C&P's to be completed (which were completed months ago now), and for medical records from one doctor. (They were minor, and only involved one visit) I called the doctor's office and was advised that they had destroyed the records of my visit, due to being over the 10 year mark. So I contacted the VA, via IRIS and notified them that they could stop waiting on that one, and that all evidence had been submitted. That was a month or so ago. However, still nothing, so I sent a VONAPP message relaying the same thing. Just in case. It's funny because when I call Peggy, or my American Legion VSO, they say that the VA has received all information, and that there is nothing remaining to wait for. Same shows on ePeggy, but if they don't uncheck, or check, something, you can stay in limbo forever I guess. I'll wait for my next Senatorial update letter to see what's happening. At least I get a periodic fax copy included that was from the VA that tells me what's on their minds. Hope yours gets resolved soon too. I've been on the time clock since 06/19/2010. Have a great week. Mark

I filed mine successfully online through VONAPP, and have submitted several additional item of information, including scanned documents to the VA through VONAPP as well. I also have to admit that I mailed off certain documents to the VA as well, just in case, but the whole original case filed through VONAPP. If you have only recently filed your claim, I'd recommend going ahead and adding the Tinnitus claim to it now while they are in the initial stage. It's better to do it early, than to wait until you are halfway or near the end. It will slow things down tremendously. If you have already received your VCAA notice packet on the other claimed conditions, you will need to receive a VCAA packet on the Tinnitus claim as well. If you go ahead and add the condition, make sure you insist that the send the VCAA information packet to you. Everything LOCKS up until they check mark that VCAA notice was sent out on all claims. Anybody else have suggestions? Good luck with your claim, and thanks for your service to our country. Mark

I would bring a lawn chair and maybe a glass of iced tea.....umbrella might be in order as well. Mark

Wonderful! Congratultions Billgoat. I hope you get your retro soon, and if you disagree with the final ratings that your appeals go in your favor. Thanks again for your service. Mark

Very good advice actually. Looks I'll have my windage aligned long before the VA does. Mar

While waiting for the VA, I've deciding to kill some time by Twittering....or Tweeting....or using Twitter.....oh well......y'all know what I mean...... And well......after about three days of it I have come to the conclusion that a great number of people on there are completely nuts. I guess I'll go back to staring at ePeggy for a while longer. Mark

Same on my opening screen. Just keeps on gettin' better. Mark

Mine is weird too. Gave me a yes/no option to post information on my homepage. I clicked yes and the whole option thing disappeared. Can't see a change though. My date moved backward toward 7/26/2012 from 08/07/2012. Not that I'm complaining that the date moved back.....just hope that means that somewhere in their weird system that it means my file is a little closer to reaching daylight. And yes I know all.......never trust eBenefits.......but it's just so darn fluffy and cute and I can't resist..... Mark

I've personally had VA contractors call me on the weekend to schedule a C&P examination. The contractor was Veterans Evaluation Services out of Houston, which was weird because the number was from a Tennessee area code. The call was legitimate though. Never had the actual VA call me on the weekend, but it does makes sense. Mark

Yippeeeeee! My claim completion date moved backward from August 7, 2012 to July 26, 2012. I can't wait until July 26th.......oh wait......errrrr......it's already passed......ehm. I also now have two cool "Special Correspondence" listings in my claim section. One was from a Senate inquiry. Not sure what the second one is yet. It's so cool that my claim will be done by July 26th now though. August 7th was wayyyyy too late. Sorry....I can't help myself. Y'all have a great week. Mark

Congratulations to both of you! Good luck on your career change, and to your wife on finishing her degree. God is truly powerful! Have a great weekend. Mark

Congratulations on finishing up. Good luck on your evaluation and rating! Mark

Congratulations! But more importantly......what was the name of the horse you bet on? I might want to try that myself. Mark