MarkInTexas

Julie, I think the Houston VARO makes up their own rules and procedures as they go along. My NOD conditions are still MIA, and I'm getting an error that information on my conditions is currently unavailable. I'm holding out for the rumor you heard about eBenefits opening up the Appeals page again on the 20th. Have a great week! Mark

Julie, Thanks! Yeah, I got a little nervous and called my American Legion VSO this afternoon and had him pull me up. He was pretty surprised and confused to find the "new" condition filed and rated. He went ahead and pulled me up on the appeals side of their system, and said that it shows the remaining of my conditions as still pending. I guess that was a bit of a relief at least, although I'm still not sure what they are doing. Something tells me that I'll be chipping away at this thing for a while instead of breaking through the wall all at once. Any results yet on your C&P or your case? Mark

I get a little worried though. My original C-File copy, which I received in paper form in a mailer box, had 1200 pages. (89 pages of those 1200 were medical records for other veterans.) I used a personal scanner and scanned them all into multiple PDF files about a hundred pages each for searching and portability. The digital CD copy I received had a whopping 415 pages in the file. Two of those pages were medical records belonging a totally different veteran than the other 89 from my paper hard copy. Scary. The extra medical document pages amaze me since I have already notified the VA on two separate occassions of receiving records from other veterans, yet they still keep putting them in there. I just wonder how many of my own records are scattered throughout other C-Files, shredders, dumpsters, etc. Mark

Thanks! I'm still wondering about that weirdness on eBenefits and I won't feel at ease until I either see my NOD conditions back up on the Pending list, or find out they have rightfully been adjudicated. There is always the chance will throw me a lowballed extra 10% on one condition while denying the others, even IME/IMO's. I've become pretty cynical over the past few years of doing this, but I want to believe the system will work if the evidence is there and I keep pushing against the wall. I'll keep watching the horizon though. Thanks again and have a great weekend! Mark

I've received it in both versions, paper and on CD. One thing that worried me right off the bat was that the CD digital version was missing some of the documentation that the older paper version had. Kinda scary. Mark

Thanks, Flores! Mark

Well, some weirdness happened on eBenefits the past couple of days. Two days ago, all of my conditions under appeal on a NOD DRO review disappeared completely on my "Pending Disabilities" list on my eBenefits "Dashboard". They were replaced by one "new" claim of "back pain condition" with a filed date of 09/09/2015, and it showed "Pending Decision Notification". It sat like that until today when it also was gone, and eBenefits gave an error message that it was unable to retrieve my information on pending disabilities. The interesting thing was that it shows that I got a bump up to a total of 20% (was sitting at 10% for tinnitus and 0% for hearing loss, left ear). The condition awarded at the additional 10% was for degenerative arthritis in my back, with an EED of 06/10/2010, which is good because that is when I filed the initial claim. I checked my AB8 and yep, shows 20%, then called "Peggy" on the VA's 1-800 lie line just to extra-super-duper-confirm, and after a 30 minute wait, I confirmed the award. I quizzed the guy about my remaining multiple conditions still under NOD, and he said that it looked to him like they were still pending, then he said something interesting. He said that it looked to him that the VA decided this one outside the others because it looked easily ratable. I pressed a little more on things, and he of course became nervous, and then said that he couldn't give me additional information until I received my letter on that rated condition. What this one was a new claim that I filed in 2014 based on military medical records that I received from the NPRC. I had filed for back pain in 2010, and had simply assumed that the VA had my military records. I was wrong. After they denied me, I did a couple of requests for NPRC records (I know I've mentioned this time and time again.), and after receiving the magic records and noting that they were not in my C-File, I shot them off as part of a new claim, which the VA then "consolidated" into my pending NOD claim. Crazy, huh? So I have moved the football another 10 yards, thanks to a couple of free NPRC records requests, and retroed back to June 10, 2010 on that increased rating amount. I don't have retro yet, but Peggy (before he turned back into a VA phone drone) told me I should be seeing the retro hit my account soon, and that I'll be getting my SOC in the mail soon as well on this condition. Lord only knows that eBenefits and Peggy may lie, or just not know what is what, so we'll see when I get a paper document or a deposit. Just an update. Thanks again for all of you and the help you have provided me. I could not have gone even this far without your help, knowledge and support....and AskNod's book. Now the mission continues on the conditions still on appeal. Just don't forget: Check the NPRC for records too.....you never know what treasure may be hiding in one of their envelopes. My gold nugget in one of their envelopes helped greatly on this one particular condition. Half a league onward! Mark

They'll probably open it back up on September 30th at 11:59 p.m.......

If he is already qualifying for VA healthcare, then they have at least his DD Form 214 on file. Does he have any documentary evidence in his personal possession? Anything like old medical records, travel orders, unit orders or training records, or maybe citations from his medals? Anything that can also place him there? Also, any old clippings from newspapers doing a story about him and other local young men serving in the military and overseas? A lot of local papers did that in the past, and continue to do so. Just a few thoughts. Anything that you can get that can be scanned into a file and sent to the VA can only help his case. Good luck! Mark

Love how the system works......your EED may be on the date you filed, may be on the date that the VA decides that a key piece of evidence has arrived warranting an award or may be a date that they pull out of the air........ Mark

Sickening.

Welcome and good luck! Thanks for your service! Mark

Thanks for posting another option for veterans! Mark

Wow! That's crazy! Two separate people....two separate periods of service and two separate Social Security numbers and dates of birth....yet, they make that mistake. It would be a drag to be named John Smith and have to deal with the VA I would imagine. Thanks to both you and your father for your service though! Mark

Wow....I never put 2 and 2 together......It is a strange coincidence that the eBenefits appeals status page is under construction into September and they are in a hurry to report progress on numbers in that period. Sad....doesn't anybody in Washington care? Mark

Congratulations on the one contention! One down and out of the way, and now a few less to focus on. Half a league onward! Mark

It happens. I've had over 100 pages of medical and psychological records of other veterans sent to me by the VA over the years. Each time I notify them, it's like I'm a fly that is bothering them. I probably should notify the veterans who had their records missent and then the news media instead. Mark

Regroup and attack! Good luck! Mark

I got the same e-mail. They have no shame. Mark

All of the above! Gather all records you can find, then submit requests to the NPRC for more records....then do it a couple more times to make sure they give you everything. Then work on gettting a solid IME/IMO report done for the conditions. Ensure that the chronological history and events are written down for reference and go from there. Good luck! Mark

Yep, I don't think it's an accident either. I actually caught them in a handwritten note on the bottom of my DBQ regarding residuals. The handwritten note was verbatim to the rater's denial, and the note was not from the examining doctor. Amazing that the VA raters can be allowed to falsify or compel someone else to falsify government records. Mark

31Bravo, thanks! Mark

Y'all correct me if I'm wrong, but I've seen denial letters that were copy/pasted almost verbatim. Even got a denial for something involving a "muscle" in my initial chronic sinusitis claim. I think they copy/paste/cut more than actually sit down and examine the record and write a narrative of why they "personally" feel that a denial is warranted. Just my thoughts on it. Mark

Applebee's - 20% discount for the veteran's meal, drink, appetizers, etc. (Only for the veteran himself/herself.)

Sierra, that's great news! Congratulations on the win! Thank you for your service to our great nation! Mark