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SueEdel

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Everything posted by SueEdel

  1. Yea! Good for you. E-Benefits is accessible again. Can't tell how accurate (as per norm).
  2. Here is text from above link: VA to furlough 7,000 employees, close regional offices Staff writer Filed Under News Congress & DOD Veterans regional offices will be closed and nobody will answer their phones beginning Tuesday morning as the government shutdown forces furloughs of 7,000 employees of the Veterans Benefits Administration. “All public access to VBA regional offices and facilities will be suspended,” said Veterans Affairs Department spokeswoman Victoria Dillon. Walk-ins and phone calls to regional offices are common to get status reports on benefits and to seek help. The voluntary officers from veterans organizations who help file claims are located in many regional offices, so access to them could be restricted. While phones won’t be answered at regional offices, most toll-free numbers where veterans can get help with benefits remain open. One exception is the GI Bill call center, which is closed and won’t reopen until the VA receives funding. The Veterans Benefits Administration has more than 21,000 employees, most of who will remain on the job. Of the 332,000 total VA employees, fewer than 15,000 are subject to furloughs during lapses in appropriations, according to VA’s contingency planning. The bulk of the furlough-exempt employees are involved in medical care. Additionally, 2,754 employees of the VA’s Office of Information Technology were furloughed on Monday. Veterans might not see an immediate impact, but all development of VA software will stop, including work on the Veterans Benefits Management System that is a key part of plans for eliminating the claims backlog by the end of 2015. Another shoe could drop soon as VA officials warn that a government shutdown ending in the last two weeks of October could result in delays in Nov. 1 benefits payments, including disability compensation, GI Bill living stipends and dependency and indemnity compensation for survivors. No firm date has been given for when the VA would run out of money Veterans hospitals and clinics remain open, as do counseling and rehabilitation programs. An updated list of what is open and closed is available here: www.va.gov/opa/appropriations_lapse_plan.asp. Benefits claims continue to be processed and new claims are being accepted. However, Dillon warned the pace of processing is slowing. “VA’s ability to make significant progress reducing the disability claims backlog is hampered without the increased productivity gained from overtime for claims processors,”she said. Mandatory overtime “has helped VA significantly reduce the disability claims backlog by more than 190,000 claims over the last six months,” she said. As of Monday, there were 725,165 pending benefits claims, including 418,711 that are considered by the VA to be part of the so-called “backlog” because they have been pending longer than the 125-day processing goal. There was a very modest drop of 304 claims in the total, but the VA did hit one landmark as the number of pending disability compensation claims fell just below 400,000. Claims processors have been working a minimum of 20 hours a month of overtime since mid-May in an effort to process claims. Before the government shut down on Oct. 1, the VA had intended to keep mandatory overtime until Nov.16, then switch to voluntary overtime through the end of the calendar year. However, mandatory overtime as stopped during the shutdown, she said. Working extra hours, along with several initiatives to improve claims procedures, resulted in a 30 percent drop in the claims backlog since March, Dillon said, as the VA was processing about 100,000 claims a month. The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee wants to question VA Secretary Eric Shinseki on Wednesday about how the VA is operating under a shutdown but it is unclear whether Shinseki will appear. In a letter requesting Shinseki’s testimony, Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., committee chairman, complains that Congress feels like it has been left in the dark. “As you should know, I and others have sought greater clarity regarding shutdown-related efforts on VA over the last week, yet we have received no answers from your department,” Miller said in an Oct. 4 letter. Miller said he expects Shinseki to address the timing and scope of any interruptions in veterans’ benefits, the impact on claims processing of the loss of funding for overtime and why the VA has stopped providing briefings for Congress if the people who would provide the briefings are still working.
  3. http://www.militarytimes.com/article/20131007/NEWS05/310070042/VA-furlough-7-000-employees-close-regional-offices
  4. http://www.militarytimes.com/article/20131007/NEWS05/310070042/VA-furlough-7-000-employees-close-regional-offices
  5. I guess they must have furloughed the person who kept it online. Even if it was only 70% accurate--at least it was a place to glean something about my claim.
  6. EBenefits which was off line for part of the weekend but was working normally (LOL) this morning. The usual offline announcement says will be down from Saturday 1300 until Sunday 1500. This afternoon it state from 1415 Onward basically nothing on ebenefits is available. No end time to ebenefits not being accessible. Can we assume that whoever was keeping it going (starting the ebenefits motor every day) is considered non-essential now?
  7. The following features will be unavailable from Monday, 07 October from 14:15 onwards: Appeal Status, Benefits Explorer, C&P Claims Status, Download VA Letters, Find or View Your Power of Attorney Representative, Update Direct Deposit & Contact Information, VA Payment History, VONAPP Direct Connect (VDC). We apologize for any inconvenience. Can't even check it now.
  8. I know ebenefits is regularly off the air with various explanations why. Today the statement does not give a time they will return. It worked this morning although my claim had shown no movement. Now it states: The following features are currently unavailable: submit forms online for Compensation Benefits, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Statement, and Unemployability Benefit Application; and upload documents for C&P Claims Status. We apologize for any inconvenience. The following features will be unavailable from Monday, 07 October from 14:15 onwards: Appeal Status, Benefits Explorer, C&P Claims Status, Download VA Letters, Find or View Your Power of Attorney Representative, Update Direct Deposit & Contact Information, VA Payment History, VONAPP Direct Connect (VDC). We apologize for any inconvenience. My Concern is from Monday 07 October 14:15 onwards.
  9. Moved a few days ago to Preparation for Notification stage. Nothing new today-although I do usually find it changes later in the day.
  10. VA sent acknowledgement that they received form signed by my mother regarding a need for a fiduciary. The form they sent back stated that she is not allowed to own a firearm. No other info on how long the process will take to appoint or the next step in the process.
  11. This process (and I have been through it a number of times since 1977) is difficult at best. Even worse during a government shutdown--as it feels like an unknown has been tossed into the mix. Thank you all for being here. Hard to discuss this process with civilians...
  12. Today I am here. Not finding any info in the letter section. Any other ideas? Besides patience?
  13. I had 3 C&P in last year. I sent form off for two of them and received one. Neither of those showed up in myvahealth. The last C&P showed up in myvahealth in just days. So I would agree--it is hit or miss.
  14. I read her report and she seemed to not make a connection with this as a secondary issue. She quoted from WebMD. If I need to contest this I am certain I can find documents that support the connection between anxiety and high blood pressure and also chronic pain and high blood pressure. Really don't think WebMD should be their standard.
  15. Congrats! I am sure that big brown envelope is on its way.
  16. Have you checked the ebenefits.va.gov website?
  17. Actually it was just yesterday morning but it feeeeeels like forever.
  18. Sure is difficult to maintain an even keel in these waters while the government is shut down... Spent months in Gathering Dust Phase. Moved to this spot on a few days back. Any idea how long it "normally" takes in this phase? (I know nothing is really normal at the VA).
  19. Just checked--it is now at Updates Actions PENDING DECISION APPROVAL
  20. Yes, I noticed that. Do not see that as an issue in any VA research I've done. I was surprised that a C&P was not ordered for this particular part of the claim since 3 other C&P exams were ordered and attended.
  21. No. An internal medicine doctor. At some point in time--maybe 2000-- the local VA clinic called in a specialist from VA hospital who saw me at clinic for 10-20 minutes and reaffirmed the diagnosis. Never had a desire to see a rheumatologist over the years as it is not really an arthritic diagnosis. Fibromyalgia is listed on my "problem list" via my doctor at the local VA clinic records. They prescribe and pay for fibro meds. They pay for fee basis massage due to fibro pain.
  22. Also fibromyalgia/fibrositis was diagnosed in 1988.
  23. No. One Primary Care VA. One Chronic Pain/Rehabilitation Specialist. I have 12-15 year relationship with both.
  24. One part of my claim (03/12 submiited) is the contention that my fibro symptoms started while in the military and have such documented in medical and hospital records. However in 1976 the word fibromyalgia was not yet in use so nothing states that term. I had 2 Nexus letters to acknowledge same. After 7-8 months I was called in for 2 C&P exams relating to other area of my claim back problems caused by spinal taps in military and anxiety disorder. File sat gathering dust since 11/12 until file was moved from Cleveland to Fargo to be worked. I received notice to report for another C&P for hypertension. Did that last week. e-Benefits now shows that I have moved from the gathering dust stage to the Preparation for Decision stage. I realize it is just conjecture but do you thinking since they did not order C&P exam for the fibro that they are accepting the Nexus letters (one VA doc, one civilian doc) for the rating? Both letters were favorable to my claim.
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