TiredCoastie

As you can see, there are a variety of experiences with FDCs. If you have a VSO, check with them. If you don't, use the IRIS email question system to ask about your status. A question to ask is whether or not your claim is an FDC. There are a few things that will make the RO shift the claim from FDC to traditional. Typically, the FDC is faster than the traditional claim from most accounts on this site. Six months isn't outside the norm. My last one took five months.

Well...it turned out to not be so bad after all. Claim closed before close of business, and I jumped from 60% to 80% overall. Seems like there's something missing, and I'm waiting for the big envelope with the full rating decision, or the SOC, to decide how good or how bad it really is. So the answer seems to be that they wanted to get the claim moved NOW. Sure seems strange that it sat at one RO for months without action, then gets completed in three days at another.

Look in the VA Documents tab on eBenefits and see if you have a benefits verification letter. That should give you at least whatever your overall rating is.

I ask the outside specialists to share records, usually either through fax or mail, with my VA PCP. If I use the local hospital, I'll stop by later and ask that the records of the visit get faxed. Occassionally, I'll take hard copies if I happen to have them.

Guess I'll know the outcome soon enough....claim moved backward to "prep for decision" today, then the ammended decision must have been approved and the claim is resting at "prep for notification." Good, bad, or indifferent...here it comes. No change to the benefits status letter (old AB8)....yet.

The potential for incorrect eBenefits information is really part of my angst. I send an IRIS email asking to confirm my claim had moved and why. I don't have a POA anymore, Vync. There are good NSOs out there, but I was to the point in which no matter who I talked to within the VSO, I was getting a different take on my situation and no one was going to help me save the original claim. And with the need to submit a NOD, I felt that the addition time the VSO would add to the timeline wasn't worth it. So I let them go shortly before filing the NOD. That's my fear! Get a second internal opinion that they can hang out there at the BVA... No kidding! There is a financial incentive to pushing out when claims have to be paid, then with the (eventual) payment of backpay (eventual for me - it will take about a year to receive it), that does push the pressure into the future. There is an argument, not a good or true one, that there is no or limited harm to the veteran because the veteran gets what the veteran should have, ignoring that justice delayed is actually justice denied. This is my wife's stance on what's happening. The budget is limited, there are too many of us requesting a slice of it, so giving it to us as late as possible, if at all, keeps the federal budget in check at least that amount. I do have to add that our preception of the situation inside the VA may not be correct but that the internal processes are so overly bureaucratic and stagmented with corresponding low morale that it is difficult to do the work in a timely and accurate manner. The trouble is that from our point of view, with very little information to go on other than the symptoms of the problem which are all too obvious, they're setting us up to come to a variety of conclusions. None of them are all that complementary.

Something a little different seems to have happened to my claim, and wondering if anyone has any experience to help me know what to expect. I've got a request for reconsideration claim in the system. It's been hanging fire for quite a while, and went so long that I had to submit a NOD to keep the original claim I asked to be reconsidered alive. Months and months have gone by and now there appears to be movement on the claim. On Friday, I got an IRIS response to my question about whether or not my NOD was in processing which basically said, "wait, out." On Monday (yesterday), eBenefits showed my claim having jumped back from "prep for decision" to "gathering evidence" and sent to another RO. This afternoon, eBenefits shows the claim having jumped to "pending decision approval" and still at the other RO. My hope is that the claim got passed off from our local RO to one with a tiger team to finish it up quickly then get it back. My wife, who's got a better sense of such things, is much more negative. She reflects my fears - that the VA is just trying to delay by extending the process. But they drafted a decision so quickly. With so quick a decision drafted, why would the RO of origin forward it off somewhere else unless they wanted a review of their decision by another RO which has never touched my claims, esp with a NOD in the system waiting to refute whatever they deny? My new fear is that the VA is trying to ensure it's got a solid denial. Of course, there could be other factors like a lack of decision makers at our local RO for some reason. Or they could have determined locally that there was some sort of bias and they needed an outside view... Am certain I could speculate all day both positive and negative. Anyone have any thoughts on or experience with this?

If you are happy with the care you are receiving on the outside and your insurance package is going to continue to pay for it (despite all the rumblings over changes to TFL), I'd stick with the doctors you have. You may not find the same quality of care within the VA for the reasons you described. However, I would maintain that foot in the door like you have to keep up with your hearing aids. Be sure that your outside providers are sharing records with your VA PCP and that should provide any coverage in case the VA were to come back later and ask if you really are receiving care for those conditions as a test to see if they are legitimate. This is the approach I've taken - I let the VA treat my hearing loss, eye glasses needs, and one very small condition to maintain a relationship, get the care TRICARE doesn't pay for, and keep information flowing into the VA. You are not required to seek care from the VA for any condition, service connected or not, with the possible exception of PSTD. At least, at present we service connected vets are not stovepiped into the VA Healthcare System with that exception as far as I know. So long as they get the information they need and you get the care you need, there should not be a problem. My fear is that at some point there will be a push to move all of us under the VA Healthcare System for all our care, really as a cost savings measure, but under the excuse that only the VA can provide the right kind of care for veterans' service connected disabilities.

Hard to tell how long, really. Have heard that there are a lot of factors...who's in the building and who's out, how fast they're signing decision approvals, how many signatures are required... Praying for the best!

Really sorry, John. Seems like the FDC process is a real problem if you don't hit all the wickets with the right hammer. By not sending in the 5103 waiver request form certifying that you have nothing else to add, they could have decided to move your claim to a traditional one. However, if there is anything else to add like your records at the VAMC...then you might get stuck anyway back in the traditional process....even though they held the records within the Department. They seem to want it a particular way or else...

Absolutely concur, John. It's better to not have to fight the nexus question by filing within a year of discharge. Don't know if there is any good solution to a fast claim response, and with 34 years of service medical records to dig through, piling on additional claims may not amount to much difference anyway. I had stuff pop up within a year of discharge, and am now fighting the nexus question...even with documentation within my SMRs pointing to the diagnoses.

Or go through the medical records release office at the VAMC who ran the C&Ps for the RO. It keeps the RO from having to pull your file out of the queue to find something you asked for. I've been able to access QTC results through that process.

That would be a stretch to pull that off, but Congress just rescinded the cut on COLA for retiree pay which passed in the first place, so one never knows. It's more likely that they'd change the criteria for future grants. But in today's budget and political environment, John999 pretty much nailed it. Stand by for heavy rolls as the ship comes about!

My VSO filed an informal claim prior to submitting an FDC for very similiar circumstances. It took about 4 or 5 weeks to get all the DBQs together. The FDC was processed as an FDC, except the rater missed the informal claim date and I lost a month - NOD in on that now.

Absolutely. The whole point is to downplay service connected disabilities that are normally invisible, as in "if they're not visible, they're not compensatable." We just cost the nation too much...but never mind what the nation has cost us!

What a shameful article! Thanks for posting it! It reads as if there will be a push to reduce or restructure the OSA rating regs fairly soon. But this should be no surprise. Those of us who served are being seen as a huge drag on the federal budget, especially those of us who retired from the military. Just like what the Pentagon has been telling Congress about us retirees, the numbers don't add up. So by twisting the truth especially in the press, they can gain their end of reducing the compensation we earned by carrying the defense and security of this nation on our backs to the point it left a permanent mark. Instead of complaining that a bunch of us have OSA and we're being compensated for it, maybe someone ought to look into why so many service members are developing OSA and prevent it?

Yeah...you know how these systems get built, right? Used to happen to us on active duty. Some brainy group from somewhere else looks at the systems you're using and tries to decide how they can upgrade them for you because they got this chunk of money to make it happen. Sure, they might ask some questions or follow the operators around for a day, but in the end, someone else decides how that guy on the front line is going to use the new system. So it shows up, replaces what you always had, and you lose capability. Sounds like this is what happened with eBenefits to some extent. They put in some sort of checklist somewhere and expected it to be a big help...it wasn't and no one uses it. But, there's a feed to the veteran from that checklist that doesn't get used. So we're out here pulling our hair out, calling our Congressmen and Senators, and pinging them through every available means of communication as a result. Good intentions that didn't quite work out as planned.

This is a very frustrating aspect of eBenefits and it impacts all of us. Harleyman had some very good observations several months back as a guy inside the system about this. Don't have the brainbox power today to track down the posts but you might want to search them out. Basically, if my memory is inside the ballpark, it has to do with what raters do with their online systems and whether or not they use some sort of computerized checklist. I don't remember the whole story, but apparently no one uses the online checklist and so our eBenefits accounts all say they never got anything they requested...they might as well turn that part of the system off! Your best bet is to send an IRIS request to check on the status of your claim and to see if there is anything you still owe them. I'd trust the email back much more than the eBenies system. An alternative is to invest 30-45 minutes on hold dialing the 800# but IRIS will eventually get you an answer in writing.

If you don't officially fire your VSO, they'll wind up in the middle of your appeal whether you like it or not. Meghp recommends sending a letter and stating that their services are no longer required and that you are recinding your POA with them. There are others who are much more qualified than me to describe the help or horrors they received from their VSO in the appeals process. Based on my experience with several VSOs through the claims process, decided to go it on my own. Another option is to hire a lawyer. Up to you. I'm going it alone thanks to the great advice from this site!

The DAV letter was probably just a copy of the cover letter forwarding your appeal, that's all. They should have forwarded the standard form with their letter. Whether or not you're able to get back to '96 will probably depend on your claim history. If no claim decisions went more than a year before you dropped "new and material evidence" on them to have the claim reopened, you certainly have a shot of getting back to the first claim submission date. Otherwise, unless there were missing service medical records, they'll probably go back to the last claim in which the decision finalized. Congrats on 30% now and certainly hope and pray you'll get this straightened out at long last.

Hey Master Chief, what the system's telling you is downright bizarre. Is this a new claim that's popped up in the system or your last one that's supposedly getting rated? You might want to check with your VSO again. Or just wait a couple of days and see what happens. Glad the VSO is working out for you. In my experience, eBenefits updates very quickly once certain thresholds are met within the claims systems. However, it does not sample each part of the claim system and requires good operator input at the RO to be accurate.

You've got a good point about smoking, but being as young as you are, that sounds pretty unusual for someone to have COPD from cigarettes. That's a discussion for a pulmonist, though... If you want to try to get this SC, by all means, see what the VA has to say regarding pit smoke from the Gulf. But if there is an outside pulmonary department whom you trust...you could also start there. If one of the leading pulmonists will weigh in that your condition is more likely than not SC and put that in writing, you'll be a long way toward winning your battle. You may not get that kind of support from the VAMC. There have been a number of posts by those way more experienced than me who have run into a great deal of difficulty getting a VA doctor to stand up for service connection. Probably not every case, but it seems like there is a lot of advice to go outside the VA to make that connection. Just be sure that your records make their way back to the VA...especially if there is a SC determination. Meanwhile, good job on keeping the important things important! You have a family who needs you, and getting effective treatment for your conditions is the top priority. Getting compensated is secondary. Will pray that this works out for you.

Guess it depends on the kind of doctor you say who gave you the purple disk. The disk sounds like ADVAIR? If the civilian doctor you saw was not a specialist, certainly recommend you follow up with one - like a pulmonist. If you've got ourside insurance, might be worth getting an outside opinion. Don't know your circumstance or if this new condition could help push you toward additional compensation, but it might. Your profile shows you at 100% already.

You're right on that! BTW, the list of supposedly "missing items" ticks me off too! One option is to drop them an IRIS email and ask if you owe anything...that will confirm if they need anything from you or not, and you'll have it in writing.

I've taken an opposite approach, Papa. I get a minimum of my medical care from the VA, in part to be in the system, but mostly to cover what TRICARE does not - eyes and ears. Yes, with a rated disability, it can be helpful to have your continuity of care documented with the VA. However, the VA doesn't have to provide the care. I ensure that medical info flows to my VA PCP that I get on the outside. It's an extra step, but the quality of care is worth it. One of the main reasons it works for me, though, is that my family and I live in an area with several top of the line medical schools all competing against one another. So our outside quality of care is probably better than the national average, on average. I might not be here typing this right now if I'd just gone with the VA solution...my VA PCP did not agree with the diagnoses given by the outside specialists, and if I'd gone through him from the beginning, probably would have had a stroke. That said, when we lived in a different region, I sought care from a CBOC which was close to where we lived. They did right by me, even when I had something pop up that turned out to be relatively minor but was unknown at the onset. There are good docs, etc in the VA. There are good ones on the outside, too. You just have to find them. Last word of advice...there is a process to change VA PCPs if you want to change. You can be reassigned at your request. So if you do go the VA route and aren't happy with the out-of-the-box solution, there is a way to fix it.