TexasMarine

According to AFGE, yes.  Of course, I trust AFGE "just a little less" than I trust VA...which is none.  However, there may be some truth to what AFGE says about this:
https://www.afge.org/article/afge-rallies-to-stop-delays-in-veteran-benefits-claims/
In part:
  End of AFGE article quote.
Now THIS makes sense.  If the employee working your claim can not complete it in 27 minutes, let's penalize the Veteran and delay his claim at least 30 more days.  
It gets better.    This has to promote "top sheeting" where VA does not read all your evidence and just denies it.  Ok, so a 30 day delay is parlayed into 5 year delay in appeals backlog.  
Who is this good for?   Certainly not Veterans.  

Very Wow! 
Congrats to you.
And to TBird, a proper salute, Ma'am.
 

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has published proposed regulations to establish presumptions for the service connection of eight diseases affecting military members exposed to contaminants in the water supply at Camp Lejeune, N.C. The presumptive illnesses apply to active duty, reserve and National Guard members who served for no less than 30 days at Camp Lejeune between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987, and are diagnosed with the following conditions: adult leukemia, aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and Parkinson's disease. The 30-day public comment period on the proposed rule is open until Oct.10, 2016.

I think the take away here for Vet FNG's is to, Pack a Lunch when they get on the VA Claims/appeal Train.
Personally, I don't subscribe to the notion of "LUCK" and "Hope" playing into any part of the VA Comp Claims journey.  With that said, New Vet's to a greater degree and we Well Seasoned (Old Dog) Vets to a somewhat lesser degree, are really LUCKY the VA came up with the "FDC" claims process. Anyone that has used the New FDC Claims program, which moves at Warp Speed, would have to agree.
Then there is the FNG Vet stumbling on to Hadit or VA WatchDog.org, earlier rather than later. That, in and of itself, would have to be considered the Luckiest Day in the Vet's Claims Journey.
Old Dogs, just think how much time we wasted, due to our ignorance of VA Comp Claims Rules and Regs. Really, if we had known then, what we know now.
Many Thanks are due both Hadit & VAWatchDog. T-Bird, Berta and Larry, Job Well Done!
Semper Fi

This is the reason why veterans should perfect their claim and  get everything correct, like evidence , How you present it (word it) the whole 9 yards.
START OFF WITH YOUR COMPLETE NAME & CLAIM # & ADDRESS/EMAIL PHONE # DATE  and then follow the VA Regs and ''quote'' them back to them in your claim with good explanation's
When you say something to the VA & its there own Regs  get that Reg # out and quote it back to them  ''As it is stated in'' CFR 34 4 (b)  ect,,,ect,,what ever the case maybe.
Read about your disability before you file  read the CFR's Read BVA Cases that pertains to YOUR disability learn what the VA wants and requires,study these things and you will learn fast.
Re-look your claim over and over before you send it to the VA   Make sure you have your Nexus Correct...All your records are in place to back up what you say and what your claiming!
Have a cover index sheet at the top of your summary stating what it is,  first off, like your lay statement in support of claim name the document by VA # 21- 4138
Give out the correct VA Form #'s you send in and Identify them.
 And  things like Evidence see page  #2  ect,,ect,,,
Nexus to my service connection I am claiming page 3 ect,,,ect,,
Statements from my VA Doctor  ( Phyistrist)  Page # 4
Statements from my Private  specialist  Care Doctor see page #5
Page # 6  with his/her credentials 
ect,,,ect,,neatly type written  try to use good grammar if you possible can.
This is only examples  be sure and have it in order as to how you present your claim with it in organized fashion as to the layout of your claim with a numbered illustration just make your claim is well organized and be sure and put your claim # on each page  and  CC (carbon copy) for your records .
This will be easy for them to read it if you type your claims statement out,   type all your statements to the VA,  if you send anything in PENCIL BE SURE TO MAKE IT DARK.& neatly written.
say things like ''this INFORMATION is included on page 4 Author is, Dr John Smith and his credentials are as followed  bla bla bla
with this said  be sure you paragraph your claims where it needs to be and do not write it with your words all group up join together.
If you can't type or anyone in the family  just check with your local library or community center  offer to pay for the paper and their time
Do not Joke around in your claim or anything you think is funny be totally serious.
At the end  Thank them the best way you know how  but keep it simple
Thank you in Advance for your  valuable time and patients 
Re-guards
 Johnny Q Veteran   claims # 123-45-6789
When you present all the facts and medical evidence, and you proved your claim should be Service Connected and present it in a professional manner  it makes the raters Job a lot better and helps put the rater in a better mood. and 90% of the time you will be approved.(DEPENDING ON THE ''CORRECT''EVIDENCE YOU SEND)
Make your self a complete copy of this claim you send in to the VA just like you sent it in  keep it in a safe place.
get your claim right the very first time and your likely as not going to be denied.
 Not good to have to go to the BVA 
jmo
...............Buck

From the terms and conditions, it sounds like they are a "we help do the legwork" type of entity, but they don't represent you in the same capacity of a regular VSO or law firm. I'll stay with Hadit.

I recently discovered Had-it! and I really like it. My VA Comp claim is over 5 years old now. Two denied claims (VARO checked the NAVY & AIR FORCE first ( I was ARMY 1973-1979 ) my appeal denied with NO reason given and my NOD was filed successfully 12/28/2015. IT is lying at the VARO according to eBenefits. I was contacted by the attorney for VA in Kentucky and told me to cease communicating with the VA and move to a VSO. He asked which one I was going to use but I didn't know at the time. I went with the DAV but they have to have Power of Attorney to get my files from the VA. I suppose I should get an attorney as well. 
My oncologist (Vanderbilt-Nashville) states in his letter that I am 100% Disabled and goes on to mention that pancreatic cancer normally strikes men in their late 60's, I was 49.  He also states it is "at least as likely as not" that the radar radiation(s) caused my pancreatic cancer. For 8 & 1/2 years after the 9 hour Whipple Procedure I took 1200MG of morphine capsules daily, 60MG hydrocodone and a 100MCH Fentanyl patch changed every 3 days. When those started to cause damage to my heart, bones and brain he moved me over to the Interventional Pain Management Clinic where I was hospitalized for 30 hours and they implanted a "pain pump" in my lower left abdomen. IV tube runs around to my spine where they made a 3" vertical incision and pushed the diffuser tip up around the T3-T5 area and it flows 24/7. It helps a little but I still think I am at about a "5" on the standard physician smiley chart. I am homebound, can't drive more than a mile, 100% neuropathy in both hands and feet and have zero balance. My vision is fuzzy and I am diabetic due to the removal of over half my pancreas. 
 
Up to 6 surgeries now on my abdomen. Two were to implant rubber/steel mesh across my whole abdomen, the Whipple incision was so long it split open twice plus, I got a Staph infection during my 9 day stay in the hospital. Went home with a wound vac and a port in my upper RH chest for 6 months of IV chemo.
So, my stomach looks like a map of East Tennessee country roads. Along with everything else it sorta' sucks. But would I serve my country again? YOU BET!
Rick

Progression to the money should happen very quickly.  However, if your retro pay amount is greater than $25,000 you may have to wait a couple of weeks for additional funds approval signatures.

I agree with the above from Mark and Gastone, with a word of caution:  I would highly recommend avoiding any topic matter PRIOR to your service.  I think this is what Andy was getting at in part of his post.  Even though there is a qualifier which says that a disability made worse by service should be treated the same as one incurred while in service, in MH rating, this does not seemed to be honored as 'frequently'.  I have seen many Vets run into problems when they started going into childhood, adolescence, etc.  It really is NOT pertinent to the rating, or should it be part of the SC
Keep in mind, this is NOT a medical appointment!  It is more of a legal fact-finding inquiry.  In all honesty, you were enlisted or commissioned being of "sound mind and body", excepting anything found during intake thru MEPS, etc.  Unless they noted issues then, you effectively had "no defect" upon entry into service.  Initially, I failed the depth perception test.  I had just switched to glasses from contacts for the MEPS, so that was the cause.  I later switched to a flying gig from busting my knuckles, passed the depth perception test, no problem.  BUT, if I tried to claim a depth perception issue, I would have a steep hill to climb.  Once you open up that Pandora's box at a C&P, well...it could cause issues.
Please keep in mind, a C&P is NOT treatment!  In treatment, I would recommend baring it all.  You have to put it all out there and deal with it to realize the maximum return from your therapy, BUT I don't believe that a C&P is the place for that.  Stick to what happened in service and since you exited, you will be less likely to incur "unexpected" or "unplanned" results, or a lack of results altogether.

I do not know much about other military ratings, but in mine I do not think many escaped without some moderate disabilities after 20 years.
In the the military as a whole very few can escape injury it is inherent in the job description. The system in place allows for those to achieve some compensation for service.
My very first post on this site was made in a very, very angry mindset. I can't remember if I posted the exact reason, but I can tell you it was because another service member was asking me to get a bike and go on a wounded warrior ride (teacher asked me to share my VA experience) we were in the same class going thru VocRehab.
We got to talking and I found out he was rated 60% for knees and feet (or its what he shared). I was getting 20% for a bunch of things and I was extremely ticked. My anger was directed at the VA, and I still have some major anger issues because I was discharged with active injuries that were left untreated and cost me a lot of my health.
I feel I am at the top of the people able to voice a qualified opinion on this subject: Yes I think every retiring service member should be able to be compensated for each injury sustained in service.
My wife asks me to hold my opinion in a lot because I my frustration bubbles up quite often, I see quite a few VA ratings that are not accurate in both good and bad directions. I was asked to volunteer multiple times to become a VSO by the Legion because I had claims already set up for the vets when I sent them to the VSO. This site was the single path that allowed me to help others, and myself.
I have rejected to help a number of vets after listening to their history, not because I didn't think they could get a rating; but because I felt after listening to them I believed them to be tying after service injuries to service time and it is my time so I can refuse. However I always referred them to a VSO because it's not my job to judge anyone no matter how much I might know or believe.

I'm happy to say that on Hadit we don't judge others but rather assume veterans are ethical and have their fair share of integrity.  By approaching veterans with this mindset we focus on helping rather than judging.  There are other sites that focus on judging and believe that the majority of veterans (new posters)  are looking for undeserved handouts, as such they offend a significant number of hurting folks.  I personally think the environment here is much more helpful and productive.

Like I said earlier, you case sounds like it could "pop" at any time.
I also like the sweet sound of the word "expeditiously".  The VA "may" wait for the EDD to be adjudicated before releasing your case for payment.  Though I have seen, and been led to believe that once an affirmative decision is made regarding the major issue, the ratings board gets started, and then viola, retro is paid.  From the experiences of those cases I read on this board, the rating specialist usually act quickly, and the disbursement office even quicker.
Here's a double-handful of "Hope" for your expedited success.
 
 

While I'm not yet approved for 100%, and am living off a SSDI pittance, I am very grateful for the VA for what it will provide me one day.
Tis true that no veteran should go without, think for a moment about all of the enemies we've vanquished, or countries where we've retired their fearsome leader(s).  Those <insert country here> soldiers don't get a single cent for their disabilities.  They're not compensated for limbs lost in battle, nor PTSD (which I'm sure they have), nor any of the ailments we veterans are exposed to during war or otherwise
We live in a country where at least there is a VA.
Now, do I like the way the VBA treats us?  No!
Do I like that we have an adversarial relationship with them?  No!
Do I like hearing about corruption and ineptitude at the VA?  No!
I am just glad we have a VA.
 

Cliche Magnet:
Hang in there...because at some point, I think we all get depressed and claims denials can add to that feeling. The entire disability application and processes can be frustrating -- to say the least. I personally live with a very high degree of physical  pain due to my military  injuries --everyday. I'm not a very patient person and the wait for my first claim and the time it took was difficult.  But, I've told myself that I have to stay above it an not let it get me down. I'm sorry for you personnel experience but the VA does really have some great folks that can help with depression-you just need to ask. You may want to reconsider giving the VA another chance to address you issues and make an appointment with someone at the VA as soon as possible for help with your depression? Like most Vets', I've also had some negative experiences with claims denials and wondered what were they thinking when they denied a certain part of my claims? I'm working on a NOD now and it's a lot of work but I decided not to take "no" as a final answer. But, the way I got around my major frustration  was to become better educated  thru this hadit.com  website. I think it's a matter of taking control of your own fate by learning the rules and regulations and how they apply to all of the contentions that one is claiming.   Frankly, people like Berta, who is offering her help here for you  is amazing and working with people like her will give you a fighting chance. Frankly, the key to success  is always to ensure that you have the proper evidence/nexus and the are ways to turn denials into approvals. My advice is to focus outwardly on getting your claims approved and stay away from any negatively. Also, on a personal note, I try to get out into the fresh air, take a walk as well as taking stock of the good things in my life. Also, just about everyone has their own issues and I think there is a perception sometimes that we are the only ones having issues. So, spend some time on this cite researching your issues, use the help that is available and use your energy in a positive way... 
Goodluck and Godspeed...Rootbeer22

Looks good!
Back from the AMC is always good.  That status is usually a "black hole", taking upwards of 9 months to navigate.  So, good for you on that count.
"With VLJ" is a status usually reserved for that point in the process where a decision to approve, remand, or deny is made.  That status most likely won't be accomplished until after you have your hearing.
Once "With VLJ", the case can still be sent to the AMC for processing, so, I caution you not to get too excited at this point.  The AMC is like a special RO specifically for the BVA, and they, like any RO, can take it's sweet time administrating your claim.
In addition, you can get many updates while "With VLJ".  I seen timelines that included up to 10 "With VLJ" status "updates".  And those are just from folks here on Hadit.com.
Having said that, the fact that the VA Secretary has shown interest in your case most likely will cause your case to be processed most expeditiously.  I sure hope that holds true for you.
Good luck to you!   And Bravo for keeping up the good fight.

I've been reading a lot of posts throughout today and for several years now.  Many of you are getting tired, you are suffering and you are poor.  Some of you are even dying as a result of the VA's negligence and corruption.
 
Let me explain to you that I am just like you and I am suffering too.  I have been getting minimal assistance from the VA and it has led to me becoming very ill.  I am dying.  I weigh less than I did when I was in high school because I am so depressed and medical issues combined have led to me becoming a shade of the man I once was.  But I am here now typing to you in the aftermath of yet another VA denial letter.  I am suicidal and nothing anybody says or does can change that.  But I came to this forum and I saw other veterans are suffering too and that made me recommit to myself that I won't give up.  I have had no love life for several years now and women won't talk to me because I am poor, have nothing to offer, and one woman even called me "anorexic". (she doesn't understand my medical situation). But here I am, tired as hell but willing to type up yet another claim that will get denied by the VA.  I am not giving up.
 
So if I am not giving up, then neither can you.  That is an order.

While I'm not yet approved for 100%, and am living off a SSDI pittance, I am very grateful for the VA for what it will provide me one day.
Tis true that no veteran should go without, think for a moment about all of the enemies we've vanquished, or countries where we've retired their fearsome leader(s).  Those <insert country here> soldiers don't get a single cent for their disabilities.  They're not compensated for limbs lost in battle, nor PTSD (which I'm sure they have), nor any of the ailments we veterans are exposed to during war or otherwise
We live in a country where at least there is a VA.
Now, do I like the way the VBA treats us?  No!
Do I like that we have an adversarial relationship with them?  No!
Do I like hearing about corruption and ineptitude at the VA?  No!
I am just glad we have a VA.
 

It is a system that will test you, mostly because it is a different journey for each individual with unpredictable results.  It goes directly against the grain of what we come to expect after a career in the military.  What you accomplished in your career has no weight and your integrity is always in question by people with questionable integrity.  This is particularly trying for me as an individual who prides themselves on their integrity. Patience is key, I hope you are better at exercising it then I am!

Page,
Berta very definitely knows her way around the VA Claims process.  I respect her as most (if not all) folks here do.
When Berta says "get a lawyer", you next reply should be "got him".  Now this is a weekend, so getting ahold of Mr. Walsh may not be possible, but leaving a message with him is most appropriate.  I'm sure if you explain that "time is of the essence", he will contact you very shortly (maybe Monday).
I hope you're not too late.
Good luck with the VA.  It can be a real pain, but worth the effort for those who gave all.
God Speed.
TexasMarine
 

I keep seeing this over and over in the forums here. Must be a misconception here about the number of signatures involved with award amounts. The only time that additional signatures are required on an award is when it involves a retro of over $25,000. It then only requires the signature of the signature of Veterans Service Center Manager (VSCM), Pension Management Center Manager (PMCM), or a person designated by the VSCM or PMCM (Coach or Assistant Coach in most cases).
I made the last part of that bold because that is most often (99% of the time) where that third signature (VA calls it a "Concur") comes from.
M21 III.v.2.A.2.c. is the reference regarding Award Processing Responsibilities.
There is no signature involved beyond the third signature for awards over $25k. I have Concurred awards of over $250,000 before, and have seen awards Concurred for over $500,000.
 
 
 

Yeah.  The process becomes part of you.  Your inner being and who you were in the past, and who you see yourself as now,  is so tied  up in the VA claims process.  Not to mention your pride.  And here the VA is poised to call you a liar and deny your claim.  Seems very adversarial.  But if you can, forget about for awhile, and spend some more quality time with the kids.

From what I've read on this forum, and what I've personally experienced, the section of ebenefits that reports the status of claims and the status of appeals is like reading tea-leaves.  Yes, it does give you an idea of where your claim is at in the process, but it seems dated.  In addition, as you progress through the stati, you may find your case moving backward at times for no apparent reason.  Most hadit folks will agree that while ebenefits is a habit, you would do better to get a hobby and wait for the big brown envelope (or BBE), or cash in your account.

Sounds like you talked to someone that really don't know how VA likes to play games with veterans and their dependents. Sleep Apnea is a life threatening disorder and if you die from it and it is not service connected VA can refuse to grant your dependents DIC. A claim is a claim is a claim, even though you are rated 100% you can and should file for any life threatening disorders to protect your family benefits.

Page,
Berta very definitely knows her way around the VA Claims process.  I respect her as most (if not all) folks here do.
When Berta says "get a lawyer", you next reply should be "got him".  Now this is a weekend, so getting ahold of Mr. Walsh may not be possible, but leaving a message with him is most appropriate.  I'm sure if you explain that "time is of the essence", he will contact you very shortly (maybe Monday).
I hope you're not too late.
Good luck with the VA.  It can be a real pain, but worth the effort for those who gave all.
God Speed.
TexasMarine
 

I just wanted to post this as I think it counts as some good news.  I received a letter from my lender stating that my student loans have been forgiven.  I should receive a discharge statement here within 4 to 6 weeks.  Although I received a letter from SS on my denial for qualifying for benefits, this student loan news has put a smile on my face.  Onward and forward I shall go.