JR Reihs

BIG Congrats on the award.

The VA will take out monies owed from a Chap35 benefit if the overpayment was for chap35 benefits. My daughter is going through this right now, she did a late drop on 2 classes and did not notify the VA causing an overpayment because she was not fulltime but got paid the full rate. The VA has taken half of her check until the monies are recovered which for her will be the 1st of Feb. I do know that if you are in dire straights with tuition or books, you can ask for an advance on the benefits. How long it would take to get I do not know but there is a program in place. Berta, The chap35 program under which you had to do certain things you refer to has confused me from day one. I do not know why you had to submitt the info to the VA to get your benefits paid after you paid your tuition. I have had both kids and my wife under Chap35, the VA required nothing but confirmation from the college that they were students and how many hours they were taking and the checks came to them the 1st of every month for them to use anyway they wanted to. It seems as though you had to jump through several hoops to get paid.

Dental is one aspect of healthcare that is not taken as it should be. I know 2 people that got infections because of a bad tooth that went into the whole body requiring lenthy stays in the hospital. Both could have been prevented had a reasonable dental plan kicked in. A couple of hundred bucks Vs. thousands in the end shows what a sensable system we have.

I live in a town of about 100 people in the mountains of CA. Paradise to me. Damn, My kind of place.

The media never picks these things up to report, that is a sad fact Vets have always faced. If he ever leaves the VA he could always get a Management position with the Postal Service, they love this Sh*t.

Tank, Is this Huntington VA, or Huntington WV?

Other than a CUE claim your EED is most likely gone from what you have posted. I would get all over the VSO for this not being followed up on and see if he could get it corrected.

What jbasser said. I would also contact the cars maker and tell them how you are being treated, then call your representative and tell them how the bailout $$ is being used, then tell the dealer that is one less car they will sell.

Poolguy, I do not know about the cost for Vets, I do know that I send claimant's there from KY, OH, WV....the cost runs about 400-500 bucks for a OWCP IMO, so I would say that number is close, but could increase if the case is very complexed. I did talk to Kelly (Dr Ellis right hand lady) yesterday, about another issue, I will talk to her again next week and will pose the question in general. In my experience with them, the reports are so detailed,the doctor realy knows the legal jargon that is needed in the federal sector, the last claim was 450 bucks for a 250 page OWCP file reveiw and exam......the results was a 9 page IMO that could not be beat, and so far if you need a change or something is missed, that is little or no cost at all to get corrected, and it is done very fast.

Any Veterans that are close to the OK city area that need a IMO for their VA claim need to look into the Ellis Clinic. These are some great people to deal with. The rates are reasonable and the evaluations are outstanding. I send OWCP claimants to them and have been more than satisfied with the results. You can check the website for Dr Eliss's qualifacations.

jbasser, My Grandfather was also WWII Vet (Navy)SC with TB. Boy how I miss him. I hope you get this straight with the VA, I know my Granfather was not treated good by any means by the VA after his discharge.

What was the VA's reasoning behind the denial in 94?

I disagree , this not a ethical or moral question, it is medical question that the VA has decided under their guides ,using their criteria, and even if it is a close call, the benefit of doubt rule go in Daves favor. Dave need not also worry about liability should the VA question this claim at a later date, the most the VA could due was to call CUE on itself and ammend the award, but that is another story in-itself.

The VA will do to TBI Vets as they continue to do to PTSD Vets. The game is the same only the players change.

Also you may look at Arthritis as secondary, and possible altered gait wihich can cause a series of secondary issues as you age.

Will, You realy need to speek with a very well versed lawyer in this situation. I just wonder if your daughter was emancipated would this help by allowing her to make her own decisions as if she was an adult, but then again it could bring about a whole new set of problems. This is a very tough situation that could only be answered by a very good adoption lawyer. Good luck to you and your daughter.

If these were govenment backed loans then there is a waiver request he can file due to VA rated at 100%........It was several years ago I read where this was the only way to get these type of waivers. He should call the company who he delt with to get the correct info, or go to the FASA web site to see further info or links to this question. www.fasa.gov

john999, I have the exact same situation as you.......I got to looking at the upcoming raise for BC/BS and saw I had to much with the medicare paying first (still irks my ass how this continues )I looked at the GEHB, and realy wanted it but the RX plan was 50/50 period, but BC/BS bsaic was 35.00 on none generic plus it was very good with medicare as a co pay, so I took it. I saved about 70 bucks a month, self only as my wife is a heart nurse and has her own and champ va is the secondary....this so far has realy worked very good for us, as her cost is about 75 per month so it was better dollar wise for me not to add her. My wife also has BC/BS, but it is not as goos as what I have but champ va has realy been a good co pay. I was realy only conserned with the RX because of the Plavix....$178.00 per month. I could fight the VA to get it, but I boycotted them years ago and only use the dental. BTW, I did read where OPM is going to accept late changes due to the BC/BS fiasco of hiding the new non PPO charges.

Looks like a good choice, I was pulling for Duckworth. I just hope he is given the freedom to start fixing what is wrong.

Yea, this will accualy be a good raise. I took it a step further and reduced my insurance premium by 70 bucks a month due to OPM open season, man was that a chore trying to figure out what would be best with medicare. I think when this all shakes down I will gain an extra 350 per month, which I will apply directly to my mortgage.

"One quick question, did you know that DAV rep who set up the 2 million dollar scam at the Louisville RO." Do you have a link, to this. I wonder if it was the bonehead at the DAV I had before I moved my claim to the Huntington WVA RO. The time frame fits.

When this thread was first posted, I stated be very careful. I did this for a reason, I saw a Vet who felt jilted, not only by the VA but from a IMO he was counting on, but did not get........I have had that feeling in my claim years ago and it is not good. I knew this was going to be a very sore subject because of this doc's reputation whether you like him or not, he has still helped alot of Vets, and yes it was for a fee, and there is nothing wrong with it. Here we now find that this has progressed to a point it should not have gotten to, as it has not helped your claim, but has allowed you to vent, which at least may have been a good thing.......but please x-nay on the E-mails between yourself and the doc,,,,Not Good.

Be Very carefule as to what this post is leading to.

"I was looking at this from an early retirement angle too. If my kid's education is taking care of, I would like to live abroad or travel the US and enjoy life, instead of being miserable hanging around the house all day". I was your age when this occured, I had a lousy but good paying job. I was approved for SSDI on the the 1st try.....still could not make up my mind as the VA was fiddling with my claim, so I took advantage of the 9 month rule, and ended up getting approved for 13, then at the end, the VA came through. I left the next day, and resigned never to look back. My kids are working on a degree, my wife finished hers and now has a great job as a heart nurse, and now I love my job....with the grandkids, it seems I get a do-over with them instead of working 10-12 hours a day. My Grandfather used to say " When you come to a crossroad, take it", it took me a long time to figure that out. Best of luck to ya.

Maybe they got yall mixed up with the bailout.