bangkokbill

Thanks. I'm good now, my claim was approved September 1, 2021 and retroactive pay received Sep 7.

Will do Berta. Thanks so much for your advice and help!

Thanks GBArmy.

Thanks Berta, you helped me a lot, thanks so much for your support!

Thanks GBArmy. I'm learning about the process and appreciate your guidance. I'm very happy to be approved; the one month is not a big deal.

Thanks GBArmy! I actually received my direct deposit today, Who Ho! Although I was expecting 9 months of back pay, Dec 1 2020 to Sep 1 2021, they paid me for 8. The VA lists Jan 1, 2021 as the effective date on my Award Letter, which is a month after I filed the claim. But I'm super happy to actually be rated. Again, thanks to every one who advised me.

Approved Sep 1!!!!! Tinnitus- Service connected, 10% Hearing loss- Service connected, 0% A big thank you to all the folks that offered advice and support! Yesterday I checked my status, saw my claim was closed and I will be getting retroactive compensation. I'm pretty happy right now. Again thanks!

Thanks so much broncovet, some very good info!

Yes Berta, I'm beginning to feel like a dinosaur, LOL! The Army still paid us in cash, once a month. I called home on Christmas and had to go to a German Post Office to make the call, fill out a form, then wait for the next telephone booth. I like history and think about a Civil War vet that served near the end of the conflict in 1864-65, then 50 years later in 1914-15 there were air planes, machine guns and radio signal communications. I've seen some Youtube clips of the 50th anniversary of Gettysburg in 1913. US Army soldiers were showing veterans how a machine gun operated...

Hi again Berta, My unit was HHB 2/60 ADA USAREUR Headquarters Battery 2nd Battalion 60th Air Defense Artillery, US Army Europe Ramstein AFB, West Germany (Very loud aircraft and busy base) MOS 05E20 (Voice Radio Operator) and 05C20 (Radio Teletype Operator) My DD214 only lists 05E20 MOS, but lists my Radio Teletype School. But assigns MOS 05E20, which is incorrect. I earned 05C20 at school in W Germany At least they got my name correct, LOL! Again thanks for your help, you're great!

Thanks GBArmy! I trained as a radio operator, MOS O5E, then went to Radio Teletype Operator, MOS O5C school in (then) West Germany, I was Army but stationed on an airbase in West Germany, near the flight line. We also used loud generators to power our mobile radio trailer. This is my first ever claim so I am unfamiliar with acronyms like VSO and BVA. What do they stand for? I'm too stubborn to let this slide. If my claim is denied, so be it, but I'm going to fight the good fight. In a pre employment exam, 30 years ago, I was told I had significant hearing loss in my left ear, the same ear I have tinnitus in. I wrote and called that medical center, but they ignored me. I also shared that information with the VA, but I don't know if they pursued it or not. Off topic, but in my Radio Operator AIT class at Ft. Ord, CA, one guy went to Viet Nam, eight to South Korea, the rest of us went to West Germany. No one remained stateside. At Ft Ord we trained using Morse Code, then half way through training, they dumbed down the course to voice only. I remember the NCO instructors shaking their heads saying why bother, a monkey can key a radio mike- and they were right. Again, thanks so much for your help!

Thanks Berta! Yes I filed for tinnitus and hearing loss, both in left ear. My C&P Exam was on May 21, 2021. Maybe the NPRC is not being truthful... Plausible since the VA continued to work during the pandemic, but the NPRC did not. Reply from the NPRC to my congressman: You submitted a request to our facility on behalf of veteran *** ***** requesting that you intervene in his request and get his records delivered to the VA in a timely manner. His records were dispatched to the VA on May 25, 2021 and we will be unable to access them until they are returned to us. I sent Mr. Clevenger an official response on one of his personal requests stating that the records had been dispatched to the VA.

Thank GB Army. I have no idea what the VA wants from my personnel records. The NPRC says "We sent them to the VA"; the VA says "We are still waiting for the NPRC to send your records. They did request and I sent them a copy of my DD214. Either the NPRC or the VA is not being truthful, in that the NPRC says they sent my records on May 2021 and the VA is saying, no we never received them. I was discharged almost 50 years ago and lost contact with the guys I served with, so buddy letters aren't an option for me. I can understand the VA having a back log, but making no attempt to actually track down my records is negligence. I need to find a responsible person that will actually investigate where my records actually are Maybe write the head of the VA?

Hi Board,US Army vet needs advice on nudging NPRC and VA to acknowledge where my service records are and move my Tinnitus claim forward to a decision.By way of background info, I filed an online claim with the VA on 1 Dec 2020. I tracked the progress online and noticed it was stuck on evidence gathering for several months. I then requested (online) for the VA to make a decision, since I had no further evidence to submit. I attended a C&P exam on May 21, but my claim remained stuck on "Evidence Gathering."I reached out to my congressman and both senators; one senator ignored me but the other senator and my congressman promptly replied around 20 Jun 2020 (OK, a staffer ) The VA says they requested my records around 28 Dec 2020 and 15 Mar 2021- and were still waiting. The National Public Records Center says my records were sent to the VA on 21 May 2021 and are no longer in their custody. During July, I have called the VA twice and was told they are still waiting for my records from the NPRC. Any advice on how to proceed? I'm stuck in limbo between two government agencies that are not taking responsibility and I have yet to find a decision maker that can move my claim towards a decision.Thanks in advance!Bangkokbill