Meddac

I have watched this  forum for a long time and have posted several times, but I stopped posting for a good period of time for different reasons. I am posting today to say that I am officially retired from the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). It's been a long road with the VA, but it's done...Finally.
I don't yet know what my next path will be. I am pondering a podcast or even a YouTube channel in order to assist Veterans with the amazingly complex (at times stupid) battle with the VA. I know that there are far more disgruntled Veterans out there than satisfied, and knowing what to do (and when) would be beneficial to a great many people. The system is confusing, and it has changed greatly over the past several years. There have been a great many changes that can affect a Veteran's journey to a level that is satisfactory to them.
Being out is a fresh thing for me, and has really yet to hit me, but I wanted to post again. If for nothing more than to assist in the journey where I can.

I'm no longer employed by VA, and the given information isn't completely accurate, but it does give you names of people employed by VBA.
As far as privacy goes, I have no problem with people knowing who I am. Name is Charles (go by Chuck or various other names ). I'm out there and there is no amount of privacy protection that will ever completely disguise you (China has all of it anyway). Wanna find out more? The internet will give you plenty because nothing is really private anymore.
The multitude of information that people at VA can see and have access to is almost limitless. Veterans, dependents, and even people who aren't a part of the system. Took all of 5 minutes in 2009 to find my real mother (who I hadn't seen in 30+ years), and find out that she passed in 2008. The systems are ridiculously simple, and are misused quite often. Heck, I could find out almost any information on almost anyone when I was there.
Back to the topic: Calling the 800 number will get a note/email sent to the employee asking for a callback. Whether or not they will is completely up to that employee.
Private attorneys have access to a direct number for the Private Attorney Coordinator(s) at the RO. They generally do not use a general contact number for the Regional Office. When I was in the Appeals section I dealt with attorneys (1 of 4 in the RO who did so), and my phone rang almost all day long sometimes with direct calls from them.
 

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.
 
 
 

I'm no longer employed by VA, and the given information isn't completely accurate, but it does give you names of people employed by VBA.
As far as privacy goes, I have no problem with people knowing who I am. Name is Charles (go by Chuck or various other names ). I'm out there and there is no amount of privacy protection that will ever completely disguise you (China has all of it anyway). Wanna find out more? The internet will give you plenty because nothing is really private anymore.
The multitude of information that people at VA can see and have access to is almost limitless. Veterans, dependents, and even people who aren't a part of the system. Took all of 5 minutes in 2009 to find my real mother (who I hadn't seen in 30+ years), and find out that she passed in 2008. The systems are ridiculously simple, and are misused quite often. Heck, I could find out almost any information on almost anyone when I was there.
Back to the topic: Calling the 800 number will get a note/email sent to the employee asking for a callback. Whether or not they will is completely up to that employee.
Private attorneys have access to a direct number for the Private Attorney Coordinator(s) at the RO. They generally do not use a general contact number for the Regional Office. When I was in the Appeals section I dealt with attorneys (1 of 4 in the RO who did so), and my phone rang almost all day long sometimes with direct calls from them.
 

I think this is knowledge and you can learn something ever/y day
I never knew this great post . Question is this only at the RO
office and not BVA appeals correct.?
 
 

It's currently a proposal, right? You can't NOD a proposed rating because it isn't final. You should immediately request a hearing (within 30 days of the proposal notice) to discuss the issue. Requesting a hearing will freeze the evaluation right where it is for the time being. If, however, VA goes ahead and reduces the overall percentage from 70% to 60% it will cause a debt for payment made following 60 days after the proposed rating date (which would be 10% of each payment in this case).
example: Proposed rating on May 1, 2016. VA generates a suspense of 65 days (5 days provides time for mail processing). Reduction would occur in July, but would actually be reflected on the August 1 payment. If you request a hearing that is scheduled in early August then everything is frozen until the hearing happens. If that hearing doesn't prompt VA to reverse and they rate the same then it would be effective in July still (60-65 days following the  proposed date) which would result in an overpayment for the August 1st check that was already received by the time of the hearing. If the hearing is scheduled in late August then it could result in an overpayment of 2 months at the 10% rate because the September payment might have already processed as well.
If you request a hearing outside of 30 days of the proposal then VA will still reduce. If the hearing is successful then it would be restored over the months that the reduction was effective.
Requesting a hearing to freeze things and presenting the evidence could help out. It could also backfire if the rater is not interested in hearing what you are saying.
It's confusing, but it sounds as if a hearing is what you need to do.

It's currently a proposal, right? You can't NOD a proposed rating because it isn't final. You should immediately request a hearing (within 30 days of the proposal notice) to discuss the issue. Requesting a hearing will freeze the evaluation right where it is for the time being. If, however, VA goes ahead and reduces the overall percentage from 70% to 60% it will cause a debt for payment made following 60 days after the proposed rating date (which would be 10% of each payment in this case).
example: Proposed rating on May 1, 2016. VA generates a suspense of 65 days (5 days provides time for mail processing). Reduction would occur in July, but would actually be reflected on the August 1 payment. If you request a hearing that is scheduled in early August then everything is frozen until the hearing happens. If that hearing doesn't prompt VA to reverse and they rate the same then it would be effective in July still (60-65 days following the  proposed date) which would result in an overpayment for the August 1st check that was already received by the time of the hearing. If the hearing is scheduled in late August then it could result in an overpayment of 2 months at the 10% rate because the September payment might have already processed as well.
If you request a hearing outside of 30 days of the proposal then VA will still reduce. If the hearing is successful then it would be restored over the months that the reduction was effective.
Requesting a hearing to freeze things and presenting the evidence could help out. It could also backfire if the rater is not interested in hearing what you are saying.
It's confusing, but it sounds as if a hearing is what you need to do.

gs is correct and it would be considered pyramiding, but the new overall evaluation is detrimental to the Veteran so I would think that VA could have done something that would at least leave the overall unchanged rather than forcing a reduction.
That's just my opinion. 

It's currently a proposal, right? You can't NOD a proposed rating because it isn't final. You should immediately request a hearing (within 30 days of the proposal notice) to discuss the issue. Requesting a hearing will freeze the evaluation right where it is for the time being. If, however, VA goes ahead and reduces the overall percentage from 70% to 60% it will cause a debt for payment made following 60 days after the proposed rating date (which would be 10% of each payment in this case).
example: Proposed rating on May 1, 2016. VA generates a suspense of 65 days (5 days provides time for mail processing). Reduction would occur in July, but would actually be reflected on the August 1 payment. If you request a hearing that is scheduled in early August then everything is frozen until the hearing happens. If that hearing doesn't prompt VA to reverse and they rate the same then it would be effective in July still (60-65 days following the  proposed date) which would result in an overpayment for the August 1st check that was already received by the time of the hearing. If the hearing is scheduled in late August then it could result in an overpayment of 2 months at the 10% rate because the September payment might have already processed as well.
If you request a hearing outside of 30 days of the proposal then VA will still reduce. If the hearing is successful then it would be restored over the months that the reduction was effective.
Requesting a hearing to freeze things and presenting the evidence could help out. It could also backfire if the rater is not interested in hearing what you are saying.
It's confusing, but it sounds as if a hearing is what you need to do.

I'm no longer employed by VA, and the given information isn't completely accurate, but it does give you names of people employed by VBA.
As far as privacy goes, I have no problem with people knowing who I am. Name is Charles (go by Chuck or various other names ). I'm out there and there is no amount of privacy protection that will ever completely disguise you (China has all of it anyway). Wanna find out more? The internet will give you plenty because nothing is really private anymore.
The multitude of information that people at VA can see and have access to is almost limitless. Veterans, dependents, and even people who aren't a part of the system. Took all of 5 minutes in 2009 to find my real mother (who I hadn't seen in 30+ years), and find out that she passed in 2008. The systems are ridiculously simple, and are misused quite often. Heck, I could find out almost any information on almost anyone when I was there.
Back to the topic: Calling the 800 number will get a note/email sent to the employee asking for a callback. Whether or not they will is completely up to that employee.
Private attorneys have access to a direct number for the Private Attorney Coordinator(s) at the RO. They generally do not use a general contact number for the Regional Office. When I was in the Appeals section I dealt with attorneys (1 of 4 in the RO who did so), and my phone rang almost all day long sometimes with direct calls from them.
 

I'm no longer employed by VA, and the given information isn't completely accurate, but it does give you names of people employed by VBA.
As far as privacy goes, I have no problem with people knowing who I am. Name is Charles (go by Chuck or various other names ). I'm out there and there is no amount of privacy protection that will ever completely disguise you (China has all of it anyway). Wanna find out more? The internet will give you plenty because nothing is really private anymore.
The multitude of information that people at VA can see and have access to is almost limitless. Veterans, dependents, and even people who aren't a part of the system. Took all of 5 minutes in 2009 to find my real mother (who I hadn't seen in 30+ years), and find out that she passed in 2008. The systems are ridiculously simple, and are misused quite often. Heck, I could find out almost any information on almost anyone when I was there.
Back to the topic: Calling the 800 number will get a note/email sent to the employee asking for a callback. Whether or not they will is completely up to that employee.
Private attorneys have access to a direct number for the Private Attorney Coordinator(s) at the RO. They generally do not use a general contact number for the Regional Office. When I was in the Appeals section I dealt with attorneys (1 of 4 in the RO who did so), and my phone rang almost all day long sometimes with direct calls from them.
 

I'm no longer employed by VA, and the given information isn't completely accurate, but it does give you names of people employed by VBA.
As far as privacy goes, I have no problem with people knowing who I am. Name is Charles (go by Chuck or various other names ). I'm out there and there is no amount of privacy protection that will ever completely disguise you (China has all of it anyway). Wanna find out more? The internet will give you plenty because nothing is really private anymore.
The multitude of information that people at VA can see and have access to is almost limitless. Veterans, dependents, and even people who aren't a part of the system. Took all of 5 minutes in 2009 to find my real mother (who I hadn't seen in 30+ years), and find out that she passed in 2008. The systems are ridiculously simple, and are misused quite often. Heck, I could find out almost any information on almost anyone when I was there.
Back to the topic: Calling the 800 number will get a note/email sent to the employee asking for a callback. Whether or not they will is completely up to that employee.
Private attorneys have access to a direct number for the Private Attorney Coordinator(s) at the RO. They generally do not use a general contact number for the Regional Office. When I was in the Appeals section I dealt with attorneys (1 of 4 in the RO who did so), and my phone rang almost all day long sometimes with direct calls from them.
 

You are correct, Navy. Applying for an Increase automatically triggers VA to order an exam which "could" lead to a process that includes a reduction in the percentage assigned. Shouldn't be that way, but I can solemnly swear that I have witnessed reductions based on one exam alone rather than two separate exams.
It's a slippery slope with VA. Depends a lot on the rater that decides your case.

You are correct, Navy. Applying for an Increase automatically triggers VA to order an exam which "could" lead to a process that includes a reduction in the percentage assigned. Shouldn't be that way, but I can solemnly swear that I have witnessed reductions based on one exam alone rather than two separate exams.
It's a slippery slope with VA. Depends a lot on the rater that decides your case.

You've listed a number of options for dealing with unreasonable delays at VA.
1. Being respectful and not attacking is a good one because so many different hands (or eyes) touch a claim nowadays (and it's not usually the IRIS people). In our conference calls with Allison Hickey you would have been amazed at the defunct crap that she said constantly. She once suggested that we take individuals from the RO and go sit in each department of the VA hospitals to make sure that the waiting rooms were full and that people were being seen. That idea would have taken resources away from the Regional Office (although now some ROs are overstaffed and could do that with ease). She also suggested that VA orthopedic exams should be completed by video. When asked how the doctor could get accurate results especially on ROM she got angry. She never came up with any ideas on her own. They were always suggestions from people outside her office.
2. A 4138 asking for a status will likely not get answered. It gets scanned into an electronic file, and there could be 30 people who see it and say "someone else probably answered".
3. VSO is a good choice if your VSO knows what they are talking about. I am currently assisting a Veteran who's VSO said they are unaware of any way to get a local hearing requested when your case has just gone to BVA without notification, and you actually wanted a DRO hearing.
4. You can call the RO if you have a good number for someone. Most of the employees simply don't answer the phones if they don't recognize the number. And yes, the 800 number is mostly operated by people who read from scripts and have little idea of what you are talking about.
5. eBenefits is what I'd refer to as the Tinker Toys that keep Veterans busy while "Mommy and Daddy" talk. It's hardly ever accurate, and only really serves to raise anxiety levels.
6. You can email Bob's office. You MIGHT get a spark from that. Don't hold your breath though. I have dealt with Bob, and my opinion of him is very low where Veterans are concerned. You can also try the Acting Undersecretary, Danny Pummill, but good luck there too. He seems to be embroiled in the scams going on in the upper management involving "moving expenses" for Kim Graves and Diana Rubens. The Deputy Secretary, Sloan Gibson, will also do no good.
7. Congressional Inquiries... I hold no dog in the political fight, but I can tell you first hand that this is truly futile. They still want your vote though after you get a canned reply from their office that says "VA is diligently working on all claims in the order of receipt" or "VA is attempting to gather all needed evidence to make an accurate decision on your claim". BS....all of it.
8. Berta may be your best suggestion of all.
9. The RO Director is, in all of my experience, a political hat. We had one that might have actually looked into your case but he has long since retired into private life. The current Director here is honestly a waste of space with all of his talk and absolutely no action.
10. Going to the RO in person is a shot in the dark. Some live too far from their RO for one, and you never know exactly who your going to deal with when you do go.
11. A Writ of Mandamus... If you have an Appeal pending and a private attorney then the threat of one of these will some action. May not be what you want, and it may not end up to your satisfaction though.
12. Is there actually something "not" listed?
When I was in a tight position with a claim that I could not get moved personally (from another team) I would simply give out an email and phone number to someone located at Central Office. They weren't a high ranking person, but they would get tired after about 2 or 3 calls, and an email would come down from CO to move a certain claim along as swiftly as possible. I also made certain not to give that number out if the end result at that point would be detrimental to the Veteran.
I still have access to plenty of numbers and emails as well as indirect access to the VBMS system that VA uses. I believe I can still have requests made through DPRIS (Defense Personnel Records Information System) which is what VA uses to obtain personnel files for Veterans who were released after certain years.
The short answer is that if you are having an unreasonable delay with your claim at VA then there are very few things that can be done short of being listed as Terminal, having ALS, Winning the Medal of Honor, or being a Former POW. I can't even guarantee that those things will move your claim along anymore. I know for sure that being Homeless is losing effectiveness.
As I said in one of my shows, there is no "Magic Bullet". If your RO is the Waco or Boise office then I have direct ties that I can try in order to help out. I can help with the other offices too, but in a little more limited capacity. The VA is not in the business of helping Veterans anymore. They are in the numbers business. It's a song and dance game now , and one of the reasons I got out when I did.
I now I have notes on legal pads all over my little home office (third bedroom) that I use to constantly help Veterans. For now I am batting a .600, but there could be a slump at any time.
 

I agree to a point Bronco. That point being that whoever is doing the leg work for "Bob" should be the Secretary of the VA.

You've listed a number of options for dealing with unreasonable delays at VA.
1. Being respectful and not attacking is a good one because so many different hands (or eyes) touch a claim nowadays (and it's not usually the IRIS people). In our conference calls with Allison Hickey you would have been amazed at the defunct crap that she said constantly. She once suggested that we take individuals from the RO and go sit in each department of the VA hospitals to make sure that the waiting rooms were full and that people were being seen. That idea would have taken resources away from the Regional Office (although now some ROs are overstaffed and could do that with ease). She also suggested that VA orthopedic exams should be completed by video. When asked how the doctor could get accurate results especially on ROM she got angry. She never came up with any ideas on her own. They were always suggestions from people outside her office.
2. A 4138 asking for a status will likely not get answered. It gets scanned into an electronic file, and there could be 30 people who see it and say "someone else probably answered".
3. VSO is a good choice if your VSO knows what they are talking about. I am currently assisting a Veteran who's VSO said they are unaware of any way to get a local hearing requested when your case has just gone to BVA without notification, and you actually wanted a DRO hearing.
4. You can call the RO if you have a good number for someone. Most of the employees simply don't answer the phones if they don't recognize the number. And yes, the 800 number is mostly operated by people who read from scripts and have little idea of what you are talking about.
5. eBenefits is what I'd refer to as the Tinker Toys that keep Veterans busy while "Mommy and Daddy" talk. It's hardly ever accurate, and only really serves to raise anxiety levels.
6. You can email Bob's office. You MIGHT get a spark from that. Don't hold your breath though. I have dealt with Bob, and my opinion of him is very low where Veterans are concerned. You can also try the Acting Undersecretary, Danny Pummill, but good luck there too. He seems to be embroiled in the scams going on in the upper management involving "moving expenses" for Kim Graves and Diana Rubens. The Deputy Secretary, Sloan Gibson, will also do no good.
7. Congressional Inquiries... I hold no dog in the political fight, but I can tell you first hand that this is truly futile. They still want your vote though after you get a canned reply from their office that says "VA is diligently working on all claims in the order of receipt" or "VA is attempting to gather all needed evidence to make an accurate decision on your claim". BS....all of it.
8. Berta may be your best suggestion of all.
9. The RO Director is, in all of my experience, a political hat. We had one that might have actually looked into your case but he has long since retired into private life. The current Director here is honestly a waste of space with all of his talk and absolutely no action.
10. Going to the RO in person is a shot in the dark. Some live too far from their RO for one, and you never know exactly who your going to deal with when you do go.
11. A Writ of Mandamus... If you have an Appeal pending and a private attorney then the threat of one of these will some action. May not be what you want, and it may not end up to your satisfaction though.
12. Is there actually something "not" listed?
When I was in a tight position with a claim that I could not get moved personally (from another team) I would simply give out an email and phone number to someone located at Central Office. They weren't a high ranking person, but they would get tired after about 2 or 3 calls, and an email would come down from CO to move a certain claim along as swiftly as possible. I also made certain not to give that number out if the end result at that point would be detrimental to the Veteran.
I still have access to plenty of numbers and emails as well as indirect access to the VBMS system that VA uses. I believe I can still have requests made through DPRIS (Defense Personnel Records Information System) which is what VA uses to obtain personnel files for Veterans who were released after certain years.
The short answer is that if you are having an unreasonable delay with your claim at VA then there are very few things that can be done short of being listed as Terminal, having ALS, Winning the Medal of Honor, or being a Former POW. I can't even guarantee that those things will move your claim along anymore. I know for sure that being Homeless is losing effectiveness.
As I said in one of my shows, there is no "Magic Bullet". If your RO is the Waco or Boise office then I have direct ties that I can try in order to help out. I can help with the other offices too, but in a little more limited capacity. The VA is not in the business of helping Veterans anymore. They are in the numbers business. It's a song and dance game now , and one of the reasons I got out when I did.
I now I have notes on legal pads all over my little home office (third bedroom) that I use to constantly help Veterans. For now I am batting a .600, but there could be a slump at any time.
 

CRSC/CRDP are programs that DOD and DFAS do. VA only acts on requests (called Write-outs) from DFAS when it comes to the CRSC or CRDP programs.
You would need to contact DFAS regarding issues about these programs.

Well, I suppose this is good to know going forward. The OIG can't even do their job right. How are Veterans to ever get what they need or deserve?
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/federal-investigators-fault-va-review-texas-wait-times-38767301

The Waco RO was directed to farm out work, Buck. It was because we didn't meet monthly processing goals set by Central Office. They didn't want to, and they look for some of the most confusing work to send when they do this.
Your claims gets digitized by Janesville. It's then funneled electronically to the RO of Jurisdiction as "new mail". The Claims Assistants "review the electronic mail" (loosely used term), and assign it to the team working that claim or establish it as a new claim (if one is not pending). 
USPS at the RO is set-up to automatically forward mail from the RO to Janesville. The mailroom at the RO is like a ghost town nowadays, but my understanding is that they receive, review, date stamp, and forward. You can send it to the RO, but it will go to Janesville anyway.
Just how VA is doing it now. Extra steps...
BTW, Waco enters the National Work Queue tonight. Gonna  be interesting.

Do all the above and then start over and do it again!   There is no way to fix anything at the VA except to be a thorn in their side.   Just keep bothering them until it is easier to deal with you than to brush you off.   The VA is not there to serve vets.  It is there to give jobs to people and to point to and for politicians to say "Look what we are doing for our veterans".   It is a waste.    Just get your maximum money and get out down the road.

Im asking this question especially for Meddac, as many, many Vets have an unsolved glitch in their benefit claim.  
A great example is what to do about an unreasonable delay, where little or nothing is happening on your claim for an extended period.    Some possible optiions, for example, if your claim is more than a year old and never adjuticated:
POSSIBLE WAYS YOU CAN SOLVE A PROBLEM AT VA: 
1.  IRIS email.  Ask status of your claim, and inquire why, when Alison Hickey resolved to get one and two year old claims completed, yours has not been completed.  Be respectful and dont "attack". 
2.  Send a 21-4138 asking for status of claim.
3.  Contact your VSO.  (This is not easily done, as many simply do not return Vets calls). 
4.  Call your RO.  Again this is often an exercise in futility.  "Calling Peggy"..the 1-800 number is so useless I dont even have the number anymore. 
5.  Check ebenefits.  Make sure you dont even think that ebenefits is accurate or reliable.  
6.  Email Bob, or the undersecretary who filled in Allison Hickeys position. 
7.  Contact your congress critter.  Most Vets advocates say this rarely works. 
8.  Berta has a list of many phone/fax numbers for various RO's.  
9.  I personally have the email of my RO director, referred to by Allison.  For me, it was pretty much ineffective.  He did push some things along, but pretty much nothing positive came of it.  It mostly resulted in denials, but it was at least finally went to the Board.   Even a denial is better than endless delay..at least you can appeal, and get somewhere.  
10.  Go to your RO.  This was also largely ineffective for me, but others have gotten things at least moving by showing up.  
11.  File a Writ of mandamus at the CAVC.  This drastic measure should only happen if everything else is tried and fails.  
12.  Something else not listed above.  
 

Looks as though you'd like my stance on things? It might not make any friends for me, but I pride myself on honesty:
1. I agree that the Appeal backlog is horrible. My stance is that the Appeal backlog is not going to be addressed satisfactorily anytime soon.  VA cannot survive without some sort of backlog, and they create these backlogs to ensure that they have a job tomorrow.
2. The reduction of the backlog is moving along at a steady pace. My stance is that VA is adding hundreds of new employees monthly that have little or no work because of the backlog reduction so look for VA to create some messes (backlogs) to ensure that they can keep employees working.
3. I agree that a LARGE percentage of first time claims are denied. I do not have solid stats so I cannot give exact figures.
4. I do think that a 0% award is not a full victory, but it is not a denial It's a shaky grant of medical care that some Veterans do make claims for (medical care only). My stance is that VA does this to clear claims off of the books faster so they can put forth a false image to stakeholders while saying "Hey, we are giving care to Veterans".
5. I also have never seen a Veteran buy a Big Mac with a 0% award. I have seen Veterans buy illegal drugs with 10% awards though. My stance is that making a claim for pure financial benefit is not what the Veterans Administration was started for. It was started to fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan" by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's veterans. I agree that this is a different age however, and that monetary awards should be given to Veterans for the battles that they endured by serving. I do not agree that a Veteran should go into the process with dollar signs in their eyes.
6. I Fully agree that an NSC rating is a denial although there are some Veterans who only apply for Pension benefits. I do not consider the Pension Award in the denial rate for that reason.
I have seen a lot of things in my years at the VA, some good and some very bad. The VA employs too many people, the Union is destroying it internally, and it's far too top-heavy to support itself. Personnel are not positioned to do the most good for the customer (Veterans), and that is one of the reasons that the Appeal backlog rages out of control. The VA thinks that a college degree (mostly Masters degrees) make good employees, but there is no course taught in college that can prepare you for employment in an organization such as VA. Most of those have never served a day in their life, and they attain higher positions quickly (The RO Director here is not even a Veteran).
Up higher, the VA is nothing but a money grab game. People in and around the VA in DC are constantly applying for a higher position to attain wealth as well as more power. This results in changes that happen more often because of the high turnover of positions from VA Central Office all the way to Washington. New ideas, new plans, and new strategies come with the new faces and bogus positions.
I could go on all day long. The VA is BROKEN. It takes organized groups to make small inroads into their faulty practices and ideas. I often wonder what Hadit.com would look like as a Veteran Service Organization. Enough Veterans are serviced here every day so it wouldn't be a lack of customers at all.
Washington is not going to change the VA so drastically that it ever improves that much. They will make small changes that they cannot enforce because they have regulated themselves into a corner. If they did fix the VA then some of the "hats" in DC would be out of a job, and they can't justify that at all.
I apologize if anyone is offended or does not agree with me. I really try to always keep an open mind. This just happens to be where my mind is at today. It is not my intention to offend anyone.

I wish we had a VA Secretary that would stand up for us veterans and speak their mind and not let members of congress or the house committed intimidate.
jmo
...........Buck

Meddac, I will be sure to check that out at your site.
You know as well as everyone here that vets need all the info they can get.
Hadit's motto from Tbird is "Knowledge is Power."
But sometimes Ignorance can be bliss as they say...but there is nothing blissful about not understanding how the $%&@#&% VA claims process works.
Our ignorance as claimants will save them money...veteran's money....not their money.