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autumn
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Posts posted by autumn
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Autumn, Today was a holiday so no one would have worked to monitor the phones. They don't work on Sunday either. Once I got someone to answer the phone early sat am, but I do believe this was a fluke. They are so far behind claims don't listen to or believe what you read. I know personally and from helping other vets they are behind...
just found out today yesterday was a holiday. ;-) i goofed there.
ok, thanks for the update
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agreed with ethan.
i went to ebenefits. it does list they received via poa/vso a packet of med docs. it doesn't mention that was a claim request though. maybe apples and oranges, but i liked the vcaa letter that actually states, "we recieved claim request" or something like that.
as for the lengthy secondary issues claim filed last year, it lists this now:
Details of your Claim Received on 12/28/2010 (Administrative Review)
they had told the congressman's office that the claim was processed back in oct and was waiting on a signature. is that what admin review means, they review it prior to signing off on it?
hard to believe it has gotten this far after all these years. if it ever gets done satisfactorily i probably won't know how to live without the VARO stressors on my nervous system. i don't know if i'm being funny or serious, hard to tell anymore.
thanks for all the info/advice. where else but hadit.com can a vet get such timely good info regarding the va!
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I am not sure where your claim is but it is possible that they are more than 2 months behind. I would call 800 827 1000 and see if they can help you.
i called this number. my brain coulnd't rap around the endless recording loop. couldn't get a person on the line. i've had an ebenefits account for a few years. my profile is out of date and i've asked RO to update it but that hasn't happened in over a year.
i guess others can get more mileage from that phone number to the VA ebenefits than i could.
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Hello Autumn,,, YES,, you are right. They must repond to your request. It does sound fishy that your VSO did not bring anything up. That is one reason I do not have one anymore. John asked if you got your VCAA letter. This is a violation if you did not. Did you or your rep send the information to the VA certified mail with return receipt??? This could be the problem. Every piece of mail I sent to the VA without using certified mail never was received. That should tell you something is wrong. Try and look for your VCAA letter. You can use search here on hadit archives for VCAA letter samples and topics as it has been discussed here before. Be patient and thorough and it will work out. Above all,,,,,NEVER GIVE UP. God Bless, C.C.
no i did not get a VCAA letter or any reply. just a PO return cert reciept VARO got the first letter, and i have a fax confirmation delivery notice from second notice sent. claim was submitted first of Nov. letter and fax sent first of Dec. now i send 3rd req this week.
if VSO sent cert mail i don't know. i got a letter from VSO, a copy of letter they sent to VARO a few months back. but not the VCAA letter that i normally get.
oh well, i'll send off another letter this week, certified as usual.
thx
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I am not sure where your claim is but it is possible that they are more than 2 months behind. I would call 800 827 1000 and see if they can help you.
they prob are behind with the wars winding down and more claims. but then again, i've heard they're busy/behind since 1987 so there ya go. ;-)
i'll call that number also this week. thanks
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When you send in a claim you should get a VCAA letter pretty soon. If you don't get a VCAA letter the VA has already violated your rights as a claimant and this is grounds for an appeal down the line. Since I live pretty close to my VARO I hand carry new claims to them and get date stamped copies. Otherwise, I send certified/return receipt as the Captain says. You can never, never trust these guys at the VA to do the right thing.
would you have a link handy as to where this violation is stated so i can copy that to office in letter?
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When you send in a claim you should get a VCAA letter pretty soon. If you don't get a VCAA letter the VA has already violated your rights as a claimant and this is grounds for an appeal down the line. Since I live pretty close to my VARO I hand carry new claims to them and get date stamped copies. Otherwise, I send certified/return receipt as the Captain says. You can never, never trust these guys at the VA to do the right thing.
got 3rd request ready for mail on tues. faxed same to congressman's office.
i didn't realize that is a violation of my rights. so why didn't the VSO mention that? fishy, real fishy
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When you send in a claim you should get a VCAA letter pretty soon. If you don't get a VCAA letter the VA has already violated your rights as a claimant and this is grounds for an appeal down the line. Since I live pretty close to my VARO I hand carry new claims to them and get date stamped copies. Otherwise, I send certified/return receipt as the Captain says. You can never, never trust these guys at the VA to do the right thing.
hey john, et. el.,
i sent first request via fax, i have that fax ackknowledgement. the second time was a simple letter and i got a signed delivery receipt from VARO that they got my letter. then i asked VSO about it.
i have yet to get anything from VARO on this submitted claim a few months back, like oct.
i'll write them again next week and send copy to congressman.
thx
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Hello Autumn, Yes, you should receive a letter notifying you that the VA has received your information and that they are working on it. I would suggest that if you do not get a notice fairly quickly to send another letter, remembering that everything should be sent Certfied mail with return receipt so as to not have any problems. You are only one of many and the Veteran must press the issues and make sure they cover their actions and process. NEVER GIVE UP. God Bless, C.C.
that is what i thought. in the past whether VSO or i sent in claim i would get a response in the mail. to make sure i understand, even if VSO sent the claim, i should still get something in mail they received it, yes?
thank you
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my VSO filed a new claim 2 months ago. i usually have received a notice from RO that they did receive such things and that claim was proceeding and/or they required more info.
i've asked RO twice for such an acknowledgment, no response. VSO only says they filed it and mailed docs to RO, thats it.
shouldn't i have something that states they received the docs and claim request?
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does one have to sign such a contract? who does it protect, the veteran or VA?
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VA Meds by mail is a damn joke. I have endless amounts of meds I don't need but I feel that I have to renew cause if you don't than you can have other problems with VA, However, I have had a prescription for xanax for 20 years and on a regular basis a problem develops. I now get a 2 month supply which has helped. I also get 60 hydrocodone 10/500.
When I go to VA I usually take a xanax and I also take a hydrocodone in the am and when I go to bed. What little sleep I get is helped by not being woke up with pain.
I think that the VA should get out of the prescription business and allow Veterans to get it done at regular pharmacies just like ChampVA does. Just imagine being able to call and pick up a refill just blocks from your home. It would save the VA money cause they still can negotiate the cost of the meds.
great idea for VA to get out of the Rx business. that is bound to be a plus for veterans and maybe lessen influence on what VA docs prescribe. i vote they just issue VA med insurance cards so we don't have to go the VA.
i too get extremely stressed going to a VA. used not to be that way. but over the years, the lies, mis-diagnosises, etc has taken a bit of a toll. way too many defense mechanisms go up when i have to go to VA.
good you are getting some rest. so hard for the body/mind to heal a bit without good sound sleep. and chronic pain changes a person after so many years, no question
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just adding my .02 worth ...
it is odd that certain meds from VA are late or the ones that show up twice in a month and one Rx you didn't order. Pharm tells me doc ordered them. for my shots i have to take i'm glad they do. you never seem to have issues getting anti-depressants though. i mean, lets face it, the VA has a love affair with them.
and as pete mentioned the kind of pain that wakes one up and/or doesn't let you sleep and once in awhile brings a tear or two. i have that, thanks to ms and spinal issues. pain meds help my quality of life. that probably doesn't make sense to some folks. i waited years before taking anything.
> I have never signed a pain contract. That sounds like a legal avoid liability thing to me
sounds like it to me. i don't think i signed one.
> I get my record copy of it every so many months to keep up with my own file.
ditto, almost mandatory if we want to protect ourselves from the VA
>If they want to test for drugs should they not test the level and say the patient is prescribed this and the test is consistent to what they are prescribed?
i agree. i had a jerk of a neuro here who would say this and that and not follow through. but he would do those odd pee tests. i thought they were to see how my liver was due to MS modifiying injections. but they never talked about results. records show they tested for street drugs and stuff too. it was like they were/are trying to find something neg to pin on you. they quit asking if i was getting meds from outside VA. i guessed they realized i was telling the truth when i said i wasn't. boy they sure were interested in that though.
> single disc now either abutting the cord, herniated with stenosis, some just bulging, bone lesions, bone cysts, and of course they do nothing but give meds.
i can fully relate, especially about the VA doing nothing to find the root cause and document it. took me years to get them
to admit i had ms and i had to get a c&p to do that cuz no VA neuro would state i had ms. makes you feel secure doesn't it.
> So today sep 13 I get this letter saying the ONLY vets now that can have pain meds are ones who have surgery or acute injury and only for 4-6 weeks.
never heard of this, but i'm not surprized.
>Had she went to a VA hospital, they would've doped her up, raised her dosages to mask the pain, NOT treat the root of the pain. My pain can be cured with operations (grind off the bone spur in my upper neck for starters). They're simply too overwhelmed to fool with such nonsense, give 'em pills, move 'em out
i always thought they did this to reduce costs and avoid documenting a SC'd disability...maybe they are overwhelmed but they do their best to ensure a vet doesn't get a SC'd disability. i.e., most VA's i find are like that. some are way better as some VARO's are but they are few and who can afford to move to a "good VA state"?
good luck to TiredSgt, hope all works out in your favor
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I think we should Occupy the congress hall, because nobody there!!!
you're right, i think R2D2 is there mass mailing boilerplate letters when a veteran writes them.
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Hey, Bob
Oh, I am quite sure VA cops would mace and shock and beat any vet who stepped one inch out of line at a VA facility. I have seen them do it. To get attention for vets is the problem. It seems no matter how many news stories I read or see on TV the same crap continues. I cannot solve a simple problem at the VA. I can't get my pain drugs on time. This makes me want to occupy the pain clinic.
so true. i wrote all the committees/sub-committees in DC, local head of VA, local newspapers with VA beats...as most of you have done...and what changed? a few new smiles for a few visits at local VA. just superficial band-aids. honestly, nothing else changed from my perspective, but i could be wrong.
i sent with those letters, links to many CSPAN, major cable news, major magazine stories concerning the VA and mis-treatment of veterans and their disability plights. most Senators and Congress people replied with boilerplate letters of all the work and bills they have initiated to help the veterans. you know the type. i take it most never really read my letters, just forwarded them to some unaccountable bit bucket.
i do have a darn good Congressman and his veteran staff now. that was the only way i got the correct C&P exams. and he was the 3rd i contacted in this state. i'm sure it helps he wore a uniform and served overseas.
i wouldn't advocate confrontations with VA police. for one, their training program wouldn't prepare them for peaceful protesting by veterans (IMHO) . but the Web is a very powerful tool for first line offense. bombard your local newspapers, national mags, major cable media, DoD, VA, Senate & Congress, etc. Someone, someday will take notice and hopefully see large scale changes are certainly in order. not just money and band-aids.
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Occupy the VA since we are treated worse than homeless and college students on break. They get headlines and we just get lines. It is congress to blame for this mess. 20% of returning OIF/OEF vets have PTSD and will probably file claims. This is what happens when you have two wars that have lasted almost ten years. We may be in Syria or Iran next so do you think the VA is ready for that? This is not just some VA employees, but a system that has failed. Vets should not be divided. All of us are being mistreated if one of us is mistreated.
>> All of us are being mistreated if one of us is mistreated.
John999 is so right.
please veterans, no division, we'll only hurt ourselves as a group if we do that. its the buddy system, young or old, male or female, we wore those uniforms and got injured and/or with hit with illness(es) while serving. we need to stick together now, now more than ever. we'll be trampled under foot otherwise.
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Corrupt or Covert ?
honestly, i'm not sure Carlie. my vocabulary decreases with age and illness so maybe i should look up a word that better describes my experiences and thoughts?
corrupt in the sense that many times i've seen the VA minimize diagnoses and flat out ignore the medical evidence. i can only guess this is simply a money saving tactic on their part. yu see, i think that is deliberate, not a medical error. such practices i would say come from upper management/lawyers and not doctors. i can't fathom a doctor wanting to spend that much time and effort to become a doctor only to minimize veteran's medical concerns to ensure no compensation. There are lazy doctors for sure, but for the most part i think their hands are tied by upper management in DC.
one basically has to fight just to get the medical truth inserted in the records -- may be that is them being a bit covert. the adversarial posture that we veterans run up against at many VA's and RO's is downright inexcusable. and i say that, as not being small isolated cases across the board. IMHO
yet, i have no idea how to fix that system, but i always know when i get stung.
my nervous system gets a little worse every year so i very well could be way off base, yet i believe there is some truth in my experiences and many others.
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thanks all for the info. finished putting together the IBS/gastro folder in chronological order from 1986-present. it is quite a disturbing issue on/off so i'm gonna submit claim for it. they may say it is secondary to MS, i have no idea.
folks, thanks much for your help.
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I am a Gulf Vet and currently have a claim in for IBS. It has been documented and diagnosed by VA doctors and no cause has been able to be determined after every type of test the University hospital (University of Rochester, which has a medical school, the local VA clinic contracts with them) was able to come up with. I filed the claim online recently stating that I am a Gulf Vet, I have been diagnosed by VA with this problem and according to the list of presumptive illnesses attributed to Gulf Service I should be service connected, rated and receive compensation from the date that I first sought treatment from the VA for IBS type issues.
>>attributed to Gulf Service I should be service connected, rated and receive compensation from the date that I first sought treatment from the VA for IBS type issues.
that is outstanding! hang in there and get that.
is this retro from first treatment time/dates just for Gulf Service vets? i ask for i am not a Guld Service vet.
good luck and thanks
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i see from old mil med records that my gastro issues started about the same time the inflammed spinal fluid started. i also see a history with VA of documented gastro problems where they diagnosed it as IBS.
can IBS be a service connected issue and rated?
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Recently, employees of the VA, NSO representatives and other veterans are blaming the Vietnam Vets for clogging up the system with AO claims and creating additional delays.
The reality of the unexcusable delay lays at the feet of the VA Upper and Middle managers as well as those that are mandated to support the disabled vet in his/her claim. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Congress and an apathetic civilian population are truly to blame, as well. Because of the delays and excuses being touted these days, I am beginning to feel a rift between some of the younger vets and the older vets.
I have seen this before, many decades ago. We must be reminded that in union there is strength.
this is a very powerful website of information and help and camaraderie. Veterans have had to "protest" (for lack of a better word), before to wake up the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Congress and an apathetic civilian population. From sit-ins to marching on D.C. Seems to me, only "we" will be able to bring change to this "out-dated stonewalling health-care-rationing unaccountable system ". why not use the web's power to organize and seek much needed change?
most all on this forum have been through the meat-grinder with the VA, starting from the front desk, to triage, to the doctor, then to claims, then to VARO, then onto appeals. if you have not, i bet you know someone who has. and how bout the veterans we know that have to move to different states just to get good VA medical care and decent RO's for disability compensation. for a federal organization, sure seems operating procedures vary widely amongst VA's.
how many of us have had to deplete our savings in order to get non-VA medical care & opinions so we could correctly counter what the VA doctors failed to do in many cases? i bet many of you. I thought somewhere in the VA's rules/laws that the VA was "supposed to assist" in helping the veteran? If the VA is purposely mis-diagnosing & minimizing veterans medical conditions to save on disability claims, i don't see how they can accurately medically treat veterans. And that sure isn't assisting the veteran.
it actually seems more like one big federal lab-rat test platform for big pharmaceuticals. i'm joking there but ...
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I have been waiting a year for a decisions on a c&p comp.claim why so long and why do they make it sk hard. Just when I thought everything was in they ask for more paper work. I checked the e benifits page daily and it said no action needed then wham they ask for something else. I had even called and asked if it was all in and my packet complete and thy said yes and boom we news this or that. I didn't ask for anything when I served but thy ask for everything it just seems wrong.
for what its worth, i have empathy for you and your concerns. the medical care and disability rating system leaves me frustrated and angry most any time i have to deal with them. nothing gets done better or worse for the veteran whether they have a NSO or Congressional letters. so i feel for ya buddy, no question.
just hang in there and keep plugging away, that's all i know to do with such a corrupt organization
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Agreed, but what it shows you is that "WHAT WE THINK AND WHAT THE VARO DOES ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. This is the second time I have been down this road with them. My point is just because you have foot drop it's not automatic by no means to get LOSS OF USE." I can scan my award letter so you can see the exact wording. They used the quote that says it has to equal to that of an amputee. They also said that the this time the C&P examiner noted that there was no difference in temp. However if they had pulled the records from the podiatrist at the VAMC it would show that there is progress notes stating just that and that was the evidence that I submitted originally. So go figure.
i can't figure with the VA/RO, honestly, my whole mood changes when discussing them and not in a funny manner either. consequences of years of dealing with them and being ill at the same time.
no need to scan it, i have a few like it.
i've had to spend 1000's to get outside VA, honest/factual, doctor statements just to counter the VA doctors. too bad, but this is more widespread than not. so its not just a local VA issue. must be basically national.
haven't had the temp thing done but did get emg type test done outside VA. test returned severe nerve damage. the VA neuro dept has canceled 4 appts since i was in the hospital last summer for foot drop/ms episode. do they do that so no one can say its spine or MS in my case? i wonder.
had to get a patient advocate to get a foot brace as no one in neuro would write a Rx for it. PCP wrote the Rx for brace via advocate request. i only say this, just to put it out there for others to see they are not alone in dealing with the bizarro world of VA. it is simply facts.
submitted the med evidence to RO like you, though a decision hasn't been returned yet.
whew!!, boggles my mind you are going through this, really.
i hope all the new vets coming back will Occupy VA/RO and bring these matters to the public once again. the VA process isn't getting better, its getting worse. i sure don't see anyone listening in DC. well, a few do in my case its that the VA doesn't listen to them. lol
if you have not done so, and if you can, just a suggestion, get an outside VA medical opinion to give you some ammo to counter the VA -- so far, that has been the only thing that remotely has helped me get the VA to do the "right thing", and they fought that tooth and nail. and they have a long way to go still.
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Not necessarily, I have foot drop and spinal issues lumbar, cervical and left hip and bilateral sciatica in both legs, residuals of injury to left foot and I have left foot drop. The podiatrist or PCP at the VA has yet to tell me what is causing my foot drop. They treat it and I have all sorts of prosthetics. Yet the VA most recently increased my foot rating from 20% to 30% and said although it was severe that 30% was enough for severe symptoms such as foot drop. They denied my loss of use of that foot and although it is not equal to that of an amputee. I have loss of use as with function. My foot stays swollen, different temperatures, and dropped and in severe stabbing pain when I attempt to weight bear at all on it. It is also partially numb and feels like half of my underfoot is asleep. So between the numbness and pain and loss of function, I still did not get any special anything (no K) and I did get 30% and stated for severe symptoms. I drag my left foot and left leg If I attempt to step just two steps, the leg is very weak. So not necessarily that with foot drop they will automatically give you loss of use or 40% or special K.
>>> seems to me that if you were not granted loss of use.. someone at the va may not have done their job.... I think You should be seeing a neurologist for the dropfoot not a foot or PCP doctor.t seems to me that if you were not granted loss of use.. someone at the va may not have done their job.... I think You should be seeing a neurologist for the dropfoot not a foot or PCP doctor.
no question!!!
Is There A Va Financial Hardship Program While Waiting?
in VA Disability Claims Research
Posted
hey folks, me again...
i'm down to about my last money in savings account. i've been having to dip into it to supplement ssd and va disability income while waiting on decision for va increase. i'm sure a common scenario amongst us.
is there a va program one can apply for financial hardship while waiting on increase decision? after savings is gone i don't think i can do rent and my simple monthly bills which are just bare essentials, zero enteratainment or things tlike that. just bare eessentials.
not whining, just the facts