autumn

let all veterans go on strike and show we aren't putting up with it!! we've all written more than once that we veterans have done up to and more than humanly possible to do the right thing with the VA and yet the VA still treads over many of us. i've heard the same excuses passed on to me from VA, DC, VSOs, etc for over 24yrs and nada, nothing has changed. their tactics to placate and humor me have gotten more sophisticated. at this point, no one leaves us a choice but to go on strike, mass protests, etc.

i don't know if you can comment on this but i put it here in case you can something like, yes this will do, or no its not sufficient ... [thsi si what i put on that form] #------------------------------------------------------------------------- Regarding claim submitted 3/26/1987, for "compensation for a spinal chord injury and depression" I am requesting copies of: 1. supporting documentation at that time submitted for claim 2. supporting military medical documentation that was submitted at that time for claim, if any 3. C&P exams results performed by VA at the time for this particular claim 4. copy of the decision for this claim & reasons claim was partially granted and partially denied. Thank you for your time & service #-------------------------------------------------------------------------

ah ha!! roger dat, got it this time.makes sense now, i know what to do with that. love the humor!! many htanks

hi carlie, is this the form i use to request that information? looks like a statement in support of claim. tia

thanks Carlie & Chuck, it is that possibility, considering all the truthful medical evidence that has been brought to light in last few years. it was in california back then that the first claim was filed, same month i was discharged from navy. i just don't remember all the details. i'll write them and see what mileage i get. i don't know much about the redaction thing, sounds like the unexplainable fire in st louis years ago. ;-) i have a lot, most of, med records from then thanks to a friendly navy corpsman & surgeon's secretary who made copies for me while i was in hospital. said i would need those as there was something wrong with me besides the back injury. i've never seen that guy since. unexplainable, some of the people that come and go from our lives. thankful i met them!

i looked at the VA forms link and got a bit overwhelmed as to which one to get so i ask a question. i recently saw an old letter that VA wrote that i had filed a claim, my first, back in the 80's. that's all it said about that. i can't remember if I filed that claim myself, if i had a SO from an org or what. was a long time ago. the VA hospital i was at at that time did send me all their records they had but i didn't see but a few C&Ps from them about the same time the letter stated i had filed a claim. there was nothing of the VA stuff about that claim, any VA correspondence, etc. what form would i use to reequest all info relating to that claim? and medical evidence VA used back then for their decision? and where do i send form & request to? i don't want to ask the VARO in this state cuz it seems any correspondence with them brings out the jinx's, if ya know what i mean. tia

when you find out, let us all know. i've had that same "notification" setting on my ebenefits page since summer 2011 and i never received a notice in the mail. PVA rep is in a black hole about it, as is local VA business office (joke). good luck

eBenefit site hasn't helped much with me either. i've always, so far, had to call/write/email/ RO or IRIS to request them to update my eBenefits page as its always way out of date. i gave up relying on eBenefits except for some things like ddepost or a letter print out. i've sent in and taken medical docs (from outside VA) to be scanned into their system and it takes them months/years and numerous attempts to get them to do so. considering the amount of money the VA is being billed to develop the ebenefits site i doubt seriously it will help the veteran in the realm of claims. we're up against a crew of national legal beagles whose sole purpose is to roadblock and trip up the veteran. imho

hey streetwalker, I too "feel" your pain. the VA at first denied major depression secondary due to chronic pain from lower spine injury. that was just a few months after being discharged from navy for that along with back injury. took a few years for VA to admit and SC it. we know the up hill battle track your on, and it sucks fwiw. might i suggest you get all your papers together regarding the depression to file for it being secondary. maybe an outside VA doc's statement too if possible. as to when to file all i can offer is i filed a new claim right after VA told me my other pending claim was basically done and waiting on signature. i even asked pva if they approved of filing it and they went along with it. now VA says some issues on the previous claim may be linked to new claim so its almost like back to square one with them from my point of view. but, i'll have the start date of claim verus waiting. no matter what its going to be a waiting game for most of us. good luck & get all your papers together

i'm gonna request those sketchy notes from national. it will at least show a timeline of claims over the years and some of the steps they took on those claims. since i'm planning of filling out forms myself their sketchy records could help with that along with hadit website. if their notes are sketchy, and they don't really read/peruse records that the veteran gives them, and they type up a page or two showing them filing a claim on behalf of veteran and then mail that in, if that is all, ... then why do we go through them? one vso website states they provide free, comprehensive benefits assistance and advocacy. its that word, advocacy, that never came through when i asked many times for it. i had to write a congressman for that "advocacy" which got the correct c&p exams versus the sham exams. their service to legal representation for appealing denied claims, well, i often get what i paid for, to sum that up. thanks

understood. it is in fact these National service officers' files on records i would like to have. it would list the history of claims, docs that were sent to RO, and working notes. that information may or may not be of any use to a veteran. i was told basically the same by va regarding why i kept getting copies of med records, etc. "why do you want these...", "you wont understand them..." to paraphrase. stuff like that. if i had not gotten all those records and spent, now going on 5 years of researching them, i'd never had found the answer to my years of neurological symptoms. that is getting a correct diagnosis of ms and getting it service connected. that put an end to the va claiming it was all in my head or over 20 years ago i used to drink and that is what was causing such neuro issues. since i'm losing faith in VSOs (just [my] experiences), i want a copy of their notes to go through and satisfy a curiosity. i already know they tossed my "character under the bus" 22 years ago on one appeals claim (ms carly & john999 know about that). i'm wondering if that instance had any bearing on subsequent claims after that with the same SO. thanks

yes, its these entries i'm wanting a copy of, not of say like c-file docs and such. i want a copy of claims filed over the years (where, date, & to what VA). what was logged into computer as to what tasks were done working on the claims, (phone calls, letters, etc). that wouldn't be many papers to be printed and all that stuff should be on their computer system. the c-file & medical stuff hard copies i don't need from them, heck they get their copies from me anyways for them to file. ;-)

my experience too. lie an intermediary. i send them the docs/folders, they forward it to c-file. and that is more efficient and/or beneficial than we sending it in with a return receipt? my VSO doesn't get return receipts.

sorry for the delay in getting back, guess i had the auto notify turned off or something. that is my experience. bu they do keep notes, etc on computer file. that much i do know. thx

what information can/will a vso sedn ot veteran upon a request for all information related to a claim the vso has been working on? are they required to send all of their records/info ? is it worth asking for this info prior to taking back POA?

glad i heard/read this. yep, sorry to confirm but this VSO and few prior have all said what you have written. i'll take my case my own soon. let me ask again if ya folks don't mind, when i request this VSOs communications he has done on my claim with VA, he has to send that to me? my gut has told me this for awhile, i 'll just do these things myself with help from here. would take the same amount of time using a VSO since i'm doing all the work mostly and getting little advice from him except, "sit back and wait, lets see if VA does the right thing..." guess all you folks heard that before. thanks

thats why i do so much of the work myself. all vso does is write a letter to ro after i put all evidecne together. heck, he hasn't even reviewed my c-file in going close to 2 years. he's either listening to the va or me and i suspect its va. imho i really doubt i'd sue. i could just be mad and maybe they did just enough to do only a little. doesn't justify a lawsuit in the sense i could win. i have found zero accountability in dealing with va or vso or ro in 24+yrs. thanks for the link. will come in handy if/when i take POA back.

that is how 3 out of 4 vso's have been in my case. since i'm filing a complaint to national i'll be taking back poa i suspect. hey, to get all vso correspondence they did regarding my case, all i have to do is request it?

is there a backlash to the veteran if he does this?

i found that VES web site, and will check it out, thanks if not for hadit i'd still be seeing shrinks at VA for neuro problems cuz for some reason no one at VA would call it MS, etc. they do now thanks to hadit folks helping me out. still a few more things to iron out as you can imagine. recent va neuropsych results showed i have some issues all related to ms and its secondary stuff. i guess that is good. hard to trust anyone at va in my head though. what they tell me and write, well, we'll wait and see. ok, i'm rambling so i have those things you mention in my tool box. thans

i've seen you and pete say this on other posts and i hesitated to file the cervical SC becasue of that. i sent folder for this claim to VSO and specifically wrote on note that if he thought it would mess up the ms secondary claim not to file yet. but since RO told VSO and congressman's office claim was out of devlepment phase i thought it ok to file. so did VSO. it was like a haphazard dump a new claim on old claim kinda thing. and after numerous calls, faxes, letters, RO still hasn't written to tell me they actually have the folder VSO sent them for spinal claim. only the vcaa letter they got claim request and they needed more info. VSO says they have it and write them i have no further evidence to submit. guess i can't recall that claim huh? nevermind, thats just just goofy thinking. its sent in, i have spinal issues that need to be rated and increased, done deal now.

congrats! glad to hear your successs what is that 800 number? just the VA national number or like ebenefit number? we all know all RO & VA are managed different with different priorities. appears yours "does the right thing"

i certainly think and the SO dis so that part of the spine issue is SC-able and the already SC lumbar issues has gotten worse over years. so sent it in. as you say, why wait if a veteran is going to have wait a few years per claim, so to speak. wierd, now RO says maybe some spine issues are causing some "ms symptoms" and maybe some "ms symptoms" are causing some neuro spine issues. most of the spinal med records were included with the ms package. wierd, RO doesn't bring thos issues up until i file claim for them. so when VSO says, lets wait and see if VA does the right thing, we'll all be waiting forever. right thing would be as you say, a reasonable accountable time frame, which doesn't exist. too, right thing would have been to acknowledge the medical conditions already in that first packet. but nope, they disregard em until i file for claim then seemingly jerk it all around. it isn't doom & gloom to me. its my real experience with them. and many other veterans. i don't see how Shinseki is going to get the VA's to do the 120 day claim time frame. i really don't. makes good press. but i've been told VA & RO is swamped, things take time, see if they'll do the right thing, loss of records, VA doc writing incorrect data, etc for over 24 years. i don't see anything changing there. the buildings might get newer, newer people will employ there, but policies behind doors, they'll stay the same.

my .02c worth ... i suppose echoes this. i've made 1 or 2 complaints to this particular org about 1 service officer and 1 station over the years and like, notta, zilch of anything cahnged. wish i didn't have to echo this but that has been my experiences.

never knew this, not that i should i guess. but good to know an unruly gorilla can be told to sit down, so to speak. you mention them backing up their actions, is all i have to do is reuqest their correspondance with VA and anyone else regarding my claim and they will mail that to me? or do i need to get some other intermediary to do so?