johnjjr

It's been quite a while since I last posted; family and health issues. I am 100% P&T. Three weeks ago I had a reverse total shoulder replacement. According to CFR 54.71A sub-section 5051, 100% is granted for 1 year after surgery. Would it be of any benefit, monetarily or otherwise, to file a claim on the shoulder replacement.

I read this morning that in an effort to recruit new Drs., McDonald has offered young Drs. student loan forgiveness in exchange for a set number of years working for VAMCs. Short term a great idea as the VAMCs could gain some really great Drs. But long term, I don't know. At the end of their service, most of the good ones would leave for the private sector. I do like the fact that he isn't afraid to shake the tree, so to speak, by preparing to fire about 1035 bad apples. I actually hold out some hope for Mr. McDonald.

Berta should be Secretary of the VA. The you'd see the s^#t hit the fan.

Unless your rating is for a mental issue, you can work full time and keep your rating.

JR As a true southern gentleman, I've come to the conclusion that you and I will just have to agree to disagree. Human nature to me would be to give compassionate, timely care to our disabled vets. Not make them wait 10 months or longer for care just so I could protect my job. If understaffing is such an issue, one would think the union would be pushing for outsourcing, if only for say a year, to alleviate the stress on their rank and file members. That should give the VA time, with the newly allocated funds, to bring staff up to par. As to the contract, unless there is an ironclad no work stoppage clause, the union always has the upper hand when it comes to negotiations. In my years of dealing with the VA, I've run into a few workers that needed protection. And I don't mean the kind the union provides! My wife worked for the Govt. for 35 years before she retired so I do know a little about how the Govt. works.

No bait and switch, JR. Just the cold truth. Unions were good in the beginning. They stopped child labor, sweat shops and helped the common laborer. However, they have now become too powerful and greedy. The only reason a union needs a 300+ page contract with any entity is to exert power over them. The more power they exert, the more advantage labor sees in membership. More membership means more money and more power. Can you give me one solid reason why the union is hell bent against outsourcing vet healthcare? It could ease the obvious long wait times for care, sometimes critical, that now exist.

If the new Secretary doesn't know by now, he will quickly find that he is not running the VA. THE UNION IS!!! The union has a choke hold on the Dept. and has for quite some time. They are opposed to anything that doesn't put money in their pockets. Until Congress recognizes this, declares the union contract null and void, and bars the union from re-organizing within the ranks of the VA, the problem will continue. It cannot be solved with the union in place because the union doesn't want it solved. There is no quick fix for this problem, but getting rid of the union would be a great first step in the right direction. JMHO

Congrats on your win!!

I've been taking Topamax for over 4 years now with no side effects. It works very well relieving the pain associated with my PN.

Saw it in another thread here yesterday. It was Fox News. It's time to take anything that will cut paper out of the ROs.

Congrats on your win! Never let the VA get you down.

JMHO You have already filed your claim. Hiring a lawyer at this time won't help. They can do little to nothing until a decision is made on your claim. Everyone is on pins and needles until that BBE arrives with a decision. Get a hobby, something to take your mind off the claim. Best of luck.

Hopefully, with his corporate knowledge and his veteran ties, he can succeed. It would be a plus if he was given a voice in the selection of the replacement for the rabbits who fled the central office. Much better to have someone he can actually trust instead of a political appointee just there for the $$. JMHO

You will get a notification as to their decision. You have the right to appeal that decision if it goes against you.

At my last C&P, I had a vet friendly doc. She told me up front that she didn't have my c file. Skeptical as to how that would affect the exam, I went to the FOI office 2 weeks later and got a copy. The first question pertained to her reviewing my c file, to which she answered, 'No, the veteran's c file was not delivered to this facility in a timely manner'. She then used copies of medical records I had taken with me as a basis for the exam. As others have mentioned, make copies of records pertinent to your claim and take them with you. never know when they might be useful.