mssoup1

Using the VA math calculator, if you get an increase and that increase would put you in another percentage rating, then you would then get back pay to the date you filed the claim. If say they only give you another 10% and that does not increase your overall percentage, then there is no increase in compensation, therefore, no backpay. My husband had both new claims in process and also several BVA remands. We were told that before they could process the BVA remands that they had to finish up any new claims and decide those. This proved to be correct for us. The new claims were decided and any backpay sent to us. Then they went to the BVA remands and decided those and sent any backpay to us. We were told that before any BVA remands were decided, there could be no outstanding new claims in process. As far as deciding your claims, a lot depends on whether these are RO appeals or BVA remands as far as to when each gets decided. If everything is still at the RO level, they could either decide some of them and send you a decision on those or they could wait until they decide all of them before they make a decision. I would say that if they decide on at least some of them, they would go ahead and send you a decision on those. But, then again, who knows for sure. I'm not sure which state you are in, but waiting this long for a C & P exam sounds like an awfully long time. My husband would generally get a C & P scheduled within a much shorter period than this. I have heard from others that once you get your C & P exam that it usually is not that much longer after that that you get a decision. But again, all RO's are different. Not sure if any of this helped, but this has been our experience. Maybe there are others that can give you more information based on what they have experienced. mssoup1

When you are in the political arena and didn't grow up in a poor or poverty stricken family, how could you understand what it is like, expecially when you are deciding whether to pass or deny a bill which could benefit those people. Those making these decisions eat the best of food everyday, live in a lavish home, wear the best of clothes and basiclally want for nothing, except more money. They refuse to raise the minimum wage, keep raising the price for medicare or do anything else which would benefit the poor or elderly. I am sickened when I read in one place that something that would benefit the poor or elderly is not passed, but right beside it is an article where something has been passed which will greatly benefit the rich. Not fair, but never has been. mssoup1

Pearl, So very happy for you. I know how excited you are because my husband got his decision a couple of weeks ago and we are also now through with the VA. After so many years of fighting, it really feels good to sit back and just know that it is over. Good luck and hope things go well for you. mssoup1

I'm not sure about a "fee basis card", but our local VAMC no longer has a dermatology department, therefore, my husband is on fee basis with an independent dermatologist which the VA pays for. The VA sent us a letter, as well as the dermatologist my husband chose, telling them to bill the VA for services rendered. There was no card involved, only a letter. The VA could not supply the medical help my husband needed, therefore, they were required to pay for those services elsewhere. He is service connected for his skin. Not sure if this helped any. mssoup1

Terry You have a big issue here to make a decision on and it seems like maybe you have already made it. My husband also received 100% TDIU/P&T and was lucky because at the same time he received this, his claim for hypertension was approved as well, but 0%. But, that was okay, because he did get service connection for the hypertension. His claim was made retro back to 2001. This means he is now 5 years into the 10 years he needs which would allow me to draw DIC in the event something happened to him. But, since they service connected him for hypertension, God forbid, if something happened to him before the next 5 years are up and it can be related to his hypertension, then I can draw some money from the VA, This is at least my take on what I have heard. If this is not right, then please someone correct me. I do understand that since Terry is 100%, he doesn't want to screw this up by continuing with the hypertension claim. mssoup1

Arch, If you can go further to get a larger increase, don't stop now. Keep fighting the fight and congats and good luck. mssoup1

Arch, Congrats..... mssoup1

Moe, Glad to hear you got the increase, sorry to hear about the retro. Good luck, mssoup1

Terry, Congratulations on your win as well. It seems I have seen a few posts at different forums where the veteran recently was given IU or IU/P&T. It is so great to hear of these success stories. Also, I will get my husband to call Monday to get the IU/P&T letter. Thanks for the heads up on this. I also am going to apply for both the ChampVA for myself and the insurance and waiver on my husband. Also want the miitary ID card. Berta, Thanks for your response. You have been such a great help to a lot of veterans on this forum. I think their responses back to you shows that. ChampVA will be a help to me if I can get that. As far as Education benefits, they won't really help me. Since I am retired on disability as well, (lots of health problems including 2 heart attacks and 3 TIA's) going to school for me is out of the question. Wish I had had these earlier on in life. Again, thank you all for your continued support and help. I wish all of you much success in getting your claims approved. mssoup1

Thanks everyone for your kind words. Just to know that I am now not going to have to file another appeal has taken a great burden off of me. As everyone knows, filing an appeal requires a lot of work and then you have to sit back and wait again. I just hope that everyone elses claim on this board gets approved and can then jump for joy also. Berta, You mentioned ChampVA. The letter did state at the beginnning that I was probably eligible for ChampVA benefits. It explained what I needed to do to file. Stupid of me, but I never thought we would win the IU/P& T so I don't think I spent as much time reading up on things like ChampVA. You mentioned the fact that I could probably get back pay on out of pocket money I had spent on past bills, at least back to 2001. Thanks for adding this bit of information. I don't think I would have thought about this. Even after you win your appeal, you still find that you need the help of those on this board. And they are always there to give you that lending hand. If anyone else has any information concerning IU/P & T, then I would appreciate any help you could give. Again, thanks to everyone for all of the information and help you have given me over time. mssoup1

Well!!!!!!!!!! We finally made it after all this time. Got the brown envelope in the mail today. All remands from the BVA were approved. He was given IU back to 2001 and according to what was written under the Eligibility to Dependents Educational Assistance it stated "Basic eligibility for Dependents Education Assistance is granted because the evidence shows that from June 29, 2001 you have a total service-connected disability that is permanent in nature." I take this to mean he is IU/P & T. I am so happy because we can now sit back and rest. It has been a lot of work and patience to get here. Thank you all so much for all of the help you have given me in fighting for my husband. I won't forget Tbird when we get some money in the mail. Again, thank you all so much for your patience with me and all the help you have given. mssoup1

Yes, "expeditious" review was in the remand letter. But, that did no good. It's been back at the RO for 2 1/2 years now and they just now say they are finished with it. I do think a couple of new claims we filed, during this time the remands were back at the RO held up the remand decisions, but it has still taken a long time. We only filed these new claims because they came up during the hearing and in the remand letter we were basically told that we should have the RO take a look at these issues that we brought up, so I filed he claims to get the earliest possible date for the claim. We were told that any new claims filed during the processing of remanded claims have to be decided before they will make a decision on the remanded claims. I guess that is because if you appeal any of the remanded claims, then the folder cannot go back to the BVA because you still have outstanding claims that have not been decided. It has been a long 8 years of fighting and I only hope that the outcome is a good one. The last C & P exams he had on the remanded claims sounded like they were written in favor of my husband, but since the VA can come up with all kinds of off the wall stuff to deny a claim on, then who knows what will happen. I only wish we had a better working relationship with the SO in order to find out information about the status of the claim, but I guess we will just have to wait and see what happens. After 8 years of waiting, a few minutes of someone's time wouldn't hurt to at least give us a heads up on the decision made. Thanks for your help and replies. Will let you know what happens when we hear. Wish us luck with this long journey we have had. mssoup1

Tried the route with the SO, but was no help. mssoup1

Got a response back today on my husbands outstanding claims. One claim which has been at the VARO level and the others were remands from the BVA. They said that the claims were finished and that they were just waiting for the final processing of the claims. They also told my husband that they couldn't tell him anything and that he would be receiving the decision in the mail. This we figured. I guess this could be good news or could be bad news. Wish us luck that it is good news that we hear. The BVA remands are almost 8 years old. I would have thought that maybe we would have heard something from his SO since it is at this stage, but haven't heard a word. Not sure we will either. Have always had to wait until we received the decision in the mail to know anything. Regardless of the decision, thank each and everyone of you for all of your knowledge and expertise you give on this board. Will let you know when he hears something on the decision. mssoup1

I probably have the record for the number of complaints filed for inadequate C & P exams. Our local VAMC has one general physician who does most of the C & P exams, even ones which should have been done by a specialist. I have been fortunate enough in the past that I was able to get a copy of the C & P exams shortly after they were entered into the system. If they were inadequate, I did not wait for a denial from the VARO, which would have only caused a longer wait. I would immediately write a letter stating the specific errors in the report and also send a copy of the report along with it. I highlighted all of the areas which were in error. I then requested that my husband be given a new C & P exam, and that the same examiner not be the one doing this exam. In all but one case, this was done and the claim proceeded on. On the one that a new C & P exam was requested and not given and the claim denied, I plan to again appeal based on the fact that a new C & P exam was requested and not given. I will also have a letter from one of my husbands physicians who can also address some of the incorrect information in the exam. I understand that the VARO does not like veterans being able to get copies of their C & P exams before a decision is made on their claim. To me, I feel that this would save time in the process, since you can catch mistakes before a decision is made which can have an impact on the outcome of your claim. mssoup1

I have had 2 stomach surgeries, with only a small portion of my stomach left, due to ulcers. I also have GERD. I have been told by my doctors that the H. Pyloric bacteria research has shown that this can cause ulcers, which I wish had been known long ago before my surgeries. If I have a flareup and go to the doctor, there is an antiobiotic regimen that they can put you on to clear the problem up. But, because of the type of antibiotic treatment, they must be certain first that you do have this type of bacteria lurking in your stomach. As far as the GERD is concerned, he has me on Prevacid. Seems to help somewhat. mssoup1

For what it is worth, I have been told on my husbands claims that his appealed claims will be worked on and a decsion made after any new claims have been decided and completed. So far, this seems to be the way his claims have been going. I currently have a NOD to file on a decision on one of his new claims decisions, but in order to not further hold up his appealed claims, I am going to hold off as long as I can in order to get a decision on those appealed claims first. This was only the way my husbands claims process has been progressing and what we have been told. I don't really know if this process happens in all cases. Just another insight into your question. mssoup1

I don't understand how all these banks, mortgage companies, stock brokers, employers, etc. can allow a person to access all types of information on your accounts in a secure mode and not seem to have major problems, yet the VA cannot even allow veterans to have access to any information that pertains to them. It would really be nice to even be able to access the RO and get the status of your claim yourself. Then, those that are answering all those phones with veterans asking for this type of information could then be trained to process claims instead. No personal information would need to be sent via the internet. A veteran could just type in his claim number and would be allowed to have access to the screens that the reps at the VA look at which would basically show the status of your claim. No other information (personal) would be needed on the information accessed. Also, I don't understand either why they did not include the prescription name to the information you access through HealthVet. If someone, other than the veteran, was able to access another persons HealthVet information, then just a prescription name would be immaterial at that point anyway. But then again, we are talking about the Government and how they work. Can't allow me access to my own information, but can allow an employee to let thousands of veterans personal information to be stolen. Really does make a lot of sense, doesn't it? mssoup1

I have heard that veterans are having trouble getting into and logging on to MyHealthVet. I went in this morning to refill my husbands prescriptions and didn't have any trouble at all. They have changed everything around, so you have to look at the screen to figure out what you need to click on to go where you want to go. For those of you having problems, this is what I did to get my husbands prescriptions refilled: Go to www.myhealth.va.gov In the circled box on the right side of the page that reads "Go to my Healthvet", click on this. Enter your User Id and password on the right side of the page This logs you in Click at the top of the page on "Pharmacy" On the next screen click on the right side of the page that states "RX Refill" On the next screen click on the left side of the page that states "Refill Prescriptions" I ordered his prescriptions, submitted the request and printed it out and had no problems. Hope this helps for anyone who needs it. mssoup1

Stolen VA data goes beyond initial reports By HOPE YEN, Associated Press Writer Wed May 31, 5:26 PM ET WASHINGTON - Personal information on 26.5 million veterans that was stolen from a Veterans Affairs employee this month not only included Social Security numbers and birthdates but in many cases phone numbers and addresses, internal documents show. ADVERTISEMENT Meanwhile, VA Secretary Jim Nicholson said Wednesday that he had named a former Arizona prosecutor as a special adviser for information security, a new three-month post that will pinpoint security problems at the VA and develop recommendations for improvements. The three pages of memos by the VA, written by privacy officer Mark Whitney and distributed to high-level officials shortly after the May 3 burglary, offer new details on the scope of one of the nation's largest security breaches. The memos were obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press. They show that a file containing 6,744 records pertaining to "mustard gas veterans" — or those who participated in chemical testing programs during World War II — was breached, and that a "short file" with as many as 10 diagnostic codes indicating a veteran's disability also was stolen. At the same time, however, the memos suggest that the data might be difficult to retrieve by thieves. "Given the file format used to store the data, the data may not be easily accessible," stated one memo dated May 5 and distributed internally May 8. On Wednesday, the VA did not say why it didn't immediately reveal that personal information such as addresses and phone numbers had been disclosed. But the agency said it aggressively sought to protect veterans once Nicholson was informed. "VA's initial and primary efforts have focused on notifying the millions of veterans and some spouses whose most sensitive and identifiable information — their names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and some disability ratings — may have been compromised," spokesman Matt Burns said. Some lawmakers said Wednesday they were troubled by the new revelations, which go further than what the VA initially reported after publicizing the theft on May 22. At the time, Nicholson said the data was limited to names, Social Security numbers and birthdates; he later indicated that diagnostic codes in some cases also may have been breached. "It is not appropriate for this information to ever enter the public domain," said Rep. Bob Filner (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., the top Democrat on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, which is planning to hold several additional hearings on data security and veterans' benefits later this summer. Veterans groups have criticized the VA for a three-week delay in publicizing the burglary after the theft at a VA data analyst's Maryland home. During hearings last week, Nicholson said he was "mad as hell" that employees did not notify him of the May 3 burglary until May 16. Joe Davis, a spokesman for Veterans of Foreign Wars, said the VA needs to come clean about who exactly is at risk. "What's so upsetting and frustrating is the lack of specific details coming from the VA," he said. "We have millions of veterans looking to the VA for answers, including older veterans who may not have Internet access or fully comprehend what this means to them, and younger veterans who will now have to carry this dark cloud with them for the rest of their lives." Separately, Nicholson said in a statement that he had appointed former Maricopa County Attorney Richard Romley as his new adviser for information security. Nicholson cited a need for dramatic security changes in the wake of the burglary. "Rick Romley is a well-respected attorney and veteran who will provide a critical outsider's perspective to VA," Nicholson said. "Rick shares my commitment to cutting through bureaucracy to provide results for our nation's veterans." Romley, a Vietnam War veteran, prosecuted one of the largest public corruption cases in Arizona in the early 1990s and was seen as a potential GOP contender in that state's 2006 governor's race. On Tuesday, VA deputy assistant secretary Michael McLendon said he was stepping down because of the theft, and the VA announced it would dismiss the data analyst, who had reported to McLendon. The department also placed Dennis Duffy, the acting head of the division in which the data analyst worked, on administrative leave.

Don't remember if this has been posted yet, but I just heard this morning on NBC that there were also addresses and phone numbers that was contained in this stolen information. As I have said before, someone has something to hide somewhere. If not, why did they not come forth in the beginnning with all the information stolen since they had interviewed the employee and he should have known all of the individual information he had on each veteran. But, instead, we are being fed bits and pieces as the days drag on. They may have felt that if they released pieces of information at a time that there would not be quite as big of an uproar. Give the veterans time to settle down a little, then feed them somemore information. Just my take on things. mssoup1

Terry, Just my opinion, but I am not sure I wo.uld have withdrawn the HBP claim, expecially if you felt you had the evidence needed for an approval. Granted, it wouldn't have made a difference in your compensation since you were rated 100%, but it could have helped if, God forbid, you were to die from a heart attack, etc. which could have been associated with your HBP. I may be wrong on this, but I am sure someone else can respond on this issue. mssoup1

Carlie, Don't feel bad. I went to the BVA hearing for my husband and spoke on his behalf. I had evidence with me and everything I wanted to say written down so if needed I could just read it from the letters I had written specifically for the hearing. I do get panic attacks and I was so afraid that I would crash in this meeting. I felt that I did the same as you said you did, rambled on. But, in the end, my husband was granted instant approvals on 2 of his claims and the others remanded back for the RO to do what they should have done in the beginning. We are close, I hope, in getting these remands finalized. New claims I submitted held these remands up. So far, the C & P results look good and I am hoping for positive decisions in favor for my husband. Will wait and see. I really felt that I had let my husband down in the meeting, but so far the results look good. So, don't get too down on yourself, as I am sure you did a lot better in that meeting than you realized and things will go in your favor. Good luck and will be waiting to hear the results. mssoup1

You know what is so ironic about all we have read about the veterans stolen data is that I have yet to read anything substantial that they are doing which will prevent this from happening again. The following is a portion of one statement made: "Each year, VA employees are required to complete Privacy and Cyber Security training. Those training courses are provided and required to serve as important reminders to all staff that public service is a public trust. Because of the serious breach that has occurred by the actions of this VA employee in removing Federal property to his home without authorization, all employees will be asked to complete the annual General Privacy Training and VA Cyber Security Awareness Training for 2006 by June 30. All employees will then be required to sign a Statement of Commitment and Understanding. By signing this statement, you and your employees will confirm your understanding of the training, the consequences for noncompliance, and your commitment to protecting sensitive and confidential information in the Department of Veterans Affairs." Okay. So they will be required to complete this same training that they have been doing for how many years now and it will be done by June 30 of this year. Like this is going to make a difference. This training has been ongoing for who knows how many years, yet it did no good. What makes them think this is going to change anything now. Also, nowhere have I read of any reprocussions for any misuse of secured data. In the above statement it did state that by signing a statement that the employees will understand the consequences for noncompliance. What are the consequences? I think the government is in such a quandry over to how to handle this situation which involves millions of people that that don't even know where to really start rectifying the problem. And one of the biggest problems is the costs that can be involved, which the government doesn't have. Everyone is mad that the government could let something like this happen and worse yet have been told for years now of the unsecure systems that they had, yet ignored this and did nothing. Everyday, it seems a new little tidbit of information hits the wire. Even though earlier we were told the only thing taken in this burglary was the laptop and disks, we now hear that there were also coins stolen. It really makes one wonder if there is other stuff that is being held back from us and will only be revealed later, if at all. It is also hard for me to believe that the employee's boss didn't know that he was taking this stuff home. Especially for the last 3 years. So instead of it always being an employee did this and that, add all of the others in the equation as to who knew or should have known. mssoup1

Rocky, I don't think the guy took the data home to edit it, only to use it as data to run against a program he was working on. "Read only" just means that. You can look at it, but you cannot modify it. Doesn't mean that you cannot download it, especially if you work in IT. Apparently he had the security clearance to download this, with or without approval. After all, it happened. I am like you. I personally don't think that this type of data should have been in any way available to anyone to download for any reason. But again, having such small, keychain size drives now makes it so much easier to transport data without ever being noticed. On another website forum, a retired VARO veteran stated that he used to take home work all the time to work on and was probably as sensitive or more sensitive than what this guy took home. It was the norm to work from home a lot and you had to have the information to do it. He more or less indicated that people would probably be shocked to see what information he had access to and worked on from home. There is a serious problem happening in our country now. With more and more companies letting go employees and expecting those left to pick up the slack, the work has to get done somehow. This means that in order for the employee to at least see his family once in a while, he takes the work home and does a lot of it from there. Who knows how many employees have access to your very personal information at home from various businesses and companies that we are not even aware of. This VARO employee just got caught after 3 years of doing it. If he has been doing it, how many others may have had the same data or more data sitting at their home. This is what is frightening. We don't know and will probably never know. I am by no means taking up for the employee or anyone else because, I too, am mad as h## that this was allowed to happen. I am just saying that this is one big disaster that after 3 years finally came to light and as a result has caused a lot of headaches for veterans. This may be a wakeup call to us that this VA employee and the VARO may not be the only ones having access to our very personal information sitting around their home waiting for it to be stolen or sold. If something is not done to prevent this, we all could be in for big trouble. Everytime you go to the doctors office or the hospital or have tests run, the first thing they do is stick a privacy act pamphlet in your hand. Why, if this is allowed to happen and who knows what else? Just giving my point of view and also to vent a little frustration because I am unsure at this point what path my husband and I are going to take to protect ourselves in the event this information does get in the wrong hands. There is no easy fix to this to protect yourself. mssoup1