Lost By Va

[mymissie]

This is something that all Veterans could try when sending any kind of information on or for your Claims.

On the BACK of all your Pages -and Under the Green Card on the Envelope-put Your Name,and C-file # in LARGE PRINT-- Maybe-- it will be harder for them to lose them!!!

Edited May 1, 2007 by mymissie (see edit history)

[Pete53]

I don't think that the VA loses anything but they do misplace a lot of stuff. Your suggestion is a good one. I also like to number all the pages and submit with a chronological list.

The one complaint I don't have about the VA is that they lost any records. In fact I have more records than I thought I ever had.

[john999]

Mymisse

Good idea and send it certified mail/return receipt. Never send an orignial document. If you are close enough go in person to the VARO and get date stamped copies of all you submit. I go in person when I have a really important document. Never trust a VSO to send in your documents for you. Try not to move from one VARO to another during the middle of a claim if you can help it.

I wonder why all our documents are not scanned into a computer file as a back up? Most of the C-fies are still stored where they can be destroyed by fire etc. My C-file is in St. Pete Florida where a major hurricane is overdue. I have copies of my c-file.

[LarryJ]

Good Idea.

Except for the placing of my C-file # below the Green Card on the envelope.

Reason being, my Claim Number is also my Social Security Number and I don't want it AND my name on the outside of any envelope. To easy for some someone to practive misbehavior in a very personal sense.

[Former Member]

I got so frustrated with VA misplacing my evidence in the 1990s that I sent every submission at some point with CC: to Sec. Jesse Brown, and Sec Gober etc-

Pete is right -they dont really lose anything because if you get a copy of your c file- it will surely contain all the stuff they said they never got.

When the VA said in Dec 2006 to me via Iris that they never had received the many copies of my IMOs I had sent -since 2004- I emailed a service complaint asking Asst Sec Mansfield to accept my IMOs and 5 bucks from me to send them to the RO himself.

Per my vet reps (who I cannot believe but do have this documented) the VA does have all of my evidence now

and it all suddenly appeared when I raised big time hell.

In 1996 the most critical piece of evidence I had was mysteriously missing when the files went to the Strategic Health Team in Washington.

I called the Chief of Cardiology whose team was handling my claim and when she said to me "What Autopsy!!!!!!" I knew this critical piece of evidence-ignored by VA for 3 years to that point- had been removed from the c file that they sent to her team and to the OGC.

I was very glad that I had maintained contact at that point with VA Central Office-

because I faxed her the autopsy and the FTCA claim was awarded.

In my present situation- evidence ignored for years-

there is involvement with my POA in that (documented)and I am pursuing that situation too.

Make sure you do all you can to follow up on VA's receipt of your evidence.

It makes me furious when a veteran or someone like me gets a SOC and then an SSOC that doesn't even list any of it and therefore they do not have to extend Benefit of Doubt and can easily deny by saying you never sent them any evidence.

And your reps have copies of all of your evidence too-but made sure the VA never got it or at least never questioned the SSOC in your behalf at all.