So's

[carlie]

I know the advise is usually, if you get a service officer try to meet a couple of different ones and pick the one that seems best to meet your needs.

I have found this to be quite difficult as it seems most organizations ASSIGN you

a VSO -- so no chance to try and pick one.

Well recently through American Legion my SO changed again. This one tells me he really likes to investigate each claim and he was supposed to begin working on my 646 about 2 weeks ago. I called him and left a message last week, he didn't call

back. I called again today and he DID call back. I asked him for an email address,

he had me hold on to locate it so I don't think he uses it much and he told me he didn't know it by heart because he never emails himself.

The new SO told me they are very busy. I requested he call me and I come in to

visit - go over the paperwork before he sends it in and could I come in to bring copies of info. I feel are very important. This info. is only found in my medical

records. It should also be in my claims file as I presented it to DRO Aug.2004.

I went and looked at my claims file just last month at VARO and the info. I

presented the DRO from Aug. 2004 was not there.

The new SO tells me that when he's working a claim he doesn't answer any calls

or see any vets as this would distract from his concentrating on whatever

particular claim he's working on.

I think I'm being fed some BS.

Any suggestions ?

Best to all,

carlie

[Pete53]

All I know is that almost all the Claims that go to a Hearing invole a short meeting minutes before the Hearing. How professional is that?

[Arch]

I know the advise is usually, if you get a service officer try to meet a couple of different ones and pick the one that seems best to meet your needs.

I have found this to be quite difficult as it seems most organizations ASSIGN you

a VSO -- so no chance to try and pick one.

Well recently through American Legion my SO changed again.  This one tells me he really likes to investigate each claim and he was supposed to begin working on my 646 about 2 weeks ago.  I called him and left a message last week, he didn't call

back.  I called again today and he DID call back.  I asked him for an email address,

he had me hold on to locate it so I don't think he uses it much and he told me he didn't know it by heart because he never emails himself.

The new SO told me they are very busy.  I requested he call me and I come in to

visit - go over the paperwork before he sends it in and could I come in to bring copies of info. I feel are very important.  This info. is only found in my medical

records.  It should also be in my claims file as I presented it to DRO Aug.2004.

I went and looked at my claims file just last month at VARO and the info. I

presented the DRO from Aug. 2004 was not there.

The new SO tells me that when he's working a claim he doesn't answer any calls

or see any vets as this would distract from his concentrating on whatever

particular claim he's working on.

I think I'm being fed some BS.

Any suggestions ?

Best to all,

carlie

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Carlie, I found all SO's Ive met with are biased. I could not find one that wasn't all BS

My first SO lied to me about one thing and failed to tell me that tinnitus was Service connectable, He was an ex-marine at the St.Petesburg office. He cost me 20 years of back pay, I hope he got his good govenment job and is still walking around looking for "four thirty". :D

I get a new lie every time I talk with a RO at the 1000 telephone number, its obviously what they Know best is pure BS. B)

I suggest using your computer download title 38 and all its recent changes, use your word processor, consider it a battle and each call is a skirmish.

Oh BTW lotsa claymores, nevermind protocals and proceedure, if you can jump the chain, do it every time, make a real annoyance of yourself.

Thats my opinion of the hows and wheres in this system!!! B)

Arch

[rigo]

Carlie, in the 14 years dealing with SO`s of different organizations, the last one DAV, never found one officer willing to help with my claim for PTSD. I realized at that time that the best thing for me and my claim was to try and develope it on my own (smartest decision on my part). It took (6) compensation and pension stating that I had chronic PTSD for the VA to grant 100 percent service connection. Try and develop the claim yoursef with the help of hadit, family and friends.

I know the advise is usually, if you get a service officer try to meet a couple of different ones and pick the one that seems best to meet your needs.

I have found this to be quite difficult as it seems most organizations ASSIGN you

a VSO -- so no chance to try and pick one.

Well recently through American Legion my SO changed again.  This one tells me he really likes to investigate each claim and he was supposed to begin working on my 646 about 2 weeks ago.  I called him and left a message last week, he didn't call

back.  I called again today and he DID call back.  I asked him for an email address,

he had me hold on to locate it so I don't think he uses it much and he told me he didn't know it by heart because he never emails himself.

The new SO told me they are very busy.  I requested he call me and I come in to

visit - go over the paperwork before he sends it in and could I come in to bring copies of info. I feel are very important.  This info. is only found in my medical

records.  It should also be in my claims file as I presented it to DRO Aug.2004.

I went and looked at my claims file just last month at VARO and the info. I

presented the DRO from Aug. 2004 was not there.

The new SO tells me that when he's working a claim he doesn't answer any calls

or see any vets as this would distract from his concentrating on whatever

particular claim he's working on.

I think I'm being fed some BS.

Any suggestions ?

Best to all,

carlie

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Guest Berta]

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Carlie - I would re submit to the VARO what you said was missing from the c file as to what you gave the DRO in 2004.

I could write a book about SOs - but the best bet is not to depend on them-

they have hundreds of claims and a veteran usually only has one, their own medical records to study and their own c file to check-and the regs are available for everyone to learn as they apply to each claim.

My vet rep gets so busy answering calls and seeing vets with new claims that he doesnt have much time to work on re-opens which are so important too.

YOU are the BEST vet rep or SO you will ever have.

[carlie]

Berta,

I agree 100 % , that's why I purchased a set of those VBM's.

carlie B)

[Jay Johnson]

My biggest problem with SO's is how little they seem to help vets on a national level. Some do actually care for vets and will help them on an individual basis, but they need to be more like unions for vets and fight for vet's rights. The new PTSD commission is an abomination, yet none of the major SO's have stood up to defend veterans (what does that tell ya?).

I have been in VARO's that put claims through without any problems at all and I have been through VAROs (current one) that seem to break EVERY regulation in the book and, what's worse, they don't seem to think they are doing so because they have gotten away with it for so long. I dropped my DAV rep. because he told me that "sure the RO could schedule a future exam even if your wife is found to be P&T", which is an outright lie...he also said that, "she got 100% with housebound and you shouldn't NOD".....that and a general lack of knowledge about regulations made me understand that "I" can do a FAR better job then he can.

What has upset me most about my wife's case, and how it pertains to SO's, is that my wife was found to be 100% P&T with A&A and no future exams scheduled just 8 months prior to the seattle region getting her claim....even though ALL of the evidence showed her condition had actually deteriorated, they proposed to reduce her. Their basic reasoning was that they, essentially, did not agree with the previous 2 board decisions and wanted to give her a lesser rating. With GAFs of 10, 20, 25, 40 and current of 15 they wanted to rate her at 70%.....if someone like my wife is going to have such a hard time maintaining her level of disability with such severe symptoms, what are they going to do to other vets who have far less severe symptoms but are still 100%/TDIU? There should be an outcry from every SO in the area; instead, we hear, "don't file a NOD you got almost everything you wanted".

As I have said before, we MUST boycott these SOs until they learn to do their jobs and stand up to the VAROs in general and stop taking it one case at a time, which greatly favors the VA and not veterans. NO american on earth is going to side against veteran's compensation...NO american on earth would stand by and allow these ROs to get away with what they do....We only need ONE person to take our case public and we would take back the VA for vets.

Edited September 9, 2005 by Jay Johnson