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[JustThinking]

I am working on a project to get some REAL help for my fellow veterans.

I tried to post a 9 question survey on Craigslist, but found out that there was no way to do it anonymously.

As my intention is NOT to get contacts or email address, I had to find another way - and I did.

Could you PLEASE at least look at the survey at the following link and fill it out if you are comfortable with it.

http://www.questionpro.com/akira/TakeSurvey?id=754790

or

<A HREF="http://www.questionpro.com/akira/TakeSurvey?id=754790" >

Click Here to take the survey

</A>

My point for doing it is:

I don't think our veterans are getting the help they need (based on conversations and experience) AND

I intend to do SOMETHING about it.

Thanks. Let me know if you have any trouble getting to or doing the survey.

[JustThinking]

I am working on a project to get some REAL help for my fellow veterans.

I tried to post a 9 question survey on Craigslist, but found out that there was no way to do it anonymously.

As my intention is NOT to get contacts or email address, I had to find another way - and I did.

Could you PLEASE at least look at the survey at the following link and fill it out if you are comfortable with it.

http://www.questionpro.com/akira/TakeSurvey?id=754790

or

<A HREF="http://www.questionpro.com/akira/TakeSurvey?id=754790" >

Click Here to take the survey

</A>

My point for doing it is:

I don't think our veterans are getting the help they need (based on conversations and experience) AND

I intend to do SOMETHING about it.

Thanks. Let me know if you have any trouble getting to or doing the survey.

I have been asked many times for the results of the survey above (as part of the last answer).

I am TOTALLY willing to share the results on this forum and in other places I have it posted (it is YOUR opinion, afterall).

Although I am well on my way to getting it (37 so far), I haven't yet gotten the 100 I was shooting for and I don't want to sway the opinion of those who haven't taken it yet (kinda like showing exit polls before the voting is completed...). The only way I could inform you of the progress before it is done would be to email you -

You could help me get the number sooner, it doesn't take much time (9 questions) and your opinion is very valuable.

Rest assured, when it is done, I will post the results here.

Thanks VERY MUCH to those who have done it!

[Jay Johnson]

I've actually got an idea for a non-profit organization that could be a huge help to many disabled veterans around the country, but I don't have non-profit experience (though I do own a business license), nor do I have the inside contacts/capital to start it.

The idea is thus (and don't steal it:-): Until recently, an SO was the only means of help for most veterans, but, as we all know, veterans can now hire attorneys once they are denied/low-balled by the RO. If we could set up a Disabled Veteran's Legal Fund (DVLF), we could assist veterans with the cost of hiring a lawyer, which gives them a professional means of fighting their case beyond SOs. The problem is that the SOs have a stronghold on the veteran population, at the moment, and it would take considerable resources and contacts to supplant/complement them.

Personally, I think a non-profit like this could be a HUGE help to millions of vets down the road if someone could get it up and running. I'm willing to put as much effort forth as I can to assist in this venture, but I just don't have the resources to do it on my own. To be effective, we would need memberships/donations much like SOs currently receive and, possibly, government grants, but, again, that takes contacts and start-up capital to get the word out.

By the way, I thought of this the other day when talking to a friend about my small business and capital making ventures in general..I had told him that the new law is going to make someone a lot of money if they can position themselves properly (IE - lawyers), but couldn't think of a way to make it into a business. Eventually, it hit me, like a ton of bricks, that SOs, essentially, already do what I'm suggesting, but they don't have the legal qualifications to do it on a professional legal basis. Supplying the money to veterans for an attorney (and keeping a data-bank of *good* VA attorneys) would be a huge benefit to those who cannot afford a lawyer on their own.

This brings me to another point that makes this sort of program vital: I fear the new law will create have and have-not classes of veterans, in which those with the proper resources can have a much higher % chance of winning their claims than poorer veterans, which is a terribly flawed system imo. So, a legal fund should help correct this imbalance.

Anywho, give me some feedback on the idea...

Edited August 14, 2007 by Jay Johnson

[Pete53]

Its a good idea but organizing Veterans is like herding cats. There are some quasi groups like you mention. In Dallas there is the Texas Veterans Foundation which raises money and helps Veterans with legal and living issues. I am sure there are others like it just don't know the name.

I wish you well and if you start a group like this I would join it.

Pete

[Berta]

There are some lawsuits around too that could provide some info you need -just thinking-

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/07/23/veter...t.ap/index.html

This is the suit by Iraq vets as to the VA delays etc.

Then again the gov itself has documented all of the problems in the claims system today anyhow-

IG report (2005), BVA Chairman's report Jan 2007 for FY 2006, and Knight Ridder News.

I havent accessed the survey link yet-

but have asked Cong Filner to amend one VA reg and feel that reform of the VA has to start with amending the regs that they are to abide by but don't-in a way that puts the onus onto the ROs as well as vet reps themselves to make sure a claim has been legally adjudicated.

Also I dont see the need for a fund to pay lawyers-under the new lawyer for vets regs- they get paid out of any retro.It is a contingency type of representation.

The VA pays them.I think it is 20%.

I think veterans need an IMO fund- funded by vet rep salaries they can save by firing lousy reps and putting their salaries into an interest bearing account.

Then again who could decide who gets the benefit of the IMO fund and who doesn't.

The best scenario of all would be in my opinion- to get my amendment passed on the VCAA- and that will prevent a lot of needless denials and remands- and then to ask for an amendent (next on my list to do) to make the vet reps take the same test that the lawyers have to-in order to rep vets under the new attorney for vet regs.

And then to get a new Secretary with goonyats who will take command presense and action against VAROs who fail to comply with basic VA 101.

I think the new lawyer for vets regs should be amended too-

I already griped to VACO DC about them.

They emailed me I would receive a response- that was months ago-

The new regs prevent and discriminate against thousands and thousands of vets and widows whose NODs were filed prior to June 21, 2007.

These claimants were the most needy of direct legal expertise in handling their claims issues yet have been denied this new reg.

The proposed reg-and I griped about this in particular-was available for public comment at the Fed Regis web site-

I didnt comment on it because I thought it was fine-

the regulation however-unlike the one they proposed-contained the condition of applying only to claimants whose NODs filed AFTER June 21, 2007-

nothing in the proposed reg said that!

This is a disparity that should be amended-

it would not only give lawyers a lot more claims to reap benefit of legal fees on- it would allow every claimant the same rights as only those with NODs filed after June 21, 2007 -have now.

I just got a 3 page letter from Senator Clinton yesterday. I actually forget what it was I had griped about to her about.

She said she had given great attention to the statements I had made about the claims process.

Good- now I will ask her to do something about my letter when I dig it out.

I agree with Pete that it is very hard to unite veterans for any specific cause.I have been reading about the disgraceful way veterans were herded out of the camps in Washington when they asked for their war bonuses in the 1930s.

Congress had promised Adjusted Compensation Certificates to these veterans and they reniged.

almost 17,000 veterans camped out at the Capitol in protest- only to be driven off by the US Army under the command of General Mac Arthur.

Since then numerous veterans groups have attempted to organize veterans-

the internet has made it by far easier for vets to unite and to complain to their Congressmen/women and Senators....all are reachable by a few clicks away at the VA web site-

Even the Task Force issued an invitation to all veterans and families of vets to contact them----

thousands did but many thousands did not.

PS I just clicked on the survey link- and it is geared solely to War vets-

I am a civilian so I didnt access the whole thing.

[Jay Johnson]

The retro pay idea will only help a small portion of veterans because not all vets are entitled to retro in an amount that would be sufficient to warrant a lawyer's time. I don't know the exact numbers, but I would *guess* that most claims do not involve large retro sums.

Lawyers are a pricey bunch and fighting a claim, against a bureaucracy like the VA, is no small task, so I couldn't see lawyers taking cases unless there was at a minimum a $5K payout at the end of the tunnel. Heck, it cost me $2500 to get a lawyer for this ordeal my wife caused the other day and I had an open and shut case that involved all of 2 man hours on his part.

So, I think you may be underestimating just how many vets will be unable to hire a lawyer for their claims and it's unfair that some vets will have strong legal representation whilst most have no representation and/or an SO to use (which is VERY hit or miss).

Personally, it would be best if the SOs would work together to provide the legal fund themselves since they have the resources and contacts in place to do it, but I just don't see them taking a lead on that sort of thing unless they were pushed by their donating base.

However, an IMO fund would also be a good idea for veterans needing more medical evidence, but that could be part of the legal fund as it would pertain to their case. In other words, if their lawyer says, "you need an IMO from specialist X", we provide the money for said visit as long as the lawyer believes it to be necessary.

I don't know, I just can't help shake the feeling that this law will screw a great number of vets because retro pay is only involved in a fraction of cases and lawyers need to put food on the table too.

Either way, I appreciate the feedback........I'm researching the idea more to see if it is viable and if I can find a partner to help get me started. As Pete mentioned, there are many small organizations that help veterans in various ways, but I think this issue requires something on a national scale that can have some influence in how the new law is developed and how to properly train lawyers to fight for veterans. My guess is that we would be shooting for lawyers who already practice SS law, since they are the most likely to enter into the market for the new VA law, but they need training and organization.

[JustThinking]

Its a good idea but organizing Veterans is like herding cats. There are some quasi groups like you mention. In Dallas there is the Texas Veterans Foundation which raises money and helps Veterans with legal and living issues. I am sure there are others like it just don't know the name.

I wish you well and if you start a group like this I would join it.

Pete

I love that saying "like hearding cats" - I will definately remember that one!

However, I don't think any group is really that hard to organize IF there is a Defined, Acheivable PURPOSE, that the members can get behind.

On top of that, the Vets have had the experience of "chains of command" and are quite familiar with the organizational aspect of individuals being in charge of certain areas - with bosses and subordinates. Unlike civilian jobs, Vets are under contract, so they tend to tough it out and make things happen - even if they don't agree with all that is being done. If you had a strong, realistic purpose, I think Vets would be the best qualified to seeing it through.

I would absolutely support any group that helped (truely helped) Vets in any way.

JT

PS - I'd love to post the stats for my survey here - can you take a minute and do it (request to all reading this). The link again-

http://www.questionpro.com/akira/TakeSurvey?id=754790