Cnn To Do Expose On

[Berta]

I also saw this advertised last night and believe they said this will be a two part show this coming Saturday and Sunday night at 8 PM-on CNN-

If anyone can confirm- please do-

email from Jere Berry at ALLVETS

"CNN will be airing a blistering report on the Department of Veterans Affairs and their total failure to meet their commitment to our disabled veterans. I urge everyone to tune-in to see how CNN handles this very sensitive subject. Also, tonight at 8PM on CNN is a Special on Homeless Veterans.

Jere Beery

National Public Relations Director

Operation Firing For Effect

www.offe2008.org "

[yoggie2]

As for Buyer being in the Reserve, I my self was in the reserve for 3 years These Ranks are given away if the slot is open just a matter of timing they just fill it. I was E4 in 14 month and after 2 1/2 years was ready to step up to E5 then E6 in next 6 month. Went active duty and lost all rank to E2, took me 3 years to make E4 they certainly wasn't giving it away there. Active duty you earn it. So the "Full Bird" the rank was handed to him. My CO just was a 0-3 during the gulf and war and after 23 years of hard charger service just retire 10/2007 an 0-4 Major USA. Its all about power the way your seen in the public eye. See here, to the normal joe this sounds huge and dedicated servant. But to me and you it means nothing its not what you did yesterday it what you do today, and this shell game with other vets benefits is a bad way to show are you really doing is robing from Peter to pay Paul, but did you really do any thing? THANKS RC

[Stretch]

I agree with Pete. For a rater to cut his name out of the denial and send it to the claimant means several things.

• The Rater knew that it was a higher rating and did not want to be responsible for his own written decision.
  
• That the decision was forced on the rater due to VA policy.
  
• That a superior of the Rater was complicit.
  
• That there is no over-site or prosecution for these individuals in upper positions of the VA.
  
• That the DoD can no longer be complicit in these claims problems by hiding records of actual injuries.
  
• That the VA and DoD is actually injuring former and future sailors, soldiers, and airmen when they are complicit in these claims problems.
  

[theotherguy]

I'm not trying to play the devil's advocate here, but if any of us requested copies of our rating decisions the exact same thing would happen. It might be an interesting thing to test out if you believe there is a conspiracy of some sort here.

The code sheet which the reporter was holding very rarely is included in a FOIA request and if it is, the decision makers name is always removed. This is not specific to this case. In fact, POA's are advised that they also are not to release these without removing the name first. In all the years I've been helping people and reviewing their evidence, I can't recall one time ever seeing the name of the person who worked their claim. This looks to me like nothing more than they are trying to make something out of nothing.

Having said that, the denial has to be wrong unless the injuries had healed or he just doesn't have them. I noticed that they did grant the arm amputation and SMC and the kid did not appear to have any injuries to the head, his left arm, or either leg in that video. But I have to believe there would be scars or something else there. Wish I could see it myself.

If Ziegel was anything less than a 100% from the beginning than there is something horribly wrong with Chicago. He would have only been 93% based on the conditions they listed in the article, hopefully he had claimed more.

[Stretch]

Sort of a put your 'finger-in-the-hole' kind of theory. The VA covered up the hole in Ziegel's head. There is no longer a hole for a person to put his/her finger into.

There are injuries that can not be seen, and especially if you don't want to see them. Can't see brain concussion, so maybe... could be... that there isn't any concussion to be seen...therefore there probably wouldn't be...or isn't/isn't any problem what-so-ever.

For Ziegel to make his skull into a candy dish, is for those doubting Thomas to stick their whole hands into. Ziegel, has a warped since of humor that only Vets who have been through the VA squirrel cage could appreciate.

[theotherguy]

I thought this was explained pretty good on another board I was reading earlier today and thought I'd post it here. According to that guy the VA is supposed to be updating the neurological portion of the rating schedule soon and implementing some changes under the Dole-Shalala commission recommendations specifically with regards to the way these TBI claims are worked. The current rating schedule really sucks hard core towards what they can grant and I'm betting they did not evaluate him for the behavioral or cognitive changes since they only granted the 10%.

DC 8045 (Brain disease due to trauma) provides:

"Purely neurological disabilities, such as hemiplegia, epileptiform seizures, facial nerve paralysis, etc., following trauma to the brain, will be rated under the diagnostic codes specifically dealing with such disabilities, with citation of a hyphenated diagnostic code (e.g., 8045-8207)." AND

"Purely subjective complaints such as headache, dizziness, insomnia, etc., recognized as symptomatic of brain trauma, will be rated 10 percent and no more under diagnostic code 9304. This 10 percent rating will not be combined with any other rating for a disability due to brain trauma. Ratings in excess of 10 percent for brain disease due to trauma under diagnostic code 9304 are not assignable in the absence of a diagnosis of multi-infarct dementia associated with brain trauma."

Edited November 18, 2007 by theotherguy

[Capt.]

Well, I just watched the CNN special "Waging war on the VA " and it hopefully will bring the problem to the American public. NOW , the phone lines and mail system need to take the center stage to flood the VA , the President and ALL congressmen and senators. Great job on the special, and normally I do not like to watch CNN but it was good. God Bless . C.C.