Who Has Ever Met A Rating Officer? Or Veterans Benefit Counselor?

[cowgirl]

I dont recall ever having met a Veterans Benefit Counselor or a Rating Officer. I noticed the lack of connection a long time ago and it seems a mystery to me. just a thought as I plough along the papers. cg

[Testvet]

yes it was on Jan 6 2005 he spent an hour yelling at my wife and I for writing the letters to political figures at that point I had written Congressmen and Senators and in Dec 2004 I wrote President Bush (thats when I learned WH response time is 10 days, Congressmen and Senators is 60 days) he told us that day that every letter I wrote in the future would delay my claim for the 60 days it was in the "Congressional Reply Office" I gave him copies of the court martials of the 4 men sent to Leavenworth for attempted murder and robbery from Feb 1975 in April 2005 they awarded me 50% for PTSD it wasn't until after I wrote Dick Cheney and they got caught lying to Senator Craig about my use at Edgewood Arsenal in the chemical weapons and drug experiments, they raised me to 100% for PTSD and tried to claim I agreed to drop all my other issues, I filed a NOD the next day I have never agreed to drop my heart disease claim I filed it in Nov 2002 so it is still on appeal now I have a lawyer handling it less stress yes but they do exist

[Jim MAC]

I meet a DRO when I went for my DRO hearing. She looked to be about 25.

Jim

[cowgirl]

Thanks all, guess I found myself just wondering because when I applied for SSI/SSDI I was able to meet the Social Security intake clerk in person to recieve my paperwork, took about 20 minutes.Certainly kind and clear as to what the next steps were. Gave me names and telephone numbers too. When I called those numbers, I talked to clerks that were helpful and patient.

I consider human contact very important and value freindly VA employees I see in the office areas. SImply watching freindly interaction with other veterans has helped tamper my disposition a few times.

I suppose what got me curious about the Veteran Benefits Officers, Claim or Rating Officers is seeing many times a few VA employees avoid eye contact and dart quickly behind the 'locked' doors. Even a few from vet organizations I belong to!

I am thinking about making a Veterans Benefit Counselor appointment soon. Should at least be interesting and informative.

[Ricky]

Thanks all, guess I found myself just wondering because when I applied for SSI/SSDI I was able to meet the Social Security intake clerk in person to recieve my paperwork, took about 20 minutes.Certainly kind and clear as to what the next steps were. Gave me names and telephone numbers too. When I called those numbers, I talked to clerks that were helpful and patient.

I consider human contact very important and value freindly VA employees I see in the office areas. SImply watching freindly interaction with other veterans has helped tamper my disposition a few times.

I suppose what got me curious about the Veteran Benefits Officers, Claim or Rating Officers is seeing many times a few VA employees avoid eye contact and dart quickly behind the 'locked' doors. Even a few from vet organizations I belong to!

I am thinking about making a Veterans Benefit Counselor appointment soon. Should at least be interesting and informative.

CG - when you see them, reach out and touch their face lightly and give them that lunatic stare of amazement. When they ask just tell them that you are surprised to finally meet the little people under the stairs. hahahahahahahaha

[Hoppy]

My last SO worked as a rating specialist for the VA for 20 years before becoming an SO. He was the best SO I ever met.

Also, met a DRO who over turned every denial the RO laid on me.

If your RO is located in a large federal building, you will find them hanging around public cafeterias at lunch time. If you started asking people at the tables if they were VA employes they would probably call the cops. The reason I knew they were there is because my SO ate lunch with them. My SO had this thing where he would take his lunch break and tell me to come down to the cafeteria to talk with him. I guess the VA employees did not know that I was one of his clients. They would sit down and discuss VA stuff with him. If they knew I was a pissed off vet who had been battling their BS denials for 7.5 years they would have put on the camo's and ate under the tables.

[Philip Rogers]

We had one in VT that just before he retired processed a couple of friends (100%ers) claims for housebound and then approved them. Thought he'd help a few friends out as a parting gesture. A while back the guy heading up the VSC in NH, who'd been denying many claims, retired from the VA and is now an SO for, I think, the AL and is winning claims left and right. Of course he denied those same claimants while at the VA.

pr