Nearly 90% Of Iraq /afganistan Vets

[Berta]

Last night the very notable Prof. Linda Bilmes of Harvard University was the special guest at SVR radio.

Not only has Prof Bilmes been before Congress and in HVAC hearings on veterans issues- she has written many important papers and a book that are well researched as to the long terms affects of the war in the cost of sacrifice.

Her January 2007 paper on "Soldiers Returning from Iraq and Afganistan"

revealed that " nearly 90 percent of claims are appproved." She had to leave the show before I could get a clarification on that-but I assume she certainly means the claims specifically from Iraq and Afganistan veterans.

What this figure, nor the paper reveals however is that I would guess close to 90 % of the awards might well be wrong.

It seems to me that the VA is certainly awarding many many Iraq/Afganistan vets either "0" % or 10% -

and as the news I posted here yesterday shows-

0 to 10 can get you a re-deployment-

and obviously the Iraq veteran at VA WAtchdog story-

who was awarded an unconscionable "0" % should have been at 100% SC plus SMC.

Since it is apparent that many Iraq and Afganistan veterans might well get low balled just as many of you here have been-this means that they too will be continuously in the system fighting for the proper rating along with thousands and thousands of veterans-

as our grateful Nation has assured they too will become of the overwhelming backlog which grows by the day.

If you received a legal VCAA letter on your claim-it told you exactly what they need in order to award.

If they said you have to Prove your nexus- than you have to Prove it-

If they obtain a VA medical Opinion that denies your claim-then only a medical opinion that supports the claim will help award it.

I have seen some claims at the BVA that go on and on- with lists of disabilities that should not even have been claimed.

Others are denied at the BVA because-in all of the time the claim took to get to the BVA-where no miracles happen-

the veteran still failed to send the VA want they asked for.

Some claims result in a long argument over how the evidence was weighed-yet only a doctor can professionally argue over medical evidence.

Worse yet are claims in the system that have no nexus and the vet has done nothing to find proof of the nexus.

I foresee that things will get worse before they get better-or they might never get better.

But if a vet can send to the VA what they specifically ask for in the VCAA letter-they have a much better chance obviously-of seeing their claim resolved-in their lifetime.

The VA has suggested that the influx of claims from newly returning disabled men and women has caused them to get further behind.

That simply does not hold up as a legitimate reason-

A combat disabled veteran's claim should be a no-brainer-

those claims are moving fast- the bad part is that those ratings are often totally wrong- thus the claim gets into the appellate state-into the stacks of our long standing claims.And the backlog continues to grow.

A VCAA letter or an SOC after a denial-will state clearly what is lacking in the claim.

A response to an SOC is not the time for a long argument-

it is the time to state you have satisfied the evidence they said you needed and you have enclosed it.(or that you need more time to get it)

If they keep ignoring it-just keep sending it.

and by ignoring it- I mean that the VA has never considered it at all.

[john999]

If you are injured in combat and your story is plausible then the VA is supposed to accept that claim as factual. If you say you were hit by shell splinters what other explanation would there be if you have the stuff in your body and it is fifty years later?

[rentalguy1]

If you are injured in combat and your story is plausible then the VA is supposed to accept that claim as factual. If you say you were hit by shell splinters what other explanation would there be if you have the stuff in your body and it is fifty years later?

The car wreck you were in in 1953

The motorcycle accident you had in 1974

The explosion at the refinery where you worked in 1962

All kinds of things could have happened to a person in that amount of time.

[Jim MAC]

Oh no-I am an unpaid volunteer veteran's advocate- I have no interest in becoming an NSO whatsoever.

I am using my excellent education -specifically the Leadership instruction I received from the United States Marine Corps-to eventually get some Congressmen and Senators off their butts down there in DC-and to begin doing something significant to stop the backlog situation at the VA instead of yapping about it.

Not to mention numerous other issues that I have had to take an aggressive and fully confident stand on -regarding some specific veterans issues recently here in NY.

I dont even have time for a real job.

Berta

Just keep doing what you do you have mo idea how many vets you all help. When I came here to hadit I beleive everything the VA said

Jim

[Jim MAC]

fyi john. I have spinal stenosis with cauda equina, and severe neuropathy. I have nearly lost the complete use of my lower extremeties. I have severe bladder incontinence. I have uncontrollable pain that causes a depressive disorder that threatens to land me in jail for life, becuase I am as likely to kill someone for pissing me off today as I was when I was ordered to kill somalis. This is all from what the VA saw fit to call a "resolved back strain" in 2002. They had the evidence all along to know this was going to happen, yet they never told me anything. Instead, they called me in for a C&P when I wasn't in the middle of a flare-up and reduced my rating from 10% to 0% for my back. So, ya...I've been screwed by the VA, too. I got mad and threw a fit. Then when my disabilities took on a life of their own last year, I realized that I would never get an increase by being pissed at them. Then I decided to learn the system and work within it. I filed claims for increase in September of last year, and after the initial C&P's the VARO inferred a claim for A&A. So, I have two more C&P's to go (MH and A&A) this month, and I should have a decision in a couple of months. I did it the right way this time, and I am positive that I will get results. Will I get exactly what I want...probably not. Will I get ratings based on what my evidence shows...I guarantee it.

The only reason I am still able to work is because my wife is kind enought to help me bathe and dress myself everyday, then she drives me to work. Then, when I am at my job, I don't really have to do much of anything except watch computer screens and do lab work. I'm lucky, but my workplace is currently trying to fire me over my disablity. So basically...you can come back and say I know nothing about having a disablity when you are paraplegic.

Rental Guy

I feel your pain. I have missed about 20 days from work since January 1st and have another surgery comeing up in May. I get lots of grief at work called the FMLA kid and oh look jim worked 4 days this week. I just thank God for FMLA and a strong union. Some days I wonder weither it is worth it. Why do i still go to work? I could get I.U in a heartbeat but I know If I did I would go from a part time alcholic to a full time one. I just thank god I can still go to work. I am scared of a drug test thou. Because of my pain meds they can probally tell me I could not work there anymore. BTW I do not take any before work just double up when I come home. I thank god my disabilties can be seen with an xray or a test. I pray for those with PTSD or other mental dieases because they have such a long battle.

Jim

Edited April 21, 2008 by Jim MAC

[Berta]

Jim said:

"When I came here to hadit I beleive everything the VA said"

Jim- I think that is a very profound statement-if I had believed everything the VA said long ago when my claims began-I would be in the crapper by now.

My daughter, a veteran- told me how she almost believed the first letter she got on her Chapter 35 award-

they gave her one month of Chap 35 (one month to her 26th birthday)instead of one month plus 7 years for her military service in spite of her sending them her DD 214 and filing out the part as former military on the form.

She said in spite of knowing how difficult the VA had made everything for my husband and then for me for almost 20 years-

still the letter was so official looking (and it did come the VA educational department so you would think they definitely knew how to read her application)that she felt many veterans like her do believe what letters like this say and never challenge them.

The VA turned in 3 weeks on the NOD I prepared for her and extended her Chap 35 by 7 years.

If she had not appealed this via the NOD- years down the road this would have caused her to have a complete legal basis for a valid and winnable CUE claim.

But that means years down the road if Mommy isnt around she would have to find a Vet rep with full knowledge of CUE

unless she took the time to study all the regs herself.

I sure wonder all the time just how much money the VA saves when veterans do not appeal erroneous decisions -and then when the decision becomes final-

I wonder how many of them do have very valid basis for CUE claims.

and then be able to even find a Vet rep who has any knowledge of CUE at all.

My lawyer got my CUE claims in a heartbeat.

My POA still doesnt seem to have a clue on what they are about.

[john999]

Never in all the years I used VSO's did anyone ever mention the term "CUE". I heard it here on hadit first, and now I filed such a claim. I never heard of TDIU before Hadit. I think this is par for the course. The VA would never bring up such ideas with vets. They let you find it out on your own if you live that long. I have heard here that only 25% of vets denied file appeals. No wonder the VA just denies claims on any basis knowing most vets won't even appeal. The appeal process should be automaatic when a claim is denied.