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.

[Berta]

PS I totally agree with LuvHim's statement:

"I should not have had to "educate" myself to the degree I've had to do just to be awarded an increase for a condition that was service connected back in 1979"

I feel that it is an absolute moral tragedy and a National Disgrace that disabled men and women have to practically become lawyers and doctors themselves in order to win their VA claims.Disabled men and women-our veterans-the very segment of our population which SHOULD NOT have to spend the time to do all this BS-as many so called vet reps just sit by and collect their pay checks each week for jobs that their own disabled claimants are doing.

Having said that-as you know I am a civilian military student-

I learned that

I need to know the ROEs of the EN in and out and backwards-before I lead anyone into battle. I need to know the intelligence and communication capability of the enemy. Their ROEs are fundamental to their command decisions.I need to know how they might shape those command decisions before I put men under fire.

That might sounds nuts to all of you coming from me but-

the fact I am a civilian meant nothing at all as to the fact I still had to produce top notch quality work as a military student for Military Officers who taught me and I had to compete with active Military in some scenarios.

Meaning-I need to know what is in the weapons cache of the VA and whatever warfare maneuver materiale they have at hand-

(ie:-38 CFR, M21-1, etc etc)

It gets back to the training all of you have had and that I had to go to a military school over the last 4 years to learn.I am a civilian.

I think the same principles of Battlefield Command certainly can be applied to VA claims.

But I agree that it is disgraceful that the very entity your service has created- the VA itself-has made it imperative that most of you have to have a handle on the weaponry (the regs etc) that they will use against you if they can.

And if you understand these regs then you, on the battlefield of the VA, can use the same weapons against them-their regs.

[luvHIM]

"And if you understand these regs then you, on the battlefield of the VA, can use the same weapons against them-their regs."

Berta, the most operative word in this sentence "And if you understand these regs..." is the word "understand." As I have stated, I have read the many regs and so forth to help me better present my claim(s) to the VA. But that does not mean I am always in full understanding because I may interpret the reg to be saying one thing when in fact it is not saying that at all to the rating specialist. Hence, a lowball rating; or worse, a denial.

However, I did do what has been suggested in your statement and we'll see what the result is, hopefully, really soon. Thanks to you here at Hadit...I did send in all the "MEDICAL" evidence I could generate.

Thanks for what you bring to Hadit....you and your advice are definitely appreciated. I admire your perserverance and tenacity...civilian or not. BTW...are you a military student (graduate) to begin serving veterans in a NSO capacity?

[Berta]

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.

[rentalguy1]

Here's the deal...if you broke your back in the army, and it was treated and documented, and file a claim later..you won't have much of a problem, unless you've been in 9 automobile accidents since discharge.

If you were a boots on the ground 'Nam vet who is now suffering from DMII, then you are not going to have much of a problem, unless you had a job swimming in toxic soup for the last 20 years.

If you stubbed your toe on active duty when you landed on Normandy beach, and never reported it, and now in 2008 want to file a claim for it...you're gonna have a huge f'ing problem. If you feel that you shouldn't have to learn everything that is necessary to win this claim, then I have some oceanfront property in Arizona to sell you. You deserve to lose a claim like this if this is your circumstance and attitude.

Now, I've been told that I have no idea what having a disability is like. I beg to differ, but my bigger point is that I'm just about over it. You can listen and learn, or you can do it the hard way and continue to lose. I don't really care.

If anyone needs me for anything...I'll be in my cave studying VA regs so that I may help someone who really needs it.

[Pete53]

Maybe I am a conspiracy nut but I wonder if the VARO is sitting on Statement of Case Letters to go past a year from decision and the claimant does not fill out Form 9 than what?

[spike]

Berta,

If it works for you let it work for you. I am glad it works for you. But my way is different than yours. I am a Former active duty Marine and maybe that's the way I am. If you call the VA and ask them who writes the M21 they should indeed tell you the VA does. While it may be of preference for you (and if it works it works-don't try to fix something that is not broke) but I personally like law, factual and binding. When I said if you use a M21, when i say I feel like it's a disservice (and solely a personal perspective), I didn't mean you, I meant in general terms, especially if that is your (anyone) sole reference. I say that as an example....you can't go to the VA and say you rated Joe at this you should rate me at this....each claim takes a life of it's own. Not each vet, claim, quality of life, etc is the same.

I am a P&T vet who is a completely volunteer service officer, so I do not get paid. It's my way to give back or pay it forward to my fellow veterans. I am glad that you are out there servicing veterans and doing great things. Anyone out there who is doing something of the same, advocating, supporting, volunteering, etc. I hope I didn't make too many enemies with the post.