Va Form 21-526 Part - B: Compensation

[PE1]

The form only has room for 9 complaints. How do you add more? What if you have more than 9 complaints? Do you just write a letter? Make photocopies of the for and staple it to the packet?

[evandc]

If I worked for VA and had claim with 15 or 16 isues, I would deny them all. I know that there are at least 2 schools of thought on this. I see vets ate up with PTSD, with cases that could be processed in (maybe) 6 or 7 months. They start adding on every issue that they can remember from 4 years of service. I always look at what pays the best. Know that's kind of bold, but think about it. Why worry yourself to death for 10% (max) award when the other issue has max of 100% ? Know vet that fought the VA for years over a injury to his leg & foot. It was bad & he almost lost foot & has brace. We had another vet with below knee amputation & he got 30%. Tried for years to make vet 1 understand that if amputation was 30%, injury wasn't not going over that amount. He was mad as hell & often the group got really hot when he started the same old story. Long story, short, he filed for PTSD & now has 100% P&T. Vet 2 also got 100% when he filed for PTSD, but the pain was too much & he is gone.

[LarryJ]

When I filed my first claim, I did it the Right Way.

I did it like the guy down at the Texas Veterans Commission told me to do it.

I filled out the claim form (526) just like this professional at the TVC told me to.

I even got his help in putting down on the form what was my disability, he even was nice enough to fill that space on the form with:

"Veteran claims he got his ankle hurt."

I asked him if that was all that was needed and he assured me that it was, that the VA had ways to understand claims that I didn't need to worry....they did this claim stuff all the time and all I had to do was sit tight and everything would be all taken care of.

and then the months turned into years and my wife got to where she didn't believe in what I was telling her, 'cause I was telling her what all these Professional Veteran Service Officers were telling me....and I was beginning to not trust anybody....and I was getting lied to on a steady basis by my SO, by the VARO, by the BVA, by the AMC

I heard it all, and I told my wife what I was being told, because I believed it, because I WANTED to believe it.

And, IT was all lies, from the very beginning.

ALL of IT.

Oh, yeah. Did ya hear that the Federal Judge threw out the case where the VVA was trying to get the VA to at least pay the veterans that had claims older than six months a pittance, just so they could eat, while the VA draggggggs out their claims. Judge said that the Federal Courts have NO JURISTIDCION (sp) over the VA and that it would be up to the VA to police themselves.

I spilt a perfectly good cup of coffee over that one.

YUP!

Him and the Tooth Fairy and Santy Claus...........I'm STILL waiting for ALL them to show up with my money...oh yeah, and the freekin Easter Bunny!

In the meantime, if you want something done...do it yourself.

With the help of Hadit, of course.

[Commander Bob]

[ Larry "Judge said that the Federal Courts have NO JURISDICTION (sp) over the VA and that it would be up to the VA to police themselves"] Is there no bridge over to Fed. Civil Court system????... None? None at all?

[PE1]

Thank you for your advise. I'm in a good position right now. I retire in 244 days. So I still have time to make the claims more solid. I'm putting an actual diagnosis for each claim. Each claim will have at least 2 different specialists saying that the diagnosis is because of such and such an event. Not claiming "neck pain" but Intervertebral Disc Syndrome or Degenerative Disc Disease at C5-6. I have labs, x-rays and MRIs for each complaint. I have notes for the past 20 years. I sucked it up for the first 6 years so I don't have any sick call notes. I'll retire with 26 yrs. Each complaint has a diagnosis rated by the CFR38. I will number each page 1 of 30, 2 of 30, etc. I'm only claiming chronic complaints. The Majority of the complaints are from Airborne operations, I have my jump log, was on jumping status for 6 years, and I have the ER visit from a bad jump. The Dr wrote that I was abnesic and that the neck x-ray was a "wet read" which means that it was read right away. He actually just looked at it using the ceiling lights (also known as the malpractice light). I have the ER notes from when I was told that all I had was viral gastroenteritis but turned out to be a ruptured appendix. Have all the surgical reports and inpatient records. I made 4 complete copies of everything. I haven't done the retirement physical yet but everything will be written in it. I'm only claiming diagnosis that are service connected, are chronic and still present. Each claim has proof: x-rays and MRI findings, or abnormal laboratory values. I've been doing all this after I've been reading your posts, your advise and your experience. Thank you very much. I know I still have much to learn

[broncovet]

The thing you need to learn is this: The most important determing factor in evaluating your claim is your location. Not the evidence, not how well you fill out the form, not your Veterans service officer, but which state you live in and which regional Office you file in. Some regional offices are very chintzy in awarding benefits and others are more Veteran friendly. This is NOT a rumor or my idea, but the Attorney General's evaluation of the disparity among states. One article explaining it is here:

http://blog.cleveland.com/openers/2008/04/...k_vasil_of.html

[PE1]

I wonder what the difference is between California vs Texas