Congress Goes After Va

[Stretch]

Knight Ridder article says congress is hot because of the VA phony answers that they give Veterans.

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington...ge/13719290.htm

[Guest Namvet6567]

We all know it's intentional!!!!!!!!!!!

[Guest jstacy]

The VA set itself up with this mystery caller program. It was in fact a VA Quality Control examination.

In retrospect it was a good way to expose the short comings of the personnel who deal directly with Veterans or their families at the Regional office level.

As Quality control points go Vets must remember this.

You are a Veteran and have served your country. You are the customer of the VA. You have a name and are not a number.

You deverve to be treated with respect and dignity.

You deserve to receive timely and correct answers from the VA when asking questions.

You should follow up an all important issues.

Rember you are the reason these people have a Job.

I am thrilled that Congress has seen enough evidence to the Knight Ridder article and are pressuring the VA to improve the way it operates and treats veterans. The Hospitals have good people working for them in patient care.

I would like to see a feedback system for all vets that use the VA for both the hospitals and the Regional offices. Then the information can be used to improve the situation. I would also like to see an independant teram investigate each complaint and report findings to spacific personnel not associated with the VA beuracracy.

I would also like to see a claims feedback system where a Rating Officer must explain why they make bogus decisions and issue worthless SSOC's without investigationg and using the guidelines set forth in the Title 38.

Finally I would like to see a rating system for Service officers. If you had a published rating system you know who would be the best to handle the claims.

JJ

[Guest fla_viking]

Dear Fellow Veterans & Friends

10 years from now it will be the same story. Maybe the VA was telling vets the way the pratice VA benifits instead of the way the law is written. Maybe the VA personal were 100% correct in what they have learned at the RO level what the vet will get not what the law allows. Maybe they were giving honest answers.

The key is not just to give the correct answers under the law. but to then order the RO to pratice those correct answers in there rulings. That will never happen.

Terry Higgins

[Guest Berta]

I agree- jstacy -when I complained to the Veterans Disability Commission quite some time back I mentioned the two problems that you here have found- incompetent or simply lazy work by VAROs and coupled with a lousy SO or vet rep- and the veteran has already two hands tied behind their back regardless of how probative the claim is.

Then when I got my De Novo review- a Sameo sameo review -in Sept and then recently some crappy opinion that actually helped my claim but attempted to knock it down (prepared a good rebuttal to that one) I griped to the IG recently about that-and the fact that they ignore in my case 2 IMOS and when they do this to vets-they add to the backlog as additional continuous rigamorale has to occur as the vet attempts to get their medical evidence considered---

I offered the Commission a solution-haven't heard from them but I did hear that they took all of these letters of complaints very seriously and stopped the PTSD reviews-which I told them was ridiculous too---

I volunteered to write an annual test for all SOs and vet reps to take- the test would involve their knowledge of most recent VA reg changes as well as additions to the M21-1.

Then I realised that would not be hard to do- my present claims could be the test-direct SC, Sec 1151, 2 CUES, DIC, retro Nehmer Agent Orange, DMII, CVA, CAD, PTSD ,SMC- it is all there -a template for an SO to state how they would develop the claims.

I am waiting for the results of my IG letter- it got my main claim into the appeals team in three days- but I have no idea what they are going to do.I even told the IG these people do not seem to be literate.

I will then contact the Commission again and gripe some more.

They are taking complaint letters seriously.

Terry -you are so correct- there is no oversight to the VAROs who can continually defy basic regs in 38 CFR to deny a claim.

If we could file VA claims in a civil court none of this crap could happen.

Edited January 29, 2006 by Berta

[Guest jstacy]

Amen Berta. Keep Plugging away.