How Long After Ratings Board?

[diablogun]

Hello everyone,

I took my initial C&P exam for two Service related conditions(they've already been granted SC) on Jan. 14. I did an IRIS two days ago and got back this reply. How long do you think I'll wait for a final adjudication from now? I am in the Phoenix office but have to move at the end of next month. Thank you in advance for any help :-)

This is in response to your February 9, 2009, inquiry.

We are thankful for your service to our country.

Your claim went to the Rating Board on Jan. 29, 2009, which is where we will review your file and make a decision on service connection and disability percentages. We are unable to give you a timeline when they will review your file as we do not know their caseload.

After a rating has been established, your file will go to the authorization department for verification and review. The claims process can be lengthy due to the many processes and the time we must allow for information to be sent to us from you or obtained by us on your behalf from outside sources.

Once you have been approved a rating you will be paid retroactively from the date of your claim for any benefits you may be entitled to based on your rating. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work our way through the claims processing procedures. You will receive notification via US mail once your claim has been finalized. Your notification letter will explain our decision in detail.

Thank you for contacting us. If you have questions or need additional help with the information in our reply, please respond to this message or see our other contact information below.

[carlie]

Hi,

Yes I am moving to Maine from AZ. It is my hope that the decision will be done before I go. I definitely will not change it if it will cost me another year :-) Does anyone know if they start over again if you move? The job offer was too good, I couldn't turn it down.

diablogun,

As I said - I was guessing, and I don't like to have people disappointed,

so I gave you my educated guess from the soonest to latest.

There are several factors that would play into even a speculative timeline guess.

IS it a new request,for an additional disability to be SC'd as a secondary condition

caused (due to) additionally from a currently SC disability ?

Has it been denied or low balled in a prior rating decision ?

Have you filed a NOD ?

If so, did you Appeal and/or Request a DRO Review and/or a DRO Hearing ?

Did you have one ?

There are so many factors that would have to be considered to really

have an idea of a timeline.

There are also some specific rules and regs involved with a veteran moving

and/or the moving of a claim in process and/or the claimant notifying VA.

Others will chime in with more information for you.

**********************************************************************

Just to show how much of a pessimist I can be on some issues, I am going to give you

my gut feelings and thoughts I have learned from dealing with the VA and/or my disabilities

have lead me to feel and think.

"This is in response to your February 9, 2009, inquiry.

"We are thankful for your service to our country."

I feel and think:

Oh that's nice to hear - and inside I wonder to myself,

a) Are you a veteran ?

b) As you say that to me are you judging me ?

What are you judging as you see me there - in front of you,

me sitting down low in my wheelchair, or are you thinking - lazy, fat, old veteran,

who does he think he is - flying around here in that hoover-round,

you hear a faint but high pitched noise - as I try once again, to adjust my hearing aid -

the battery's about to go dead.

Even as you seem to take an interest in providing me the help, that your employer

consistently - continues to write, publish and say,

"We are here to serve those, that proudly served us",

I stand tall before you, with a wonderful head of hair, I'm clean shaven, well dressed

and you think to yourself, hum not a bad looker.

What you don't know is I'm really doing good now,

a friend is letting me stay in their garage in exchange for caring for the yard,

or washing their car and dragging the trash out front twice a week,mostly things

I might still be able to do.

I had a good job - lots of stress but it paid the bills -

started having those damned dreams again, they wake me up at night - scary,

I've had seizures since I had a brain injury on active duty, I get $200.00 a month

service connected compensation for that.

But since last year, when the dreams started getting more intense, feeling

under so much pressure and not sleeping well.

I used to only have two or three seizures a year, but since I've had a couple at work,

they were not comfortable with me being there, and the doctor had to report this to

the Department of Transportation, so now my Driver's License is revoked.

Yes that $200,00 sure does get me by for now.

But now back to reality, the moment I need to be in -- the now.

I walked here to submit a Notice of Disagreement to the VA's rating decision,

that denied my request for an increase in my percentage for seizures.

I've waited for a rating decision for over 14 months.

Well I went and got a copy of the C&P Examination ya'll sent me too

and I'm wondering the VA sent me to an Audiologist for my C&P -

instead of a Neurologist.........................

So when you tell a veteran,

"We are thankful for your service to our country.",

don't be surprised if all you get is a little, confusing smile.

Sorry, but I can't even go past the first two sentences of your reply from the VA.

jmho,

carlie

[cowgirl]

Hello Diablogun, can you tell us a bit more about what you put in for and how things went at the C&P? Sorry, I dont know 'exactly' how long it takes after the rating board, from personal experience it varys from weeks to months or more.

Carlie, I'm recognizing you as the Hadit Prizewinner Letter writer for today!! True, when I saw that statement on my letter, I thought, wow how nice, a personal touch.. Then I got the IRIS, same thing,....etc.etc.

Now I look at what you wrote regards the VA statement "we are thankful for your service to our country', it is really a detached statement as though we veterans are 'just visiting' have permission to be here or green cards. (whoa, had a green card while on active duty..uhoh!)

Hope I kept on topic, Carly and will look for your Response Diablogun, ;)

Best to ya,

Cg'up2009!

[diablogun]

Hello Diablogun, can you tell us a bit more about what you put in for and how things went at the C&P? Sorry, I dont know 'exactly' how long it takes after the rating board, from personal experience it varys from weeks to months or more.

Carlie, I'm recognizing you as the Hadit Prizewinner Letter writer for today!! True, when I saw that statement on my letter, I thought, wow how nice, a personal touch.. Then I got the IRIS, same thing,....etc.etc.

Now I look at what you wrote regards the VA statement "we are thankful for your service to our country', it is really a detached statement as though we veterans are 'just visiting' have permission to be here or green cards. (whoa, had a green card while on active duty..uhoh!)

Hope I kept on topic, Carly and will look for your Response Diablogun, ;)

Best to ya,

Cg'up2009!

Hi :-)

The conditions I have are psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis, they have already been granted SC. I thought the C&P went well, but from what I read here that can be very deceiving. I didn't request the copy of the exam, I figure I'll wait until the decision is made (hopefully fast). I am moving soon so I hope it is done before then. Since it is already SC, it is my hope it will be easy to rate the conditions, but one can never be certain.

I also liked the thank you for your service thing, but I'll see how much thanks I get when they rate my disabilities :-)

[luvHIM]

I know about the PHX RO and it could be about 2-6 months at this point. You do not want to move your claim... Can you get someone in the local area (you trust) to forward the mail to you, so that you can maintain an AZ address? It (your claim) can remain at the PHX RO at this point. But if you do not agree with the decision, you will need to file your NOD through the Maine RO. VARO in PHX will transfer your C-File, if you trust that.

I moved when I filed first claim in 1979. Was awarded SC but disagreed with rating decision. I am still fighting that decision...all because I moved and never received any info...despite me providing a forwarding address, which has come out in this season of my claim...

At any rate, like Carlie said...not a good time to re-route claim to a different RO.

[diablogun]

I know about the PHX RO and it could be about 2-6 months at this point. You do not want to move your claim... Can you get someone in the local area (you trust) to forward the mail to you, so that you can maintain an AZ address? It (your claim) can remain at the PHX RO at this point. But if you do not agree with the decision, you will need to file your NOD through the Maine RO. VARO in PHX will transfer your C-File, if you trust that.

I moved when I filed first claim in 1979. Was awarded SC but disagreed with rating decision. I am still fighting that decision...all because I moved and never received any info...despite me providing a forwarding address, which has come out in this season of my claim...

At any rate, like Carlie said...not a good time to re-route claim to a different RO.

So I can just change the address to another Az address, for example my father's in a different town? Or do I have to keep my PO Box and find someone to mail things to me?

This sure would be less complicated if they would just hurry up :-)

[rentalguy1]

I WOULD NOT do a change of address. If you do, that will cause your claim to have to be moved to the new VARO of jurisdiction. Been there, done that. It added a extra year onto a claim for me. If you have someone in your current town that you can have your VA address changed to, that would be optimal.

I have been told by VARO employees that a claim usually sits in "ready to rate" status for 60 - 90 days before a rater actually looks at it. Then it usually takes up to another month to actually render a decision, finalize it, and notify the claimant. Of course, this could take longer, but I wouldn't expect anything shorter that this.