Hired Lawyer

[gp747]

i am sick of the whole mess i hired lawyer sent papers today. these vso's act like you are a pile of s--t when you try to get info out of them.i am sick of it ,they are worthless and more likely are to damage your claim rather than help. legal help for vets

is who i got . they were kind enough to extend my time for holding my files and i decided on them ,michael viterna.

if i do not hire lawyer i am going to really get screwed . this vso s--t isn't worth a damn and i am tired of their condescending e-mails when i want a simple answer.

i have no faith in vso's anymore and do not see what purpose they serve they sure haven't helped me ,what i have got was on my own.

they should be barred and let lawyers step in from the start,that would stop the backlog. the lawyers could get it right from the start and cut down on appeals .

[Berta]

"i have no faith in vso's anymore and do not see what purpose they serve they sure haven't helped me ,what i have got was on my own.

they should be barred and let lawyers step in from the start,that would stop the backlog. the lawyers could get it right from the start and cut down on appeals "

I agree sort of-

if the vet orgs canned their SOS and reps the moneys saved could be used for lawyers fees.But that aint gonna happen.

The best vet rep you will ever have is who you see in the mirror.

We know our claims in and out ( or at least we should)

and even the good reps and SOs out there (and I believe there are many) have hundreds of claims compared to one claim or a few that we have pending.

Some of the lawyers in my opinion-dont have a clue either-

the new lawyers who got on the June 2007 lawyer reg bandwagon are not up to speed.

It has taken me over a decade to know what I know about VA claims- and during that decade the regs have changed many times.

The 1,100 FNGs that the Ros have hired to help wih claims-while they might be well dedicated people hoping to do a good job-are absolutely unqualified for handling anything beyond the basics of VA 101 and we all know every claim is so unique that I feel their training will only be worth it after they have had years on the job.

A vets advocate and I discussed the AO outside of Vietnam situation at length the other day-and he suddenly sighed and said to me ----this stuff is so HARD!

Yes it is.It is time consuming and exhausting and the VA knows full well that they have put on disabled veterans much more then they should.

We really cannot rely-in my opinion-on any rep or lawyer-

to provide the VA what they state they need in the VCAA letters.

If we can give them what they ask for, and as long as they do not lose or destroy this evidence- we dont need reps or lawyers to succeed.

[gp747]

THIS IS THE VSO'S ANSWER TO QUESTION BELOW!!!

Thursday, February 12, 2009 10:20 AM

——Inline Attachment Follows——

I can not answer any of those questions. I don't have time to look all over the 3 floors of this building, hoping I will find something out.

I will wait for a letter. Like I told you, everyone you talk to on the phone can tell you a different story.

I have a lot of contacts with the Regional Office. I also have a LARGE case load. When you hear something, let me know.

Accredited Representative

THIS IS THE QUESTION I ASKED TO BE ANSWERED

^flfeB»,what I AM saying my claim according to iris is in^RO right now and iris said no letter was ever

sent and claim was sent to^RO for more development, surely you have contacts in RO where

you are and can find out what is going on. i cannot hear and had a hard time understanding RO REP 'who seems

to be a very nice guy and helpful.

i am wondering why it was ever sent to amc to start with.i have not filed an appeal all i asked for was an

increase ,son as dependent and some secondary claims.

when i do get letter it will all be over with then .unless i appeal to bva.

I EDITED A COUPLE WORDS LIKE NAMES TO RO AND SUCH.

lofl

THIS IS HOW MY VSO HAS BEEN ANSWERING ME !

2/14/2009 2:18 PM

Edited February 14, 2009 by scooby

[gp747]

THIS IS THE VSO'S ANSWER TO QUESTION BELOW!!!

Thursday, February 12, 2009 10:20 AM

——Inline Attachment Follows——

I can not answer any of those questions. I don't have time to look all over the 3 floors of this building, hoping I will find something out.

I will wait for a letter. Like I told you, everyone you talk to on the phone can tell you a different story.

I have a lot of contacts with the Regional Office. I also have a LARGE case load. When you hear something, let me know.

Accredited Representative

THIS IS THE QUESTION I ASKED TO BE ANSWERED

^flfeB»,what I AM saying my claim according to iris is in^RO right now and iris said no letter was ever

sent and claim was sent to^RO for more development, surely you have contacts in RO where

you are and can find out what is going on. i cannot hear and had a hard time understanding RO REP 'who seems

to be a very nice guy and helpful.

i am wondering why it was ever sent to amc to start with.i have not filed an appeal all i asked for was an

increase ,son as dependent and some secondary claims.

when i do get letter it will all be over with then .unless i appeal to bva.

I EDITED A COUPLE WORDS LIKE NAMES TO RO AND SUCH.

lofl

THIS IS HOW MY VSO HAS BEEN ANSWERING ME !

2/14/2009 2:18 PM

AND THAT AINT THE HALF OF IT I WILL NEVER TRUST ANOTHER VSO AGAIN THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING . THIS PERSON IS SOMETIMES IN THE SAME BUILDING AS THE RO. SHE COULD NOT PICK UP A PHONE AND TALK FOR A FEW MINUTES TO LET ME KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON . I STARTED TO ASK HER IF SHE WAS SHORTHANDED BECAUSE EVERYONE IS IN FLORIDA LIKE THEY USED TO TELL ME.

Edited February 14, 2009 by scooby

[gp747]

QUESTION ON HIRING NEW LAWYER ,WHO WILL REPRESENT ME AT RO LEVEL?

I HAVE HIRED THIS NEW LAWYER THE PAPERWORK IS IN THE MAIL MY CLAIMS ARE BACK AT RO FROM AMC,I DO NOT KNOW WHERE I STAND ON THESE CLAIMS

MY POA WILL NOT TELL ME S--T ,SO MY QUESTION IS WILL NEW LAWYER BE ABLE TO WORK MY CLAIMS OR DO I WAIT FOR THE LAWYER TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO .

I KNOW I WANT THIS POA GONE YESTERDAY ,MAYBE THEY WILL TAKE ANOTHER TRIP TO FLORIDA BEFORE IT GETS TOO HOT ON THE TAXPAYERS DIME.

[vmo]

QUESTION ON HIRING NEW LAWYER ,WHO WILL REPRESENT ME AT RO LEVEL?

I HAVE HIRED THIS NEW LAWYER THE PAPERWORK IS IN THE MAIL MY CLAIMS ARE BACK AT RO FROM AMC,I DO NOT KNOW WHERE I STAND ON THESE CLAIMS

MY POA WILL NOT TELL ME S--T ,SO MY QUESTION IS WILL NEW LAWYER BE ABLE TO WORK MY CLAIMS OR DO I WAIT FOR THE LAWYER TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO .

I KNOW I WANT THIS POA GONE YESTERDAY ,MAYBE THEY WILL TAKE ANOTHER TRIP TO FLORIDA BEFORE IT GETS TOO HOT ON THE TAXPAYERS DIME.

Hopefully, this is correct: The AMC (Appeals Management Center) has two functions, which is development and decision making. The center is composed of three development teams and a decision team. It, AMC, has been referred to by some as a "super" VARO, handling mostly compensation and pension. *It sounds to me like may be yours was sent to AMC for further review and/or development. Did you ask for your compensation increase while parts of a prior decision was still pending?? *Example--my own claim was sent to AMC as I have requested "de novo" review by a Decision Review Officer concerning a VARO rating decision, they gave me from their interpretation of a BVA decision. Rating not to my satisfaction. In closing, be careful of any time limits noted on any VA letters you receive. Whether you sit down with an attorney or someone else----you need sombody with VA knowledge to ascertain just what level your claim is (or is not). Also, AMC will let you know if they need more evidence from you or if something is missing--as again one of "their" jobs in development. Time, time, more time,and they are not in a rush.

[Pete53]

A good Lawyer will take care of everything.

That said you should monitor and check that Lawyer is complying with deadlines its still your responsibility.