To All S/c Veterans And Those Working On It...

[Meddac]

This is NOT intended to start a big squabble match nor to solicit defaming comments. Several of you know that I am here and who I work for. I only intend to help in the most sincere way. Some of you that I have contact with away from here can attest to that fact.

To all veterans: One of the quickest ways to get reduced is to lie about your conditions. You could get worse.

I had the chance encounter in the past 3 weeks to come across an increase claim for a veteran. After my usual work on the claim I did an administrative decision. That decision required my signature and 2 others. All three signatures came back to me today. As of 1:30 PM this afternoon when I left work, the claim, admin decision, and this veterans future are in dire straits. I proposed to sever all current benefits. Yes, the veteran is S/C for some things....or was S/C, and it was granted by an RO that I do not feel is up to the task of serving veterans. I would put them in your "Dirty Dozen", but I am not giving names. I had to hand carry the file to my rater to do the rating proposal. The rater was nearly done when I left for the day. My day was pretty much dead at that point. I don't feel good about what I had to do, but it was blatant and I caught it immediately.

My rater has had to do a CUE. It was CLEAR, it was UNMISTAKABLE, and it was an ERROR. I do not feel for this veteran at all, but I am also not proud of my task. I wish it had been someone elses digit, and not mine. It will cost the vet money, cause a large overpayment, and on Monday it will cost them their free medical care.

The story is very long, and I won't post it on here. It's on my chest, and I eventually have to vent it out....somehow. I just wanted you guys/gals to know that benefits can be reduced (which you already know), and that they can be taken away completely. We have a saying in our office that never really meant anything until today: "The wheels of the government move very, very slowly...but they move."

The veterean was S/C for about 3 years, and I feel like sh!t.

Sorry "c2"

Edited April 3, 2009 by Meddac

[Stretch]

Meddac,

Thanks you for your service.

There are so really messed up jobs in this world. I just finished snaking out my septic pipe. I have other tools to help me get around. This 15 minute snaking job took me 1 hour with help of others, and I was still out of breath.

Holding a job, especially a rotten job, and getting 100% SC disability is impossible for me. There is one thing that I don't understand. How can a person work a 40 hour week job and collect 100% disability.

As a former Manufacturing Manager, I have had to fire people. One even said that I was discriminating because of his race. I had to go to court over this, and the employee lost. I don't discriminate. I loved manufacturing, but disliked managing people. Sometimes jobs have a real bad down-side. I am reluctant to even mention this example.

I would suggest Meddac to keep his/her disclosures in legal matters, concerning a specific veteran, out of Hadit. Making hadit responsible for airing your confidential disclosures cannot help, and could make Hadit also responsible for any retaliatory co-suit that may arise against you in a joint manner in the future.

If you are sincere, about what you have written, you should know this. I would mention another example of why, but I signed disclosure statements related to the example.

[yoggie2]

Meddac,

Thanks you for your service.

There are so really messed up jobs in this world. I just finished snaking out my septic pipe. I have other tools to help me get around. This 15 minute snaking job took me 1 hour with help of others, and I was still out of breath.

Holding a job, especially a rotten job, and getting 100% SC disability is impossible for me. There is one thing that I don't understand. How can a person work a 40 hour week job and collect 100% disability.

As a former Manufacturing Manager, I have had to fire people. One even said that I was discriminating because of his race. I had to go to court over this, and the employee lost. I don't discriminate. I loved manufacturing, but disliked managing people. Sometimes jobs have a real bad down-side. I am reluctant to even mention this example.

I would suggest Meddac to keep his/her disclosures in legal matters, concerning a specific veteran, out of Hadit. Making hadit responsible for airing your confidential disclosures cannot help, and could make Hadit also responsible for any retaliatory co-suit that may arise against you in a joint manner in the future.

If you are sincere, about what you have written, you should know this. I would mention another example of why, but I signed disclosure statements related to the example.

I really agree with Stretch here, I'd say keep it to your self. This guy was able to pull off what most of us with laget problems get screwed here daily. But I can't help but wonder is this one of those new vet or older... The problem don't matter to me...Yog

[tagandbag]

Meddac,

Hey my fellow veteran, no need to worry, we will watch your back. I wish you were my rater or person that worked om my claim. Looking forward to your next post. Peace bro

T&B

[john999]

I think one of the possible ways to get reduced is to stop treatment. If you have a disability you should continue treatment. It does not have to be at a VAMC, but that is easiest since the records of your treatment are right there for the VA to see. I am sure there are individual cases where people get VA benefits who don't deserve them...big deal. There are also plenty of vets who should be getting benefits but are not getting them. Skid row and homeless shelters are full of such people.

[simple fly]

I want to say first off, I'm not here to make any enemies, or step on anyones toes.

With that being said, I think you two(simplefly and Capt.Contaminate) are both way out of line. Granted, I can see how meddac's post might come off as being insincere, but you can't honestly think a person working for who he does, to come onto this forum and broadcast what he did, is "out to get veterans". He's posting this to simply let it be known that a vet can, and will loose their benefits for a fraudulent claim. As they should. Like I said before, for you to honestly believe that he's comming on here to "show" what the "big bad VA is going to do to all us vets" is crazy. I'm not calling you crazy, I'm just saying maybe a step back and re-evaluating the post is necessary.

With all that being said, I first hand, can attest to meddacs willingness to go above and beyond. I wish there was some "approve" button that he could push to get my claim throgh, but theirs not. But, what he has done, is steping in where my VSO left off(which wasn't very far). He's been a great attribute to my appeal, same as this forum. If not for him, I'd be twiddling my thumbs, and hoping for the best(which in my case, wouldn't have been a good outcome). Please don't bash this guy, his heart is in the right place. Just because their are other lazy, incompetent VSR's and DRO's out there, doesn't mean they all are. That comment is comming from someone who hasn't had a competent VA employee touch my claim thus far. The reason I know there are good hearted, hard working VA employee's is due to meddac, and the willingness of him to go the extra mile for me.

With everything that I just said, being said, you can't blame the guy for doing what he did. If you do, then... Well, I could go there, but it wouldn't be doing any good. I'm pretty sure all of us what all the fraudulent claims/appeals gone so our legitimate claims can get through. Besides all of that, if you feel offended, which I really don't see how anyone on here could, then just do as you say your going to do, and ignore his posts from now on. Then it can't offend you.

Meddac, please keep doing what your doing. Like I said earlier on in this post, your a great asset to this forum, to the VA, and to myself. Please keep your head up.

I also want to reiterate that I didn't mean to offend anyone, and I don't want to make any enemies, but I can't let the bashing happen without a little bit of defense from me on meddac's behalf. Please don't take anything I said the wrong way. I know that both of you(simplefly and CC) are also great assets to this site, and have seen both of you give great advice to other vets. I hope I didn't p*ss either of you off. If I did, I want to pre-appoligize.

P.S. I want to appoligize for all the spelling mistakes. It's late, and one of my meds kicked in while writing this post.

livingrock can't pass judgement on me because you have no idea what i posted.all i said was why not post it all instead of starting it and leaving....like a continuation you have to wait on.if i have something to say..i say it all..not just part of it and the leave for 3 days....as for me thinking all va people are bad..maybe not..but there are a lot of people on this site that thinks all of the va is bad and state it continually.

if someone post ,they need to post 100 percent of the story..my only bitch about this whole thing. i don't like to be left hanging....

[yoggie2]

I think one of the possible ways to get reduced is to stop treatment. If you have a disability you should continue treatment. It does not have to be at a VAMC, but that is easiest since the records of your treatment are right there for the VA to see. I am sure there are individual cases where people get VA benefits who don't deserve them...big deal. There are also plenty of vets who should be getting benefits but are not getting them. Skid row and homeless shelters are full of such people.

yeah, that's pretty interesting comment. VA screwings- 450 / VA getting screwed-1 just a ballpark guess, those are pretty good odds. Maddec interesting comment to but to be honest with you I feel nothing and as bad as I got and get screwed it looks like its a lairs game and the truth doesn't work so well I have been playing this game to long and receive SSD for my SC injuries ONLY and my fight continues on 3 years now..I guess your reply would be he's stilling from other veteran well, I have seen and read to many RO's scams that are just as bad or way worse stilling hundreds of thousand of $$ and even recruiting veterans to still and going to prison too but the stilling is just as illegal. Your doing your job denying claim. I agree your knolege is invaluable to folks here but not worth a hoot to me....Yog