Looking For A Great Attorney For A Chapter 31 Denial Case

[RickyO]

Anyone have one?

I've had it with these bureaucrats the VA hires. Especially the non-Veterans, who have know clue what we are talking about.

The one they assigned me isn't a Vet, understands VA double-speak, but has absolutely no common sense.

I sent my complaint to the Director's office in Washington, and they forwarded it back to the idiots.

I was Infantry in Vietnam, wounded, and did my job. This is what I took shrapnel for.

I need a good lawyer who has some experience fighting the VA.

p.s. Here's how they see us. I've heard this more than once from VA staff: "You get a disability for a scar." My response: Yea bitch, I have a scar. I also spent 6 months before that, sleeping in rice paddies, being sucked dry by leeches, in monsoon rains and wet for months at a time, with crotch of my fatiques rotted out, with puss oozing from sores on my feet, wondering when the next round of sniper fire would come in, looking for trip wires and false bottom pits with pungie stakes, and really not caring much about tomorrow because I wasn't sure I would make it out of today. But you're right, it's only a scar; one that occurred when shrapnel ripped through my skin, through the muscle, and came to rest somewhere in side. This why someone was wiping your ass when you were 18 months old, and would have no memory of it all." By the way, I'm 60% disabled, have been out of work for years and am trying to resurrect myself in the job market. I've gone ahead with training, going thousands in debt, and while the VA sees me as unworthy, four local agencies have been able to pitch a few dollars here and there.

Screw the VA. I'm setting every recruit I meet straight. If they are going into the service for the benefits, rethink it.

[Cruinthe]

First off, if you were infantry and you have the CIB, you should be 100% T&P, no if's and's or but's. With a PH tossed in for good measure, there is absolutely no logical reason you would not be 100% with SSDI. I wont bother asking who is handling your claim, I dont want to be banned for expressing an opinion here, regardless of how true it may be.

As far as being turned down for C.31, look at the paperwork and see if says you are unsuitable for the program due to an issue of post-graduation employability. If anything says that, or something like it, the VA just handed you 100% by saying they dont want to waste C.31 cash on you because they question your ability to get and keep a job...thus INDIVIDUAL UNEMPLOYABILITY!

Lastly, since you are 60%, my opinion is you should look into the Independent Living Program. In all likelyhood, you will reach 100%, so ILP is more suited to your needs. Im having great fun with the ILP program myself, so if you need some pointers, shoot me a message. On a good note, keep in mind that the first step to getting into ILP is getting DENIED VocRehab.

Anyone have one?

I've had it with these bureaucrats the VA hires. Especially the non-Veterans, who have know clue what we are talking about.

The one they assigned me isn't a Vet, understands VA double-speak, but has absolutely no common sense.

I sent my complaint to the Director's office in Washington, and they forwarded it back to the idiots.

I was Infantry in Vietnam, wounded, and did my job. This is what I took shrapnel for.

I need a good lawyer who has some experience fighting the VA.

p.s. Here's how they see us. I've heard this more than once from VA staff: "You get a disability for a scar." My response: Yea bitch, I have a scar. I also spent 6 months before that, sleeping in rice paddies, being sucked dry by leeches, in monsoon rains and wet for months at a time, with crotch of my fatiques rotted out, with puss oozing from sores on my feet, wondering when the next round of sniper fire would come in, looking for trip wires and false bottom pits with pungie stakes, and really not caring much about tomorrow because I wasn't sure I would make it out of today. But you're right, it's only a scar; one that occurred when shrapnel ripped through my skin, through the muscle, and came to rest somewhere in side. This why someone was wiping your ass when you were 18 months old, and would have no memory of it all." By the way, I'm 60% disabled, have been out of work for years and am trying to resurrect myself in the job market. I've gone ahead with training, going thousands in debt, and while the VA sees me as unworthy, four local agencies have been able to pitch a few dollars here and there.

Screw the VA. I'm setting every recruit I meet straight. If they are going into the service for the benefits, rethink it.

[hawkfire27]

Hi RickyO

I know 100% is not what you want. My husband didn't want it either. BUT!

He gets the 100% rate from VA and with that he got 100% SSD (Social Security Disability)

Through the ILS (Independant Living Services) program provided by the VA, they taught him to be a jeweller as weel, as a "hobby". He uses this to fill in his time, just like a job, he sells little bits here and there and set up his own small (tiny) business, but gives most away as gifts. (Yes he does pay tax on what he sells)

So it's worked out quite well. Sometimes you just gotta go with the flow. He tried getting a job for over a year, no one wanted to hire him. The only people who really do is Civil Service or the VA... I guess you could try that!

Good Luck