Pay Vets Claims Now!

[broncovet]

Filner endorses the proposal, but I am waiting to see how our congress does at implementing this good idea. I just might have a tendency to vote people for re election if they can "get er done".

This would put stimilus money in the hands of those who deserve it the most, and also those who probably need it the most.

The story is here:

http://www.vawatchdog.org/09/nf09/nfjul09/nf071609-1.htm

[Pete53]

Ironman:

You have sympathy from me cause I know how hard it is to wait when you know you have a good claim and the VA is muddling around. I hope that your decision comes soon.

Have you had a C&P if so you are closer than you think.

[Ironman]

Thanks Pete,

Yes I had my C-P May 29 2009.

Also I only have one claim in,and it is for Major Depression and well documented in my service record.

The examiner wrote up a very good report from what I can tell.

Also want to thank everyone on here for great information,did not know I could get a copy of my C-P exam

til I read it on here.

[Eric_M]

"Pay now" = sure.

Change the whole system. Let the VA medical side verify medical issues, certify "pay now" claims.

Eliminate the RO side, C&P division. It's all pretty stupid, giant medial centers,but they farm out the C&P process. My doc could have completed the C&P in 5 minutes, instead of 6 weeks.

I know most hate the regional offices, but I feel sorry for them. As I've read through Hadit, I see the problem. I'm an expert on diabetic/vision loss issues, becuase that's my issue. Mine's pretty simple compared to most, so the raters have to get through all the rules/regs to rate the claim, wow I can't imagine.

Unfortunately, I don't see anything changing, it's not a sexy enough topic for the news, and politicians, well we all know how they operate.

Eric

[Berta]

Congressman Filner and Dr. Bilmes talked about this quite some time ago-

"Filner, whose committee has become Washington's most active advocate for VA reforms, suggested another way of accomplishing the same goal. "Let the VA send a check - immediately - for a 30-percent disability to every veteran who filed a claim." Presume that minimum disability level and pay it now. Then the VA can review claims for greater disability. Once they are proven, pay the veterans the rest of what they deserve."

Sounds good for 30% vets and even better if they in fact are only 10% vets-until VA starts to look over all the claims they award 30 for and then attempt to find what overpayments have been made-taking time from claims of the 30% vets who really deserve a much higher rating.

I wish VA would just give every vet a voucher for an IMO.

The money the voucher's cost the VA could be recovered from the veteran's retro check.

This would probably cost the VA very little $$ as- so many times- a well prepared IMO will award the claim.

This could even eliminate the need for retaining and paying the C & P docs- but then again- if all vets started to get favorable IMOs , the VA would need the C & P docs to try to deny the claim-like they do now-

still Relative Equipoise would kick in----

as long as an IMO doc can provide full medical rationale and do a complete review of the records, a C & P doc can be rebutted if they did not follow on the detailed rationale and review.

Also IMO docs credentials are much better than C & P docs.

Relative Equipoise can only work if the weight of the evidence is equally for and equally against the claim.

Unfortunately this means that no matter what a vet does to support their claim with evidence- the VA has stacked the deck with a medical opinion via a C & P that is a difficult standard for a veteran to match.Unless they combat the VA doc with an IMO doc.

And even then-these days the VA is so adversarial that they will often doctor shop when the vet has an IMO to combat an initial C & P opinion.They might even totally disregard the vet's IMO as they do that.

Relative Equipoise is one of the best concepts the regs provide to veterans.

It CAN work without an IMO.

Still, medical evidence for the claim must equal the quality of medical evidence against the claim for RE to kick in and many vets cannot provide the VA with the medical expertise they would need to fully knock down a C & P report.

The backlog is due in great part to the fact that lousy C & Ps are performed which add more time to the appellate process.and the only good answer to that is a full medical review by a doctor wqith expertise in the filed of disability whose pay checks do not come from the VA.

[pacmanx1]

I am for Pay Vets now or until they don't have an appeal left. It wouyld not cost any more than most of the boon doggles the VA has. I think that if they are paying the old claims they can start at square one and work the new claims hard and work the old claims as they have time. I am also for paying Veterans who have not had an answer in 12 months guaranteed for life.

I have been paid 100% since I won in 1996 5 and 1/2 years after I filed my claim so please don't think that all 100% Vets want Veterans to suffer like we did. In fact you can put me on record that I don't want that cause I have been here helping or trying to Veterans with claims even though I came here with 100%

I agree with Pete53, even though I have only been here a short while. Maybe I am wrong but I don't think any veteran wants another veteran to suffer what s/he went to get their award. I am service connected 100% when I came to hadit I was 90% and I had already filed my claim for increase. I was just awarded 100% in March of this year. I found hadit searching for VA information. I have been suggesting that all veterans get a copy of their SMRs and read them over and over again to know what is in their records. This is what helped me, also due to my lack of concentration and my forgetfulness, I may read something and not catch it and read it again and catch it the second or third time. I also try to encourage veterans to read CFR 38 part 4 to know what they are entitled to. VA beat veterans down with their regulations but a way to fight back is to read the same regulations. If a veteran feels s/he has a good claim they should file and if denied they should appeal. In a lot of cases they are approved or VA gives the veteran information how to file a good claim. Examples instead of filing a claim for chronic pain syndrome, file a claim for fibromyalgia. You may call it chronic pain but a doctor may call it fibromyalgia, if the veteran ask the doctor to best describe his/her condition it could be service connected. Of course this all depends on how active the veteran is in his pursuit and his medical records. Years ago I had one good VSO, he reviewed my C-File and asked me why I was not 100% this was back in 2000. I didn't know what was in my file and I didn't know the regulations but it started me to read and file claims. I still have a few claims I could file but I just want VA to finish my appeals and then I can relax.

Edited July 17, 2009 by pacmanx1

[Berta]

Pete 992- you gave some great advise.

The SMRs , C file, and the med recs do have to be read over and over again-

a vet I know lamented the other day tht his claim was driving him nuts- I sure know the feeling-

he is at CAVC and there isnt much he can do now and he does have a good lawyer- but still-

those years of waiting take a toll on us and there are times when we can just go blank when we think about wondering what else we can do to support our claims.

I hope my reply to the Pay Now topic wasnt too negative.

It could be a great idea.

What gets me is that if claims were handled properly from the git go however-we wouldn't need another great idea to properly compensate veterans.

I am checking something I got in email- apparently a Senator wants an investigation into the POW wannabees.

But I dont know if there really are any-VA pays comp to POWS who apparently were found not to have been in captivity anywhere.

When I check out the story I will post it here.

POW status doesnt provide additional comp but is certainly a stressor for a PTSD claim.

It appears VA awarded PTSD comp to "POWs" who were not POWs at all.

It is so hard for any vet these days to get compensation that I cannot understand how any vet could even be a compensated wannabee POW.