Lost Benefits

[broncovet]

Here is one example of "lost benefits" that a Veteran can recover:

Veteran files for disability benefits in 2002. VA does their usual delay/deny methods but the Veteran persisits and wins his benefits effective in 2007. In order to recover his benefits, the Veteran will need to go back to the VA hospital and file for recovery of his copayments on prescription drugs, usually at the "means test" department of the hospital. When a Veteran becomes 100% his co pay is zero, but while he is waiting for his benefits, he has to pay about $8.00 per month in many cases for each prescription. The Va is ruthless about collecting their money, and will deduct it from your tax refund check, and even charge you interest. (The VA has a policy of charging Veterans interest on monies the Veteran owes, but, when the VA owes the Veteran money, the Vet gets no interest)

The VA wont automatically send the Veteran a refund of the copays..the Veteran has to apply for it.

Please post your ideas on other "lost benefits" that a Veteran can get.

[jbasser]

Here is one example of "lost benefits" that a Veteran can recover:

Veteran files for disability benefits in 2002. VA does their usual delay/deny methods but the Veteran persisits and wins his benefits effective in 2007. In order to recover his benefits, the Veteran will need to go back to the VA hospital and file for recovery of his copayments on prescription drugs, usually at the "means test" department of the hospital. When a Veteran becomes 100% his co pay is zero, but while he is waiting for his benefits, he has to pay about $8.00 per month in many cases for each prescription. The Va is ruthless about collecting their money, and will deduct it from your tax refund check, and even charge you interest. (The VA has a policy of charging Veterans interest on monies the Veteran owes, but, when the VA owes the Veteran money, the Vet gets no interest)

The VA wont automatically send the Veteran a refund of the copays..the Veteran has to apply for it.

Please post your ideas on other "lost benefits" that a Veteran can get.

Broncovet, good post. the criteria for getting reimbursed of Copayments is the date you are eligible for Priority group 1 and the percentage is 50 percent.

J

[Berta]

Every AO vet or AO widow should take the time to read the Nehmer decision.

NVLSP discovered that VA had withheld millions of retro dollars from AO vets and their survivors in the late 1990s.

This is a good subject.

"Lost" benefits can derive from situations such as what I mentioned in the Chapter 35 post here today.

The VA doesn't seem to want us to know what we are eligible for.

We can lose a benefit only because we are completely unaware of it.

I keep forgetting to tell NVLSP of a statement in the M21-1mr that suggests that VA NOT mention the Nehmer decision in awards for Agent Orange claims.

Nehmer threw traditional EEDS out the window but the VA doesnt seem to want us to realise that.

If they give the wrong EED on an AO claim or any type of claim for that matter, the wrong EED means they keep what they owe you.Until you realise it and attempt to get it back.

Just like the last check for the deceased vet regs-

VA claims they actively sought 500,000 survivors to see if in fact they did get this last check due the veteran.I haven't heard from them on this and haven't had time to see if they did send me the last check due my husband or not.There might have been a date of death time frame on this.

But I bet this benefit is still due and payable to some but many survivors dont know about it.

[Quint7]

Great topic as I am awaiting the results of my claim for an EED for my knee going back to the end of my enlistment in 1994 (it is at the rates supposedly).

I am wondering about the funding fee I paid for the 3 houses I have purchased since 1999. if I read correctly, disabled vets "collecting compensation" are exempt from the fee (which goes higher every time that you use your VA certificate). I was 0% when I bought my houses and am now 90%. I am requesting 20% back to July 1994. So I would think that if it is approved I would rate all of the funding fees returned to me.

Hmmmmmm.

[jbasser]

it depends on the effective date of your 10 percent.

You have to be at least 10 percent to qualify for no Funding fees.

J

[broncovet]

Does anyone know about "lost" travel pay? The VA pays Vets, 41 cents a mile now, I think, to and fro the hospital, under certain conditions. I wonder if you can get "back" travel pay after you get awarded your benefits.

Also, I agree with Quint..that a Vet SHOULD get his funding fee back. In other words a Vet has applied for benefits, and the Va has the usual several year delay. So the Vet buys a home, and pays a funding fee. Later he gets his benefits. Since the Va waives the funding fee for 10% and above Vets, the Vet should get his funding fee back. That is usually 1% of the loan, on a $100,000 home that amounts to $1000 back to the Veteran.

The more I think about this, the more I realize that the Va screws over Vets when he makes em wait for years for their benefits, since many of these benefits can never be recovered. A few examples of "Lost benefits" that Veterans wont ever recover are:

1. Commissary benefits. This stuff is cheaper, in my town, and I did not get the id card until May, 09 even tho my effective date was 2007. So Vets waiting on benefits will get screwed out of commissary benefits and I doubt they can ever be recovered.

2. National Parks fees. Each national Park with a fee is supposed to be free for 100% P and T Vets. Of course, the government gets and keeps the money while the Va is processing his claim, and I have no idea how to get that money back.

[Philip Rogers]

Yes, you can get retro travel pay after you are awarded s/c. I don't know if there is a deadline for this but now that you mention it I think I'll request mine.

pr