Va Web Site Changes

[Vync]

www.va.gov now looks totally different. If you think you knew where things used to be, look again. I don't yet know if it is an improvement or will make our lives more difficult.

[allan]

I see to make it easier for all vets to "easily" find needed information, WWW.VA.GOV burry's everything under this Little tab at the very, very bottom of the page marked "Site Index". http://www4.va.gov/general/site_map.htm

It will take some getting used to.

[Berta]

"I sure was shocked when I saw it the other day. I had a hard time with it to, sure makes you wonder what the motivation was?

JMHO,

Bergie"

They dont really want us to find what we need.

Feel free to gripe to them- there is a contact thing there to do that.

When the CAVC changed its format years ago after years of being so easy to access and read CAVC decision I griped to them but it didnt do any good.

Many of you havce probably done what I have done in my many claims over the years-

I take info right from the VA web site and I copy and paste it into my stuff with the citations.It often comes up in the very same fonts they are used to reading themselves.

When they put the whole M21-1 on the VA web site-I was jumping for joy.

What really poes me is when they have their own regs right in front of them in my subm,issions- and then they completely ignore them anyhow.

[carlie]

Berta,

VA made the web site changes as a

Veterans Day gift to claimant's ~ lol.

carlie

[Vync]

Hey Carlie,

In German, "gift" means "poison"...

[12R3G]

The VA is populated by idiots...but we knew that.

Here is my IRIS trail with the VA about the new website, specifically the BVA search page. Unfortunately, you have to scroll down to read from the bottom of the quote box to the top. Their second response that I wasn't specific enough kinda set me off, so I got really specific. maybe just a little sarcastic...maybe a lot sarcastic.

Enjoy...I'll probably get my next claim denied after developing for a decade or so... :o

No, it wasn't read.

Here, verbatim, is what I submitted: "on the initial BVA search page, there is no drop down box to select and filter decisions by year...it does appear on the next page (well, if you have 0 hits, haven't tried anything else)."

Now, if you need specifics.

the Webpage I am referring to is: http://www.index.va.gov/search/va/bva.html

This page, on YOUR website, allows a veteran to search the VBA decisions going back 10 or so years--I'm assuming every decision since you began putting them on the web.

Now, if you open a web browser and type in "http://www.index.va.gov/search/va/bva.html"'>http://www.index.va.gov/search/va/bva.html" in the address bar you will see the page for searching VBA decisions.

with me so far?

so, below the fancy logo title bar, it says this:

"Board of Veterans' Appeals Decisions Search

If you would like to conduct an on-line search of BVA's decisions, enter the word or group of words you are looking for in the block below. From the resulting list, you can connect directly to individual decision texts or you can return to this page to conduct additional searches. Decisions are current through August 31, 2009."

Below that text, it says "Search Board of Veteran's Appeals Decisions"

Below that subtitle is an elongated rectangular text entry box wherein a vet can input keywords and/or search terms.

The the right of this text box are the words "Select Year"

Immediately to the right of the words "Select Year" is a dropdown box containing 4 possible choices:

10

20

50

100

I'm going out on a limb here, but I don't think I have an option to search the past 10, 20, 50, or 100 years. I could be wrong.

Just to the right of the dropdown box are the words "Results per page". Hmmm....perhaps the choices in the dropdown box---the only one on the page--allow me to select the number of hits to view? 10 per page; 20 per page, 50 per page, or 100 per page. that really does make sense; certainly more sense than searching VBA decisions for the past century. Has the VBA been around that long?

-----

Now, if I type in something into the aforementioned keyword/search term box--say the word "test"; I move to a new page listing the top 2000 of 15481 hits, that is VBA decisions containing the word "test"

Now, the page layout has changed. To the right of the text box a dropdown box appears containing selections for years beginning with "2009 Decisions" and proceeding by year to "1992 Decisions".

To the right of the dropdown box containing years are the words "Select Year"

Next to the right is the dropdown box from before with 10/20/50/100, which is in turn followed by "Results per page"

Are you with me know?

So, again, I'm not concerned with any specific VBA decision.

I was merely reporting a design flaw/problem/defect/coding error/whatever with the website itself. This was a technical support issue--and still is since the error is still there.

when you drill down from the home page (www.va.gov) to the general benefits page (http://www.vba.va.gov/VBA/), to the WARMS home page http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/), to the important links page (http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/imporlnks.htm), to the BVA (Appeals) page (http://www4.va.gov/vbs/bva/index.htm), and finally to the BVA Decisions search page (http://www.index.va.gov/search/va/bva.html), you come to the error I have now described with nauseating detail and specificity.

or, someone could have noted that the original inquiry was coded a "technical" issue and my submission "on the initial BVA search page, there is no drop down box to select and filter decisions by year...it does appear on the next page..." should provide sufficient information to understand that I was reporting a problem with your website, not a request to act on an appeal (what in my submission gave anyone the impression that I was looking for information or action on any specific appeal?)

Now, can you route this to a webmaster who can fix the defective webpage?

Response (Dept of Veterans Affairs) 11/13/2009 11:46 AM

Please provide us with the link you are referring to so we can route your information to the correct staff this is only a routing area, you are not contacting BVA personel, and the Department of Veterans Affairs is very large. There are over 30,000 departments inside the VA.

Yes your inquiry was read, but your question is not specific enough for us to assist you.

Inquirer 11/13/2009 11:25 AM

Wow...that's facinating, has nothing whatsoever to do with my inquiry.

Va.gov provides the ability to search BVA decisions. Before the website update, I could select the link to the BVA search page and in addition to enter search terms/keywords I could filter by year (I.e., search only 2009 decisions for example).

When I tried that yesterday, there is text that says dates (or years?), but the actual dropdown box is (or was) missing, thus I could not limit my seach to a specific year.

That was my techical support / website issue. I was not asking about any specific case.

I guess it begs two questions:

1. Did anyone actually read the inquiry?

2. Do I really nead a lawyer to point out a technical defect in your "new & improved" website?

Thank-you.

Response (Dept of Veterans Affairs) 11/13/2009 09:39 AM

Once BVA issues a decision (including a remand), we no longer have the authority to act on the appeal. Contact the Appeals Management Center, your local Regional Office or your representative (if you have one to advocate on your behalf). If your residence is in a foreign country, contact the VBA Foreign Service Program.

If you are seeking legal assistance with a claim, contact your local Regional Office for a list of Veterans Service Organizations in you.

Inquirer 11/12/2009 04:32 PM

on the initial BVA search page, there is no drop down box to select and filter decisions by year...it does appear on the next page (well, if you have 0 hits, haven't tried anything else).

[carlie]

You can provide feedback on the VA web site changes here:

http://vawebsite.uservoice.com/pages/33645...ebsite-feedback