Va Supervisor Threatens Me

[Cruinthe]

So I pass out cards and generally BS with my fellow veterans when I am in the VARO waiting area. I spoke to one young man about his case. After the conversation, a VA supervisor walked up to him and loudly warned him to not listen to my advice, and not to talk to me at all.

Fast forward to today, I went in to the VARO to clarify an issue about my DRO hearing. I asked the same VA supervisor about the conversation he had with the young man, and I was warned again that I may not speak with anyone while waiting at the VARO.

Anyone have any feedback on this?

[Cruinthe]

I appreciate the feedback I am getting here. This restores my waning faith in veterans and humanity in general.

Now, you guys tell me what you think of this little tidbit.

I am helping a veteran transfer his file. So we go into the Roanoke VARO and ask to speak to a VA rep (we did not ask for DAV or VFW, or AL, but VA employee). So out comes this short little girl wearing a dark green shirt. She asks to my buddy, "are you Norman?" and he replies yes. She says to follow her, I get up and go with him.

As soon as we are in the hallway, this person turns and says to me "why are you?" and I reply "I am with Norm" and she replies "yeah well, why?" and I explain I am helping Norman with his VA claim and that I am certified by the NVLSP as a veterans advocate. Then Norman figures out that this chick is DAV, and he says "I canceled my POA with DAV" and this girl says...get this..."YEAH, I KNOW YOU DID". And me and Norm are like, WTF?! Over?

So she says to Norm "well I cant talk to you" and she heads back into the lobby area. When we get to the lobby, she stops, get RIGHT in my face, jabs a finger in my chest and ORDERS ME "you dont talk to anyone in this area, you dont talk to HIM, you dont talk to HIM, and you dont talk to HIM" as she points to 3 veterans sitting in the lobby, then she adds "they belong to ME!" and she turns about and walks into the RO office area.

Needless to say, Norman was stunned, I just sat there and smiled because I am totally used to this sort of behavior by the VA.

[SLEDGE]

This would bring out the devil in me.

Does anyone has access to a short-range audio transmitter?

HEH-HEH

I would find a media person who wants to break a National Story.

Allow the media person to know, through a third party, when you are scheduled to return for your next appointment. He can record everything that transpires between you and anyone else while you are calmly awaiting your turn to see the doctor.

It's called Freedom Of Speech and

Freedom of the Press.

As long as you have not been arrested and confined you have the right to talk with anyone you want to.

If a media person manages to quietly sit close to you and record something,

that's between the VA and the National News because you were not knowingly involved in whatever the media girl happened to be doing.

Of course he, the media person, might want to follow several different veterans as they go through their VA appointment schedules on several different days.

Nobody, not you or any other veteran has to know who the media person is or what that person observes and records.

Whatever the media person does in their pursuit of truth and justice is not something that you 'have to/need to' know about.

You can't be held accountable for something that you have no knowledge of.

After all, the VA has nothing to hide and should welcome the attention.

Lots of veterans wear hats that denote one thing or another about their service to their VA appointments.

Talk about a good place to hide a 'cell phone' recording/transmitting device.

On that same note, many of the cell phones today have the capability to record audio and visual that can be downloaded later.

sledge

[JamesBreckenridge]

There may very well be some rules that apply to licensed veterans advocates that prevent you from speaking to veterans who are represented by someone else... rules that don't apply to non-professionals.

An attorney can NOT speak to anyone who is represented by another attorney, he can only speak to that persons attorney.

So, it may be that it's your being "certified by the NVLSP as a veterans advocate" that causes you to be unable to speak with vets that are already represented. It's an ethics thing. I bet the same thing applies; If any of you are represented by DAV, call up American Legion and tell them "I"m represented by DAV, can I speak to you?" and see what they say. It also explains why the VA guy told the other folks not to listen to you, if he knew they were already represented.

All of this is pure speculation on my part. :) But it makes sense, and it makes what the VA guy AND the DAV girl both said make just a bit more sense.

[LarryJ]

Cruinthe.

You stated:

" I am certified by the NVLSP as a veterans advocate"

This is good, I suppose, but, are you, in fact an accredited veterans service officer, authorized by the VA Office of General Counsel to represent veterans for a recognized and authorized Veterans Service Organization, and are you properly prepared to do so? And, are you, in fact, covered by an insurance policy that covers "mal-practice", just in case you should inadvertently incorrectly advise a veteran and he/she suffers monetary loses due to your representation?

The answers to the above could be the reason for your problems.

Couldn't they?

[brokensoldier244th]

Im kind of interested in this thread? What are the legal ins and outs to being a VSO? How does one get to be so? Can it be done in a way that is legal, while someone has a full time job (like the advocate type position referenced here, but without the legal hassle)? I find im spending a lot of time here, and I spend a LOT of time over the years at VBN (going on 9 years there).

I gues since ive done my own claims, talked to others about doing theirs, done voc rehab, Ive seen what a difference a won claim, or Voc can make in a person, including me, and Id like to pass that on down the line.

[myround0]

The Va has shown to be real cheaters, and not just the VA, but the DAV, and the state offices are all in this racket together. And the cure for this ailment is conversations. Sites like this one and others like this allow Vets to obtain information from each other, to combat the VA and all the legal greed. The very people who are charged with looking out for us, have been looking out for themselves. All the monies that they owe vets from the past, has been cut into by the power of conversation.