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?

[Tbird]

Read through the posts again. First let me say if you were handing out HadIt.com cards, you must always ask permission if you want to put a stack of them somewhere.

I find the DAV (still not sure if we are talking about a VA employee or a Disabled American Veterans service officer) there is a difference. Anyway I find her behavior unprofessional.

I hear all kinds of advice from other veterans when I am at the VA. Some good, some bad, some doesn't even make sense. I always check it out.

They have policies at the VA, VAMC and service officers just as we have rules and guidelines here, and they must be followed. It would be chaos without rules and policies, though some seem to make no sense at all.

VA accreditation is the key, if you are not accredited by the VA then you are not an accredited.

I think your heart is the right place, but be careful about stating that you are an accredited veterans rep, because if you are not it's a liability for you and the veteran.

[Tbird]

Speaking of service officers, I have had some excellent service officers 2 in California from DAV (Disabled American Veterans) and one here from the American Legion she has got to be the most together service officer I have ever spoken with. I always recommend getting a service officer and then work together on the claim.

Just my two cents. There are some good ones out there. We can not lump all VA, or service officers into one lump and say they all suck, just as we don't want them to lump us all together as compensation seeking veterans. It's a case by case basis.

[deltaj]

Is there already an appeal underway? DAV had the power of attorney so the regulations and laws on change in representation may be applicable. See 38 CFR 20.1304 and see 38 USC 7104. Apparently there is a 60 day window under that regulation for changing representatives after an appeal is certified to BVA. As for your reference to WTF I'm wondering if you escalated the volatility of this incident by posing the question, "What the

f--ck?" (Please pardon my language; no offense is intended.) I found these regulations on representation by searching online under 38 USC AND representation AND veteran. This search yielded some interesting results. Heck, I wish I would have known this information in 1995 when my husband's representative DAV decided to withdraw as my husband's POA after my husband filed a notice of disagreement which his rep had told him not to file. That NOD is now missing from his file but I have not forgotten that DAV rep's deplorable rude behavior. Thirteen years before my husband had received his 100% rating an unsigned V.A. doctor's report stated, "This patient needs further evaluation. Until ____ problem is resolved, he probably won't be able to get a job." This was evidence that he was TDIU then but V.A. ignored it. I have left the above blank in the sentence because of the type of disability my husband has and his right to privacy. Could this situation be a CUE in the earlier decision?

[Cruinthe]

Yes deltaj, that is CERTAINLY a CUE in my eyes at least. But who am I to say, Im just some idiot that just won a $32,000 CUE claim a few months ago. My name is mud here, so you should ignore me. Trust the VA...and the DAV too!

/sarcasm OFF

But seriously PM me and lets research your issue some more.

Hey retiredat44 can you PM me Id like to talk to you.

And tbird, I will be preparing some questions for you to post at a later date.

I think its time we see how far the rabbit hole goes.

[Berta]

Someone asked:

"Can veterans service officers and advocates work together on a single claim?" Awesome question"

I helped my former rep with the veterans permissions on some specific claims.'work together'.....It depends on the circumstances.

Oddly enough many if not most vets here have someone on their POA already and I think we sure help those vets here with their claims.I dont see that as working together with a rep- I just see it as trying to find any possible means to award and obtain the evidence- that maybe a vet rep has not considered yet.

I met in person with the vets I mentioned themselves and got their explicit permission to read their SMRs and clinical records in order to help with the claims.

The reps boss knew I was doing this but I am still unsure if it was a good idea.

What I found to help these vets claims is evidence the rep had completely overlooked in every case.

That bothered me a lot.

Edited August 14, 2010 by Berta

[Cruinthe]

"What I found to help these vets claims is evidence the rep had completely overlooked in every case.

That bothered me a lot. "

We come to the root of the matter.

When freedom is outlawed, only outlaws will have freedom?

How much freedom does the VA have? Near complete and total, in my opinion.

How much freedom does the average veteran have when dealing with the VA? Virtually none, it would seem.