Rating Board

[tom91]

Placed a call this morning to check on status of my claim that's under reconsideration. Its been at rating board for almost 30 business days. Today they informed me that on my file it was noted 2/16 that it was ready for decision/rating board. Does this indicate they may be preparing to decide it soon?

[broncovet]

In a word, No. Reasons:

First, phone calls are notoriously unreliable. The person who took your call may or may not have had all updates in your file. If you call back tommorrow, you will likely get a different answer.

Second, with the Nehmer claims having priority it does not mean a lot because those have priority as they are "politically hot" right now, so others are put on hold.

Third, There is no guarntee the rater wont take one look at your claim and say, "It needs blank" , and sends it back for more development.

For these reasons, plus all the other reasons, such as the backlog, etc. etc., makes one doubt that you can count on it getting done anytime soon.

That being said, if a "sugar coated" answer makes you feel better, then...sure. "This means your check is in the mail..watch your bank account".

I dont like sugar coated answers and that is all I got...for years. I have been called negative, and lots worse. My father used to always "tell it like it is". Gee, I miss him. Once, he asked his Dad, "Should I build a house?" His father responded, "That is the dumbest idea I have ever heard. Forget it." Well, there was NOTHING that anyone could say that was any more motivating to him. He became one of the best builders in the city...all beginning from that statement. My father never gave sugar coated answers, and I hope the one above is the only one I ever give.

[Vync]

---what bronchovet said

Also, if you get or have a VA ebenefits account, what is posted there may be different from the 1-800 number too

[Chu Lai69]

In a word, No. Reasons:

First, phone calls are notoriously unreliable. The person who took your call may or may not have had all updates in your file. If you call back tommorrow, you will likely get a different answer.

Second, with the Nehmer claims having priority it does not mean a lot because those have priority as they are "politically hot" right now, so others are put on hold.

Third, There is no guarntee the rater wont take one look at your claim and say, "It needs blank" , and sends it back for more development.

For these reasons, plus all the other reasons, such as the backlog, etc. etc., makes one doubt that you can count on it getting done anytime soon.

That being said, if a "sugar coated" answer makes you feel better, then...sure. "This means your check is in the mail..watch your bank account".

I dont like sugar coated answers and that is all I got...for years. I have been called negative, and lots worse. My father used to always "tell it like it is". Gee, I miss him. Once, he asked his Dad, "Should I build a house?" His father responded, "That is the dumbest idea I have ever heard. Forget it." Well, there was NOTHING that anyone could say that was any more motivating to him. He became one of the best builders in the city...all beginning from that statement. My father never gave sugar coated answers, and I hope the one above is the only one I ever give.

It sure can mean that it is being rated! My experience with the #800 has been right on. Stay in touch with them. You have to learn Bronco is one negative anti government dude. The only thing positive in his mind, is his trip to the bank. Stay positive and be patient. I think your gonna get a decision real soon now. Bronco takes to many "anti sugar coated pills" that he gets from his anti VA PCP doctor. I for one get so tired of reading Bronco's anti VA, anti government, always wise ass negative responses?? Sometimes its enough to really not come in here a lot??

[Capt.]

Hello Tom,

Normally I am asleep long before this hour but I am having some difficulties today and trying to deal with it . I am not familiar with your claim or its particulars so to ask an idea on how soon a claim is going to be decided or rated is anyones guess. I used to have the 800 number calls and got less than 50 percent truth from them on any questions. They always want to get your hopes up. I now have a lawyer and they jack with her too so why am I surprised. I would just try and be patient and stay on your time lines, not letting anything go too long.

Though Nehmer and AO vets are getting some much needed assistance, that doesn't mean the whole system is locked up if you are not in one or both of these groups. I have been in this fight for 4 years and nothing so it really is hard to give you an answer on when.

Bronco shares many of the frustrations with the whole claims system and I do to, but its their game and we get to come and pitch in their stadium. I will say that once you get outside of the regional office level and to the BVA or even better to COVA , the laws and evidence seem to be followed better. The main problem is the mistakes that regional offices make almost always show up from BVA as a remand back to the regional office. Hence the longer waits and the hamster wheel.

I can tell you because of my claim it is complicated and more than one issue so it is one that they want to probably shred if they could. I believe that if you have only one or two issues and good imos and evidence , the Regional Offices "usually" can decide or move them to the next phase more easily. But that can also a long wait.

Man, Chu,,,, Bronco is one of us , hes not the problem. He has not had good experiences with the VA. Most of us here have not had good experiences with the VA. They almost killed me last year because of the heart attack and that they knew it was coming but did not do anything about it. The VA killed Bertas husband Rod over some of the same issues I am fighting so you might think again about Bronco or some of the others here that are frustrated, tired and too sick to fight much longer. I just think that we all have to try and deal with this Monster called the VA and try to help each other as best we can. Noone here knows it all, but all of us together know a great deal and that is what makes this site so special.

Tom , just try and be patient, check with your POA whether its a lawyer or a VSO and don't get discouraged because of the VA telling you something that does not come true. Its all about time and patience but above all remember NEVER GIVE UP. God Bless, C.C.

Edited February 19, 2011 by Capt.Contaminate

[COOL BREEZE]

Placed a call this morning to check on status of my claim that's under reconsideration. Its been at rating board for almost 30 business days. Today they informed me that on my file it was noted 2/16 that it was ready for decision/rating board. Does this indicate they may be preparing to decide it soon?

. I have 3 claIms under the reconsideration as well since Oct. They have been with the rating board since November. They were with the development board for 1 month as all the missed medical info was found.

So my answer, is probably not. They are very busy and our claims are not priority. I can't even get an answer with Iris-they won;t respond. I am expecting perhaps by September according the the NAVy times they are now expecting to have a better system in place starting in September. They are hoping to process more claims than they receive, which is the reverse right now. If you can take a look at the Monday reports, you will find there is over 700,000 claims waiting- about half over past 125 days.

[JHawks]

It sure can mean that it is being rated! My experience with the #800 has been right on. Stay in touch with them. You have to learn Bronco is one negative anti government dude. The only thing positive in his mind, is his trip to the bank. Stay positive and be patient. I think your gonna get a decision real soon now. Bronco takes to many "anti sugar coated pills" that he gets from his anti VA PCP doctor. I for one get so tired of reading Bronco's anti VA, anti government, always wise ass negative responses?? Sometimes its enough to really not come in here a lot??

ChuLai69,

If you get that upset reading Bronco's posts why not just stop reading them. You accuse him of providing wise ass comments but you are doing the same by attacking him in this post yourself.

I'm sorry, but Bronco does provide a great deal of valuable information on these forums. I, for one, happen to appreciate his honest opinions. All is not well at the VA and we all know it.

We aren't here to bash each other on a personal level. That just drives people away. I almost left due to people like you who feel the need to take out their frustrations on fellow vets. It's not fair, not nice and certainly not very productive. You can state your opinion without the personal insults.

None of us know the personal issues or the demons haunting our fellow vets that post on here. Just because someone has an opinion that rubs you the wrong way doesn't justify the attacks.