The Big Question Out There

[JHawks]

I know this is probably an insane question but here goes..............

Now that Nehmer claims have been being worked since 10/2010 and all the other "Priority" claims have helped bog things down, once a "Normal", run of the mill, one item claim reaches the "Decision Phase", what kind of a time frame are we looking at for completion?

My claim for just one item hit the "Decision Phase" on 1/20/11, 31 days ago. Is it real to expect them to complete it in the next week or two or are we looking at a much longer window?

I'm NOT complaining at all. I know the rules. Go fishing, get a hobby or have a beer and relax. Just curious what the recent track record has been for those whose claims have been in "Decision Phase" for a non-priority claim and how long it took to complete.

[COOL BREEZE]

What do they do with all the other claims that are in the decision stage with multiple issues? Do those just keep getting overlooked until they run out of 1 issue claims? 4 Months in the decision stage with 3 issues, mine is probably totally buried and kicked under someones desk .

[Papa]

Cool Breeze,

You are lucky then . Mine is stored under the basement, and now they will probably dig a deeper hole since I filed for Parkinsons.

Papa

[JHawks]

Our front office (aka veterans service manager & asst. mang) ran a list through one of the systems we have. MAPD is a program that tracks the development of claims & shows how many issues are being addressed. They use another program to pull all the ones that are a single issue, have ppl pull the files, then send them to the rating team. It's not infallible as a few of them are sequential end products (claim that came in after another was already in system) or an IU claim, which isn;t actually a single issue since we have to consider any s/c disabilities as increases. But we have had a cart full to pull work from, which has improved our production & thereby the office's. Not that it;s helping a bunch of us in the long run, since we've been under production thanks to a host of issues.

Veldrina,

Thank you for helping me understand that process. I look at it as at least trying to do something positive in a difficult situation.

I didn't retire from the military. I was given a Med Board and went out that way. From there I went on to run several car dealership's over the years. I found out very quickly that if there was a "production" issue of any sort it was my responsibility to resolve that issue. I would always turn to the employees and get their input as to what was the best way to resolve the problem. Their insight was essential if I wanted to overcome the situation. After all, they were the ones on the front line and knew their departments.

The VA can't move forward without looking to the front line troops in their organization for the solution. Any individual that has been working claims for any period of time has the insight and the experience to come up with a workable plan. The problem is the "political appointees" that walk in the front door as the "boss" doesn't understand the process and fails to look to the front line troops for guidance.

The VA can easily solve their problems if the "upper management" would just stop and think that they have the best source for problem solving sitting in those little offices. The VA should, and could easily, take one day and have meetings at every single RO to ask the troops how to fix the problems.

[Veldrina]

please...just spent a few hours arguing with management about how things aren;'t working, & having them bat everything back at me with answers like "well that;'s every VA office", and "don't blame it on the technology (i keep envisioning the dinosaurs from the Flintstones in our equipment) and "u have to buckle down & work harder." There's no winning there.

@coolbreeze: they will still be worked, esp. if they are a priority case like hardship or fastrack or homeless case, but the 1 issues come first right now, I wouldnt worry too much though....every other week the priorities change,. Someone should look up what that word means.

Veldrina,

Thank you for helping me understand that process. I look at it as at least trying to do something positive in a difficult situation.

I didn't retire from the military. I was given a Med Board and went out that way. From there I went on to run several car dealership's over the years. I found out very quickly that if there was a "production" issue of any sort it was my responsibility to resolve that issue. I would always turn to the employees and get their input as to what was the best way to resolve the problem. Their insight was essential if I wanted to overcome the situation. After all, they were the ones on the front line and knew their departments.

The VA can't move forward without looking to the front line troops in their organization for the solution. Any individual that has been working claims for any period of time has the insight and the experience to come up with a workable plan. The problem is the "political appointees" that walk in the front door as the "boss" doesn't understand the process and fails to look to the front line troops for guidance.

The VA can easily solve their problems if the "upper management" would just stop and think that they have the best source for problem solving sitting in those little offices. The VA should, and could easily, take one day and have meetings at every single RO to ask the troops how to fix the problems.

[COOL BREEZE]

I appreciate the information you have provided. Now I have a better understanding whats going on. As mine is a reconsideration case with 4 issues, it will most definitely be one of the last cases looked at. Do they put a time stamp on claims such as mine that gives them a must decide date, whether 6,9 months or 1-2 years. And by this I mean they must have a way to eventually decide certain claims-they can't just keep postponing them and doing 1 decision claims. If that is the way it works now, from now on, I will do the same. ONE CLAIM AT A TIME! perhaps I can get them decided quicker then submitting multiple claims. What has been put out here, was stated by several VSO's in my area. Do one claim at a time. They weren't joking. Perhaps I should have listed to them instead of selecting a VSO that put all 4 claims into a reconsideration claim at once and now is buried with all the 1 claims on top.

[carlie]

Do they put a time stamp on claims such as mine that gives them a must decide date, whether 6,9 months or 1-2 years. And by this I mean they must have a way to eventually decide certain claims-they can't just keep postponing them and doing 1 decision claims.

CB,

Your claim will probably be assigned a suspense date - but the suspense date can easily be changed.

The suspense dates aren't carved in stone to be rated by that date.