Ssdi And Va

[Guest jangrin]

Hi all,

Just wanted to pass on some information. As you all know my husband is a Vietnam Vet and has filed for both VA and SS disability compensation. We hired an attorney to represent him for the SSDI as we were told that where we live everyone is turned down the first time and he would have to file an appeal. So we thought by hiring an attorney we might be able to speed up the process. We were self employed and unfortunately we could not afford health insurance. Soooo.. that makes the VA his primary care doctor. The attorney asked my husband to take a disability questionaire to the VA and have the VA doc fill out the paperwork for Social Security. The VA doctor said he was unable to do the paperwork because he was not a disability doctor.

I guess we were not the first client that had a problem with the VA doing what is needed for Social Security, because the attorney proceeded to tell us how he just sent letters off to every congressman and the VA administration , and some others about how the local VA medical centers are impeding the rights of veterans by not fullfilling thier duties as primary care physicians. I guess he was pretty "hot". I'm going to see if I can get a copyof his letter to share with the hadit community. The attorney is a retired JAG officer with combined service Air Force and Army and local district attorney, I think.

He said if the VA is your primary care doctor than they are is supposed to perform and handle the business for their patients, just like all the other primary care doctors that are not affiliated with the VA, as such. The VA docs are supposed to work for the VET not impede them.

We'll see if it makes any changes at the local level here.

THought you all would like some good news of people trying to make things better for vets.

Jangrin B)

[Guest Dataman]

Jangrin;

I also had trouble with my VA Doc. He would not fill out any paperwork for SSA. What I had to do is get my Lawyer to have SSA Doc look at me.

One Point. Almost everyone loses 1st time at bat with SSA. Do not hire a lawyer until you have to go to the ALJ Level. 2 turndowns. Appeal ask for ALJ. Hire Lawyer. They get $5300 or 25% (if I am right or more).

I submitted my VA notes and test results. XRays etc. ALJ hearing took 23 months from start of submittal to check. VA took from Aug to Sep, about 6 weeks. No Tests, No Exam. Just wanted letter from my work saying they let me go because of disabilities. That was easy (HR Guy was retired Marine).

So hang in there! It's a long road.

[Pete53]

Some of the reasons people come to Hadit is to shorten the road, take some of the curves out of it and better understand what they are up against. Unfortunately its fairly easy to get diverted or discouraged. As regards to the Social Security part even if you don't have info from the Doc SS will have you look at theirs anyway. Fill out the forms, sign the releases and keep the paper work flowing.

In the end you will probably finish with SS before the VA does its job although it can happen either way. Meanwhile come to Hadit and you can learn a lot here. Good luck on your claim and thanks for helping your Veteran.

[wayne]

I applied for IU and SSDI at the same time. The SSA sent me to a Doc that did exams for the SSA. I applied in Mar 2000 and was approved in July 2000 retro back to Jan 2000. From what I've read about the problems a lot of members have and are having with the SSA I got lucky. I did take some of my VA Spine and Knee xrays. He also took some of his own. Said I could no longer perform the job of Correctional Officer.

[john999]

Wayne

I applied for SSDI in I think it was January of 2002 and was approved by the end of March. It took about 2 years to get TDIU. The VA threw in every monkey wrench they could find and my VSO did his best to screw it up as well. Through Hadit and persistence I got IU and P&T in 2003. I think the only federal compensation type organization that is worse than the VA is the Federal Office of Workers Compensation. Federal Civilian employers are horrible as well. Any time they can screw you they will do it.