Washington (Wa): Seattle

[cooter]

Cooter..

I agree about holding onto copy of that e-mail. First, I don't understand why the raters are stumped by my request for increase since that's what a TDIU is. Also, saying that they're stuck with me makes me want to contact the person personally and tell them to find a different job. But yeah, the letter pisses me off but I feel like it's a "nugget" if I have to file a NOD. I'm telling you, I found a lot of interesting papers in my C-file. I had copies of things that weren't even mine and some other e-mail correspondence between raters. I wasn't looking for dirt but just trying to organize my records in order to have some sense of it.

Fourth of July is coming up. Enjoy!

I know where your coming from and totally agree with you!!! If a person could read between the lines, it would be nice if the part in the e-mail that said " so I guess we're stuck with rating her again!. mean't, Oh darn, were going to have to give her a higher rating.

[USNDW]

I moved back here a little over 2 years ago and I will say that I would rather be back with the ST. Louis RO. I filed a claim with the Seattle RO for seronegative rheumatoid arthritis in September 2009, 1 month before my 1 year presumptive was up, because they had just finished doing all the testing and drug trials, nothing worked so that is what they called it. I sent a release of info with all the examiners name, addresses, phone numbers and dates of treatment, along with a copy of my medical records from 4/2009-9/2009 to show the bone scan, X-rays, drug trials, lab work and everything else I could get a copy of. They finished the claim by February, with a denial because there was no evidence to support the diagnosis.

I would have thought maybe there was a mistake, because I had sent an IRIS in Nov to check on the status and the records and they said they never received any, so I sent another set of records and they said they received it?? Later, when they sent me the denial information they included medical records from the VAMC here where I went to from 2/2009-10/2009. They had to have had a release of information in order to get those records. The VARO does not have free access to your VA medical records, but they got them. The only releases I sent were in both packages of information that they said they never received, but someone signed for it.

After I filed a NOD, they said they found the packets. Now I have had a NOD in since 4/2010, for a claim that started 9/2009, because they lost the evidence I sent, and did not make any attempt to get the records from the examiners I listed.

Now the fun begins. I filed an automobile allowance request last year in April as well. I have been sending IRIS requests occasionally and the 800# a couple of times and they told me the claim was in development, blah blah blah. So last month I started asking how long should this type of claim take to complete, and what exactly was taking so long. They send me an email saying they have no record of my claim. Took about a week before they emailed me back and said they found it, after I asked how they could tell me 6 times it was in development?

I don't know, but not too happy yet

[cooter]

OIG maybe?

[USNDW]

I really don't want to go with OIG. I had to send them a problem before and they screwed that up. They didn't know the Federal Register contained the instruction for Travel pay. I had a BI!(& at the Kansas City Travel Office who declined to process my reimbursement requests because several of them were while I was on Active duty. I contacted the OIG after 1 1/2 years of dealing with their BS, they would not tell me why they were denying to process my requests, in fact I never got a denial letter at all, they pretty much just ignored me. The OIG did their investigation and here is what they told me:

The Kansas City VAMC Director responded to our request of why you were ineligible for travel reimbursement ans he said because you did not qualify for it. That was their explanation.

I wrote back asking what instruction or code the Director was referring to. I sent the Director, the OIG and the Secretary all a letter asking when did the VA authorize a Director to determine Federal regulations? I got a letter back explaining what part of the Federal Register they were referring to, so I sent back the following page that they did not look at that states "If a Veteran becomes eligible for travel reimbursement within 30 days of the travel, they can file and receive reimbursement"

After that they finally sent me a check for 5 different travel dates in 2008. I got the check in 2010.

Sorry to go off on a rant but the OIG seems to be about a small fry and a small cheeseburger short of a happy meal. They never even knew what regulation to review and determine eligibility.

I still have not heard anything from Seattle RO. 2 NOD since April 2010 and they have not even started development yet. The auto allowance from 4/2010 also has not moved. They did acknowledge the medical records I sent them, after the 2nd and 3rd time.

[allan]

I filed an NOD with Seattle VARO back in March 2010. They failed to rate loss of range of motion for the left shoulder and denied my claim for MS again. One month prior to filing the NOD I was sent to a C&P for the MS claim. The Seattle rater asked the C&P examiner to perform a prostate exam and neuro tests for the MS claim. The examiners results were positive for a neurological disorder. I declined to have a prostate exam, since I couldn't figure out what the heck it had to do with MS. Neither could the examiner. The MS claim was again denied without any evidence that I don't have it, or comment why they didn't request the examiner to determine if I have a current diagnoses of MS. A clear refusal to read and except the medical opinion Dr Bash provided nearly 7 years ago.

The range of motion for the left arm was brought up in a medical opinion the BVA aquired back in 2009 and is included in the remand the BVA sent to the Seattle VARO to rate along with the shoulder arthritis, tendon and muscle damage. They only awarded 10%.

I've been waiting since March 2010 and get the same runaround answer from my NSO ive gottin before. He claims the rater is unclear as to what my NOD is for since they rated me all they can for the shoulder arthritis.

They completely ignor the evidence i've sent, the BVA has sent and the examiner has sent in.

Soooooooo, i've requested a local hearing to present the evidence in person, underlined, highlighted, in large BOLD print, and have it read into the record, "UNDER OATH".

Because.............only evidence entered into the record under oath is evidence they have to consider, some point in time. That may be 15 yrs later when the CAVC points it out, that they cant get away with blowing it off any more and they "MUST" provide a comment why they REFUSE to acknolledge it or give it weight.

The name of the game is stall, stall, stall until you give up or die. Thats the Seattle VARO I know.

[etcm]

A recent VA OIG report on THE SeATTLE varo

http://www.va.gov/oig/52/reports/2011/VAOIG-11-00515-266.pdf