Frustration....overdrive

[bakerkd]

Ok let me try this one.

Filed my claim in August 2010. C&P's completed in Jan, Feb and May 11. Claim went to raters 6 July 2011. Log into E-benefits today and notice that claim is back in development. Call Peggy...I'm told VARO Atlanta doesnt have Sevice Treatment Records. I say i was told on 2 Nov 2010 that my records had been recieved by VARO and they would schedule whatever C&P's were needed after reviewing records. Well, I got the C&P's, spent 11 months in Development total and 2 months at raters and I'm now told they "never recieved" my SMR's. Does this smell fishy?

Peggy said they requested records from National Repository and recieved a "negative response" whatever that means. I asked if they followed up and she said no. I asked should they have followed up? She said we sent you a letter in November, I said you sure did but that was to schedule my C&P's and no mention of SMR's. She said we sent you another in May...I said yes you did but that was for another C&P and no mention about missing SMR's. She said, well we mailed you one today.

I said ...ma'am I check my e-benefits everyday and there has never been anything on there stating anything was missing. I call the 1-800 every week and ask if there is anything the VA needs for my claim and over 50 times now i've been told "no" My claim is 13 months old and nobody has ever mentioned they didnt have my SMR's....I have two copies of them in my office. I could have overnighted them a year ago.

[justrluk]

Bakerkd -

I feel your pain. They're a mess, and for every time they did something right, they managed to off-set the good stuff by at least twice as many screw-ups. I get that we need to be flexible with the VA even when they're strictly inflexible. They keep us on a leash and expect us to bend to their every whim. That said, it's in our own best interest that when they pull the no-notice C&Ps that we make every effort to go or at least re-schedule them to a better time/date. I'm lucky: my boss is flexible and when I give him a short-notice request for a day off, he doesn't lose his mind. Besides, I work for the FED and they HAVE to give me the time off to go to VA appointments. I can say this: take pride in the fact that you're on top of your exams, claims, etc. I'm a frequent eBenefits checker, too - can't help it, I'm just built that way.

PS: The ATL VARO is horrible about updating eBenefits. From my understanding, it's hand-jammed and an after-thought. IRIS has been my best tool (other than the VSO) to getting information.

Edited September 7, 2011 by justrluk

[carlie]

It;s important to understand - there is no way to accurately track your claim issues !

It doesn't matter if you use 1-800- Dontknowsheet,

OR -IRIS OR - ebenefits.

It's been posted so many times - your claim issues are not a package with

a single destination.

A claim can easily just sit somewhere for 6 months or more doing absolutely nothing

then sha - bang, the next week it might move thru 3 or 4 different areas, finally be ready to rate

and BOOM - back to development for something.

Dang - you can even finally get to the BVA's jurisdiction, be waiting there for a year or more

and get remanded back to AMC/VARO for something like no VCAA notice was sent to the claimant.

The adjudication process should not be much different than an assembly line for building a car

BUT - it is as there are many variables.

Also, each time additional evidence is sent in - that adds to the wait time as that additional evidence must

now be considered and perhaps it may require additional development.

JMHO

[john999]

Your claim can be remanded for a clerical error. Get the best evidence you can get and get some sort of receipt when you hand it over to the VA. They can still screw it up as in your case with the SMR's. I worked for the Feds like Just. The VA said they could not go ahead with my TDIU claim because they did not have a record of my last day at work. They said they were "sending for it". I had the record of my last day at work. I made a copy of the Form 50 and took it to the VARO by hand. You are right that you cannot trust these dopes. They said the same thing about my SSD records. I took that to them as well. That alone knocked off a year of waiting.

[bakerkd]

It;s important to understand - there is no way to accurately track your claim issues !

It doesn't matter if you use 1-800- Dontknowsheet,

OR -IRIS OR - ebenefits.

It's been posted so many times - your claim issues are not a package with

a single destination.

A claim can easily just sit somewhere for 6 months or more doing absolutely nothing

then sha - bang, the next week it might move thru 3 or 4 different areas, finally be ready to rate

and BOOM - back to development for something.

Dang - you can even finally get to the BVA's jurisdiction, be waiting there for a year or more

and get remanded back to AMC/VARO for something like no VCAA notice was sent to the claimant.

The adjudication process should not be much different than an assembly line for building a car

BUT - it is as there are many variables.

Also, each time additional evidence is sent in - that adds to the wait time as that additional evidence must

now be considered and perhaps it may require additional development.

JMHO

I'm fully aware that a claim cannot be tracked like a fedex package. I'm also fully aware that if/when a mistake is made it is best to correct it immediately. I pay attention and ask questions repeatedly and the past 13 months have been a waste of time. Now my additional evidence, as in the ONLY evidence will certainly require additional development. You shouldn't have to be an expert, neither should I...WE ARE THE CUSTOMER.

[bakerkd]

Something fishey going on methinks. I called Peggy to notify that (I will provide STR's) since VA couldnt get them. I asked young lady "how did we manage to get 13 months into this claim without having STR's?, oh and by the way I was told on 2 Nov 10 that you had them already on file" She put me on hold to look through notes. Low and behold there is a note from 26 October 10 showing that STR's were received and are on file. Ok I ask, what is going on? Peggy says we must be missing something from your STR's. Like what I ask? Don't know she says. If you have copies of your STR's you should just mail them in.

So I tell her ...of course I will. So VA sends me a letter telling me they never received records 13 months into claim and now when pressed on the issue admit they have had them for nearly a year......Sounds like somebody is stalling. I will send in records anyway but I honestly think someone is trying to play "suspense games" at the VARO or they lost my STR's

Edited September 12, 2011 by bakerkd