No Retro!

[COOL BREEZE]

I just received an IRIS letter stating this-

Dear Mr. Cool Breeze-

Thank you for your inquiry of December 08, 2011.

A review of your records shows that you received a Notification Letter on November 28, 2011. A retroactive payment on December 1, 2011 for $528.00 and a regular payment of $941.00 was received on the same day. The two payments received on December 1, 2011 totaled $1,469.00 and your payment on December 30, 2011 was for $1,479.00. No other retro payments are to be received.

If you have further questions, you may call our toll free number of 800-827-1000 and speak to one of our representatives. You may also write to the Phoenix VA Regional Office, 3333 North Central Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85012, or send us an electronic inquiry through the Internet at https://iris.va.gov.

What the heck? I thought I was waiting for the military retirement to finish there audit, so the VA can pay me 2 years of retro. This is definitely going to my Congressman's office that they are cheating me-this is a Cue claim. How do I go about suing the VA for emotional distress. I am having severe chest pains from this-I'll see what Peggy has to say-someone owes me big time!!

I am not putting up with this *****.

[Grey_Mike]

I wonder if youre getting those notices because you filed the hardship letter. You filed a doc so they have to notify you, whereas they wont notify the rest of us until after the money is in the bank. Then they will send a letter to our next of kin.

The problem i have is just believing im not in for another fight. If the va could communicate better they wouldnt have so much calling and emailing to deal with. Most of us have mental illnesses and all of us have health problems, i would say that the constant uncertainty is probably making us worse.

Reminds me of when youd get short on your pay and had to wait till your next LES to find out why. If it was a mistake, now youre two or three checks behind.

I guess we shouldnt expect the va to be any better than our own military service branches....

-mike

[Grey_Mike]

By the way, my 30 mar va and retirement pay were updated and correct. That has been a great help. That was about 45 days from notification of award change decision to pay change. Looking over what people have posted, i see the average as about 4 months from notification to retro payment. Thats june-ish for me. So i promised not to meltdown before that. July 1, all bets are off.

-mike

[COOL BREEZE]

It took the VA 3 months before the system was updated to show that this retro was even in the system. That is totally unsatisfactory. And they want you to fill out a customer service survey to see how they are doing?

Yes, the system showed everything at once yesterday. Showed the date they received the request for hardship(6 weeks later), and the preparation for notification.

You mean it will be 3 months before I will receive the retro once it is in the preparation for notification stage. I believe once it gets to that stage, it is in any day now.

These claims are processed differently from regular claims. Now I am not sure if the retro actually shows up before it is paid or not.

[Donna Kelley]

I wonder if youre getting those notices because you filed the hardship letter. You filed a doc so they have to notify you, whereas they wont notify the rest of us until after the money is in the bank. Then they will send a letter to our next of kin.

The problem i have is just believing im not in for another fight. If the va could communicate better they wouldnt have so much calling and emailing to deal with. Most of us have mental illnesses and all of us have health problems, i would say that the constant uncertainty is probably making us worse.

Reminds me of when youd get short on your pay and had to wait till your next LES to find out why. If it was a mistake, now youre two or three checks behind.

I guess we shouldnt expect the va to be any better than our own military service branches....

-mike

Mike,

Good morning! If I am reading your note correctly there is a means to file for hardship, is that for filing the claim or obtaining the retro? I too am finding it extremely difficult to understand why it takes so long in receiving the monies that are due, it certainly would not take that long if it was the other way around.

Donna

[Grey_Mike]

Cool:

Yeah i think (hope) youre right, its pretty close to done. I was tracking folks on a couple different topics and it seemed like four months from va letter adjusting percentage to actually getting the retro. That would put you in that same 4 month window - give o take. Hopefully the cash will show up tonight.

I see nothing on ebenefits about anything since my appeal was done. If what you say is correct for everyone, i may still be waiting for that to show up on my account. Of course in the 4 month formula, im still slightly over two months out (where you would have been early february). So we ll see if i get some action on ebennies. I was hoping to just get paid but it isnt going to work out.

-mike

[Irish-7]

Honestly, Mike, in reference to efficiency or proficiency, I would not compare the Veterans Administration with the military. My brief experience with the VA and my many years in the Army tell me that the VA would be much better if they worked like the military. Since I retired, DFAS has been very timely in most transactions. In the Army, everyone answers to someone. There are systems of checks and balances. For the most part, they follow their established rules and regulations. I truly believe that if the Veterans Administration became an entity under the Department of Defense, that there would be vast improvements.