Bva Contact Info

Berta · June 5, 2012

I received a letter from the BVA 2 weeks ago but couldn't get to it until yesterday..

It said my C file was at the BVA and my Appeals had been docketed. I needed to withdraw the appeals as my recent Nehmer award satisfied all issues I have with VA accept for a EED matter,which neither NVLSP or I can go further with until the VA honors a records request I made in March,2012.

The BVA letter I got has the old BVA number in it but I reached them at 1-800-923-8387 instead with no problem and verified exactly what these appeals involved.

I also faxed them my formal withdrawal of the appeals at 1-202-343-1889 as the BVA ombudsman said the appeals were already in review by a BVA law judge.

I guess I assume too much sometimes because the recent Nehmer decision renders those appeals as Moot and I thought the decision went to my AOJ RO by now but apparently it didnt.

Then I remembered there is an erroneous decision dated December 2011 in my C file that I had to get them to CUE that came weeks before the proper award so I had to point that out to the BVA,so they consider the correct award letter.

In any event if the BVA didnt see the Nehmer award , I was able to promptly fax them about it and there is the records request issue that might be solvable at this point via the BVA instead of my VARO.

My point is- the phone number for the BVA in the letter I got just rang and rang with no answer until I checked their updated number. 1-800-923-8387 and sent them a fax at 1-202-343-1889 which they just got.

I wonder why they are still using the old number in these letters but then again it looks like the same form letter I got many many years ago when I had a BVA issue.

The BVA has added more ombudsmen to their staff and that should certainly make it easier to get fast status info from the Board.

Berta · June 9, 2012

When I withdrew my BVA appeals by fax,a few days ago I also asked direction as to whether my March 2012 records request

(sent to Nehmer VARO Philadelphia, and in my C file there), should be sent to the VARO Buffalo (my AOJ) or to the BVA FOIA office as the ombudsman had suggested.

I was surprised to get the records request satisfied by the BVA in my mail box today.

Just as I thought my AO EED under my Nehmer award was wrong. The records they sent to me ,including the entire medical report of December 2011, prove that.

Now I can contact NVLSP and they can go forward on fixing this EED.

If a vet or widow is on the NVLSP list and they feel they can prove their EED is wrong,under the 2010 new AO regulations, NVLSP can fix it because it is under Nehmer and this staves off their need to file a NOD on the EED.

Since the EED was wrong, I am going to carefully go over the entire award I got.I was so happy that,after 17 years, they had acknowledged receipt of my husband's 1151 claim,filed in 1994, that I really didnt pay much attention to the 6 page decision.

NVLSP saw a potential to another claim I mentioned under 1151, so I might as well make sure ,if any errors -that the rest of the decision is correct and if not , Great, because my EED issue is hopefully the last issue I have as a VA claimant.

I need to weigh the potential monetary retro of the possible additional 1151 against the misery of dealing with my VARO again.

I feared that my records request would be sent to my AOJ VARO and they would sit on it for years,possibly pissing away my NOD deadline, because NVLSP needs these records to properly establish my EED.

Edited June 9, 2012 by Berta