Filing A Claim Through E Benefits

[tugger50]

Has anyone had sucess filing through the web site directly? Does it make any differance?

I'm not casting any aspersions on the many VSO's that work hard to submit claims. My VSO submitted my claim and missed that WITH my hearing loss Tinnitus should have been included. He is part time and it's hard to get to talk with him. My VSO cannot access my claim status, he has to contact the Seattle office and they do it. My observance is that most of the ones in that particular office are just paper shufflers.

I have learned so much from this site that I feel I can do it myself. So, I'm wondering if a veteran might be better served if they boned up on the info available on this site and filed themselves.

If the Veteran was up to the task would they do just as well by filing online? I'm sure that the wait time is similar but at least they would feel like they were in control, and that's not a bad thing.

Just wondering.

[MarkInTexas]

I filed mine successfully online through VONAPP, and have submitted several additional item of information, including scanned documents to the VA through VONAPP as well. I also have to admit that I mailed off certain documents to the VA as well, just in case, but the whole original case filed through VONAPP.

If you have only recently filed your claim, I'd recommend going ahead and adding the Tinnitus claim to it now while they are in the initial stage. It's better to do it early, than to wait until you are halfway or near the end. It will slow things down tremendously. If you have already received your VCAA notice packet on the other claimed conditions, you will need to receive a VCAA packet on the Tinnitus claim as well. If you go ahead and add the condition, make sure you insist that the send the VCAA information packet to you. Everything LOCKS up until they check mark that VCAA notice was sent out on all claims.

Anybody else have suggestions?

Good luck with your claim, and thanks for your service to our country.

Mark

[tugger50]

Thanks Mark, I filed on 9/20/11 and my earliest completion date is estimated to be 2/12/13. I should do it now as they are still gathering evidence I'm thinking.

[Jeffro]

Mark, any new progress on your claim with Houston? nothing on mine..i filed 6-24-10..still waiting here.

[broncovet]

Tugger..

There are quite a few that agree with you, that VSO's are worthless. Sometimes VSO's are even less than worthless..they sabatoge your claim instead of helping.

My county VSO "decided" that there was no point in keeping "inactive" Vets claims and shredded them all! They define "inactive" as a Vet who has not filed in 2 years.

In 2 years, most Vets are still in the "development" phase. A few are in appeals. Almost none of these already have their benefits. I guess the county VSO's buy into the VA's 125 day malarky. So, the Vet thinks his VSO will "take care of him". That is exactly what the VA wants you to think. Your VSO will "take care" of you allright. Remember, they get "free rent" at the VAMC's and VARO's...so, how do they pay their rent? You guessed it. lost paperwork. Advising Vets, "Ah...nah..you should not appeal...just be happy with what you got". And, "looking the other way" when the VA shreds your evidence, and advise congress to pass new laws which hurt Vets.

The VSO's opposed attorney representation for Vets. They said we did not need attorneys, we get VSO's for free. Did you ever wonder why the VSO's could not figure out the VA was shredding evidence in 2008? Oh, they knew it and just looked the other way.

I still have a VSO..he is being replaced by my attorney. But, every time I go there, I bring the vaseline jar because I know what the VSO does to me will hurt.

[MarkInTexas]

Unfortunately I'm still waiting, waiting, waiting still. The VA added an additoinal claim on their own (I had added a couple during my earlier filing time though), and I was in limbo, until it was discovered that they hadn't sent a VCAA notice to me. That was resolved, and I signed off urging them to adjudicate as soon as possible, but waited even longer not knowing what was going on until I received my monthly update from my Senator's office that included a fax from the VA to his staffer showing that they were waiting on my C&P's to be completed (which were completed months ago now), and for medical records from one doctor. (They were minor, and only involved one visit)

I called the doctor's office and was advised that they had destroyed the records of my visit, due to being over the 10 year mark. So I contacted the VA, via IRIS and notified them that they could stop waiting on that one, and that all evidence had been submitted. That was a month or so ago. However, still nothing, so I sent a VONAPP message relaying the same thing. Just in case.

It's funny because when I call Peggy, or my American Legion VSO, they say that the VA has received all information, and that there is nothing remaining to wait for. Same shows on ePeggy, but if they don't uncheck, or check, something, you can stay in limbo forever I guess.

I'll wait for my next Senatorial update letter to see what's happening. At least I get a periodic fax copy included that was from the VA that tells me what's on their minds.

Hope yours gets resolved soon too. I've been on the time clock since 06/19/2010. Have a great week.

Mark

Edited October 14, 2012 by MarkInTexas

[MarkInTexas]

Tugger..

There are quite a few that agree with you, that VSO's are worthless. Sometimes VSO's are even less than worthless..they sabatoge your claim instead of helping.

My county VSO "decided" that there was no point in keeping "inactive" Vets claims and shredded them all! They define "inactive" as a Vet who has not filed in 2 years.

In 2 years, most Vets are still in the "development" phase. A few are in appeals. Almost none of these already have their benefits. I guess the county VSO's buy into the VA's 125 day malarky. So, the Vet thinks his VSO will "take care of him". That is exactly what the VA wants you to think. Your VSO will "take care" of you allright. Remember, they get "free rent" at the VAMC's and VARO's...so, how do they pay their rent? You guessed it. lost paperwork. Advising Vets, "Ah...nah..you should not appeal...just be happy with what you got". And, "looking the other way" when the VA shreds your evidence, and advise congress to pass new laws which hurt Vets.

The VSO's opposed attorney representation for Vets. They said we did not need attorneys, we get VSO's for free. Did you ever wonder why the VSO's could not figure out the VA was shredding evidence in 2008? Oh, they knew it and just looked the other way.

I still have a VSO..he is being replaced by my attorney. But, every time I go there, I bring the vaseline jar because I know what the VSO does to me will hurt.

I've touched on this before as well. My local county VSO is a part time employee, who is about 75, and has early onset of Alzheimer's (spelling?)....he's a nice guy, and has a fixed income, and was a Korean War-era Veteran. Nobody really wants to cut him lose, and I would feel bad about that myself. I learned about how limited his skills were when I inquired about accessing my GI Bill benefits for college years ago. Great guy, but things have changed.

I used the American Legion as a VSO after I had filled all my documents, and ended up signing with them in mid-2011. They really don't help in getting things "moved" and what I really only use them for now is to get a status update by calling them directly instead of waiting for an hour or more on the 1-800 Peggy line. That part is worthwhile. They pretty much can only tell you what Peggy can tell you, and it's not much, but saves you from wasting time.

Asknod's book (which is a really GREAT read) warns that VSO's located in the VARO's sometimes make deals with raters just to push their own stats of "completed" cases forward. In other words, you are seeing 100%, but end up with a 30%, because somebody had a talk over a sandwich in the cafeteria. Then they just lay odds that you settle for your 30%, and don't push with a NOD....think about the millions of claims....it's better than Vegas.

I am not saying that this DOES happen. (I've been chewed on before for insinuating it), but I trust Asknod, and I also can see where it can definitely happen. The VSO's located within the VARO are not in an adversarial system. They all share office space, utilities, cafeteria area, and information. So you do run a gamble in my mild, humble opinion.

Use 'em for a quick information source, but don't gamble your claim on what they say they'll do. Make sure you do as much work as possible, and then document it....and make personal copies of EVERYTHING.

Mark