Vet Is Shocked At Va's Threats

[broncovet]

Does the Va retaliate? This

Vet may well think so:

http://www.myfoxhouston.com/story/19809102/2012/10/12/houston-vet-shocked-at-vas-threat

[hedgey]

The reverse ID badge bugs me, too, but I'm always nervous and on edge so I don't want to risk a confrontation.

You know, the VA is the only medical environment I've ever been in where the people who are about to treat you or ask extremely personal question don't automatically introduce themselves. I still don't know the name of the nurses at the CBOC, and only know the name of the doctor because it's on the appointment letter.

Heck, even the kid at Denny's tells you who they are before they ask you what you want. Just about every server in the smallest hash-houses in the country wear a name tag you can read...

And if you go to a private medical facility, they always say who they are, at least their first names. Especially in the Emergency Room, where it's a psychological comfort and aids in the healthcare.

But the VA, they don't want you to know their names.

My podiatrist told me when she went to work at the VA briefly as a contractor that she was warned about the crazy vets. Maybe that's why they don't want us to know their names, they're afraid vets will stalk them or something?

It makes me sad to think that the VA has a culture of the veteran as a crazy, to be afraid of, to be dismissed. Or a greedy malingerer.

[Pete53]

Not that I am partial to VA I have seen Veterans treat VA employees rather poorly also.

[halos2]

Basically they do have the control, and can bounce one around on their power trip. You do as I say attitude...probably somewhat worse than your drill sergeant! It can be difficult for some vets...

[broncovet]

The VA has definitely made a move toward anonymity for VA employees. To bad we Vets dont get that.

My decisions are no longer signed by the rater...nope...they are signed by the VSCM, and the VA does not want to let us know WHO made the decision.

In some ways, I can see that. If I worked there, I would not want an enraged combat Vet coming after me because I had denied him. While many Vets are "justifiably angry" at their rater, others may just plain be angry.

My neighbor, who is a police officer, does the same thing. He has a "badge number"...

That way, if you write down the badge number you can report bad behavior by a policeman. But, you cant look up where he lives if he arrests you and you are mad he arrested you for DUI.

Some people drive drunk and then get mad at the police man for arresting them. I think that is misplaced anger. If you got caught driving drunk, you should either:

1. Be mad at yourself for bad judgement.

2. Be glad the police man caught you before you killed someone.

Preferably, number 2.

The problem is looking at your own case "from a distance" and not be emotional about it. You see, if you get denied, it could be justified, or it could be not justified. (Most of the time the denials are not justified). But, I will agree that sometimes its not the raters fault if you get denied..even if you deserve benefits.

What happens a lot of the time is the records never show up. So the rater denies based on no evidence in the file. Well, there may not be anything in the file, but that does not prove you dont have the malady..it simply proves there isnt anything in the file now. There is a difference. There are many, many reasons why a Vet could well be infilcted with the malady but there is no evidence in the file.

A few possible reasons are:

1. The evidence was lost.

2. The evidence was shredded.

3. The evidence was there, but the rater failed to read it.

4. The evidence never existed, through no fault of the Vet. Example: Vet gets treated in battle and the medic goes and treats another wounded Vet, and does not document the injury.

5. The evidence exists, but the Vet loses the original or, does not tell the VA about it, so the VA does not seek those records.

6. Sometimes the VA even alters the records to deny. See Cushman. Some of those Va employee lawyers will stop at nothing to win. The VA tells its lawyers: "This is adversarial. You beat this Vet..you get bonuses..now find evidence to deny". They tell congress and Vets: This is a non adversarial system.

7. Other reasons, some bizarre. For example the records were destroyed in a 1973 fire.

When the Vet gets the decision, he does not know