A New Way To Deal With The Va.........

[LarryJ]

As I sit here at my desk and look around at all the B.S., all the paperwork, all the forms that I have or haven't filed or filled, I just had an FLASH!

I am gonna download, copy and fill out and send in, one each of all the forms that VA has in their inventory.

I think I will do this once a week, nothing fancy, no "Priority Mail" just a regular old stamp.

This way they CANNOT say that I didn't file "timely" or I didn't "respond"..........................

And I will do this UNTIL they get tired or overwhelmed and THEY will be the ones that GIVE UP!

[Berta]

Longrider- as I recall- you were waiting for your SSA records, or the VA was?

If they sent you a Authorization form to get them from the SSA (you had to sign this form and send it back to the VA)and quite some time has passed- (this could take at least a month or even much longer)

I strongly suggest- if it has been some time- that you call the SSA (the local office where you applied) and then SSA in Baltimore if local office cannot help-and see if they (VA) really sent the SSA the request for information.

Been there done that and I am glad I did-

The VA told my two State Senators and my Congressman in writing that the SSA was holding up their record request and that SSA had refused to comply with it.

Out of sheer frustration I got on the phone with SSA in Baltimore-

stayed on line until someone could really help me and found out -much to my complete surprise-

that this long term SSA record request had NEVER been sent by the VA to SSA.

Of course within days that all turned around.

My point is- check and double check on what the VA says they will do-on SSA records- better yet- try to get them yourself and submit them-

PS -if I didnt have a sense of humor, by now I would be in the nut house from dealing with the VA-

"Lighten up" is good advise for us all-

I was thinking in early Feb before Valentine's Day that I could send my RO a big box of Russells Stover chocolates and put my unread IM0s in it -so maybe they would finally read them?

But these days one cannot even attempt to send the VA anything that might appear suspicious-

And I figured out that there is no way to scan my IMOs on toilet paper or paper towels and put this into the RO bathrooms stalls- so maybe they would read them-

and of course- I am not willing to spend a fortune on a billboard directly across from the RO to have an enlargement on it of my IMOs-

an IMO trailer on a prop plane -doing a fly over might work though----

nope -that too would cost a fortune too-

One thing is for sure- I just sent Dr. Bash 2,000 more bucks for an additional opinion based on medical evidence unlike what he had used before- it is not redundant nor accumulative-

And if this one doesn't get read-I am thinking of sending my POA's boss a bill for $4,000.

My POA's boss is the State Governor. I aint kidding about that part.

[LarryJ]

Yup, you're right, Berta. When I saw the Remand from BVA to AMC, instructing them to obtain my Social Security file, I immediately went to my local Social Security Office here in town and filled out a request for my file to be sent to ME, so's I could send it MYSELF to the AMC, then I called the AMC and, out of three 'phone calls to them, got three totally different answers as to whether they had, had not, would, would not obtain these Social Security Records ( how can they NOT get them, seeing as how that is what the Remand was all about? ). And, yes, I did fill out the "request for release of records" form and sent it to AMC ( via Priorty Mail, receipt requested ).

Anyway, after I determined that AMC didn't have a freekin clue, I got on the horn and called a little buddy of mine, Bernadette Garcia, in Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson's office in San Antonio, for she takes care of all the vets problems (Bernadette does) for the Senator. Of course, it doesn't really hurt that Senator Hutchinson happens to be on the Senate VA Committee. And, I also called SSA's Baltimore Office and talked with a gal there that said that she's put in a expidited request for my SSA file to be sent to me. So, short of getting a Federal Court Order for the SSA records, I think I've covered all my bases. We'll see, I guess.

[Berta]

Why-in God's name- why does any disabled veteran have to go through all that?

But they often do-

Good proactive work here veteran!

I like your style-

[Pete53]

Sometimes its a lot faster to get copies yourself and than provide them to VA. Good Luck on your claim Longrider.