carlie Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 The 2 separate topics have been merged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator broncovet Posted May 15, 2013 Moderator Share Posted May 15, 2013 Rodger Dodger I appreciate this calculator for Veterans retro. It is fairly complicated to do retro..especially if you have dependents. Like yourself, I tried to figure my retro and never could get it to come out the same as the VA's numbers in 2009. I got it to either come out higher or lower, and eventually just gave up, because I knew VA fights Vets tooth and nail over every dime. The VA has no problems spending $100,000 worth of attorney fees to make sure a Veteran does not get an extra $1000. Most of the rest of the world does not work like that. At any rate, you did Veterans a great service. We SHOULD be able to figure out our retro, just like we have a percentage calculator. I have learned, the hard way, not to trust VA. IMHO, the VA has rightfully earned their reputation of being untrustworthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFButch Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 (edited) Many websites you "visit" can track you in computer land. Some can tag personal information from other sites you have volunteered personal information to. I understand the need for the DOB of children and marriage dates to make a completed calculation BUT I thought this was not considered as part of your original claim. Dependency claims are filed separately. Determining the retro pay for a compensation claim would NOT require these dates, IF that be the case. Determining the dependency retro once it is filed isn't difficult and would not require a computerized program, possibly a calculator to simply the calculation. BUT, this is a take on my understanding of how this whole mess works, I may be WAY out in left field???????? I do not know if Rodger Dodger's program is a "trap" and have no opinion on it. Just wondering why there was a survey in the first place. Edited May 19, 2013 by AFButch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrome_305 Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Many websites you "visit" can track you in computer land. Some can tag personal information from other sites you have volunteered personal information to. I understand the need for the DOB of children and marriage dates to make a completed calculation BUT I thought this was not considered as part of your original claim. Dependency claims are filed separately. Determining the retro pay for a compensation claim would NOT require these dates, IF that be the case. Determining the dependency retro once it is filed isn't difficult and would not require a computerized program, possibly a calculator to simply the calculation. BUT, this is a take on my understanding of how this whole mess works, I may be WAY out in left field???????? I do not know if Rodger Dodger's program is a "trap" and have no opinion on it. Just wondering why there was a survey in the first place. Because it a trap. he opened two post saying the same exact thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meghp0405 Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 AFButch, dependency claims (ancillary benefits, is what this is really called). (dependents are not a claim). Anyway, when a veteran submits an initial claim, a VA FM 686c with copies of his/her marriage certificate and birth certificates (for each child) is submitted. To submit them separately, your just asking for this to collect dust! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodger Dodger Posted May 20, 2013 Author Share Posted May 20, 2013 Thanks everyone who did fill out a survey. I received 14 surveys thus far with suggestions to improve the website. Thanks. Honestly, I don't know where this "trap" idea is coming from. The survey is sent through http://www.surveymonkey.com, which is a third party that does surveys anonymously. This company has over 15 million customers and has been around since 1999. The calculator asks about dependent information because many things can change while waiting for the VA to decide your claim. For example, if you were married or divorced while waiting for your claim to be decided, it will affect you backpay amount. This is how the VA calculates backpay and the calculator was designed to follow VA regulations. I understand that this information is personal and I do not collect this information. If you don't want to fill it out, then don't. I'm going to keep on making improvements to make this website better. If anyone would like to help (I don't get paid for this you know), then send me a message. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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