I'm New And Extremely Frustrated!

[flo]

Well... I have some frustrations that top off at about ready to explode! MST is not a easy thing in any way to live with. I didn't do this to myself! My claim has been sitting in the 'dead pile' for 14 or 15 of the 18 months it has been at the R/O. Frustrated.. you betcha! Each time I call that useless 1-800-827-1000 number I get the same retard answer... it's still just sitting there. Well now it's still just sitting there on somebody's desk. That sounds strangely familiar doesn't it?! Now.. lately since I have been calling once or twice a week, they have come up with a new discovery. A mandate of some sort has come down from the .. as they say "higher up if you know what I mean" that they Must complete all 2010, 2011 cases soon. I've heard soon before too and also "I don't know when they will get to your claim" most often. So, then they say as if it is REAL important information and I should be relieved especially since I have a claim that is taken 2x's the time it's supposed to in Houston... they say that the raters have to stop working on all 2012 and 2013 claims until ALL of the 2010 and 2011 claims are absolutely completed. Oh and get this, they have a task force now and they have status checkers which I just found out a month ago that they even have. I'd been calling regularly for my status and no one had ever even told me.

I changed my Power of Attorney to Veterans Service Reps because they are supposed to be really good in getting your claims rated in a proper time frame. They don't know crap either. The status checkers tell me more information than they do and their both looking at the same information!

I don't trust the VA anymore! Not in this department. I've been treated quite decently elsewhere but this... NO! In Houston at first they were saying it would take 12-14 months. I kept calling anyway and they kept telling me that it's sitting on someone desk. I filed in Dec. 2011... it is now May 2013. Now when I call.. they tell me, Oh claims in Houston are only taking 1 year to complete.. and I see that you are WELL over that. It looks like they have all the evidence they need, it's just waiting for review... aka sitting on someone's desk - still! ebenefits still says Gathering Evidence. According to the Veterans Service Rep., ebenefits sucks too! So how much faith does that give you in the so-called VA claim filing system?

Did I mention that I have done my comp & penn which took only a few weeks for them to receive. That was a long long time ago.

Did I fail to mention that the VA kept sending me a form asking me to further explain in detail what happened to me in MST. I was and still am a complete basket case, I'm on medication... I know I have been spiraling all day but it feels good to let off some steam and not have to be civil for things that are not civil to me! What does that do to a person when you ask them to go into detail about the same horrible thing 4 or 5 times! I had to go up there and practically cause a scene to get the guy to understand! I told him to Not send me anymore of them damn forms, I have no more information for them and I keep telling them that! I ended up sick, and in a really really bad way mentally because of the insensitivity of the raters toward my claim.

Now they are telling me they should be done with my claim by June 18. She promised me that my file is on someone's desk (I think I told y'all that already) and so that must mean someone is working on it though she can't see who it is. Then she tells me to not call back until 1 July, if it still is not completed then I can speak to a supervisor! I have not heard of anyone speaking to a raters supervisor on any VA claims forum that I've visited so I am sure these people are blowing smoke at me again!

I given up any trust I have had in the VA's ability to do their part in taking care of a soldier when they come home. Medical is fine for me, thank God but claims.... I hope that they will one day need to know some sort of information as we do and end up having to deal with someone like themselves. That would make this just about 'square'.

Oh yeah, my friend got his SSI & Social Security almost 5x's faster than it's taken me to even get to the point I'm at now with my claim. The Federal Gov't is taking care of it's citizens but not its soldiers!

Oh, and the R/O put down all the stuff I'm claiming on one claim. DO Not do this if you can help it. Let them work each claim individually because then you have a little bit better chance of getting one of them to at least be seen by someone. When I first saw the Veterans Service Rep she asked me if I am getting compensated for anything, I told her no and she seemed shocked. I don't know, maybe I'm about the only one who had a moron fill out the claim form. She started to do it separately and then changed her mind and did it all on one claim. If I knew then what I know now...

[carlie]

Welcome.

Others will chime in soon.

[john999]

I am old guy and waiting 7 years for the Court of Vet Appeals to make a decision. Waiting is the name of the game with the VA. They wait you to death. For us Vietnam vets they are literally waiting us to death. 870,000 left and falling.

John

[TexasCop]

I'm stagnant at 14 months and honestly, I think it's only fair that they finish the older ones first.

[john999]

Tex

I think they are doing the easy ones first. My claim in on the legal train and the train is on the track. I think I will get some kind of half-azzed decision in 3-6 months. This means nothing because it will be remanded back to BVA or on to Federal Court if my lawyer will go there. I read the obits everyday where RVN vets my age are dying. This does not make me feel great, but I understand why someone who just got out a few years ago and is waiting on the VA two years would be angry. I waited two years for my first low ball decision.....10% back in 1973 which was 28 bucks a month.

If you want to have any presumptive military cause for your disabilites (not AO) you should file everything within a year of discharge. Better to wait a few years that be denied forever because the VA says you can't prove your disabiliy is service connected because of years going by.

[boomer2]

I can understand how you feel. My claim is currently 3 years old and supposedly the DRO has it. I might recommend that you call the case management office at 202-273-7453. Explain to them your situation and the problems they are causing you by continually asking for the same forms over and over. Also, When you talk them try not to lose it. Be as nice as you can. Now when you call them you will probably have to leave a message with your name and number. In fact you may have to call them more than once as they are very busy. What I have heard is that they are very helpful to vets with claims that are old. I'm sure someone else here has heard of them and will chime in.

Edited May 25, 2013 by boomer2

[john999]

Yes, it does no good to get angry with the VA. The VA is just a big machine. Boomer, you are in appeals so there is no time limit on your appeal. Did you get low ball rating? Now if DRO does not give you what you want you have to go to the BVA. Then you have to decide do you want a personnal hearing, Telehearing, or just review. I got a traveling Board hearing and I had a lawyer. It did no good as the so-called hearing lasted 15 minutes, but my lawyer did explain that we had legitimate CUE. About 8 months later I got my denial and then off to CAVC. That was probably 3-4 years ago I think with a remand back to the BVA and then back to the court.

The initial rating decision should not take over 12-18 months, but what are you going to do? You can file a writ, but you will lose. The backlog is a political thing. The government could solve it but really they just don't want to spend the money.

John