Benefit Amount Cut In Half

[Fire Courage]

Good evening,

I have a question. My benefits were cut by about $1,100 dollars for the month of August. I have not received any kind of correspondence from the VA saying I was getting reduced or anything. So, I'm trying to figure out what the reduced payment is all about. I do have a few claims pending but haven't received any information but the famous "We are still working on your claims" letters periodically.

Has anyone ever gotten a reduction without receiving any type of correspondence from the VA?

[harleyman]

Have you moved lately? The VA does not just cut benefits without a notice of proposal to reduce. Unless you have moved and have not kept the VA Regional office appraised with a forwarding address and current contact information. It is the Veterans responsibility to make sure the VA has current contact address and telephone number. I have seen Veteran's payments stopped completely because the VA tries to contact the Veteran, and is unable to do so. The file goes to where-abouts-unknown and all funds are stopped unitl the Veteran is located or cantacts the VA RO.

If you have moved and notified the VA Medical Center, you still have to also notify the VA Regional Office. The VA MC does not notify the RO of a change of address and the RO does not notify the VAMC if the Veteran had a change of address. Unless the RO is requesting a medical examination, then in the request the RO would tell the VAMC that the MC address of record and the RO address of record does not match. Otherwise we do not inform each other of any contact information changes.

It sounds like you may be missing some mail. I would diffinately call the VA RO and ask the 800# person to see if they can figure it out, or have a supervisor call you back. It's your money and you have a right to know what is going on and why your payment was reduced.

Edited July 28, 2013 by harleyman

[Fire Courage]

Harleyman,

Thanks for info. No, I haven't moved recently. Same address for the last 6 years and I am receiving correspondence from the VA about how they are still working on my claims. Last week I got a letter about if I had any addition information to submit and if I didn't to sign the document and mail it back. I hand delivered it since the VA Regional office is less than 10 minutes away.

I do have pending claims that I filed this April, so I'm kind of thinking now that the deposit may be a claim has gotten approved and a deposit has been made, because my regular monthly deposits from the VA are usually not pending this early (Yesterday 7/26/2013). If that is the case, that is AWFUL quick! But again, I'm not real sure. I saw the amount of the deposit was half the size of my normal amount and associated it with being reduced.

Could it possibly be a claim approved?

I called the 1800 number and supposed to get a call back between 10:45 - 11 Monday morning

Edited July 28, 2013 by Fire Courage

[JR Reihs]

"Could it possibly be a claim approved?" Yea it could be, or it could be some retro from another issue that you were not fully compensated for............Either way , I would not take it as a reduction.

[harleyman]

If the payment was sometime other than the first of the month, yes I am 90% sure that it was a retroactive payment for a grant or increase claim. There are very few exceptions to payments being made other than the first of the month for VA compensation checks. You'll know for sure either by mail or on Wednesday night/Thursday morning when you check your bank. You should have your regular full first of the month Compensation payment deposited.

Things, such as retro payments, and clothing allowance, education benefit payments can come at strange times during the month, but the regular compensation is paid the first of the month. I agree with JR and Firecourage, I think you got a retro check.