Contacting Congressman

[USCG CWO4]

Today I called the VA to put in my waste of time 60 day inquiry concerning my 11 month old retro payment. The very nice gentleman on the phone was no help, not surprised, and told me they are working on it and that there was no new information. He did tell me it shouldn't take this long. In addition to the retro I have gotten several notices telling me that they concur and I should be receiveing SMC, but I still don't get it. Thats been going on for almost a year also. The VA phone rep told me to wait two weeks and if nothing happens to contact my congressman. I have tried going through the DAV and all they say is "the longer I wait the more money I will get". Duh thats true cause I should have been getting it all along. I am about done with the DAV they have been no help for any of this and they suck at returning phone calls.

So here are my issues: Have any of you put in congressional inquires? If so how much of a mess is it? Is this something that I should be putting an inquirey in for? Should I just sit tight and wait? Will it really speed up the process? One other problem is that I want to disagree with a decision and must do so by next month. I feel that if I do that it will screw up my retro and put a hold on everything. Dammed if I do and Dammed if I don't!

Thanks for any input and I know for some of you an 11 months wait isn't that long, but I also see people getting their retro within 10 days.

[Berta]

That is very unusual.
I had one that took a long time too, but an entirely different matter.
It was VERY frustrating.

"Today I called the VA to put in my waste of time 60 day inquiry ."

By Inquiry, have you tried the IRIS system yet?

Go to www.va.gov and then click on the Contact Us section.

Send the inquiry as a Complaint . A pop down box will appear for that.

"Have any of you put in congressional inquires? If so"

Unless your congressperson sits on the HVAC or the SVAC, that might be a time waster.

"One other problem is that I want to disagree with a decision and must do so by next month. I feel that if I do that it will screw up my retro and put a hold on everything"

I assume here, but could be wrong, that you got the retro due to an award letter but want to NOD the same decision.?

That should not affect the retro amount that you expect now.

Personally I think the DAV should take their thumb out of their ....well.what I mean is ... the DAV has a rep,probably more than one, whose office is in the same VARO or near enough to it to start asking the VA where your money is.

And every DAV rep has a boss.

The last IRIS complaint I filed was not only a complaint but a CUE claim ,3 days after I got a ridiculous VA decision.

Then I formally faxed the VARO the same CUE claim and complaint. I used some strong terms because I was so fed up and I told them what I would do next if the decision wasn't CUed and fixed. They didnt like hearing the next step.....I was willing to tell the Press my story....It involved a separate issue (FTCA) and I was finally willing to sing like a bird on that one......

VACO called me up,we had a tough but positive discussion, and from that point, within 3 weeks that decision was reversed and they sent me an award letter.

I dont mean to suggest to be too tough on them yourself....my situation,,, I am POed all about about it again writing this...because it was ludicrous..

and, as I told VACO, .proof that this RO employs illiterates.

You have every right to have that retro and I cannot imagine retro taking this long for an SMC award.

However, is this the SMC "S" award ? or is it one of the more complex high levels of SMC? But that shouldnt matter....11 months?

Still...the squeaky wheel approach might work for you.

You might tell them in the IRIS that maybe if you go to the press, or to the head of the H VAC, the VA will send you the retro because surely there are other vets waiting month after month for their retro too and you cant be the sole vet who is having this ridiculous problem.

Others here will have other and probably better suggestions than I do here...This stuff really ticks me off.

Cripes we have to fight for any award we get and then...to have to fight for what our grateful nation owes us, as well ?????.

Everything is wrong with that picture.

[Kray]

I have been waiting for 13 months for Retro Pay and 11 months on Dependent Pay. All they seems to do it lose what I send or upload to eBenefits and close the case when they say they have not received my data. My Dependent claim data has been sent six times. I contacted my Congressman in March 2013 and never heard anything from them but one letter saying they are checking. Three weeks ago I contacted my Senator and have got one letter saying they forward it to the VA and will keep checking on my claim.

Yes I have contacted IRIS and My Pay but still have no money. I even found out from My Pay the amount of Retro Pay and the web site to look at but they would not contact the VA for me.

Good luck but I am happy I contacted them.

[broncovet]

I have a similar situation, with similar results. I got a partial award back in August, 2012, and no money yet, after a year. Im wondering if your Regional office is the same as mine.

I wonder how VA employees would like it if their check was a year late. To the VA its no big deal when a Veteran waits a year on his money (that has already been awarded) but watch the fur fly if an employee check was one day late.

There is a fast letter that says the VA is not supposed to wait on "partial awards". So much for the Va following their own rules. They make them up, to suit themselves.

[Stretch]

I contacted my congressman, congressman Boozman - AR, somehow he managed to get me my squadrons ships logs from two cruises. His vets rep, Steven Grey, also helped me get my DD-215 upgrade and medals that I did not receive while still active duty. The ships logs were about 1 inch thick.

Congress persons can be a help if they know what they are doing. It did take 6 months to get logs and DD-215. The congressional vet rep knew of the problems involved with requesting C-file so he circumvented that process to get records. The vet rep was a for Lt. Con. and he knew the system problems. Getting the logs and SMR was key to my claims. Over all my claims took 6 years to finish.

[USCG CWO4]

Just some amplifying information.

I am owed 3 months of monthly compensation, thats 11 months old

I am owed 12 months of dependant over 18

I am owed 14 months of SMC k and counting

I have put in numerous IRIS complaints and I have gotten very nice emails back stating that they agree with me and that they are forwarding it to the proper department for action. Thats been going on since last November. I have not put anything in IRIS in a couple of months.

My stuff is at the Winston-Salem office.

They do have the retired pay statement from the Coast Guard. I sent it in 3 times the DAV sent it in once and the CG pay center sent it twice.

Its just really a helpless feeling. Thanks everyone for your advice.

[Berta]

Winston Salem North Carolina

Senator Richard Burr , from North Carolina, is a Ranking member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.

Here are his contact numbers:

http://www.burr.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home

as in this part of his home page it states:

“There are many ways Senator Burr can help North Carolinians resolve a problem with or obtain assistance from a federal agency. Due to the provisions in the Privacy Act of 1974 (Title 5, Section 552A of the U.S. Code), before our office can make an inquiry on your behalf, you must first give your permission by submitting a casework Privacy Act Form.

Please submit your contact information in the form below and one of Senator Burr’s constituent advocates will be in touch with you to assist you in obtaining the proper release form. “

(That type of release form is SOP for any Senator or Congressman/woman to have before looking into any fed agency problem.)

http://www.burr.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Casework