Prep For Decision St. Pete

[AfghanVet850]

I have been in Prep for decision for 197 days. Is there anybody I can contact to find out why my claim hasnt been touched since April. I called 800 number and all they keep telling me is my claim is waiting on the ratings team and that they have everything they need.

[AfghanVet850]

The claim was submitted on Feb 1st and moved to prep for decision on April 8th where it sits still. IRIS sent me a email saying that once the claim reached the Decision phase there wasnt a differrence between FDC and a regular claim.

[meghp0405]

someone told you a story bad story Brother.

[AfghanVet850]

Discussion Thread Response via Email Via Email (Department of veterans Affairs) 08/07/2013 10:02 AM Dear Mr. Bowman:

This is in response to your inquiry to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) dated July 17, 2013.

Once a claim is in the Decision Phase there is no difference between a regular claim and an FDC claim. They FDC status affects the Development Phase, but not the Decision Phase. We apologize for the confusion.

Your claim is currently in the Decision Phase and is waiting for review by the rating team. If the rating team determines that we have all the required evidence needed, we will prepare a decision on your claim and notify you in writing. If we determine additional information is needed, we will contact you.

Currently claims at the St. Petersburg Regional Office are taking about 8 months to complete. Please understand that these timeframes are only averages, and that your claim may take longer based upon the specifics of your claim and VA’s pending workload.

We apologize for the length of time it is taking to make a decision on your claim, however, we are currently experiencing a backlog of claims. The Decision Phase can sometimes be a lengthy process because we want to make sure every claim has a thorough review, as well as a fair and accurate decision.

Thank you for contacting us. If you have questions or need additional help with the information in our reply, please respond to this message or see our other contact information below.

Sincerely yours,

C. Boyd

National IRIS Response Center Manager

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How to Contact VA:

On line:

www.va.gov

www.ebenefits.va.gov

By phone:

(800) 827-1000

Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) 711

By fax:

(727) 319-7761

By letter:

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

St. Petersburg VA Regional Office

P.O. Box 1437

St. Petersburg, FL 33731

This is the response from IRIS

[infantry10]

That was almost exactly what my IRIS response was. Only difference was, they say my RO is taking around 9 months to complete on a average claim. Sounds like they send emails based on a script.

[john999]

Our claims at St. Pete are just sitting in a line waiting to be worked. I was told the St. Pete VARO gets 10,000 pieces of mail a day. Every vet in Florida probably has a claim at the VA. When you finally get your 100% consider yourself blessed. If you over 40 then 100% should be your goal. I say this because there is so much age discrimination that most of us who are over 40 and don't have careers are more or less unemployable in corporate world.

[AfghanVet850]

Still waiting 310 days still in prep for decison and this is what the VA calls faster with a FDC