Expedited Claims

[qmasters3240]

Does anyone know if in fact VA offices actually honor expedited claims because of a veteran's age or do they continue to string them along as they normally do other backlogged claims? Also, if you do know of an instance of an expedite claim, approximately how long should it take with the current backlog of claims across the country?

[Pete53]

The VA used to have a Tiger Team for Veterans who were over 70 or ill and dying to work claims faster. I never hear about them anymore.

[Josephine]

Does anyone know if in fact VA offices actually honor expedited claims because of a veteran's age or do they continue to string them along as they normally do other backlogged claims? Also, if you do know of an instance of an expedite claim, approximately how long should it take with the current backlog of claims across the country?

Edited September 18, 2006 by Josephine

[Josephine]

qmasters3240,

Are you speaking of just the Regional Office or at the BVA?

If it is the BVA, I can help you.

Josephine

[stevedenesha]

I was just told my file was sent to San Diego on no other than 9/11 and that it would be reviewed by the Tiger Team. I am "only 54" and my claim will be 1 year old the end of the month.

Steve

[qmasters3240]

For now, the claim is being handled in house via the Atlanta regional office.

[Berta]

Claims are supposed to be expedited in numerous circumstances:

Remands from the BVA, CAVC remands, POW claims, severe hardship factors, age, Writs of Mandamus if successful, etc etc-

Personally I think the VA is probably expediting claims from newly returning wounded vets or from widows or widowers of Iraq and Afganistan deceased service men and women.and I hope they are-

but I often believe that in order to get expeditious claims treatment, even if ordered by the BVA, a vet usually must be very old, on life support, and have a family who is relentlessly beating on the doors of their Congressional representatives.

I forgot who asked -but one year into the system is nothing.

Here in Western NY The VA usually doesn't even send a NOD until one year has passed and then it is usually an illegal denial due to VCAA violation.

A SOC can come a year later than that because they tag NODs over a year old to prepare their work schedule as to writing an SOC.

Others however have had awards made at this same VARO with 4 months of filing their claims. This happened to 2 vets whose claims I prepared.

There was nothing magical about these claims- one was 1151 and one was TDIU-

The evidence was as good as much evidence I see for most claims.

One claim I filed in January 2003 has never been decided although I got 2 letters from them saying an administrative decision will be made on this claim. They didnt say in what century however.

Not only can a claim take months or decades to be resolved- it is impossibly to predict how long any claim should take.

My AO claim got a flutter of ongoing activity in January and then nothing happened for months and next I heard they sent it illegally to the BVA. I got a fast remand but the point is-

for 6 months it sat there ,after lots of activity and three signatures and then it fell into an abyss.

I do not think anyone actually still even really read it. It was filed 3 years and 8 months ago.

Edited September 18, 2006 by Berta