Vike17 - Question?

[Philip Rogers]

You sound like someone who works for the VA or has worked for them at one time. If so is there any truth to the fact that when adding more evidence or another claim that "the claimant's c-file is pulled from the stack and then placed at the end of the pile?" I feel it's just rumor but doesn't really happen, since files are stored in file room when not being worked on.

Also, my c-file has some type of alert on it that my file can only be handled by a supervisor. They tell me I must have worked for the VA or something at one time and that's why a supervisor needs to make any changes. I've never worked for them. Any idea why this would happen? Thanx, Philip

Edited September 29, 2006 by Philip Rogers

[Vike17]

No, I have never worked for VA in any capacity or anything like that. I have just helped ALOT of veterans with claims and have been around the system and dealt many regional offices for a very good amount of time.

Normally, if you have a claim pending for some sort of condition and let's say you file an additional claim while the first one is pending, your c-file is pulled from where it was in that "stack" to start the newer claim. However, when the initial work is finished with the newer claim, the C-file doesn't go back to the bottom of the "stack," it goes back in line where it was to begin with. Now that's not to say that while the claim was pulled for work on the newer issue that the older claim was passed by so to speak because it wasn't there to be worked on, ulimately delying the claim. But when it returns to the "stack" it would be have priorty over the other claims. Compensation claims are gernerally processed according to the date filed.

When a claimant has numerous issues pending with different file dates, the C-file is continually moving from one team to another until all issues eventually catch up with one another. This ends up really slowing a claim down for the most part because each regional office has probably 1000's of claims folders out moving around at any particular time. For example, look at the St. Petersburg RO, they have about 20,000 claims pending. Can you imagine what that office looks like with all of those claims moving around. It's no wonder it can get confusing at times.

Vike 17

[Philip Rogers]

No, I have never worked for VA in any capacity or anything like that. I have just helped ALOT of veterans with claims and have been around the system and dealt many regional offices for a very good amount of time.

Normally, if you have a claim pending for some sort of condition and let's say you file an additional claim while the first one is pending, your c-file is pulled from where it was in that "stack" to start the newer claim. However, when the initial work is finished with the newer claim, the C-file doesn't go back to the bottom of the "stack," it goes back in line where it was to begin with. Now that's not to say that while the claim was pulled for work on the newer issue that the older claim was passed by so to speak because it wasn't there to be worked on, ulimately delying the claim. But when it returns to the "stack" it would be have priorty over the other claims. Compensation claims are gernerally processed according to the date filed.

When a claimant has numerous issues pending with different file dates, the C-file is continually moving from one team to another until all issues eventually catch up with one another. This ends up really slowing a claim down for the most part because each regional office has probably 1000's of claims folders out moving around at any particular time. For example, look at the St. Petersburg RO, they have about 20,000 claims pending. Can you imagine what that office looks like with all of those claims moving around. It's no wonder it can get confusing at times.

Vike 17

Thank you for the insight.

PR

Edited September 29, 2006 by Philip Rogers

[john999]

Vike

And the St. Pete regional office gets about 10,000 letters a day from claimants. Imagine their mailroom! I wonder how many claims are pending and how many are at different stages of the appeals process?

[Guest fla_viking]

Dear Fellow Veterans & Friends.

I worked as a mail clerk for Fort Snelling MN RO. That was a busy place for claims. We got allot of mail. But I remember it being very orginized. I pushed a cart around to deliver mail. There never was an overwhelmng onslaught of mail. We had big machines in our room that would stuff, fold and seal the letter going out. The only files I saw laying out were on a gray tabel and they had some of our clerks pick them up and deliver them to various areas.s

I slightly remember what was called Ajudicaotr ally over there. That was row upon row of file cabinates full of our C files I guess.

I remember the manigment being very good. they let us do our jobs and did not try to make life hard for us. I kinda miss those days.

Terry Higgins

[Philip Rogers]

Vike

And the St. Pete regional office gets about 10,000 letters a day from claimants. Imagine their mailroom! I wonder how many claims are pending and how many are at different stages of the appeals process?

I find that figure doubtful. That's about 3.5 million a year. Where did your figures come from?

PR

[john999]

I got that figure from the VA benefits couselor I talked to last Thursday.