Back Room Deals With Vsos About Rating Decisions?

[Notorious Kelly]

This is one reason I pulled POA from VSO - I stumbled across this doing research.

It may be entirely innocent but, if VA were going to say "We'll give Veteran A his 70% if you are cool with us knocking Veteran B to 30%", this would be the time to do it.

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The purpose of VSO review of new rating decisions is to provide VSOs an opportunity to review the decision and discuss the case with VA personnel prior to promulgation. This review may result in the correction of errors in rating decisions, discussion of differing points of view, and more favorable decisions for VA claimants.

Note: Local policy determines whether to make deferred ratings and examination requests available for VSO review.

Regional offices will provide VSOs a minimum of two business (see Important below) days to review a rating decision before promulgation. The two business days will begin on the date the claims folder is placed on the VSO review table. Cases not reviewed after two business days will be released to the authorization activity for promulgation.....

...The VSO must comply with these controls to ensure that the review does not cause unnecessary delays in processing the rating decision...

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If link below doesn't work, do a search "va vso review new rating" and a link to Word document will come up. You must download it to read it:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCAQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.benefits.va.gov%2FWARMS%2Fdocs%2Fadmin21%2Fm21_1%2Fmr%2Fpart3%2Fsubptiv%2Fch07%2Fpt03_sp04_ch07_secB.doc&ei=ZXwIVNaGLZScygSW-oCgAg&usg=AFQjCNEvniLdrT2Xw-mjkrKD-NBz6XU2ww&bvm=bv.74649129,d.aWw

From M21-1MR, Part III, subpart iv, Chapter 7, Section B

[Vync]

This might have changed, but the DAV at the Montgomery, AL, VARO was always closed on Fridays for "training". I bet that counted against one of the days for them to review the claim. Ironically, I would get a call from the VARO rater one day to go over my claim results, then a couple of weeks later I would get a letter in the mail from the DAV stating the same things, followed a couple of days later by the BBE.

JayBrown,

Did you have DAV? The lady who was at the Birmingham VAMC was great until she retired back in 2011 or 2012. I ended up firing the Montgomery DAV because I was horribly disappointed by their lack of concern. I switched over to the state rep after that. I compiled everything and the state rep did not show much interest in going over any of my documents, but was happy to help fill out single page forms. However, when I went to my DRO review, the state rep at the VARO was much more accommodating.

Kelly,

I don't have any proof, but I would not be surprised if they are playing a quid pro quo game with our claims.

[broncovet]

Kelly, I think this "deal making" occurs in the VA, quite frequently. I mean...gee...look at Congress where its all about deal making. You vote with me on this, and I will vote with you on that.

The politicians use our lives to play poker with:

"I have 2 pair of Vietnam Vets."

"I have 3 of a kind Iraq Vets, so that beats your 2 pair."

[Jerrel]

This deal making sure needs to be looked into more I have felt that it has been

going on for lots of years however unless a vso was to come forward and give

the info on the whole affair it will be very hard to prove up, how many more Veterans

feel as the deal making must be going on..

Edited September 6, 2014 by Jerrel

[Vync]

I think the only real way to find out is if someone comes forward or they send someone in undercover. And if anything does turn up, they will try and dismiss it as an isolated incident.