tdiu Dav Purpose

[broncovet]

The DAV purpose is, ..."To cooperate with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs"...

Source: http://www.davmembersportal.org/mo/Missouri%20DAV%20Constitution%20Bylaws/National_Constitution_Bylaws_2010.pdf

Article ll "Purpose".

(Other Veterans Service Organizations have similar bylaws).

Keep this in Perspective:

If your neighbor was suing you, would you go to his lawyer for advice on how to settle it? This is exactly what is happening here! The VA pretends to be "non adversarial" and most of us who have been around a while know that is simply not true.

So, we give a POA to a VSO who promised to cooperate with our adversary!!! Its written right into the bylaws that your VSO represents VA not YOU. Its a conflict of interest, big time. So its no wonder our VSO's make ups stuff like

"you cant get tinnitus and hearing aids" from VA.

Source:

[Philip Rogers]

Another note on the DAV, they wrote the training manual used to train SO's for all the Veteran Service Org's. I reviewed it some yrs ago and it is a joke but serves the VA well.

pr

[Dinnard]

I'm going to chime in here! There are good and bad in every job field. I've worked in private sector and Government jobs and there were hard workers in both but there were also people just taking up space. My husband is a former VSO for the State of Kentucky and he worked his buns off. He carried cards with him everywhere he went and if he ran into a Veteran or family member of one he gave them his card and told them to give him a call. When he could no longer walk he rode his scooter around. Now the office he had is empty and has been pretty much since July 2010. My suggestion is if you have a complaint about the service you are getting from the VSO then go up the chain of command with the specific complaint but also remember they can't change when decisions are made or what the decisions are. They are there to serve you in processing your claims and answer your questions. If all of them were gone like my husband is who is going to be there to help? There will just be a bunch more empty offices.

By the way, I took over his claim because his VSO wasn't doing anything. I also got my own Social Security Disability all the way up to appearing before a Hearing Officer and fought my way to get disability from the State of Kentucky Retirement Systems. I'm not bragging, just saying that there is a lot of excellent information here and if your VSO isn't doing something and you read about it hear call them up and suggest they do it. Research your disabilities and read all the ways they affect you, including meds side-affects. I included a list of some of my husbands meds and there side-affects with the BVA appeal and it was referenced in the decision "it is clear the side-effects of the medication he is on will prevent him from doing even sedentary employment."

[Notorious Kelly]

Kudos to your husband, Dinnard, for his fine efforts in assisting veterans.

I don't want to discourage VSOs like him who serve in excellence.

It's good to be realistic about our situations. You've all probably been in jobs where there is more work than can be done, misguided leaders who take workers the wrong way, CYA policies that thwart The Process, etc.

When you're in that type of environment for awhile it's normal to become jaded and perform with less than excellence.

So- if your claim is with a VSO, you don't want to assume that they are working on it whole-heartedly to the degree it should be. You've got time on your hands so research your claim and determine if you're presenting the best case or if more needs to be submitted.

Cancel the POA and take the reins yourself if you feel able and that it's necessary.

I was scraping by while awaiting SSDI so I kept working on my claim. I came across the On The Record decision possibility, pursued it and won - saving months or more in poverty. http://www.disabilitysecrets.com/on-the-record.html

Acknowledge that VSOs and others are over-worked and possibly burnt out so no one will devote as much time and effort to your claim as you will.

Good luck!

[broncovet]

I appreciate your perspective Dinnard, and found it interesting that you fired your VSO and took over your claim, too.

Im not sure people are aware that their VSO is sworn to "cooperate with the Veteran's opponent (the VA)" The way they get away with this conflict of interest is they say they are non adversarial. Does anyone here think VA is non adversarial?

[Stretch]

This isn't about good or bad workers. This is about the purpose and intent of the VSO's. VSO's are there to serve the VA and not the Veteran.

Sure there are good and bad workers that serve the VA.

[Buck52]

I had VSO at one of my hearings and when the hearing started up the DRO look at me said Introduced himself & ask ''HOW MAY I HELP YOU TODAY''

and then he looked at the VSO VSO said nothing then the DRO look over at me...it was my first time at a DRO hearing...All I knew to do was speak up I had presented all my evidence and thank the DRO for giving me the time to state my case in person and I told him my story...That VSO was useless but maybe later he may have helped expidite my claim? IDK?

I think sometimes a veteran can get a bad VSO & maybe sometimes he can get a good one that knows the system and veteran friendly.... just my opinion.

Maybe the veterans should train the VSO...I mean if we have to work our claim and gather all the evidence/time limits and use proper VA Language we may as well get our self's educated in VA Law.

Time to get shed of a VSO if he /she don't seem to be helping with your claim or have your interest at heart like not returning calls or messing up things he/she knows nothing about.

If the VSO are there to serve the VA&not the Veteran Well without the veterans there would not be a VA!

The best VSO&Advice a veteran can have in my opinion are some of these fine folks right here on hadit they know who they are!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Edited December 24, 2014 by Buck52