The Va Secretary, Honorable Bob Mcdonald May Be Looking

[hurryupnwait]

According to one post, the VA Secretary has been invited to have a look at Hadit.com and has responded that he will have a look. So, now is the time to comment on how to fix the problems with the VA. Please no bashing the VA.

What can he do to improve the VA?

[SoldierMedic395]

Mr. Secretary, I would like to suggest that the injury assessment from the health care side should be integrated with claims processing from the benefits side. In my own case, I don't understand why I can be assessed and treated for PTSD and Major Depression Disorder by professionals who have seen me and treated me but the decision on whether my claim is valid is done by someone who has never seen me, has no clinical training and sees me as a number on a performance statistic.

I don't really know what else to suggest. Allowing vets like myself, who have a claim pending or no rating, to get treatment is great and I am grateful but, without a rating, we can't get into programs that would help us get back on our feet or back to being productive. I don't go to group meetings anymore because my claim status makes me feel like I don't deserve the help that I do get. The other vets and the staff are very supportive and encourage me to hang in there and be patient but I can't even talk about my clam without getting agitated so I avoid their company. It is very frustrating and confusing to navigate the bureaucracy of the VA alone but when you have a mental illness also, it's a whole other level of exhausting, perplexed confusion.

Addendum: This case is nearly identical to my own. We shouldn't have to bring a case to Federal court just to get a C&P exam.

http://www.lawyers4veterans.com/veterans-disability-blog/2015/01/federal-court-addresses-ptsd-stressors/

Edited January 5, 2015 by SoldierMedic395

[RUREADY]

The more I think of this and the answer to this is Why do veteran have to go

to the Secretary of VA just to get simple claims completed or a responds to dependents

issues that the RO should have done anyways. I know he should have better things to do besides

calling RO telling them to get off their ass and do their jobs. He need feedback go to VA medical centers

ask questions there or go in the streets where the homeless vets stay ask questions there. My reading

about VA scandals is they knew whats been going on for a long time they will cover their asses for the next three

years and make like they are helping you for a little while and all a sudden its back to business as usual screwing

the vet. jmho

Edited January 5, 2015 by RUREADY

[georgiapapa]

RUREADY,

Your point is well taken. Perhaps the Secretary of the VA should ask his employees the same questions.

[broncovet]

Probably the number one thing is feedback. Microsoft uses it. McDonalds uses it. You drive up to McDonalds, and if you have to wait 15 minutes for a cold or dry burger, then you can call a toll free number and report it. THEN they take corrective action. They need a steady stream of customers and they recognize each complaint represents 999 more who did not complain.

Va needs to take a page out of the playbook of industry. Gee, I bet P and G had some sort of feedback, too, so they can constantly improve their product.

Henry Ford, in 1932 thought he had the "perfect" car, which needed no improvement. That was a big mistake and several other car companies produced "improved versions" and prospered..and even overtook Ford. Modern companies know that if you dont continually improve..your competitors will. There is no reason to eliminate this feedback with Va "just because" there are no "VA competitors", as there really are "competitors" to VA. Young people join the military in no small part due to benefits. If they hear the benefits are bad, they dont join. When I was in, we had a draft. Right now, the military gets away with a small, reduced military size due to technology improvements. But that only goes so far...and our country will become "weak" and be taken over by other countries...with a "weak" VA, and a "weak military". You cant "throw away" a "used up" Veteran like an empty beer can and expect a new generation of military age people to embrace the military. The economy was bad..so people joined the military because there was not a lot of choices. But, that wont last forever and VA needs to constantly improve. Our country depends on it. They need to take their "clients" (us) more seriously, and have even betrayed our trust. Employees need to really be held accountable to Vets..if a Vet complains, then that employee should be given corrective action, and, if it continues, that employee needs fired. Right now, there is no real accountability...employees get away with bad VARO decisions which are overturned. Why is this not tracked and decisions which are overturned on appeal show up on a report, when the numbers are excessive? Most companies understand they are ultimately paid by customers. No customers and they get laid off. With Social Security, getting that claim done in 120 days is NOT a goal. Its an ultimatum..get it done then or explain to your boss why not. SS employees are assigned a "case"..that they are responsible for. They get a printout, as does their boss, as to progress on each case. Even McDonalds tracks the time it takes to deliver food to the drive up...and you had better not be too slow, either. The VA has no tracking on claims...they just tell the public "VA is different than Social Security" and cant be compared. Hogwash. It is different...Vets deserve BETTER service than citizens because they served..not worse. If IRS can process a hundred million or so complex tax returns in a matter of weeks, then VA should NOT have VA claims which are 5 years or more old, like mine.

Edited January 5, 2015 by broncovet

[Berta]

Geogiapapa and I have ESP!

He said:

"Another suggestion I have, if Berta doesn't beat me to it, is to give DIC recipients and DIC applicants the same access to VA information systems (e.g.- ebenefits) available to veterans"

That would be great! and even better, these vet orgs should be penalized for telling widows ,whose spouse had a claim pending at death, that the claim dies with the veteran.

That happened to me when I was repped by the DAV long ago and a widow either here or at VBN was told the same thing by the DAV, 2 decades after I was so I guess the DAV still doesn't know how to handle survivor claims.

But in case Sec Bob is reading this........

Honorable Secretary Bob:

Thank you for helping vets here at hadit who have contacted you. After sending 3 emails to you myself, I still have had no response but will be sending you a letter.

I feel that You, as the Secretary of the VA, can impact and potentially eradicate part of the present backlog and potentially cure part of the future backlog by asking Congress to amend Title 38 USC and 38 CFR 4.1 et al, specifically this way....

"§4.6 Evaluation of evidence.

The element of the weight to be accorded the character of the veteran’s service is but one factor entering into the considerations of the rating boards in arriving at determinations of the evaluation of disability. Every element in any way affecting the probative value to be assigned to the evidence in each individual claim must be thoroughly and conscientiously studied by each member of the rating board in the light of the established policies of the Department of Veterans Affairs to the end that decisions will be equitable and just as contemplated by the requirements of the law. "

This regulation is amended to extend every claimant the right to file a request that VA call a clear and unmistakable error on themselves, during the appellate period, prior to filing a NOD,if the VA has ignored probative compelling evidence that the claimant can prove, with mailing receipts, the VA had in their possession when they made the decision, yet they had failed to consider at all, and did not list as Evidence they had considered in preparing the decision.

When a Request of this nature is made, the NOD regulations should also be amended to include an extention of the NOD filing period ,to begin after the CUE Request is decided.

( the obvious legal citation the claimant would need to cite is violation of 38 CFR 4.6, and if VA has lost ,misplaced or destroyed the evidence the claimant identifies, the claimant should be advised immediately to re -submit what the VA says they dont have.

Asking a claimant to prepare a viable NOD on an illegal VARO decision can compound the backlog significantly, as the personal examples I will include with my letter to you will reveal and thus, the claimant's NOD deadline period should definitely be extended, unless the CUE issue is resolved with a proper decision based on all of the probative evidence of record.)

I was in the backlog for a total of at least 14 years due to my RO's ability to completely ignore my most probative evidence.This tactic above has worked for me and could work for other claimants but we need a formal amendment to 38 CFR 4.6, so vet reps would support this type of action and hopefully that would make ROs more carefully in extending to us this well established and basic VA right:

"Every element in any way affecting the probative value to be assigned to the evidence in each individual claim must be thoroughly and conscientiously studied by each member of the rating board in the light of the established policies of the Department of Veterans Affairs to the end that decisions will be equitable and just as contemplated by the requirements of the law. "

Berta Simmons NY

[john999]

Those in receipt of DIC should get survivor benefits equal to SSA survivor benefits. A spouse should not get 30% of what her 100% housebound vet gets. Spouse should not be reduced to poverty when her/his vets dies. Tell McDonald to increase vet compensation by 50% minimum. The benefit has not kept up with true cost of living. Median household income in USA is over 50K. 100% vet gets less that 40k and wife often stays home to care for him/her. Everyone in family of disabled vets loses income either by taking early SSA or losing ability to give to IRA/401-K. My brother was able to continue working and built up 400K in his 401-K while I was not able to contribute.