The purpose of this letter is to advise regional offices that there has been no change in Department of Defense (DoD) or VA policy regarding commissary and exchange privileges for veterans rated 100% for individual unemployability (IU).
On May 10, 2000, Fast Letter 00-37 transmitted a ruling by DoD’s General Counsel that clarified the issue of commissary privileges for veterans rated 100% disabled due to IU. The ruling was the result of an apparent conflict between M27-1, Part I, Para. 3.08b(2), and a Department of Defense July 11, 1998, order that prohibited commissary and exchange privileges to those veterans.
DoD instructed its facilities that “honorably discharged veterans determined by the VA to have a service-connected disability of no less than 60%, but rated 100% disabled based on individual unemployability are entitled to MWR, Commissary and Exchange privileges.” This instruction is still in effect. M21-1, Part VII, Para 5.08b is still in effect except for the references to VLET, which PCGL letters have replaced.
In issuing letters for commissary and exchange privilege purposes, regional offices must use one of the three PCGL AB3 letters. They are: Future Exam Scheduled, No Future Exam Scheduled, and To Surviving Spouse. Do not use any other letters, and do not include any reference to an IU rating in the PCGL letters.
/s/
Bradley G. Mayes, Director
Compensation and Pension Service
Unless something has changed I believe this is still in effect. If I am wrong please correct me. I don't see anything that says a veteran has to be P & T. I believe that a veteran rated 100% will have an expiration date on their MWR ID Card (the date of their new/future exam). I believe for 100% P & T veterans and Surviving Spouses they get an Indefinite MWR ID Card.
Edited by pacmanx1
My intentions are to help, my advice maybe wrong, be your own advocate and know what is in your C-File and the 38 CFR that governs your disabilities and conditions.
Do your own homework. No one knows the veteran’s symptoms like the veteran. Never Give Up.
I do not give my consent for anyone to view my personal VA records.
Caluza Triangle – Caluza vs Brown defined what is necessary for service connection. See COVA– CALUZA V. BROWN–TOTAL RECALL
This has to be MEDICALLY Documented in your records:
Current Diagnosis. (No diagnosis, no Service Connection.)
In-Service Event or Aggravation.
Nexus (link- cause and effect- connection) or Doctor’s Statement close to: “The Veteran’s (current diagnosis) is at least as likely due to x Event in military service”
VA has gotten away with (mis) interpreting their ambigious, , vague regulations, then enforcing them willy nilly never in Veterans favor.
They justify all this to congress by calling themselves a "pro claimant Veteran friendly organization" who grants the benefit of the doubt to Veterans.
This is not true,
Proof:
About 80-90 percent of Veterans are initially denied by VA, pushing us into a massive backlog of appeals, or worse, sending impoverished Veterans "to the homeless streets" because when they cant work, they can not keep their home. I was one of those Veterans who they denied for a bogus reason: "Its been too long since military service". This is bogus because its not one of the criteria for service connection, but simply made up by VA. And, I was a homeless Vet, albeit a short time, mostly due to the kindness of strangers and friends.
Hadit would not be necessary if, indeed, VA gave Veterans the benefit of the doubt, and processed our claims efficiently and paid us promptly. The VA is broken.
A huge percentage (nearly 100 percent) of Veterans who do get 100 percent, do so only after lengthy appeals. I have answered questions for thousands of Veterans, and can only name ONE person who got their benefits correct on the first Regional Office decision. All of the rest of us pretty much had lengthy frustrating appeals, mostly having to appeal multiple multiple times like I did.
I wish I know how VA gets away with lying to congress about how "VA is a claimant friendly system, where the Veteran is given the benefit of the doubt". Then how come so many Veterans are homeless, and how come 22 Veterans take their life each day? Va likes to blame the Veterans, not their system.
However, (and I have no idea of knowing whether or not you would likely succeed) Im unsure of why you seem to be so adamant against getting an increase in disability compensation.
When I buy stuff, say at Kroger, or pay bills, I have never had anyone say, "Wait! Is this money from disability compensation, or did you earn it working at a regular job?" Not once. Thus, if you did get an increase, likely you would have no trouble paying this with the increase compensation.
However, there are many false rumors out there that suggest if you apply for an increase, the VA will reduce your benefits instead.
That rumor is false but I do hear people tell Veterans that a lot. There are strict rules VA has to reduce you and, NOT ONE of those rules have anything to do with applying for an increase.
Yes, the VA can reduce your benefits, but generally only when your condition has "actually improved" under ordinary conditions of life.
Unless you contacted the VA within 72 hours of your medical treatment, you may not be eligible for reimbursement, or at least that is how I read the link, I posted above. Here are SOME of the rules the VA must comply with in order to reduce your compensation benefits:
NOTE: TO PROVE CAUSE OF DEATH WILL LIKELY REQUIRE AN AUTOPSY. This means if you die of a SC condtion, your spouse would need to do an autopsy to prove cause of death to be from a SC condtiond. If you were P and T for 10 full years, then the cause of death may not matter so much.
Question
pacmanx1
December 14, 2006
In Reply Refer To: 216B
Fast Letter 06-27
Directors (00/21)
All Regional Offices and Centers
SUBJ: Commissary and Exchange Privilege Letters
The purpose of this letter is to advise regional offices that there has been no change in Department of Defense (DoD) or VA policy regarding commissary and exchange privileges for veterans rated 100% for individual unemployability (IU).
On May 10, 2000, Fast Letter 00-37 transmitted a ruling by DoD’s General Counsel that clarified the issue of commissary privileges for veterans rated 100% disabled due to IU. The ruling was the result of an apparent conflict between M27-1, Part I, Para. 3.08b(2), and a Department of Defense July 11, 1998, order that prohibited commissary and exchange privileges to those veterans.
DoD instructed its facilities that “honorably discharged veterans determined by the VA to have a service-connected disability of no less than 60%, but rated 100% disabled based on individual unemployability are entitled to MWR, Commissary and Exchange privileges.” This instruction is still in effect. M21-1, Part VII, Para 5.08b is still in effect except for the references to VLET, which PCGL letters have replaced.
In issuing letters for commissary and exchange privilege purposes, regional offices must use one of the three PCGL AB3 letters. They are: Future Exam Scheduled, No Future Exam Scheduled, and To Surviving Spouse. Do not use any other letters, and do not include any reference to an IU rating in the PCGL letters.
/s/
Bradley G. Mayes, Director
Compensation and Pension Service
Unless something has changed I believe this is still in effect. If I am wrong please correct me. I don't see anything that says a veteran has to be P & T. I believe that a veteran rated 100% will have an expiration date on their MWR ID Card (the date of their new/future exam). I believe for 100% P & T veterans and Surviving Spouses they get an Indefinite MWR ID Card.
Edited by pacmanx1My intentions are to help, my advice maybe wrong, be your own advocate and know what is in your C-File and the 38 CFR that governs your disabilities and conditions.
Do your own homework. No one knows the veteran’s symptoms like the veteran. Never Give Up.
I do not give my consent for anyone to view my personal VA records.
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