Va Is Not A Unified Body

[broncovet]

Once you understand that VA is NOT a unified body, it will help.

People often ask, "What will the VA do in x circumstance". Here is a real example:

A veteran submits a claim with a y nexus, an x disability, and z symptoms. He is looking for benefit Q.

1. Regional Office "ST. Pete" denies Q. However, Employee R, disagrees and awards it in the DRO review.

2. Regional Office "Indy" awards benefit Q but assigns an incorrect effective date.

3. Employee "H" of the Cleveland RO denies benefit Q, and loses half the Veterans C file, meaning appeals will take 10 years.

4. Employee "R" of nashville awards benefit Q, but then forgets to enter it into Vacols, so Veteran never gets paid, and has to appeal to get what he should be already receiving.

5. Employee "B" of Buffalo, shreds the Q claim, but awards "R" at zero percent, and reports the Veteran to the VAOIG for travel pay issues. Travel pay issues turn out to be bogus, but employee b is upset and retaliates on Veteran by inserting veterans file into another Vets file, knowing this will cause 10 year delay.

....it keeps going, and this is with the same claim. When people ask, "what will the VA do when"...there is never a consistent answer.

Edited March 6, 2015 by broncovet

[rootbeer22]

Broncovet:

It's all disheartening but hopefully things will get better? Frankly, there's a big effort to make things better but a lot of the employees are being overworked and mistakes are happening? I've have and seen my own problems. Also, there's a great deal of attitudes and behavior that is not very professional. I had a very important exam this week and the doctor paid me no mind and it was clear that he wanted to clear me out of the way for other business. Although I have not seen the results yet, it cannot bode well for my future outcome of the exam. Frankly, I don't want to spend years of appeals when I have robust SMR evidence that supports my contention. As I've said before, I am convinced that most of it comes down to the doctor that you draw for your exam. Hopefully, they are professional and follow the exam rules, but I've learned that it goes both ways and you can't be sure..until you walk thru the door and the exam starts...then you know. Unfortunately, one minor mistake by a examiner and one can spend years and years in an appeal...when a pen stroke could make all of the difference.,

[Buck52]

I always figured if a veteran has all the concrete evidence he needs for his/her claim & to make copies....and just hope for the best! its hard for them to denied but they sometimes do for whatever reason...like I said just hope for the best...I always think of appeals as a game they love to play but its no game that's for sure!

if they would just read all the information put in front of them from RO all the way to Washington DC Veterans Court of Appeals. that would make a big difference in veterans claims.

I suppose were lucky we have the choice to appeal.

I hope some day when a veteran files a claim the VA just assigns one employee to address it approve or disapprove at the RO Level but until some one can think of a better way were stuck in the system.

I agree with rootbeer about the luck of the draw,it can be said about the rater & dro also!

jmo

.......Buck!

Edited March 6, 2015 by Buck52

[john999]

A good IMO/IME can turn night into day! That is if they read it. In my first claim in 1972 they did not even read my IME. No problem! Just pretend it did not exist, and send my appeal rights to wrong address. This case has been working it way through appeals for 8 years and it now at real Court. I will lose I know it. All they do is to see if they VA &&&^%$ me good and proper according to their perverted rules at Court of Vet Appeals.

John

[Buck52]

John999

you have an attorney? going that long with appeals you need a good attorney that will tell them to shit or get off the pot.

don't give up appeal Appeal Appeal & Appeal to your last breath.

JMO

...................Buck!

[Notorious Kelly]

As it is now, we toss everything into The Black Hole and HOPE they're working on it.

if it were a just System, our claims would be treated like a court case and we'd have a hearing where both sides could see and argue all of the evidence.

As it is, many veterans struggle in poverty for years hoping for good news any day when, the truth is, their claim has been waylaid or isn't being worked on for one reason or another.

That is a travesty.

[ArNG11]

I don't diagree with most of the above. It boils down to money and politics and I despise it. You shouldn't have to jump through hell and hoops and get some consolation prize of a disability benefit. I mean don't get me wrong, money is good, unfortunately money is a tool we need to get through life for necessities and a way of surviving, but I would gladly trade it for my health back, keep the money, promise me that, change all my broken parts and stop the pain. Oh you can't do that? Well afford me what I've earned, provide what was promised and let me live out the rest of what's left of my life in peace and somewhat of a normal life after being broken and injured. This VA broken machine will never be fixed, too many people with loose their Bentley's. God forbid a Veteran and their dependents get what they rightly deserve when they deserve it. The hell with the rules, the hell with regs and laws, evidence what evidence.
This is where you get fed up. Zero your weapons. Aquire your targets and eliminate your targets using the law and evidence and shoot them down. Poof red mist. End of story. The snake rears its head, then red dot the SOB and squeeze that trigger. Playtime is over, War is what it is. MHO. Ill go take a happy pill now. Damn the VA, damn the DOL. I'll get off my soapbox. Apologies.

Edited March 6, 2015 by ArNG11