tinnitus Good Or Bad?

[Dtown]

In February 2015 I was awarded 20% for L knee(10%) and tinnitus(10%). Both C&P done by civilian doctors. The process for my first claim took 10 months.

I filed a new claim on 2/26/2015 for hearing loss and righ knee (secondary). I was contacted today (3/27/15) and scheduled for C&P with VA doctors.

I did not expect such a quick response. Is this good or bad news for me?

Thank you!

[Pete53]

Welcome to Hadit

[Philip Rogers]

I would say it is good news! Just so you know, you have to be deaf as a stump to get a rating for hearing loss.

pr

[Dtown]

Thank you.

[TiredCoastie]

It depends on where you live and which RO is servicing your file in terms of how fast they get through claims, but it does sound like good news to have C&Ps this fast. Your contentions seem pretty cut-and-dry.

In general, there is a rush to get through claims. At one point a few years ago, the President and VA Secretary announced a plan to have the so-called backlog (claims older than 125 days) eliminated by the end of this year. To do that, they have to make sure that few claims make it beyond 125 days old. Statistically, the VA isn't going to make that goal this year unless they really speed things up over the next 8 months, but the pressure still seems to be there.

GP is right about how you'll likely be rated if they SC your hearing loss. The regs are not clear to me but one would think you'd be eligible for free hearing aids through the VAMC.

[Navy04]

I have had 4 FDC claims in the last two years, and most of them I was scheduled for C&Ps in less than a month. Good luck and keep us posted.

[Dtown]

I appreciate the replies. I'm not expecting a positive result for hearing loss, but hopefully I get a rating for my right knee (seconday). I also claimed right ankle condition, but was not scheduled for C&P. I'm in El Paso, TX.

Navy did your FDC work out in your favor?

Thanks again!

[godelocs]

I just helped a fellow veteran with a claim and sent it in. Hopefully he will be scheduled for his C&P exams soon. Good luck.

[Dtown]

Thank you for the responses. I'm not expecting anything for hearing loss, but hopefully I can get a rating for my right knee (secondary). By the way I'm in El Paso, TX.

Navy04 did your FDC claims result positive for you?

Thanks again!

[Runrdud3]

The goal is 125 days for simple increase claims; at least that is what the Salt Lake City VA told me. I just finished my two C&P exams last week and my 125 day deadline is 12 April so I think they will make that deadline. Good news is its not more than a year like it use to be.

Runrdud3

[Pete53]

I never believe time estimates by VA. This is a long haul project and can drag out. Hopefully not but the VA is not trustworthy

[TiredCoastie]

I never believe time estimates by VA. This is a long haul project and can drag out. Hopefully not but the VA is not trustworthy

I agree. 125 days is a stake in the sand set by someone a long time ago for the purposes of gauging performance. It's a goal, but nothing more than that. If the department or agency fails to meet a goal, there's an argument for more $$$. Sure they're driving at trying to get rid of the so-called backlog which is defined as claims older than 125 days. Probably not going to happen most places and not nationally IMO. But they're setting themselves up to rush stuff through quicker which doesn't necessarily mean you'll get a better, more accurate decision.

For Salt Lake City, the RO is reporting that the average claim worked since last October is taking 149.8 days to complete as of this past Monday. That's third fastest in the Western Region and whole lot faster than what my RO is claiming. There are ROs out there taking 9 months on average for each claim.

[kate7772]

Does anyone have the link that shows how long each RO is currently averaging?

Thanks

Kate

[TiredCoastie]

Does anyone have the link that shows how long each RO is currently averaging?

Thanks

Kate

Here it is, the Monday Morning Workload Reports:

http://benefits.va.gov/REPORTS/detailed_claims_data.asp

Find the latest week, download and open up the excel spreadsheet, the look at the "Rating Bundle Measures - SOO" tab or Station of Origin data. You'll have to sort the ROs by region. It always seems to come up the Eastern region (there are instructions on the sheet). Click the box that says "Eastern Area" and it will give you a pull down tab to choose another region. You'll also see how your RO matches up against others in terms of measured accuracy.

The data is what it is...self-reported information. It's supposed to be as of the opening of business Monday morning which is about the same as close of business on Friday afternoon and gets updated at some point on Mondays, usually, or Tuesday if Monday is a federal holiday. Some weeks, I've found the raw data to be notably off what it should be. It's a look, though, into what's happening at your RO. One of the more interesting things that I've seen is that some ROs are very, very quick in their turnaround times probably because they have a limited number of veterans in their geographic area. Other ROs are completely overwhelmed.