Soc Timeline

[Sailorman]

I sent in a Notice of Disagreement (NOD) to to Veteran's Affair 9/14. I Have not received an Statement of the Case (SOC) thus far. This appears to be like a rather long wait and just curious to know how long other veterans have waited to receive their SOC after filing an NOD.

[63SIERRA]

Folks:

When I read this kind of stuff, I pray that I turned in the correctly formated and strong disability package at first so I don't have to go thru the years and years that it takes to get something decided in one's favor after the first claim is adjudicated? Now that I've done my CP exams and have gone thru the process, I can see how the multitude of errors and problems occur and are mainly against the Vet? At first, I put myself in the hands of a local VSO, and realised I had made a big mistake by being assigned someone that was not more than and "intake clerk" who gave me advice that hurt rather than helped my case at the start? Thank god, that I figured it out before it became too late and dropped the VSO? Overall, she was nice but did not add value to the process at all. I've learned a lot of from Berta and a lot of the other Subject Matter Experts who really understand the disability process -which has guided me. Frankly, it;'s a good thing that I found this website earlier which continues to be helpful. Certainly, I'm already prepared that it's all going to still be a fight till the end- at least for some of the contentions -but hopefully not all of them? But I've learned even, with clear SMR evidence and a strong nexus, the examiners seem to miss a great deal of the relevant information that we discussed during the examinations but fails to make it on the exam sheet. But I do know someday...that big envelope is likely to arrive and hopefully it will adequately cover me for my service injuries....but it's certainly not a given or foregone conclusion in terms of what the outcome will be.

this site is a Godsend//

Root, you must realize, this is a political system, .. its a bean count.. If the bean jar is low, you get no beans

[broncovet]

Getting an SOC is part of it but you are still a "long ways" from a BVA decision. Even when you do get a BVA decision, it sometimes takes years of fighting to get VARO to implement it.

From the time you file a NOD, expect it to take about 4 to 5 years to get a BVA decision.

As you pointed out, there is first a delay to get your SOC. You have 60 days to respond to the SOC, and then your claim has to be certified before its sent to BVA. You will likely also notice a delay I call "with VSO". Your national service officer (that you probably have not met) will "prepare" your claim before the BVA. Mine took 2 years to do that. When I complained to the VSO about that delay, the VSO got very defensive and said that my claim had been docketed and the backlog at the VSO would not increase the length of time, because the VSO works on it "during the long wait" at the BVA. I found out that is simply NOT true. YOur claim wont be docketed at BVA until AFTER your VSO prepares it. What I am getting at is your VSO probably delays your claim another 2 years. YOu may be able to help that by staying on them, and dont listen to their BS as to how it "with VSO" (in ebenefits) does not delay your claim. It does, according to my sources.

The delays at the BVA/appeal level have increased from about 1-2 years to about 4-5 years, and "new" appeals will likely be still longer...this is for existing appeals already in progress. A request for "advance on the docket" due to hardship may help, but gee...who among you, if someone owes you thousands of dollars, wont be in some sort of hardship if you have to wait 5 years for them to pay you?

The new "get rid of the backlog plan" mostly denies these claims and now we have an "appeal" backlog instead of a claims backlog, which is even worse. Most seasoned hadit members have experienced this.

[Gemini88]

I chose the DRO route as advised by my power of attorney, regarding initial ratings awarded back in 2013. We filed NOD and NOD was accepted by the VA in October 2013. I had a second round of C&P exams last month. Yesterday I checked ebenefits account and it stated claim was closed and completed as of 04-07-2015. So I called the VA to find out if a decision was pending, and they tell me they are mailing me a letter to state that the claim was actually cancelled and that it would be worked on as appeal. WHAT?!?! It should've been an appeal all along with the DRO as my power of attorney and I chose.

[Buck52]

Wait see what the letter says??....

if you filed for a DRO Hearing via NOD in Oct 2013 it has to be accepted & They should Received before 04-07-15? ...there maybe something in the letter will explain?

Maybe your claim was transferred to BVA & remanded back to RO for a decision?

jmo

.....Buck

[Sailorman]

Gemini88, I have a feeling they may do the same to me claims but I remain optimistic. That's certainly some tangled up mess.

[RoverV8Man]

I sent mine in on May 29, 2014. I just received my SOC April 18, 2015. Now it looks like I have to go before the BVA.