Dependent Claim

[saxman]

I checked E-Benefits the other day and it said dependent claim closed 04/09/2015 in historical claims. Well in open claim it show the same dependent claim as be received and still open. Has anybody seen this before? If so, what does it mean?

[Chuck75]

If the same date is shown for both (4/09/2015), it's possible that the VA is trying to "pull a fast one"

in order to show a claim completion. Or, given the problems we've seen with E Bennies, the updater may have

not bothered to do a complete update.

[saxman]

Chuck75, they both have the same open dates. One claim said compete in historical claims and the shows claim received in open claims. There is no development letter in either claim. I've been checking my bank account and there hasn't been a deposit for the back pay for dependents. I will be calling today and hope to get some answers.

[broncovet]

Im fairly certain it was Allison Hickey who said a couple years ago that dependent claims should be paid immediately, and there should not be 1, 2, 5,10, or even 12 year delays like mine. She said we should be able to call the toll free number and poof, our dependent claims paid. That has all seemed to disappear tho, along with Shinseki's 120 day claims with 98 percent accuracy by 2015. I wonder what happened to "immediate processing" of dependent claims. Does anyone know??? This is a great example its not happening.

[saxman]

Well it will be one year next month that I filed my dependent claim and really don't know how close it is to really being complete... I may have to be making some more phone calls!

[broncovet]

Here is the way my VARO handled my dependent claim:

1. In 2002, I included dependents information. They lost that, of course. Sent once

2. In 2005, they awarded benefits and did not pay for dependents as they did not have my information.

3. I sent the information AGAIN in April 2005. They lost it again, of course. Sent 2 times.

4. I sent it again in Sept. 2006. Again, guess what..yea they lost it. Sent 3 times.

5. In 2009, I included dependents on my appeal. The BVA, in 2012, decided to make it retro until Oct. 2006, "provided I promptly give the RO dependent information". Sent 4 times.

6. In 2013, I sent in dependent information for a 5h time. Guess what a few ...I got an email that my dependents was denied as I did not send in the required dependent information within a year from 2013.

[saxman]

So I called the 800 number and they told me that the VA hired an independent company to handle dependent claims and they closed one dependent claim and left one open. Well I didn't know I had two dependent claims going at the same time. What will they come up with next?