Sanitity Check On Retro Pay Computation...

[highoctane]

Ok...need a little sanity check.. my last day on active duty was 11/30/14. My effective date of disability is 1 Dec 14. I received my first regular payment 1 Apr 15( for March obviously). So by my math my retro should be 3 months..1 Jan 15 payment (for December), 1 Feb payment (for jan), 1 March payment(for feb.). The VA paid 2 months and after talking to 2 people they still seem confused because of the way the law is worded about the 1st of the month after disability...IMO that means that is the date you get paid...ie if disabled from 1 dec, you rate a payment 1 jan for December...but 2 people at VA ive talked to so far disagree(granted it was just phone answers). But when they finally let me fully explain all they will say is "DFAS" did the audit..and DFAS says we did the audit with the info VA provided(which was wrong)..

DFAS agrees with me but cant do anything because the VA put the effective date for the audit as 1 Jan 15..VA says that's just the way it works..so why does my rating decision have one effective date and my audit another?

Ok...so am I wrong..and if so what kind of sense does it make that we just don't get retro for the first month?

Final answer from VA was write a letter to us explaining what you think was done wrong...I'm talking to you on the phone and you can see my records and see what I'm talking about...but I have to write a letter??

Ok...rant over...I really wanted to think that the all the VA horror stories were just the fact that rarely anyone reports the good...but so far my claim has been a nightmare. It was done quickly...about 90 days..but everything has been screwed up...the 2 most serious contentions denied for no clinical diagnosis, they are all over my records that the has(DAV SO confirmed this)..3 of my 4 dependents names spelled wrong...and these are easy names to spell and were clearly written on the paperwork...now this retro thing. Even if "that is the way it is"...it makes no sense to me that we just don't get paid for a month. I know its only one month but its the principle...not the money. This whole process is so frustrating.

Ok...now seriously...rant over..

Thanks for listening. :)

[free_spirit_etc]

Oops! I was off base....

Edited April 28, 2015 by free_spirit_etc

[Guest]

Your last day in the military 30 Nov. 2014 don't count.

Your effective date is 1 Dec, 2014. Your rating decision should say that your payment begins the first day of the month following your effective date. So that means 1 Jan 2015. January pay is paid 1 February. VA just like the military pays in the rears. This really confuse a lot of veterans. If I am off I am sure someone will chime in and correct me.

[highoctane]

Yes I understand 30 Nov doesn't count..my effective date is 1 Dec.. but what about the month of December? We do t get paid for the first month? That makes no sense..That's like saying if I joined the military on the 1 dec I don't get a check until 1 feb and I never get paid for December and that's not how it works on the military side. And if that's how it works on the VA side that's just wrong. JMO. I interpret the verbiage to mean you should get a PAYMENT the 1st of the month following the effective day..as in for the month or part of the month between the effectove date and the 1st of the following month.. But I guess it could be like you said.., like the whole rounding down to the nearest dollar..who comes up with this stuff lol

Edited April 27, 2015 by highoctane

[highoctane]

Free spirit I hear you I just want to make 100% sure I'm right before I do..but even if the Im wrong in my computation that's a laughable way to compute retro..it should accrue from the effective date.

Edited April 27, 2015 by highoctane

[Guest]

That is how it works and now you are learning. Remember the old saying if VA always owe you, you will never be broke.

What does the breakdown of your rating decision say.

[highoctane]

The breakdown I got in the mail today for the retro isn't real specific..as to what the dates mean, ie effective or what ..it says "1Jan 15 X dollars and 1 Feb 15 x dollars"... That to me looks like a PAYMENT date. My first regular payment was 1 April...so if that's the case I'm still missing March 1 payment. They can't have it both ways..1jan 15 can't be a payment date and the date accrued pay starts..

So if 1 jan was infact the date it starts accruing wouldn't the break down like 1 feb and 1 March payment dates?

Edited April 27, 2015 by highoctane