Acceptable Wait Time For Large Retroactive Pay?

[mtkabbott]

I was seeing if I could get some advice/insight as to what I should do about my problem.

I retired after 24 years in September 2013 with my final discharge date being October 31^st 2013. Unfortunately I received some bad advice, in my opinion, and did not file my disability claim until in November 2013. It seemed to go on track for the next few months until it got hung up in a review status and stayed that way until November 2014. At that time they requested I get re-examined. They reason they gave me was because it had been over a year since I retired so there might be additional issues to be listed on the claim. After the additional paperwork was submitted everything went rather quickly and I received my notification in late January 2015 that I was being awarded 80% and received my first monthly check at the beginning of March. During March I also received a letter indicating that while my award level wasn’t going to change I was going to received additional compensation due to some of my disabilities. About the time I received that letter I also found out my audit from DFAS had been returned and I began to patiently wait for my retroactive pay. When I heard nothing by May I began to inquire as to its status. The only information I could find out was that it was still being reviewed. I also found out the DFAS audit for the additional compensation had also come back in April. It was only recently through Hadit’s forums did I find out that retroactive pays larger than $25,000 have to go higher up for additional signatures.

At what point do I go beyond waiting and start calling/writing people? And who do I contact? I saw somewhere the mention of VSCM (Veterans Service Center Manager. How do I find mine?

You would think it wouldn’t take that long to review it since they already send you documentation clearly identifying/calculating what all you should have been paid in the first place. The other ironic part is that if it hadn’t taken them so long in the first place to process my claim, I wouldn’t have had such a large retro pay and would have probably received it by now.

Thanks for any advice (and the opportunity to vent).

[mtkabbott]

Thanks Berta.

[broncovet]

The EAP (Extrordianry Awards Program) is CUE under Macklem.

http://thomasandrewslaw.blogspot.com/2010/08/macklem-eap-equals-cue.html

This said, the VA can still make you wait forever especially when doing an audit, which you would likely have when you retire from the military.

[malandroaz]

I was seeing if I could get some advice/insight as to what I should do about my problem.

I retired after 24 years in September 2013 with my final discharge date being October 31^st 2013. Unfortunately I received some bad advice, in my opinion, and did not file my disability claim until in November 2013. It seemed to go on track for the next few months until it got hung up in a review status and stayed that way until November 2014. At that time they requested I get re-examined. They reason they gave me was because it had been over a year since I retired so there might be additional issues to be listed on the claim. After the additional paperwork was submitted everything went rather quickly and I received my notification in late January 2015 that I was being awarded 80% and received my first monthly check at the beginning of March. During March I also received a letter indicating that while my award level wasn’t going to change I was going to received additional compensation due to some of my disabilities. About the time I received that letter I also found out my audit from DFAS had been returned and I began to patiently wait for my retroactive pay. When I heard nothing by May I began to inquire as to its status. The only information I could find out was that it was still being reviewed. I also found out the DFAS audit for the additional compensation had also come back in April. It was only recently through Hadit’s forums did I find out that retroactive pays larger than $25,000 have to go higher up for additional signatures.

At what point do I go beyond waiting and start calling/writing people? And who do I contact? I saw somewhere the mention of VSCM (Veterans Service Center Manager. How do I find mine?

You would think it wouldn’t take that long to review it since they already send you documentation clearly identifying/calculating what all you should have been paid in the first place. The other ironic part is that if it hadn’t taken them so long in the first place to process my claim, I wouldn’t have had such a large retro pay and would have probably received it by now.

Thanks for any advice (and the opportunity to vent).

Wish you well. I am watching your post as I have retro pay due but mine is around 22k.

[mtkabbott]

Using the numbers that Berta supplied (Thank you again) I attempted to talk to a real person. In my initial attempt the phone kept getting forwarded to someone else's number until it just kept ringing and ringing. I tried again today and finally someone did answer and transferred me to the desk of those that work on retroactive pay. According to the lady I spoke to she is not aware of any rule about large retroactive pays having to get further authorization. She did look up my case and said it was still open. The problem according to her is that because there was such a big backlog in Disability claims in their region everyone was pulled to assist with the disability claims and not work anything else. They are now working on the retroactive pays but they are now backlogged on those and that to be honest it will probably be a while till I see anything. She even said that the only way she could bring attention to my case is if I could show financial hardship or if it is over a year old from when they have received the audit from DFAS. Feeling pretty dejected at this point. I sent an email to the Director Keith Wilson, but something tells me that will probably go on deaf ears. Because of the upcoming holiday I will give it until next week for a response. If nothing by then I think I will contact my congressman considering this article I found online today (http://www.roanoke.com/news/virginia/veterans-affairs-office-in-roanoke-reduces-wait-times-for-benefits/article_fb21bdfc-82b3-5354-ba70-b57f0a1a5248.html).

Will keep everyone posted.