Jump to content

Ask Your VA   Claims Questions | Read Current Posts 
Read VA Disability Claims Articles
 Search | View All Forums | Donate | Blogs | New Users | Rules 

  • homepage-banner-2024.png

  • donate-be-a-hero.png

E-Mail to Allison Hickey pays off

Rate this topic


highoctane

Recommended Posts

I'm not sure if this is the best place for this...my claim isn't complete just yet, so I don't really know if I was successful. BUT I thought I needed to share this, regardless of what the decision is, I got some relief from the frustration of dealing with the "system". I e-mailed Allison Hickey a couple of weeks ago about a claim that was denied for "no clinical diagnosis" when it was well documented in my military service treatment records. It was my main contention, and I was dumbfounded as to how it could be denied. She returned my E-mail and CC'd the RO (Winston Salem) director, Ms. Rawls. She said she would have the claim reviewed. Shortly thereafter Ms. Rawls e-mailed me and said one of here team members would be contacting me soon. That happened today, a Mr. Heliman from Winston-Salem RO contacted me and we spend a good amount of time going over my claim. He was very professional and patient and poured over all of the details, and let's just say things are now quickly moving in the right direction. My reconsideration claim went from gathering evidence to prep for notification in one day! It's a long story and I won't bore with those details, but let's just say that I have been very impressed with the attitudes of all the  personnel at the upper levels of the VBA that I've recently dealt with. It was a breath of fresh air. I'm imagine I just got lucky and Allison read my e-mail, i'm sure she gets far too many to actually read them all. If anyone has a real issue with a claim being dealt with by Winston-Salem that is frustrating them send me a message, Ms. Rawls has given me here blessing to share her contact info. Like Ms. Hickey, Ms. Rawls truly wants to help vets.

Edited by highoctane
Link to comment
Share on other sites

high octane,

Good to hear you had a positive experience.  Undersecretary Hickey has a good record of responding to requests for assistance from veterans in a timely manner, including several Hadit members.  Her efforts have frequently resulted in positive outcomes for the veterans.  I hope the same holds true in your case.

Semper Fi,

GP

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • HadIt.com Elder

 Its a good thing you emailed her...I'd say contacting the upper's gets things moving...good thing you email her.

Any veteran having problems with his/her claim  or at a snail movement   email Ms  Allison Hickey she does get things rolling.

 

.............Buck

 

I am not an Attorney or VSO, any advice I provide is not to be construed as legal advice, therefore not to be held out for liable BUCK!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What I would say is if you e-mail her put something compelling in the subject line and carefully think out your e-mail. Again, I am sure she does not have time to respond to all the emails she gets. I had actually emailed her months ago and didn't get any response. But that email was not well thought and composed..it was borne of frustration. I'm sure it read like many other rant e-mails she probably gets everyday, I was very frustrated. I was not belligerent, but I also wasn't articulate in that first e-mail. Be smart. Only contact Ms. Hickey when you feel that there is really an issue that you feel she should be aware of with how your claim was handled. Be able to articulate details with respect to how the claim was or is being mishandled. She and the upper level VBA management do really seem to care. Often though hands are tied by legalease and the federal government. Most if not ALL of the "roadblocks" that we as veterans face are put in place by powers higher than the VBA..the VBA employees are often just following orders and following procedures. As we all know S rolls down hill..nothing is different here..the VBA employees are taking the brunt of our frustrations but they are just doing so under orders, to shield real culprits..the politicians in our federal government. They do not like it any more than we do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Claim was completed and the rating commensurate with my C&P exam was granted! This now qualifies as a success story lol. That might be a record for moving from gathering evidence to complete...less than 24 hours?

Edited by highoctane
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • HadIt.com Elder

Yes it is a great success!...Congratulations Buddy.:smile:

 

..............Buck

I am not an Attorney or VSO, any advice I provide is not to be construed as legal advice, therefore not to be held out for liable BUCK!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • Tell a friend

    Love HadIt.com’s VA Disability Community Vets helping Vets since 1997? Tell a friend!
  • Recent Achievements

    • RICHKAY earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • pacmanx1 earned a badge
      Great Content
    • czqiang1079 earned a badge
      First Post
    • Vicdamon12 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Panther8151 earned a badge
      One Year In
  • Our picks

    • Caluza Triangle defines what is necessary for service connection
      Caluza Triangle – Caluza vs Brown defined what is necessary for service connection. See COVA– CALUZA V. BROWN–TOTAL RECALL

      This has to be MEDICALLY Documented in your records:

      Current Diagnosis.   (No diagnosis, no Service Connection.)

      In-Service Event or Aggravation.
      Nexus (link- cause and effect- connection) or Doctor’s Statement close to: “The Veteran’s (current diagnosis) is at least as likely due to x Event in military service”
      • 0 replies
    • Do the sct codes help or hurt my disability rating 
    • VA has gotten away with (mis) interpreting their  ambigious, , vague regulations, then enforcing them willy nilly never in Veterans favor.  

      They justify all this to congress by calling themselves a "pro claimant Veteran friendly organization" who grants the benefit of the doubt to Veterans.  

      This is not true, 

      Proof:  

          About 80-90 percent of Veterans are initially denied by VA, pushing us into a massive backlog of appeals, or worse, sending impoverished Veterans "to the homeless streets" because  when they cant work, they can not keep their home.  I was one of those Veterans who they denied for a bogus reason:  "Its been too long since military service".  This is bogus because its not one of the criteria for service connection, but simply made up by VA.  And, I was a homeless Vet, albeit a short time,  mostly due to the kindness of strangers and friends. 

          Hadit would not be necessary if, indeed, VA gave Veterans the benefit of the doubt, and processed our claims efficiently and paid us promptly.  The VA is broken. 

          A huge percentage (nearly 100 percent) of Veterans who do get 100 percent, do so only after lengthy appeals.  I have answered questions for thousands of Veterans, and can only name ONE person who got their benefits correct on the first Regional Office decision.  All of the rest of us pretty much had lengthy frustrating appeals, mostly having to appeal multiple multiple times like I did. 

          I wish I know how VA gets away with lying to congress about how "VA is a claimant friendly system, where the Veteran is given the benefit of the doubt".   Then how come so many Veterans are homeless, and how come 22 Veterans take their life each day?  Va likes to blame the Veterans, not their system.   
    • Welcome to hadit!  

          There are certain rules about community care reimbursement, and I have no idea if you met them or not.  Try reading this:

      https://www.va.gov/resources/getting-emergency-care-at-non-va-facilities/

         However, (and I have no idea of knowing whether or not you would likely succeed) Im unsure of why you seem to be so adamant against getting an increase in disability compensation.  

         When I buy stuff, say at Kroger, or pay bills, I have never had anyone say, "Wait!  Is this money from disability compensation, or did you earn it working at a regular job?"  Not once.  Thus, if you did get an increase, likely you would have no trouble paying this with the increase compensation.  

          However, there are many false rumors out there that suggest if you apply for an increase, the VA will reduce your benefits instead.  

      That rumor is false but I do hear people tell Veterans that a lot.  There are strict rules VA has to reduce you and, NOT ONE of those rules have anything to do with applying for an increase.  

      Yes, the VA can reduce your benefits, but generally only when your condition has "actually improved" under ordinary conditions of life.  

          Unless you contacted the VA within 72 hours of your medical treatment, you may not be eligible for reimbursement, or at least that is how I read the link, I posted above. Here are SOME of the rules the VA must comply with in order to reduce your compensation benefits:

      https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/38/3.344

       
    • Good question.   

          Maybe I can clear it up.  

          The spouse is eligible for DIC if you die of a SC condition OR any condition if you are P and T for 10 years or more.  (my paraphrase).  

      More here:

      Source:

      https://www.va.gov/disability/dependency-indemnity-compensation/

      NOTE:   TO PROVE CAUSE OF DEATH WILL LIKELY REQUIRE AN AUTOPSY.  This means if you die of a SC condtion, your spouse would need to do an autopsy to prove cause of death to be from a SC condtiond.    If you were P and T for 10 full years, then the cause of death may not matter so much. 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Guidelines and Terms of Use