Do They Do Anything Right?

[free_spirit_etc]

I am trying to help my ex-father-in-law apply for increased Pension. He gets $898 from Social Security and his employer pension and $38 from veterens. The guy is 95 years old. His wife and daughter just died a few months ago. (His daughter was killed in a car wreck on the way to see her mother in the hospital). He hasn't been ANYWHERE except to the doctor and his wife and daughter's funerals for several years.

So I am trying to get him housebound --and maybe aid and attendance (my son stays with him).

Well --I called the VA. They sent me the forms (Physician statement and Statement in Support of Claim) AND an envelope to return the info to them at the St. Louis Office.

I have called a few times to try to find out exactly what he will need to expedite this claim...like if he needs to apply for the NEW pension (if he is still on the old one) --what about being able to deduct the $83 a month he pays for Medicare...etc.

They keep telling me that they have sent me everything he needs.

I called at the end of October to try to assure that we could protect the October filing date for his claim. I told them I would be sending in a claim --but wanted to protect the October date by filing an infornal claim by phone.

They told me only VSOs could file an informal claim. And they said it wouldn't matter that much because he would just lose a few hundred dollars by filing the next month. Grrrrrrr...

The VSO, by the way, did not return my phone calls for a few weeks --and told my ex-husband that his father would need to see a doctor FIRST -- BEFORE he filed a claim.

???? To me - you should get the claim FILED and THEN see the doctor.

So I shot out a quick Statement in support of claim --on 10/27/2006 to try to protect the October filing date.

I sent it to the address the provided me with - with the self-addressed envelope (St. Louis)

I sent his doctor the physician statement form -- and gave HIM the actual Self addresed envelope for St. Louis. So he sent the form to the St. Louis Office.

My husband kept thinking it should go to Chicago --but I ASSUMED they knew what they were doing --and figured maybe they decided the pensions in St. Louis.

Well - today - I was sending them a Statement --And I couldn't find the address right off the bat -so being lazy - I called the toll free number and asked for the address.

They looked it up and said I am supposed to be sending the info to CHICAGO!!!

I said I had been sending the statements to St. Louis --since that is the address they gave me on the self-addressed envelopes they sent.

I asked what they would do with all the info that has been sent to St. Louis.

She just responded like "Ho hum - it is SUPPOSED to be sent to Chicago.." Like *I* had been doing it wrong.

Grrrrrrrrrrr

Free