Effects submitting all claims vs. separate

[escalady]

Hello,

I am will be filing for my husband 100% temporary disability. I will have the copies of his records of hospitalization to submit at the time I do the claim on line. I need to also submit for other claims fie which I will not have copies of medical records for up to 30 days if not a little more. Would processing the requests separately affect processing times? For the sake of time would it better to submit the other claims to get them started and in the system without the copies of medical records? Thank you.

[escalady]

Thank you everyone for the responses. I will file within the next day or 2. I have secured the records and have submitted for other copies. Thank you. 

[Chuck75]

Hello,

I am will be filing for my husband 100% temporary disability. I will have the copies of his records of hospitalization to submit at the time I do the claim on line. I need to also submit for other claims fie which I will not have copies of medical records for up to 30 days if not a little more. Would processing the requests separately affect processing times? For the sake of time would it better to submit the other claims to get them started and in the system without the copies of medical records? Thank you.

I'd file. The problem is that the more complicated a claim, the longer it takes. There is an argument that if money as soon as possible is the necessity, then file the strongest claim first, as a complete stand alone claim. Obviously this should be a condition/claim that should result in a significant award, rather than a "foot in the door" claim. The object is rather obvious. Not only money is involved, but low or no cost medical care and various other benefits can easily be involved.

Traditionally, the VA supposedly was to look at a veteran's records, and maximize benefits. It was recognized that a veteran may not understand all the gory claim details, and the VA was to "assist" the veteran with the claim. Occasionally, you see that the VA actually adds conditions that the veteran did not directly state or ask for compensation for.

Expecting the VA to in truth do what it should is usually a very iffy thing.  When I first filed a claim, the VSO advice was almost uniformly in favor of keeping the initial claim limited to a single condition. This was a over a decade ago. I cannot say that it would be the best thing to do today.  When you disagree with the VA's ratings, things can get really messy, time consuming, and time constrained. The VA can take it's own time to do anything, but the veteran has strict time limits imposed by law. Filing claims serially usually makes for a protracted effort. There also was something the VA did that was a bit on the shady side, I'd call implied denial. (If the VA did not mention a claimed condition in an award or denial, it was considered denied) There have been court rulings back and forth on this sort of thing. Current thinking seems to be that the VA is required to give a decision, good or bad, and if they did not, it's likely that the issue is still "open".

[waccamawwild]

Always protect the date by filing as early as possible.

[Carl the Engineer]

I agree with the above and suggest one more thing.  Save back at least one contemporary record for new evidence, just in case you need it later on. As well as plan on getting an IME/IMO, just in case.  JMO 

As long as the conditions you are filing for are well supported and you have the necessary ingredients for a success full claim you'll be golden.

The one negative that I have noticed though is if you file a cluster of claim or rather cluster of conditions in one claim they tend to deny most of them.  Just relaying my experience with a multi symptom claim.

Now thats sneeky, and I like it.....

[ArNG11]

Now thats sneeky, and I like it.....

Thanks Buddy.  I am just giving my 2 cents'.  It's a long drawn out fight that I think we can all agree.  The fight, the game, whatever metaphor you would like to use to describe the VA Claims process, I think it is vital to your survival, until your ratings are protected, or more liars, cheats, and crooked, pitiful excuses for human beings, get prosecuted and made an example of, this is at least a 5 year  watch your six kind of endeavor.  Not meaning to be a kill joy, just stating what I have learned thus far.

All the more important to become knowledgeable  with whom you are dealing with and the tactics and strategies.  VA is a unique organism, that, is a cold hard truth.  JMO

[pwrslm]

"VA is a unique organism, that, is a cold hard truth"

 

Corruption is not unique, but this is true nonetheless.