This sums up some of it for VA and VHA

[Meddac]

http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2016/04/17/newt-gingrich-veterans-administration-grievously-sick/

I'm not real in-tune with the VHA side of things, but I do know that it is severely broken. On the VBA side of the house I agree that the Appeals backlog is huge as reported in the story. If VA shifts resources to address it then the claims backlog will once again skyrocket. The see-saw of priorities goes on and the taxpayers are funding it.

In the VA they literally refer to all of this type of news as "job security", and it really is just that. The Union protects employees, but too often it's the wrong employees. The internal process is so far gone that I don't think it can ever recover. Not even a complete sweep of management will solve the VA's problems because it goes much higher and lower than that.

I could spend all day on this forum trying to educate, inform, and expose.....but I don't want to be on some TV show with my wife telling the world how I failed to get stuff done around the house!! 

 

Edited April 18, 2016 by Meddac

[Meddac]

Very general...I really can't tell you much from looking at a SHARE corporate screen clip.

If she was married to the Vet for 5+ years and on his award then VA should already have a 686 on file. I again ask, did they give a reason for needing the 686? 

If she doesn't qualify for DIC then VA still has a death benefit that can be paid, but it in now way pays enough for the funeral or any associated costs involved. I believe it's just a very small, one-time death benefit.

if BVA can get the Hep C hooked up then she very well could qualify for DIC and get some of the funeral costs recovered.

I think that's all correct....I'm typing from my phone so I could have missed something.

[bobbyq]

This is what the reply was from the VA

the VA wording on the decision they sent her.........we denied your claim for Dependecncy and Indeminity Compensation, Death Benefits and Accured Benefits.  On October 2015 we wrote and asked you to send us completed marital history on VA Form 21-686 because we did not receive it we are denying your claim. 

This is where the 686 came into play.  The SHARE screen clip shows she is ALREADY a dependent PRIOR to the vets death. They accepted her substitute so do I need a 21-4138 to the VA and say, why do we need a 21-686 when prior to the VETS death you had a Share program that showed her as a dependent and you also accepted her as a substitute for the Appeal.   

[Meddac]

I think you would save a lot of time that you would spend writing a 4138 out and just submit a new 686. It cannot hurt anything as long as there aren't discrepancies.

I don't know why they want one, but it appears that's what is holding things up right now.