Mike M. Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 (edited) BLUF: I was just awarded 90% for my combined rating on 16 April 2016! Here’s the quote from the AB8 letter that was just posted on E-benefits: “This letter certifies that Michael xxxxxxxx is receiving service-connected disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs.” “The current benefit paid is as follows: Gross Benefit Amount $2,170.70 Net Amount Paid $0.00 Effective Date March 1, 2016 Combined Evaluation 90 percent” I wanted to thank everyone on this website who contributed their excellent knowledge and their personal experience in the VA claim process! Your help is greatly appreciated. Background: I retired on 1 Feb 2016 from the US Army as a SFC (E7) after 24 years and 1 month of service. I forwarded my retirement paperwork/documentation via my chain-of-command to US Army Human Resources Command (HRC) on 29 Jan 2015 and received my approval for retirement on 4 March 2015. Retirement date was set for 1 Feb 2016. During this time period many senior NCOs and military retirees told me (lets’ say “pushed” me) to apply for VA benefits. This was also pushed to us from the VA representatives during my Transition Assistance Program (TAP) course. For those that don’t know, TAP is a mandatory 3-5 day course for all Soldiers that separate from the Army. I was extremely reluctant to apply for VA benefits at first because I was only 43 years old and still able to physically function (good/satisfactory). Yes, I was now on a walking profile due to years of wear and tear from running, but I felt fine. I also had several other medical issues that have plagued me during my Army career. I always thought, “Give those benefits to veterans who are truly having issues.” Then an older retiree told me that you might feel fine now, but in 10 or 15 years your body may start to fall apart: Get all your symptoms/conditions to at least show a service-connection so that you won’t have huge medical bills when you turn 60. I decided to go ahead with the process. Things I learned prior to retiring/separating that I would like to pass on for those still on active-duty and are in the process of separating in the future: 1. Medical Documentation: Get your symptoms/conditions medically documented! Start now! I can’t stress this enough! Some might say be a “Sick-Call Ranger.” Call it what you want. Start at least one year (minimum) prior to your separation or retirement and go to sick-call when you have a flare up/ache/pain and have them put your issue into their computerized medical system. If you’re persistent enough you will get a referral to a specialist to look at your aliment (knee, back, ankle, etc.) 2. Go to sick-call: There seems to be a social stigma in the Army that you should just, “Suck it up, take 800 milligrams of Motrin and drive on.” Yeah, I did that in my 20’s and early 30’s and my body recovered rapidly, but as you get older it’s more difficult for your body to recover as fast. Please try to get yourself fixed before you separate or at least get your aliment medically documented. 3. Take full advantage of the Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) or Quick Start while on active-duty. A lot of Soldiers I talked to who were separating just wanted to get out as quickly as possible. On the other hand, there were many who knew about BDD program extensively. 4. VSO: Utilize them! Before I retired I went to the VA office on Fort Hood at the Copeland Center. They have a staff with very competent VSO’s. They are overwhelmed, but they are professional and do walk-ins. They took me step-by-step through the process. I owe my VSO lunch for this! Without them I would have never have been able to do this on my own. For those that were able to do your VA claim on your own and were successful, I tip my cap off to you. 5. Additional medical info: Drop off any additional medical documentation for your existing claims to the VSO up to the day your claim is opened. What does this mean? Say you requested your medical records 6 months prior to leaving the service. Assume you get your medical records in 30 days and submit your claim immediately (VA Form 21-526EZ). You now have five months left before you separate. What if you were still being seen by a medical specialist/doctor during this five month time frame for a medical condition? The VA would never have your MOST CURRENT medical evaluations. This is important if you have conditions that recur frequently in a 12 month timeframe and can impact your service related condition percentage. You should submit further medical evidence up to the day the VA opens your claim if this is applicable. This will not prolong the “Gathering of Evidence” phase because the VA hasn’t even opened your file yet. Please let me post my timeline for those that are curious on how long this process took. Again, this is my timeline and is not applicable to everyone. Some people might even say I got lucky to have my VA claim completed in 75 days and get a 90% combined rating. I respect your opinion. I used the advice of this and various other websites to ensure I had my ‘ducks in row’. Remember that preparation is the key. I was told by my VSO that it takes an average of 120 days from the moment the VA opens your initial claim to completion. Let me stress that every VA claim is different. I was fortunate enough to do this on active duty. Here is my timeline: 5 October 2015: Attended VA brief at Fort Hood. The VSO has you fill out the VA Form 21-526EZ step-by-step. 9 October 2015: Submitted a written/in-person request for my medical records through my medical clinic. 14 November2015: Received two copies of my medical records on CD via mail. 18 November 2015: VSO reviewed my medical records with me in person and submitted the VA Form 21-526EZ on the same day. I immediately signed it. I received a hardcopy with the date/time stamp in the upper right-hand corner. 23 November 2015: E-benefits verified receipt of my initial claim (VA Form 21-526EZ). 1 December 2015: Terminal leave started. 22 December 2015: First C&P appointment for my eyes. I was traveling so I had to reschedule. 14 January 2016: Second C&P appointment for my hearing and mental exam. 1 February 2016: Officially retired. VA opens my claim. Dropped off my DD-214 and additional medical documentation for my existing claims to the VSO office at Fort Hood. You can drop your DD-214 off earlier. 4 February 2016: Full blown C&P exam. Exam took about 3 hours. Doctor requested further blood tests and several evaluations by other medical specialists. 4 March 2016: Exams completed from the doctor who requested them. 17 March 2016: My DBQs were currently at the VA office in Salt Lake City for review. I did not know the exact date they got there. NOTE: A VA representative was able to show this date in the tracking system. This individual was able to print out my 117 page DBQ/C-File, so I got lucky and got to see it. He wasn’t really authorized to do this but he went out of his way to help all veterans. Based off what he saw in the system he stated I should get a final decision in about 3-4 weeks. You can obtain this file after your claim is completed though. 4 April 2016: “Gathering of Evidence” phase ended and went to the next phase on the E-benefits website. 14 April 2016: “Notification of Benefits” phase started. 15 April 2016: E-benefits website showed that my claim was “Completed.” 15 April 2016: Completion time: 75 days – (opened on 1 Feb 2016). 16 April 2016: E-benefits website showed my combined rating, rated disabilities, and my AB8 letter. The VSO listed 17 disabilities on the VA form 21-526EZ. I received a percentage for six of my disabilities and 0% for 4 of them. Combined evaluation was 90%. One time period I didn’t put down was from 30 October 2014 to 8 October 2015: During this time period I had surgery on my knee, did physical therapy, went to sick-call often for other conditions I had, and made sure that everything was medically documented. I can’t stress this enough: Go to sick-call and ensure that your aliments/issues/conditions are medically documented before separating!! When you see a doctor do not make anything up that may be wrong with you; WARNING – Don’t malinger and pretend that you have something physically or mentally wrong with you. Lastly, I’m a veteran of OIF and OEF: I spent an entire year deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan on separate occasions. I also have several other deployments that didn’t last as long as a year but long enough; Turkey twice, Israel, and Kuwait. I was just doing my duty and do not feel that I was anything special. I did what thousands of military members did before me and many more to follow. I just feel bad for our Korean War veterans, Vietnam-era veterans, Desert Storm/Desert Shield veterans, and pre-9-11 vets who have been shafted by the VA when trying to do their initial and follow-on VA claims. I’m truly thankful that the VA claim system has improved during my era, and I would never truly understand the frustration that some of our previous veterans have gone through. Without their lobbying of Congress to fix the system, I would have never been in this position. I’m truly grateful to all those past veterans who have addressed these issues. In closing I wanted to thank everyone who helped me by providing excellent information on the VA claim process. God bless you all! Best regards, Mike Edited June 20, 2016 by Mike M. flores97, FLTMEDOPS and 31Bravo 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berta Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 Mike, Thank you for those Long years of service and for the Absolutely Superb advice you gave all here. I never even knew about the TAP briefings until my daughter told me she went to all of them... a lot of running prior to her discharge, but she said the VA briefing was as good as it could be( in spite of what she knew many many vets have gone through with the VA) and there were service reps there to explain the overall claims process...I think they even started claims that same day for some. I am sure you know all about CRDP/CRSC....did they go over that with the retirees at the briefings? Also vets who are being discharged, in some cases have earned college credits.That too is part of the Educational briefings and it has to be done while the service person is still inservice. I think my daughter got 30 credits in all...that all went towards her degree, (USAF INTEL 7 years) ,but a vet rep I know went through the same type of MOS , retired at 20 years , and after 2 or 3 years had passed he tried to get his college credits from the AF but it was too late. Congratulations to you! And enjoy this victory and again thanks for this great advise. Mike M. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike M. Posted June 21, 2016 Author Share Posted June 21, 2016 Berta, First of all thank you for the kind response. Second, thank you for your service. Lastly, thank you for your previous advice that you have given to all the veterans on this website. The TAP course was extremely informative: I had taken it twice. My first time was in April 2010 when I was at about 18+ years in the military and I was planning to get out exactly at 20 years. I decided to stay in past 20 years though. The second time I took the TAP course was in 2015. Both courses were five days. However, the VA briefs were a lot longer and more informative in 2015. You spend the first two days just going over VA benefits. The person who went over our VA benefits was a representative specifically trained and was highly motivated. Whereas the VA briefs that were presented to us in the TAP course I took in 2010 was not as extensive and only took one morning to give. Not sure why. CRDP/CRSC: Yes it was extensively covered during the TAP course. For us retirees we all knew 50% was the magic number. They did cover education benefits extensively. They gave many different scenarios involving the Montgomery GI Bill and the Post 9/11 GI Bill. The VA in Salt Lake City sent out my notification letter that first Monday and the big brown envelope arrived on Saturday morning. The VA notified DFAS and DFAS conducted the audit. DFAS sent the audit to the VA on 19 May and I was paid on 1 June. Still waiting on the back pay; I heard that it can be from two to twenty months. Again, thank you for the kind words and outstanding advice. Best regards, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 Such awesome news!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rootbeer22 Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 Mike M. Congrats and thanks for your service to our nation..I did 22 years myself in the Army and it was a good decision to join as I look back. Just keep one thing in mind and that's that only about 1 % of the nation ever serves in our military and it is a select few that is willing to deal with the sacrifices. Like I tell folks, the disability compensation comes with its costs and the physical pain never leaves and is a constant reminder of our sacrifices that we made.. Anyway, Good Luck and Godspeed to you and yours as you celebrate... Mike M. and ArNG11 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cham1968 Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 Mike First thank you for your service! Secondly, congratulations on your claim. I would also like to thank you for providing the information associated with your claim. The comments about the VSO's man that was definitely a blessing for if you read enough on here there's not a lot of good comments. Its always good to here good things. again congratulations and God Bless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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