Va Trying To Pull

[Berta]

From VA Watchdog:

http://vawatchdog.org/nfDEC06/nf122106-3.htm

2922. [bull] SUPPLEMENTAL STATEMENT OF THE CASE

Priority: Other Significant

Legal Authority: 38 USC 501(a); 38 USC 7105(d)

CFR Citation: 38 CFR 19.38; 38 CFR 20.302; 38 CFR 20.303

Legal Deadline: None

"Abstract: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) proposes to amend its

regulations regarding the time limit for filing a response to a

Supplemental Statement of the Case. We propose to change the response

period from 60 days to 30 days. The purpose of the change is to improve

efficiency in the appeals process and reduce the time it takes to

resolve an appeal, while still providing an appellant with a reasonable

period of time to respond to a Supplemental Statement of the Case"

Also I caught this at Larry's sight today:

"The VA may discard paperwork upon receipt. That 'discard' possibility means that a veteran

must have a secure means of delivery of his paperwork to the VA. Regrettably, veterans

must presume that the VA will not act ethically with the veteran’s paperwork received in

ordinary mail. All veteran paperwork sent to any VA Regional Office should be sent

CERTIFIED – RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED." Attorney who handles veterans' claims"

They discard it when you DO send it certified.

WHat a crock! - and another thing- they often don't even read the veteran's response to SSOCs these days-

I got awards based on NODs, or SOC and SSOC responses in the late 1990s and these days- the Buffalo VARO does not even read or acknowledge any response or any evidence attached to it.

[rdawg]

it's a pain in the a$$ but I'm hand delivering everything from now on. The VA just cost me 45 days by signing for and 'discarding' paperwork sent certified mail return receipt.

[Guest fla_viking]

Dear Fellow Veterans & Friends

So much for Vike 17 opnion that the VA does not delibertly loose records.

Terry Higgins

[chief 313]

Dear Fellow Veterans & Friends

So much for Vike 17 opnion that the VA does not delibertly loose records.

Terry Higgins

[dougbo1943]

What good is a certiflyed mail receipt if they discard your letter? Will it buy you time to keep claim open while you resend the info.

Gunny

[rdawg]

The only thing the return receipt shows is that you sent something to them. It could be a Christmas card for all they know. You gotta hand carry it and have it stamped and get a copy with the stamp on it.

[vaf]

Rdawg, not all veterans are physically capable of following your suggestion, which is still a good one, but not readily available to everyone. In our case, the RO is about a four hour drive, one way. Not all veterans can stand a trip that long.

I believe that veterans and their supporters should start demanding that some credence and credibility be given to certified mail as legal proof of mailing. After all, the VA sends its correspondence by regular mail, and expects everyone to accept that as proof of mailing, just because they said they mailed it - - no written proof expected there.

I note the condition or the issue discussed in the mailing on the green receipt card, on the side with our return address, so I can keep the issues mailed about straight. Of course, the counter argument there is that I could write something down after the fact on a certified mail slip I could have used in mailing them the Christmas card you mentioned. But how far should we allow the VA to make up excuses like that, in the face of documented evidence of mailing, and not challenge them?

John Roche, the author of the "Veteran's Survival Guide" sends copies of his claim or NOD to his Congressman every time he files something. I think that's a great idea!

If we allow the VA to bulldoze us over this issue without challenging them, we allow them to get away with this lame effort to avoid processing veteran disability claims.