After 50 years I received a 100% disability rating. At 73 years of age I was awarded it about a month ago.

[shipdog7]

After 50 years I received a 100% disability rating. At 73 years of age I was awarded it about a month ago. Prior to then I received a letter from the Treasury Department stating they didn't have my banking info available if I was awarded a pension. Turns out they did. I had to call the number given to verify it. The gentleman I talked to told me how it can take 6 to 8 years for an appeal. WOW! That was depressing. He said the Washington office alone had 4 or 5 staffers and handled 30,000 claims. I wrote to Senator John McCain telling him what I had learned. With no reply necessary. I turned on CSPAN 2 weeks later to see what was going on with our committee hearings and I hear various Senators pushing bill  H.R.2288 - Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017. It passed the House and was headed for the Senate. It was to shorten the time period of between 5 and 10 years to one year for appeals. 470,000 appeals waiting for approval. I wrote back to Senator McCain and thanked him today. No reply necessary.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/2288?q={"search"%3A["congressId%3A115+AND+billStatus%3A\"Introduced\""]}&r=1

[Tbird]

@shipdog7Congratualtions - Outstanding - Here's to a long and happy life, I hope this makes things easier for you and you can really enjoy your life.

[lotzaspotz]

Perfect example of "don't give up and don't die!"  We're at 24 years and pending in our house.  So glad you finally received your rating!  Now, can we draw on your experience to help others just starting out?  

[ammodad]

Congrats 

[ValpoVet]

GOOD ON YOU SHIPDOG7!!  Live as if there is no tomorrow!!  Your mom made it to 91...YOU  HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO!! LIVE BIG!!  

Thank you for your service and "WELCOME HOME!!"  

[AirForceVet81]

god bless u sir, and thank u for your service to this country

[surayabay]

Doe's  any one  know if there any 'Airborne Veteran Groups'  or 'any'  Veteran Groups that specialize in denied VA claims for 'older paratroopers' who have no 'military' medical records

to show a 'service connection' for current medical issues and conditions because they did not surface and manifest until much later in life,  as the culture and practice 40-50 years ago

was to discourage and frown on troops going on 'sick-call' for jump related injuries,  'walk-it-off', take two salt tablets and soldier on, 'Airborne"!   So 'no' military medical records 'ever existed' in the first place!   But civilian medical proof does exist, 'Letter of Medical Opinion', 'VA studies on pain and known paratrooper injuries', the VA's own rules for such cases that they say they will accept for 'those very types of claims', but ignore, devalue or just deny altogether!?  

All VA certified VSO's 'SHOULD' be trained in such cases, but their not!   We're left to find private certified VA attorney's to fight our appeal with the VA and wind up paying for them ourselves because the VA can't or won't follow their own rules, regulations, CFR's or apply rulings uniformly, fairly or consistently from one VA office to the next!   

I've asked for  an independent reviewer who is a qualified 'non-VA,' arbitrator, that I've read I'm entitled too, to review and  submit a finding for my case!  We'll see? 

 You can't fight the VA by yourself, the system is designed for you to fail! 

Anyone have advice!   AATW!  I've about 'hadit' too!    Like my buddy said about his time in Nam!  The squad leader told us, men, there are no reinforcements,  no one's coming for us, we're it, we're on our own!"  "Take two salt tablets, fill your canteens and lock and load..... and I'm alone, on point, move out!"