White house hotline number.

[broncovet]

Trump has apparently filled his campaign promise that the whitehouse will hae a hotline for Vets who have been mistreated by VA officials, often from crazy delays.  Here it is, according to Tbird:  

Quote

855-948-2311 — is designed to “collect, process and respond to the complaints of individual veterans in a responsive, timely and accountable manner,” according to Department of Veterans Affairs officials.

 

Thanks, Tbird.  I have reposted this in order to make it easy for me to find it.  

Edited July 14, 2017 by broncovet

[Buck52]

Thanks for this info broncovet & Ms T

GOOD TO KNOW THIS.

[63Charlie]

Just got off the phone with them.

 

Complained about my horrible December 2016 C&P exam at Lake Baldwin(Orlando).

They said my complaint will be forwarded and I'll hear back from someone within 14 days.

 

That call should be interesting.

Edited July 14, 2017 by 63Charlie

[Berta]

GREAT- one of the biggest problems that has caused many many denials and also the backlog, is due to lousy C & P examiners ...or if they aren't 'lousy'-they probably have no real expertise in the disability being claimed.

Whether they are  farmed out examiners or VAMC doctors, they are ultimately paid by the VA.

When more vets start complaining about these incompetent C & P exams, Secretary Shulkin and POTUS will have a good idea what the C & P process is really like.

The established fact at the BVA (and also hidden from the public in VARO decisions) is that more often that not veterans are forced to acquire an IMO ( which can be costly) from a real doctor, in order to be properly compensated by the VA.

An erroneous C & P exam should be attacked immediately and that might result in a better C & P exam.

An IMO/IME however, with a copy of the C & P results can often turn everything around for a claimant.

Since VA says they "own " the farmed out C & P exams and pay some non VA medical entity for the exam, The VA will not release QTC or any other farmed out exams until they make a decision.

This is one of the grossest violations of our rights that the VA has, forcing a vet into the appeal process when the exam they get is bogus...and often many veterans cannot afford an IMO/IME or get it in time to NOD the decision with it. The IMO/IME doctor has a hand tied behind their back when they have no idea how the C & P doctor denied the claim...unless the vet waits until the claim is denied and then can request a copy of what the VA used against them.

 

 

 

 

 

[broncovet]

Thank you Charlie.  Im glad to know the hotline number "actually works", as there are many old numbers at VA that dont.  

I will add that YOU need to follow up, here, dont expect the white house to do that.  How do you follow up?  Here is an example: If you complain to the White House about an issue, and no one contacts you from the VARO OR they do contact you and the issue remains unresolved after a reasobable period, then call the hotline again, and report that your issue remains unresolved.  

This way you can FORCE a little accountability on VA, here.  We never had a number to call before.  Of course, VA should have an "internal hotline" for Vets issues, and resolve them there.  This denegrated to "Ask Peggy" where you talk to someone who has "0" power, and the best you can hope for when you call is a status report.  This is unacceptable.  When we call VA, we should be able to ask for some sort of resolution to our issues.  We should not have to call the white house...this is because the VA solves our problem by either "doing nothing" or repeating it over and over.  This is the method VA uses to solve our issues:  "ZERO RESOLUTION PROCEDURE" ZRP, also known as "You dont get zip"

[Trapperx6]

Who or what is "Peggy"?

[Tbird]

We say "Peggy" a lot but we really mean the 1-800-827-1000 # for VA.