County veteran service officer versus American Legion for representation

[Okemos_Veteran74]

I would be interested in hearing others thoughts on the pros and cons of using a County Veteran Service Officer or a vso from one of service organizations such as the American Legion VFW or DAV.

 

 

 

[Buck52]

I wouldn't have a problem with it  if he knew what he was doing and has lots of VA Claims experience. 

(and has a good track record.)& check References.

That's what you need to look at when selecting a VSO city boy or country boy,  how  knowledgeable & experienced they are with the VA Claims Process.

Ask them how long they been doing it and what is there win percentage  with winning claims.  & would be good if you know there certified by the VA also! 

you never truly know until you hire them and see what happens   you can set some rules down to the VSO To let you know  for him to not make a move until he contacts you and does some explaining and let you  know why and give you some Regs # so you can look them up yourself and do some research.

I don't put much stock in he DAV but that's just  OPINION &from my experience with the wrong Lazy DAV VSO.

 

jmo

Edited March 8, 2018 by Buck52

[Carl the Engineer]

I use both, and here is what I do.

I fill out my own claim and then take it to my CVSO (a scheduled appointment) where she reads it and looks at my attached evidence (doc records).  Then she types a form and I sign it.  Then she tells me I should be doing her job, and she then sends it to my rep, the VFW, and then they submit it.  If, I have a question later down the line, I drop my CVSO an email and she usually gets back to me right away.

She has a copy of all my records, so that may be of help when she deals with the VFW rep.  Just guessing.

For the record, I have never talked to or received any correspondence from the VFW, so not sure what they are doing for me.  But, from what I  understand, they are in the same building, so hopefully, they interact??

Anyway, my rep is VFW and I go through my CVSO,

Hamslice

 

[porgee]

The County vso  always send your information to the main VSO

If you have a hearing it wont be the county VSO who shows up

to represent you it will be someone who ever the county rep is ,VFW

or American Legion,  DAV 

[Buck52]

Most of us learn how to present our claims with  the Correct Medical Evidence, Regulations & Wording right here on hadit, but some veterans are not up to the task dealing with the VA.

[Gastone]

What Buck and Ham said!

If you haven't filed a Comp Claim yet, your miles ahead of us Old Dogs, that were not Computer Literate in the Wayback. I didn't tune into VAWatchDog.org till 08/09.

Most of us just used the VSO referred by another Vet and didn't have a clue regarding doing anything on our own. That should change after your first DENIAL.

If we got the SC Award, we were happy. If we got denied, then we started realizing the possible errors we had made, including the choice of VSO.

Regardless of VSO Affiliation, the VSO-Rep must be a well Seasoned, Knowledgable Vet Advocate. You don't want some New Meat (Unexperienced) or Old Dog who no longer has the fire in his belly to advocate on your behalf.  If he/she is only showing up to punch a clock or looking for quick VSO Advancement, you have a problem before you start.

YOUR CLAIM, YOUR CHOICE! Nobody cares as much as you do, so due diligence on your behalf is mandatory in choosing a VSO or VA Lawyer, if needed.

[Wayne TX]

I was not impressed with my VSO........I came to realize as I learned more here on HADIT that he poorly advised me on several counts.  I  now realize all he was good for was to file stuff through him for checks and balance paperwork being delivered to RO.   I have read where some say they got good VSO help, so I assume good ones are out there.  It is important to decide early on if going with a VSO is a good strong move or just a clerk shuffling forms back and forth.  If he/she seems unable to answer basic reasonable questions on the spot....probably not going to be much help overall but be a paper moving clerk.     

Edited March 9, 2018 by Wayne TX
editing