FDC question

[wcw631]

My husband is a Vietnam vet brown water,he has been enrolled in VA healthcare for several years . He had colon cancer in 2010. Had surgery and did not require any treatments ,He has to have screenings and colonoscopies regularly,we did not use VA for this. In 2012 he suddenly began having shortness of breath. He has never smoked . He was an engine man on mine sweeper. For the past 6 yes he has been hospitalized numerous  times and numerous trips to cardiology and pulminary appointments .He did have stress test and echo at VA also pulminary consult. We use a local VA clinic as his PCP. We use the care plan and Medicare for specialists. He was diagnosed with COSA  in 2012 and started using c pap. His condition did not improve .He has been on continuous oxygen since 2/2017.  Finally in Feb this year he was given a heart catheterization and had numerous blockages and severe pulminary hypertension. He was referred to surgeon and was told the only thing to be done was to refer him for heart lung transplant . 

  Sorry if that was a long read , My question is this :

 I went to county VSO and filed a FDC for IHD . I gave the VSO a list of his disibalities .  IHD ,hearing loss(hearing aids  through VA). OCSA,Stage 2 COPD,Colon Cancer, Pulmonary Hypertension, .VSO only filed for IHD ,colon cancer and COPD. Said the more claims the longer it would take and time is of the essence at this stage. Does that sound accurate??? 

Thanks for your time and any advice 

 

 

[broncovet]

Great question!  Short answer:  It should not make any difference.  The VA's official position is that claims are processed "in the order received".  THE BVA, for example, strictly processes claims "in docket number order"  UNLESS you get an "advance on the docket due to hardship".  (More about that later).  

However, "cherry picking happens".  If you are a rating specialist, you have a quota to complete so many claims in a day/week/month.  A "single issue" claim is simple.  Boom, you read over a few pages, check to see if Caluza elements are met, and issue a decision.  

Multiple issues are much harder.  They have to spend much more time deciding multiple issues, and often dont get "work credit" for one with 11 issues.  So you work 11 times as hard and get the same work credits as the next guy with 1 issue.  So, you go to the pile next time..and "ohhhh..there is a single claim issue down 5 deep in the pile, I will just pick that one and work on it, so I can meet quota. 

Yours is probably complex no matter what.  My reccomendation: 

APPLY for all the benefits you deserve.  ASk for special handling due to hardship.  Note that you are on oxygen and waiting on a heart lung transplant.  TYPE IT IN LARGE LETTERS ON THE TOP OF THE PAGE, dont bury it in the text like I did.  

Edited May 29, 2018 by broncovet