RAMP EXPERIENCE

[bpweryz]

So here is my story

- opted into RAMP on May 16

- on 08/01 went to pending decision approval

- On 08/09 went to pending decision. Approval. 

Nothing out of the ordinary. So I get back from vacation in late aug and had a letter from the VA and a letter from the DAV

VA letter - my appeal was closed out because I opted into RAMP, took the VA a while but hey they sent me a letter nothing crazy. 

DAV letter - showed all the appeals that I had filed on ramp as either denied or continued.  

So now I call the DAV to find out if the letter was because the VA closed the appeal and the DAV just generated a letter, but I was assured that my RAMP appeal was denied and my claims will just stay the same. Now during this time on ebenefits have been bouncing around between phases. 

 

Now on Sept 9 I get a letter from the DAV showing one of the four issues i had appealed through RAMP was denied (it was an earlier onset date) but the letter did not say anything about my other three issues. I call the DAV and they assure me that everything was denied. Now this whole time my completion date was supposed to be 9/21. 

Well on 9/19 the completion dates move to 9/27 to 10/27. So I call the DAV again asking what’s going on - if they are going to deny it just get it done so I can file a new claim with all the evidence (Va test results and DBQs ) that will give me a higher rating. The DAV states that they will put a query in and find out why it hasn’t closed. I’m just done waiting. So this morning I check ebenefits and my low and behold it moves to prep for notification with a completion date of 9/22 - 9/24. I get on an hour ago and it’s back to pending decision approval with a stinking completion date of 10/27 to 11/27. I have never had a claim bounce from prep for notification back to pending decision approval. This stinking appeal has been crazy. Has anyone had anything like this happen?  Anyway I just want a decision so I can move ona nd do what I need to do. I have enough evidence to win I’m just not sure what all this bouncing around is doing. Well good luck to everyone. 

[broncovet]

I have good and bad news:

1.  Good news.  Opting into Ramp, it sounds like, has expidited your claim, even tho some issues were apparently denied, its still better than waiting in limbo, in a 5 year wait to the Board, then it gets denied.  At least, now that you have a decision you can appeal it. 

2.  Bad news.  Its a very, very bad idea to rely upon what ebenefits says.  It will continue to frustrate you.  Some advocates recommend "not even checking" ebenefits.  Fretting over changes in estimated completion dates is nothing but a source of frustration, and means almost nothing except to confirm ebenefits is unreliable and should not be trusted.  

[Tbird]

Your claim can go from any step to back a step depending on the specifics of the claim, so you may go from Pending Decision Approval back to Review of Evidence. Ebenefits status is helpful but not definitive.

https://www.hadit.com/ebenefits-status-messages/

[bpweryz]

UPDATE — 

 

closed out this evening. Nothing changed and ebenefits hasn’t updated so it looks like a return to the drawing board.  Oh well not the first - not the last. 

[pwrslm]

Get the appeal in pronto. They are putting RAMP appeals in front from what I understand.