Have you been "top sheeted"?

[broncovet]

Its a favorite of VA.  Berta knows . it well.  "Top sheeting" is where a VA rater denies you by reading only a page or 2 of your file, and often your evidence prooving your claim is right there in black and white, had VA only bothered to read it.  

It makes for raters quota, is very fast (for them, not for you, because now you have to appeal), and is very simple, with no accountability, ever, for the lazy rater who top sheeted you.  

[Sgt. Wilky]

I'm pretty sure I was/am being "top-sheeted". I fought several claims for over 8 years, and when I finally got to the BVA Judge, he quipped, "The evidence is and has been here all along, I don't know why your claim has gone so long..." The hell you don't know. Regardless, everything was granted, with one remand which is still floating around out there somewhere.

Sgt. Wilky

[Berta]

INDEED!   So true!

I was afraid VA would pull this for my recent submissions so I put under their address, on my CUEs,  the Secretary's address for copies if needed.

I did this once when the VA was ignoring my probative evidence and then I ended up sending the Acting  Sec a copy of the claim and the evidence, asking him if he would submit it to my RO, so maybe they would read it, if he submitted it.

The Sec at the time was Mansfield and he did send the VA a cover letter and my evidence.

They STILL ignored it.

This was in the days before I wised up and now use 38 CFR 4.6 to it's full advantage. 

 

 

 

[Buck52]

I also think they take records out of our C-file..but how would you prove if you can't find that record or you don't have it.?

I remember reading my award letter back in 2002 and I remember the DRO Wrote this  '' although records show you stopped work in 1999  we paid you from the date you first filed for increase''...from 50%to 90% date 2001 this was on NOD reductions in benefits...unless they do a reductions of benefits different from a NOD  Claim decision?I filed the increase in 1999  first filed the claim in 1998

Flip Helig ( aka phillip rogers)was helping me and he was furious about this.

I didn't understand any of it.

anyway the dates are wrong back then by 2 almost 3 years of retro they beat me out of from 50%to 90% but was giving TDIU P&T so actually they should have paid the difference to the 100% rate  they did not.

Actual SSA Records show I stopped work in 1996/97 which is true  b/c we were starving back then and living in a small 1957 38 ft mobile home 8 ft wide with no heat or A/C....In winter we used a kerosene heater that glowed that  glass INFA -RED  from the wick that was in the middle of the heater..the smell was almost unbearable  made our eyes red water ect,,ect,,  who would for get that!

But for some strange reason I can't find that part what the DRO mention in the award letter in my C-FILE  &parts of the Award letter is missing...actually the part I need because I can't seem to find it in my records here at the house or on the the CD  C-FILE Format I got back in 2016.

And a complete record of my Award letter from 2002 should be in my C-FILE And its Not.

I can't reopen this claim until I find that letter  if I can't find it then I won't file   without that letter I know it will be denied.

  

Edited November 6, 2018 by Buck52

[vetquest]

Yes, I believe I have.  On my ten year appeal I had to go to BVA three times.  Each time the BVA remanded the claim telling the RO they had not considered all of the evidence of record.  I was also twice awarded a new service connection with it being remanded for rating.  There is no incentive for RO's to adjudicate claims correctly.  They can deny and hope you do not appeal.  There are no metrics that show how many remands an RO generates, at least not that I have seen.  

I would like to suggest that they start keeping metrics that track how many RO denied claims are overturned at the board.

[broncovet]

Many years ago,shady mechanics pulled a similar ploy.  One example is that certain cars needed a "vent" in the gas cap.  If that vent became clogged, the fuel pump could eventually not pull any fuel into the motor.   The mechanic could then simply fix the problem by drilling a small hole in the gas cap, thus venting it, and then bill the customer for hundreds or even thousands of dollars for parts and labor they did not perform.  

In a similar way, VA raters "get paid" for reading the file, but often never bother to read it.    You know:  "Did you read the file?"  "Yes, I read it".  Sure they did.  2 pages out of 1000 or more pages some claims contain.  Top Sheeting is fraud, pure and simple.  AS far as I know, not one VA employee has ever been prosecuted for it, even if 100 percent of the claims they processed demonstrated they did not read the file.  VA employees should be held accountable for this fraud.  

Edited November 6, 2018 by broncovet

[Carl the Engineer]

A new phenomenon, that started about two years ago with my last claim, which promotes "top-sheeting", is that when you submit a claim, and after the exams it goes to a rater.  If the rater has a question and sends it back to the examiner, when it goes back it goes into the queue. The queue is where all claims go now.  And the next rater grabs your claim or any further development of your claim.  So your original rater who asked the question is not the rater who gets the answer.  Talk about a stupid way of doing business.

One of my issues went to at least three different raters.  New rater after each question/development.

How does a rater use any of his organizational skills when they do not follow the process of your claim from start to finish.

And, as for top sheeting, how easy is it to bury (not read) someone else's work, compared to your own work.

My historical claims all went to a rater in Milwaukee.  For 8 years.  Same guy.  Now, just yesterday, when I submitted my new claim with my local CSVO, it was sent in digits to the queue, where the next rater available will take it.  No matter where they work from.

Stupid is as stupid does,

Hamslice