Back 2 Steps in Claims Process

[Super Sport]

Hey brother & sisters, 

I am grateful for these types of forums. I have been monitoring my ebennes claim status, and have read a few forum posts here. My claim status we from Preparation of Notification backward 2 steps to Preparation for Decision. I NEVER did see a step labeled Pending Decision Approval. Is it common to see Preparation for Notification and not to see the Pending approval part?  VA claims seem to have increased in speed over the last 5 or so years, but I have not seen the crazy movement as I have on this claim. 

Could this be any sort of sign....I am currently at 90% and am making the push for 100% for the first time. Could there be any correlation there. Are there extra approvals or anything else that I may not have witnessed in the past?

Thanks,

Mike SS

[Kihr]

On 12/5/2018 at 7:31 PM, GeekySquid said:

I am very glad for you that this resolved in your favor.

The only thing I will say is please read this blog post and consider your own experience. It may change your view of "ended". 3 and 5 may be appropriate and 6 is just better for all vets.

https://www.hadit.com/6-reasons-keep-pursuing-va-claims-appeals-reach-100/

either way, congrats and I am sure there is a nice feeling as the holiday season approaches.

I have felt a little irritated at times when I see the "keep fighting after 100%" thing, but I guess #6 is the most important and probably the reason that things go in our favor at times when they do.  I look at it from the perspective that it keeps VSR and SVSR's busy and potentially clogs up the pathway for new claimees.  I guess to shortchange yourself from an SMC would be harmful, especially to those who deserve it so that makes sense.  I guess in the end I feel like I may have been looking at it wrong. 

[vetquest]

My lawyer asked me to drop my claim after I won TDIU because it took up time and resources other veterans needed to fight their case.  I won 100% without his help. 

It took me ten years to get TDIU.  I do not believe you are taking up time and resources other veterans need.  What other veterans need is a well thought out and fair decision on the first iteration of their claim at the RO level.  Otherwise they get caught up in the hamster wheel I was caught up in when I needed two remands from the BVA before I received the benefits I should have received ten years earlier, as the BVA noted.  

Had my case been decided sooner my children would have had help going to college and my wife would have not had to be the main breadwinner in my family.  My case is not so unique.

I have a real problem with VSO's and others that perpetrate this fallacy.  The RO's do shoddy work and no one there is willing to call them out on this.  As I have said before the RO's should be graded on the number of cases that are overturned due to shoddy work, and misapplied CFR's and not the number of cases they clear. 

Sorry about this rant but I would still be at 80% if I followed my lawyer's advice.

[GeekySquid]

2 hours ago, Kihr said:

I look at it from the perspective that it keeps VSR and SVSR's busy and potentially clogs up the pathway for new claimees. 

I am a process guy. I believe in process, or at least process with a result that is measurable. The VSR's, VSO's and SVSR's exist to process our claims and under the law, maximize our benefits. That is not how those people work. If they did, we would not have to become our own best advocates. We would not have to fight fight fight just to get what the Law, as CONGRESS created it, says we are entitled too.

The process would include our VA doctors diagnosis triggering VA benefits into asking for or suggesting we file a claim for increase or new condition and run it through an evaluation. That is not how it works, and if it means the "system" is clog, it is not the veterans doing the clogging, but the VA fecal matter stopping up the pipes.

Edited September 7, 2019 by GeekySquid

[Kihr]

34 minutes ago, GeekySquid said:

The process would include our VA doctors diagnosis triggering VA benefits into asking for or suggesting we file a claim for increase or new condition and run it through an evaluation. That is not how it works, and if it means the "system" is clog, it is not the veterans doing the clogging, but the VA fecal matter stopping up the pipes.

I may not have been clear, you already changed my way of thinking.  I used to think it was like a log jam. I think the process could use some serious work, I love improving processes and it seems to be so very convoluted.

[GeekySquid]

7 minutes ago, Kihr said:

I may not have been clear,

You were clear, I was just expanding on my reasoning. I am glad you have evolved in your thinking. You must be your own best advocate. We can support you but we don't know your situation, and as I wrote the VA is damn sure not set up to proactively assist any of us.

we each have to learn how to speak VA, how to read VA, and how to make VA process work for us.

[Kihr]

1 minute ago, GeekySquid said:

We each have to learn how to speak VA, how to read VA, and how to make VA process work for us.

This is the biggest tragedy of all to me.  There are several big VA help forums, reddit VA forums, youtube channels, etc.  I consider myself a fairly smart guy and after all the reading and research I did after putting in my claim last year I can see where I made my claim take longer by using imprecise "non-VA" language.  The people who are writing the procedures etc are writing it as if to explain to someone who is well versed in the technical jargon (though the BBE's are usually pretty straightforward from what I gather, though confusingly organized).

Sometimes I regret ever putting in an increase or a claim because it causes me a headache, it has been nearly a year for an increase claim and I am still waiting.  Had I known then what I know now I would have been much more specific, I would have organized my claim better etc.  VSO's are hit or miss, it is difficult to have national standards for VSO's as they are all different types of organizations...but the VA itself should put out a template that is easy to use and understand for the layman.  In fact, they should investigate which claims were the quickest to approval and see how they were laid out, provide a template based on a "Very good" claim and then instruct VSO's and Veterans to follow it exactly.  

It may never help, but the current process requires something like 62 decision points, which is an absolutely crazy amount of decision points which increases the length.  They seem to have been getting better time for claim completion appears to be reduced (not in my case I put in my claim for increase 9/24/18 and it is still unresolved) but in general this is the vibe I get.