VSO states they work for the VA not for ME

[GeekySquid]

So, as some know I have been having a little war with the VA and my VSO, the American Legion, about getting my DBQ's.

So today I went to the VSO's office in the VARO building during their "walk in" hours since I could not get them to give me an appointment.

On the door was as sign saying the office was closed for the week for training and left the 800 number for Washington DC office.

I knock on the door anyway. Two ladies answer.

Tell them what I want and that I need them to do it today.

They invite me into the office.

I hand them a typed sheet with the Dates and Dr's of my C&P's and a list of documents for each one that I need.

The first lady says she doesn't know why I am there. The second lady says she will help me. The first lady says show me how we do this.

Okay

I tell them again what I want and the 2nd lady says why do you want to file a NOD, I tell her. She says you don't need these files to file an appeal.......The VA already has them. I tell her I need to know exactly what the DBQ says and what the letters to and from VA says. I also need the code sheets as they existed at each point for each approved and denied C&P.

She tells me no i don't and if I insist on filing a NOD I should just file an HLR.. I told her no, that would not work for this and the HLR results are not typically veteran friendly.

She then spends 20 minutes more telling me that I need to listen to her because veterans don't know what they want and don't know anything about the VA and how to win their claim.

She then says "We work for the VA not for you, and the VA knows what it is doing".

this of course makes me mad and I say to her " I am asking you to get me these files. nothing more. I have heard your opinion and all you need to do is get me copies of these files." She then starts in again trying to convince me not to file.

I get more insistent and tell her that i heard her but I expect her to do exactly as I requested, nothing more.

She then says "Well you don't need those files so let me file the NOD" I tell her NO. Resoundingly empathically NO>

She then tells me I know how to file a NOD. She then remembers I am filing a CUE and says "you shouldn't file a CUE because you will never win and then the VA will be mad at you"......

Just f'ing wow.

Then I tell her once again to do what I asked her to do and to stop trying to dissuade me from what I want. I tell her she is wasting her time and mine and that all I want is her to get those documents.

She then yells to the other woman to get "Bill".  Man comes in and says "those are VA files you don't get to have them".

I tell him he is wrong and ask who he is. He refuses to answer. I look at woman 2 and say Please tell me your full name so I have a record. She wants to know why. I tell her point blank, that the next time I speak to AL in DC I am going to reference her and what she has said and not done. I then look at "Bill" and ask his name. He tells me 'you don't need to know that". I tell him I do because saying "Bill from AL means nothing to anyone". He snaps back 'I don't work for AL I work for VFW".

I ask him why he is sticking his nose into an AL situation? He gets mad and leaves.

She writes down her name, at least I think it is her name, date and time .

Then says all she is going to do is fill out a FOIA.  At this point I decide to let her do that and get a copy to submit with my complaint to the AL.

 She then asks me what I want. Types that I want my C-file and the files on the attached sheet, prints it, shoves it at me and says to Sign it. I tell her no it is not accurate and ask for a pen and write explicitly what  I want.

She literally tries to argue with me.

I tell her to stop arguing and write the FOIA the way I tell her.

She writes it wrong in her own phrasing and i made her redo it.

Then I made her add Time is of the essence on the form.

When she handed it to me. I initialed before and after the typing and drew a line threw the blank space.

She gasped and asked why I did that. I said "its blank space and anyone could add words to that blank space. She then started to say, and got half way through saying

'I needed to put more stuff...." and then shut up as she realized she was admitting to falsifying a FOIA over my signature.

 

I am not sure which is worse, having the people with my POA try and screw me over or having the VA which is supposed to be on my side try and Screw me over.

 

[GeekySquid]

2 hours ago, GBArmy said:

this is a White House call

it is on my to-do list once my blood pressure comes down a few hundred points

[GeekySquid]

28 minutes ago, paulstrgn said:

learned my lesson as to really think it through before I sign my life away with a VSO.

My original VSO was a great guy and really knew his stuff. Pancreatic Cancer killed him right about the time my first Award came. AL did nothing to reach out to me and provide a replacement...none of us in his regional area were contacted as far as I can tell.

I left the POA w/ them because I did want a "representative" to get copies of stuff just in case something happened to me. My daughter is 42 and lives/works out of Bern, Switzerland and my persona lawyer charges $500 a hour, so well NO. at least I thought no for the longest time. Now I will just suck it up and pay him once I dump AL.

[GeekySquid]

2 hours ago, shrekthetank1 said:

Wow I am so sorry this happened to you!   This is just trying to make you fail at everything.  These three did not want to help in any way shape or form.

Thanks Shrek, and that is definitely my take away from this interchange. Considering I am now up in Seattle and this is the NW's land of Fruits, Nuts, and Flakes you would think the staff at VA and at the VSO would be in the mold.  NOPE not them... its like they get hired on the WE-ARE-DICKS job board.

[GeekySquid]

2 hours ago, Buck52 said:

f you get this in time  call into the hadit radio show and tell them about this.

Did not see your response until now Buck, it is like 9 Eastern time. The whole event is absurd. Asknod is up in this area. I have emailed him back and forth on other stuff. I am sure he is well award of the Seattle RO and Seattle VSO behaviors.

[Buck52]

 Oh that's ok...

Yeah he is up in Washington state  (Seattle Area) Down South in a little peninsula  cove, it was a good show  he talked about filling out forms and IMO'S ect,,,ect,,

I think its awful they treated you like they did,  I always thought VSO 's works for us Veterans ,  without us they would be out of a job and if were off key they let us know  or at least work together  and also are able to look into the VBMS that we can't  some can &some can't   most of the honest ones can.

you need to revoke their POA. & Work your claim or if need be hire someone like Alex. 

I fired mine and worked my own claims  with help from Berta and Phillip Rogers (Flip)  which he is not on hadit anymore  he drove Harleys * (Hogs) And decided to get off hadit and see the world  before he got to old to Ride. Phillip was from Vermont...a Yankee   Lol but he was sure good member on hadit  helped a lot of Veterans.  he probably knocking  door #85??

[GeekySquid]

7 minutes ago, Buck52 said:

Oh that's ok.

if i had seen the post in time I would have but that is life.

It is another myth that VSO's work for us...at least according to her.

This Region has some of the most blatantly aggressive (towards vets at least) VSO's I have experienced. And none of them, either in the VARO building or at local offices seem to know how to do a damn thing or care to put out more than the minimal effort.

as for flip, not all yankee's are bad ...hehehehe