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.

 

[Buck52]

2 hours ago, retiredat44 said:

*I wanted to stay in, but got sick from chemicals and was transferred to a job without chemicals, and was happy, then they pulled me from that job, made me work with different chemicals got sick al over again,, by that time I had 5 years invested, but no job to stay in for, every time I tried to pick a job on some list at the personal office they would give me an excuse why I couldn't have that job. I had no clue about benefits when I left. All I knew is I had to go back to school , I got several degrees but I ended up too sick and lost everything. First time around I had already been going to another hospital very sick. I went to the VA and applied for benefits, and I got some others denied. I did not understand the whole process of the claims and why I was denied, and how to get more evidence. But the doctors were confused and worthless they told me there was nothing wrong and sent me to head doctors, that whole time I was suffering from pancreatic disease and they wasted 20 at least 10 years telling me it was in my head, buy then it was too late. The disease had dome too much damage. I feel like they pissed away al the years telling me it was in my head.

Roger that retired at 44

And Vetquest you are right on....what is upsetting is we served our country and basically as retiredat44 mention about all his problems is true with millions of veterans   the US Goverment Is responsible for that  and so  they make us all fight for the benefits that we supposedly deserve..in my opinion some of us like retiredat44, vetquest , my self and millons of other disabled veterans that were able to after  we got out and took some school courses to get better paying jobs and have a nice family life  that all was taken away due to our service connected disability s  and our hard work getting them...to only be paid way under the National income level  we veterans at the 100% ratings with spouse is what 3100/3600 monthly  the national cost of living is way higher than that .

I wish we got paid at least the nation income level  or at the least more than what the 100% veteran with spouse gets now days.

I never got to use my degree either due to my S.C. Disability and had to settle for what the 100% Disabled American Veteran Gets..

.''I guess something is better than nothing''  but look at those up in Washington/Congress  the average pay for a senator is something like 250.000 a year  a far cry from what the Disable American Veterans get.

And the millions of veterans before us (war war II) Had the worst part of all this  some never received a dime and died before they could get their benefits//that's a crying damn shame.

sorry for rattling on  just pisses me me we all have to beg fight the VA for our deserved benefits.

[retiredat44]

MY father, US Navy Veteran, was in a couple of year, got out had jobs a family, but he had serious lung problems,, but never took a dime from the VA< then at the age of 50 he could not longer work, had COPD, he went to the VA, not knowing about benefits.. they took his info and they gave benefits immediately, no appeals, just one exam (he died at 62). When I went in a few year after I got out they chastised me and said why did I wait so long, and put me through a 20 year fight.. and a botched pancreas operation... and am still fighting... the Veterans from the past (yes Vietnam did not go so well for Veterans) but the past Veterans were treated with much more respect and they were not thrown  out the door when applying.. it seems the Vets from the days after Vietnam have a target on our backs when we try to get help. They divided the Veterans into categories and treated each group differently. Of course they won't admit this. My daughter, who paid for her own education, because the VA fought me so far... has 2 Masters degrees coming soon (she is well under 30 years of age). She said she would not serve because she saw the way I was treated and said if they treat people that way, she would not go.

[GBArmy]

Life is not fair; I'll bet your father never said it was. I often say that we are all a product of our environment. What I mean by that is we are molded and shaped by our experiences and observations and lessons learned. One thing I have learned is before you say something negative, if at all possible, pause and come back to it after a little while and see if you want to change it. Obviously, your environment has shown you that it ain't as good as it once was. That's what you have observed, so that's what you believe. Everyone's opinion is valued here at Hadit, certainly you believe what you say. My opinion is the complete opposite of yours. If you read about what the veterans had after ww II , then what veterans received after Vietnam, and look at what the are now, it is night and day. Trump just signed a education loan forgiveness for veterans. Which age group is affected the most by that. PSTS; Vietnam veterans never heard of it; now, the VA is tripping over themselves try to diagnose and treat these poor folks for MH issues. Too little, too late, but they honestly have the message now. Aid and attendance, free tuition for veterans and N.G. in many states, etc., etc. Retired at44 I think you are wrong, but then, that is my opinion. The veterans from the past help pave the way for the new. That's why we fight so hard for Agent Orange disabilities. Otherwise, Burn pits and Gulf War Syndrome will never get anything for the current crop of veterans

[retiredat44]

GBArmy, I do believe you are right too, it is hard to draw the point so it is correct, but they did divide us into different classes and differently....  as far as processing claims, medical, and more.... i am talking about the age group, or era in time.... etc.... or as they say war time, peace time, vets... drafted vs volunteers, etc... it is on all the forms,,,, each sex , each race, each everything... many different class divisions....

[paulstrgn]

When i was in the service (1978) they frowned on us if we went to sick call. We were expected to suck it up, it you were not gushing blood or a limb was dangling you just sucked it up. This is why I am having such a hard time with trying to get some SC claims (I know this is the same many vets). When I ever go to doctors appointments on base I always tell those on activity duty to make sure they get everything annotated in their medical records.

13 hours ago, Buck52 said:

only be paid way under the National income level  we veterans at the 100% ratings with spouse is what 3100/3600 monthly  the national cost of living is way higher than that .

Buck you are so correct, if this is your only income you still struggle. There is something wrong with our system when active duty E1 - E4 need to get food stamps because they don't make enough money and disabled vets struggle to make ends meet on what they may make. As you say 100% is still not much money for a vet to live on. The truly sad part is their are a lot of veterans in congress and the senate so you would think they would be fighting to raise the amount disabled vets are being paid.

I do not have a problem with the VA doing their job to ensure that the vet is entitled to the SC disability, my problem is making the vet jump through hoops to prove it.As little as vets get they still need to fight for what benefits they get, not to mention how many vets spend $1,000s on IMOs or hiring attorneys just to get an extra 20% - 30% for what they clearly have already paid a price for by being in the service. 

The crazy thing is (you read about this happening all the time) there are those who lie about their disabilities submitting fake documents yet they are approved right away for 100%. But the real disabled vets get denied for being honest, there is something wrong with this system. JMO

[Buck52]

Yes paul the system is flawed but that's the way it is intended to be we get baloney and the congress critters get T-Bones.

As for as getting a little on the side   with SSDI some veteran don't qualify for that (not enough work credits paid into) if they could not work due to their sc disability .

so they can't pay into the SSDI System to meet the qualifications to be eligible   this is just one other reason ,why the VA Needs to Increase the compensation pay.

Lucky for me I took early retirement at age 62 (68)now the monthly retirement check is not that big about 1000. extra a month   ...that will help with grocery's and maybe a medium car payment (450.00 month)if needed...I hang on to my cars  my truck is 18 years old and still runs like a new one  but we usually trade our family cars every 3 years.

this year we are trying the lease program.

But we still strive to make ends meet.