Milktoast VSO response

[Banned]

All,

So, since I have had the VFW as my POA, for the VA, since my original claim, I figured, I would ask them for a little help.  My thoughts were that most everything is local (regional) and that a service rep from my state of WI would have acquired supreme knowledge of Wisconsin claims.  So, I emailed the person who I have been with since, again, my original claim 2 questions.  

First, my email,

Hello, my name is xxxx xxxxx, ***-**-***7.  I am life member of the VFW and have your organization as my POA for my VA claims.  I live in ******* and my CVSO is **** **********.

 

I am inquiring to know if there is a list of WI doctors that will do IME/IMO's for disabled Veterans?

 

Also, does your office keep a file on me and is that available to me.

 

Thank you,

 

The response I received,

 

Xxxxx,

  We do not maintain a list of doctors.  You can ask your VA primary care physician for a referral if more convenient.  If this does not work, you can take a VA disability questionnaire to a private doctor and submit as evidence for any claim/appeal.

  We currently maintain your VA file.   The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) allows you to obtain your file by sending a written/signed request to the VA.  The VA will send your files on a CD.

Kind regards, Xxxxxxxxxxx

 

The response tells me that the VSO's (this one anyway) are not helping Veterans in any effective way.  If I was in a position to help disabled Veterans for an entire state, I would look at the successful claims and see what Doctors helped Veterans and who are willing fill out DBQ's, and give them out.  Here is my breakdown,

"We do not maintain a list of doctors."- Well, that's just plain stupid and irresponsible.  Any, slip and fall lawyer has a list of "go-to" doctors.  I would actually have a database which would tell me that doctor A is 75% effective, B is 20% effective, and C is worthless, etc.

"You can ask your VA primary care physician for a referral if more convenient."- Really, so my VA PCP will refer me to a doc that will fill out a DBQ.  I don't think so, but I am going to give it a try next time I see her.  LOL.

"If this does not work, you can take a VA disability questionnaire to a private doctor and submit as evidence for any claim/appeal."- Good luck with that.  Hence, you have access to at least a third of all VA claims in WI and you can't do your homework and supply me with a list.  If private business worked this way we would all be in trouble.  When I ran a parts store many moons ago, if a supplier would not get what I wanted, I found another, etc..

Then, on my second question, apparently, they have no more than I have in my c-file disc.  And there is no correspondence from or to the VFW in my c-file, so my question I have asked before.  My thoughts here are, in my many claims, not once did the VSO call me and say, hey, you could do better if you went this way instead, or, I see you filled for A, and then later filed for B, I think you also could file for C.  Crickets......

I may write a letter to the VFW headquarters or OIC. I don't believe this response was adequate in any way.

What do the actually do,

Hamslice

I truly believe the government would go broke if the paid out everything they owed all the Veterans what they are due.  I think the VSO's are just a cog in a big plan.  

 

 

[brokensoldier244th]

8 minutes ago, broncovet said:

I would like to note:  VSO's pay zero rent in VAMC's and at VARO's.  Zero.  Maybe you have heard this before:  THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS FREE RENT.  

You can bet VA "expects" compensation for the "free rent".  Is it a coincidence that VSO's often tell Vets "Oh dont apply for an increase, you will be reduced instead". 

Or, just as bad, "OH dont appeal that decision.  You will be poking the bear and he will wake up and bite you. Just "settle into poverty" and take what they give you without appeals. 

Some of the people on this board advise those things as much as you say the VSOs do. Just saying...

[broncovet]

True, but VSO's are (supposedly)  trained and should know better.  We are supposed to "respect" them as "professionals", while hadit posters..well they are just people.  Many of us know better also.  

Remember, the VSO's were AGAINST Vets having the right to attorney representation, suggesting "they" were the professionals, and we didnt need attorney's.  Im sure glad VSO's lost that battle, I won many of my benefits ONLY with an attorney and that, was after VSO's failed to win them for me.  

Edited March 24, 2020 by broncovet (see edit history)

[Guest]

I will only add that familiarity breeds complacency.  VSOs are supposed to be veterans advocates but from my experience they advocate more for the VA or to discourage the veteran from filing claims and or appeals.  There are a lot of veterans that end up revoking their VSOs POAs and either fighting VA on their own or hiring an attorney. The simplest reason could only be that those veterans felt that their VSOs were not advocating for them. Yes, I will admit that there are good VSOs and bad VSOs. These VSOs live and survive on the salaries from the donations of veterans (I am quite sure they get other types of donations) but for the most part veterans who have actually no say on how these organizations spend their money.  Just think about it, a veteran that pays absolutely no dues is entitled to the same assistance as a veteran that paid their dues and become a life time member.  Think what you want,  more and more veterans revoke their VSOs POAs and hire lawyers and  file BVA appeals and  CAVC appeals. It's there in black and white and no one can deny that there is a major problem.  Having that familiarity breeds complacency is somewhat similar to building a camaraderie between the VSO's and the VA instead of between the VSO's and veterans.

[broncovet]

Correct, Pete.  If you check the statistics, you will see that Attorney represented claimants "vastly outperform" VSO represented Veterans at the BVA.  

On page 32 of the 2019 BVA chairmans report, 46.3 percent of attorney represent Vets "won".  The next best was PVA (not counting MOPH which has closed its offices) at 40% and all the rest were in the 30's percent or less.   Your chances are way better with an attorney, than with a VSO.   In a similar manner, attorney represented claimants were denied less often than VSO repped Veterans.  

Source:  https://www.bva.va.gov/Chairman_Annual_Rpts.asp

[Buck52]

I don't think I would use a VSO if he is paid by the VA. Veterans need to ask up front if their VSO is paid by the VA in ANYWAY.

I''D CHOOSE SOMEONE WHO IS NOT.

[Banned]

While doing some research regarding VSO's, I learned of the 48 hour rule.  I did not know of that before.  Talk about a great tool, that apparently VSO's don't use.  Just think of what could be fixed up front, instead of all the appeals.

If I pull my POA and become my own advocate, will the rater shoot me a copy and give me 48 hours to make corrections or bring errors to their attention?

I think not, but will have to do some more looking,

FWIW,

Hamslice

 

[Buck52]

Hamslice I don't think you can pull your POA   revoking a POA is hard to do, now if you hiring an attorney they can send your present POA a letter revoking their service...but its hard for a veteran to revoke his/her POA.

FROM WHAT i UNDERSTAND!

[Banned]

4 minutes ago, Buck52 said:

Hamslice I don't think you can pull your POA   revoking a POA is hard to do, now if you hiring an attorney they can send your present POA a letter revoking their service...but its hard for a veteran to revoke his/her POA.

FROM WHAT i UNDERSTAND!

Buck,

You may be correct. 

But what if a Veteran (not someone already in the system) just went online and filed out a claim form and sent it in by himself. 

Wonder what would happen..

Hamslice

 

[brokensoldier244th]

VSOs are not paid by the VA. VSR's are paid by the VA. Big difference. 

[Buck52]

Well if he never had a POA one would more than likely be assigned to him.,but he could work his own claim without a POA.

i WORKED MY CLAIM BY MYSELF WITH HADIT HELP OF COURSE  UNTIL I HAD TO GO INTO A DRO Hearing at my R.O.

  BUT THIS WAS 18 YEARS   AGO. and they recommended I need a POA to rep me  this is when I hireed DAV.  for my POA and found out its hard to revoke their POA

Edited March 26, 2020 by Buck52 (see edit history)