BEWARE: VA Executes Benefits Change

[Buck52]

Anyone see or read about this?

BEWARE:  VA Executes Benefits Change

Starting the end of April 2020, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will execute policy change that shifts the burden of proofreading claims paperwork to veterans.  The change eliminates the skill and expertise of a trained professional (i.e., VSO) from checking claims paperwork for errors.  Having a trained professional review claims documents before being submitted to the VA will be a thing of the past.

[Buck52]

GB Army

I believe it was Vantage Point.

also Sgt.Wilky mention he seen it on Military.Com

I look for VA to tighten up their Belts After this coronavirus Pandemic Ends if it ever does.?

I look for everyone to get mean After this virus ends ...everyone is nice and getting help they need right now  but will it last? I doubt it.

I got me and my spouse a box of those cloth face mask and surgical gloves to wear when we go out  can't be to cautious about this coronavirus

[GBArmy]

Buck Where did you see this one?

[AllTheWay]

We are all Vets on here or else we would not be on the site. Most of us had to take an ASVAB to enter the service and some of areas of the ASVAB were reading comprehension, so therefore all of us are pretty smart and can read and write. My question is if this is a new change, why do we need VSO's? The only ones that if may benefit is our elders, that are not capable of reading or writing. But as Vets, we were suppose to help our elders.

Hopefully  the above statement does not get implemented.

[Sgt. Wilky]

I saw this on military.com the other day. Wow, the VA is batting 1.000 with the awesome new decisions coming down; clearly on the side of the vet (eyeroll). I certainly intend to write my congressman and two senators regarding these changes. To me, this is taking a 20 year leap backwards. Very disappointed and disheartened by these changes.

Sgt. Wilky

Edited April 3, 2020 by Sgt. Wilky

[Sgt. Wilky]

The VFW lodged a formal complaint and is screaming about it (I'm not a member and they're not my VSO).

[Berta]

I saw this too on a few sites-

I believe vets should only file claims that they are sure they can succeed in..

But that is how I shaped all of my claims....when I realized how deficient many ( maybe most) vet reps are.

My point is harsh-I know- but I read BVA decisions almost every day----and it is startling how many of those claims never had merit at all.

The ones that did have merit but were denied often involved getting an IMO/IME.

When I walked into my state Vet office many years ago with an excellent IMO, they acted like it was the first IMO they have ever seen!

In spite of my CUE that warranted a double DRO review- I got the same DRO for both (against the regs at that time) an she told my state rep( who had office next to the RO) that she could not read it -the IMO-and handed it back to him- it never got into the record....except I did send it priority to the RO with a tracking slip-this was when I was finishing my degree at AMU-

it is not easy to be a the only civilian in a war college-I maintained my GPA,(Pi Theta Kappa) ,managed to be here on the older hadit board as well,and gladly waited for a BVA award letter.

It is amazing what anyone can do when they put their mind to it- and that goes for claims, as well as anything else.Nothing is Impossible.

This is another harsh statement- I post many links here daily,   that often take a lot  time , involving research to find the best ones- links that hold significant claims information.And I can tell right away if the posters whose claims they apply to ,  do not even read them. I really do not see the point of posting link here anymore, if I can tell they have not been read.

Also I know personally of veterans (and maybe a few members here, )who have absolutely no way of succeeding in their claims-solely due to a lack of an inservice nexus.

A friend I have has spent  thousands on IMOs, and had many trips to CAVC-afew lawyers,  but still cannot establish his nexus.

Neither vet reps, nor lawyers can perform a Miracle.Neither can a good IMO/IME doctor.

As I have said before WE are the BEST vet rep or VSO we could ever get.

Everything any veteran or survivor of a veteran needs-is here at hadit.

There are so GREAT VSOs and reps etc, don't get me wrong- but they are always overwhelmed and burned out-because they give 100% to every POA vet- and that takes a  LOT of time.

The VA has withdrawn their NOD ,etc, deadlines. I posted that VA Press Release today here.

I agree with AlltheWay- but I am a civilian, not a veteran...widow of 2 disabled veterans , 2 HDs apiece, and mother of a veteran ( my daughter) 7 years USAF Intel.HD.

AlltheWay said:

"We are all Vets on here or else we would not be on the site. Most of us had to take an ASVAB to enter the service and some of areas of the ASVAB were reading comprehension, so therefore all of us are pretty smart and can read and write. My question is if this is a new change, why do we need VSO's? The only ones that if may benefit is our elders, that are not capable of reading or writing. But as Vets, we were suppose to help our elders.

Hopefully  the above statement does not get implemented."

This site contains by far, more knowledge than many-if not most vet reps, VSOs have, on claims regulations, and established VA case law.

If a vet or survivor carefully reads the CUE info here, then they sure can "proof read" the decisions themselves, and file cue ASAP or use whatever other means VA is considering to make the "proof reading" viable.

We do that here already when vets get a new decision. If I see CUE, I advise them right away on the CUE and sometimes I write it for them.

But by now most of you can write a valid CUE  yourselves- if you read the CUE info here- go to the recent CUE 3 prong info I posted.

if Vet orgs go down the tubes- with the money VA saves on however they  support Vet orgs, the VA  instead, should give Tbird a good sized grant to keep this site going, due to more vets coming here in the future - because they cant get a Vet rep or VSO.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 4, 2020 by Berta
in cloud