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.

[Berta]

Can someone post a link to this info?

I get so many emails a days re: VA, and vet sites, orgs, I dont know where the info came from.

Edited April 4, 2020 by Berta

[Tbird]

we need a valid source before we can give this any credence. a valid source would be a va site or a valid news source.

[Berta]

I found it mentioned here:  ....it would also impact accredited agents too, I believe.

https://www.vfw.org/media-and-events/latest-releases/archives/2020/3/vfw-opposes-va-decision

In part:

"March 27, 2020

 

  

WASHINGTON – Veterans of Foreign Wars National Commander William “Doc” Schmitz called it “despicable” and “inconceivable” that Department of Veterans Affairs Undersecretary for Benefits Dr. Paul Lawrence intends to eliminate the accredited veterans service officer (VSO) 48-hour review period for claims effective April 30. "

[Tbird]

thank you

[AllTheWay]

29 minutes ago, Berta said:

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.

 

Amen Berta. I do 100% agree with you. 

I should have stated that most of us are Vets, not all but somewhere in our lives, we are involved with Vets either by marriage or some other type of relationships, IE, parents, siblings etc. But we are here on had it for some type of guidance relating to Vets.

We all can get through this. Just keep coming to hadit for guidance. Lots of good info on this site. And again I have to agree with you. I haven't as of today because of reasons but I do intend in the very near future to donate to keep this site up.

I

29 minutes ago, Berta said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sgt. Wilky]

 I reluctantly have to agree with what Berta has stated. I remember coming here in latter end of 2008 because the VA had denied my claim and it seemed my VSO at the time was just kind of okay with the decision (she wasn't but to Berta's point, they are overworked and stressed out). I realized that I was going to have to learn a lot of the system myself, and I have still yet to touch the hem of the garment of information needed. In order my own future claims to succeed, I'm probably going to have to go at it alone. My own VSO has not responded to my email I sent three weeks ago and my claim is complicated. Short of hiring an attorney, I need to be the one to start and see it through. People (and myself included) are too willing to let others do the work but as we all know with the VA and many other aspects of life, your best advocate is yourself.

Thank you for the pep talk Berta and Alltheway.

I guess you'll all be getting to know me a little more, lol.

Semper Fi,

Sgt. Wilky