Heads up with VA mail delays.

[jbasser]

Be advised that the VARO's are experiencing mail delays of 30 days or longer (Much Longer in some cases). Some of these documents are time sensitive so read them carefully and call the VA to explain you received it Late. Otherwise if you miss a deadline, its too bad. Next week, I am asking  Congress to get the VA to send time sensitive documents / Letters with reply by dates via Fed Ex until this mail fiasco is solved and as long as this COVID scare is around that seems to be a long time.

[brokensoldier244th]

3 days if you are lucky- I live an hour from a major postal hub, and have a smaller one in the city where I live- It can take 3 days to send something between the two. I had usps tracked mail last week from CA and from the East coast take 5. Your estimate of 3 days grossly oversimplifies. You guys post on here about worrying if your meds will get here on time via usps. I went to VA on Friday to pick up temporaries because I haven’t gotten refills of things yet. Usps is most definitely not 3 days from anywhere, domestically. 

 I’m not going to even try to discount the amount of baseless conjecture in your post regarding the claims process, or what you think is happening with it, Cue. Suffice to say that I can’t decide if your view of the claims process is overly simplistic or just uninformed. I see a lot more awards go out than you do, on many more claims, of many different kinds. I send the exams to get scheduled, and I’m not directed to send anything but the least number of exams, the one(s) specifically required.
 

Va has just stopped basically doing RFE a few months ago with the exception of a few cancers and specific surgeries, and if you want an area where there might be overspending it would be there, either because veterans conditions no longer meet the criteria (paying out when va shouldn’t be) or in not catching some one claiming and getting what they shouldn’t be getting. We WERE doing RFEs on more than were necessary because of the way the regulation was written and it was costing money and causing undue anxiety, so we have reduced both the frequency and trigger for them. You’re welcome. 
 

VA benefit statements, by the way, aren’t required to have a due process period by law. Decision letters are. That’s why they are controlled, monitored, and mailed from one place, to satisfy the laws that go with them, and why we can have the response date time frame changed in them. If it was a dastardly scheme we wouldn’t have out the information out at all that it was happening. 
 

Your assumption that the VA can just pivot on a dime and start mailing things on its own, tomorrow, purely fantasy. No staff to do it, no postal equipment for mass mailing, no space to put it in, no budget for it- never mind that the va uses GPO is because the cost for it is paid for on THEIR dime. Not VA.
 

Meaning I don’t care if I send a letter and I’m more likely to, not less, including letters to vet that just update them on things that aren’t legally required- I quote caluza elements to veterans that send in claims with no treatment post svc at least 3-4 times a week to give them a heads up. I have it copy saved, I use it so often. Your proposed solution assumes money, staff, supplies, equipment- all coming out of VAs direct budget. Along with pressure from within to not send things because of cost.
 

We aren’t blaming GPO, we got the notification FROM them that this was the problem. Then we temporarily modified policy and notification dates to try to mitigate. If it was a ploy to deny why bother, much less post publicly on the va website about it? 
 

I’m out of this convo before I really put my foot in my mouth. Sorry ladies and gents. I’m breaking off for a few days (hah) for Christmas, now since I’m back to work tomorrow. 
 

 

Edited December 26, 2021 by brokensoldier244th

[Mr cue]

I understand your opinion I have mines.

And what it is going to take to get thing back right is a class action lawsuit against the va By a bunch of veterans.

Like I said not any of this new stuff is make it easier on a veteran or helping

I think if veterans bring a class action lawsuit about all this comp exam stuff It will get right.

I am not from the world of the va is here to help some maybe.

And there is nothing wrong with that.

But to tell veterans that it takes 30 days to get a letter is not right.

To tell a veteran he can't get a copy of his medical record.of a comp exam until he does a freedom of information act.

Is not right.

Do they wait until you see it to make a decision no.

I am also done with this but I will tell veterans to wake up things are changing.

My opinion

 

 

[Mr cue]

Last thing I want to put out there.

The va letter about the mail delay and extending time.

Does address the 120 days you have to appeal a bva decision to the us court.

The court hasn't address there mail delay. There is no memo at the court to extend there 120 day time limit.

 

So now the va has cut it to 90 days

I guess they over look that In there memo lol.

 

Miss that 120 days u have no appeal to the court.

Look like a  new trick to me but who am i.

Wake up veterans be on top of your claim Process

There will be a lot of veterans told at the court they miss the deadline to appeal to court.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[brokensoldier244th]

3 minutes ago, Mr cue said:

Last thing I want to put out there.

The va letter about the mail delay and extending time.

Does address the 120 days you have to appeal a bva decision to the us court.

The court hasn't address there mail delay. There is no memo at the court to extend there 120 day time limit.

 

So now the va has cut it to 90 days

I guess they over look that In there memo lol.

 

Miss that 120 days u have no appeal to the court.

Look like a  new trick to me but who am i.

Wake up veterans be on top of your claim Process

There will be a lot of veterans told at the court they miss the deadline to appeal to court.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, there is. 

 

https://www.bva.va.gov/docs/Delayed_notifications_fact_sheet.pdf

[Mr cue]

Now unless I am missing something.

We're does the us court of veterans appeal say there extended there 120 day appeal rule.

The va and bva doesn't control the us court.

An when a veteran get there 30 days late the va lawyers and court will dismiss your appeal.

And act like there is nothing u can do.

You might get a chance with showing the court the mail delay memo.

But how many veterans will not understand this or some lawyers.

And miss the 120 days

Like I said to many tricks.

Last I am old school hadit.

There was a place call appeal management center.

We're the bva send some remand and they were never seen again for years.

They had no phone contact 

The veterans on hadit start posting phone numbers to the place.

They cancel each number change the name

Now a veteran has no contact with the board.

The droc DC is the appeal management they change the name folks

And they are still do there tricks.

I am not making this up look up AMC.

And see the post on hadit.

I am not a believer of the va is there to help.

You have to fight for your benfits with the law cfr and va manual.

So no your va letter doesn't address appeal to the cavc.

Veterans now have 90 day to appeal to the veteran court.

 

 

 

[brokensoldier244th]

NO, the GPO did. VA had nothing to do with the GPO printing delay. Good grief. CAVC uses GPO, too, you know, so if CAVC isn't addressing it, again, NOT A VA PROBLEM. We've addressed it as best we can. What do you think should happen? VA just starts paper printing and metering postage? With what budget, what staff?? There is no budget passed yet- I'm currently getting paid on goodwill. You want impossible things and then want to be upset because its  impossible and its not going to happen. I'm sorry that no solution is good enough for you. Not much I, or VA, can do about that. 

 

/out

Edited December 26, 2021 by brokensoldier244th