Do attorneys have certain visibility or knowledge to claim activity that I do not see in eBenifits & VA.gov?

[MKAH]

A few days ago, my attorney sent me this email on a PTSD claim I filed back in 2016 and have appealed to the BVA.  After getting this email, I checked eBenifits & VA.gov and they still read, "waiting to be sent to a law judge".

"I am reaching out to give an update on your case. We are currently pending a Rating Decision in response to the Board Appeal filed 05/18/21. If you have received any recent VA correspondence, please be sure to inform our office"

Thank You

 

Edited December 30, 2021 by MKAH

[FormerMember]

I'd add one comment to this chain. I was told I would never be granted access to my own file in VBMS back in '16. Just for S--ts and grins, I put in a VAF 21-22a on myself and bingo-I was in 4 days later. I don't think they dialed in on it. Most of us are granted what's called Level 6 clearance in VBMS. I had a glitch preventing me from seeing a client's file last month and my point of contact here in Seattle  bumped me up to a Level 7 which is as high as an asst. RO director. 

We can see rating decision ready for promulgation. We can see all the ratings decisions, code sheets, c&p exams and the medical opinions. We have access to VHA's VistA computer records on the client. We can see the rater's notes and the rationale for deferrals of claims. We cannot change anything in VBMS but I can change things like a Veteran's current address in VACOLS or upgrade an incorrect POA in CASEFLOW.

Best of all, we are given a VA Outlook email account which comes with an address book of every VA employee from a janitor to a nurse... or a DRO or a rater and his/her title, email address and telephone number. Even Denis the Menace' number and email. 

A tech answering the 800 Dial-a-Prayer number has about a Level 3 and is extremely limited in what they can see. Oddly, my POC here in Seattle says they (VA employees) are not granted access to CASEFLOW. Period. It's like VACOLS and only deals with BVA appeals. I've also been told we can't access VACOLS but I haven't told them I can and do frequently. We can "see" a BVA decision grant or denial roughly 2 weeks before it's published and mailed.

One of these days VA will grant Vets access to this system in a very limited way. The operable phrase is "one of these days".  Here's a partial screenshot of my landing page in VBMS. Each item under Document type is a .pdf we can open to view. There are approximately 3500 Attorneys accredited in this business. Most do more than just VA claims. Oddly, of the 1200-odd NOVA attorneys/agents who only do VA claims and appeals, only about 500 have VBMS access. It's not an arduous process but you have to pass a stupid idiot test for VSOs to get started. Then the fingerprints and the CBI. Then the six month wait as only the VA can make you wait. If I didn't know any better, I'd think they didn't want me nosing around in their computer.

Having VBMS access is a godsend. You can react almost as quickly as they publish it. Since they postdate the letters they send out, some of my §5103 acknowledgements arrive before the date they are mailed to me or the client. That really messes with their minds.  

Happy New Year to all the Hadit crew and all you wonderful Vets. 

 

Spor.asknod22010414490.pdf

[Carl the Engineer]

What is the highest level of access that a County Veterans Service Officer could have out in the sticks?

Asking for a friend,

Hamslice

 

 

Edited January 4, 2022 by Hamslice
cause I can

[brokensoldier244th]

The same, usually. 

[Mr cue]

Yes it would be nice if veterans had access.

But what would be nicer is if a veteran had contact with the person working the claim appeal.

This no contact and the va feel they don't have to contact the veteran.

Is the major issue.

As far a vso and if they have access some do and some don't.

Just like some lawyers have access and some don't.

 

[pwrslm]

It would be a Godsend. Being able to ID errors and give notice (2 way communications) to the RO would likely reduce the number of appeals substantially. 

That might be the entire reasoning behind the blackout. The less appeals, the less they need funding, ergo the more appeals the greater need to petition Congress for more tax dollars. The logic behind government funding is in direct contradiction with conservation.

[Buck52]

I believe you can log into  ''va.gov   and check your claims status    but I doubt you can see all your records, you will need to log in or sign up for the access with your  SS # and Lower and upper case letter with at least 8 letters for the PASSWORD ...Most of us  file for our claims file  and it comes back on CD  it should have all your records in it

As for as the VBMS only  VA Certified VSO OR ATTORNEY'S AND Accredith VA Claims Agents  HAVE ACCESS TO IT AND I DON'T THINK THEY CAN LET US LOOK AT IT even  IF YOUR IN THEIR OFFICE, OR THEIR NOT ALLOWED TO LET US LOOK IN IT....Which is something I never really understood  when its our own Records

i BELIEVE THE VBA has access to the VBMS  theres a VBA OFFICE At your VAMC, GO UP TO THE WINDOW AND ASK THEM, YEARS AGO WE COULD    THEY WOULD TAKE YOU BACK TO THE VSO OFFICE OR CUTICAL  (SMALL ROOM OF SPACE WITH A DESK IN IT )  THEY LOOK ON THE COMPUTER AT THE VBMS  BUT NOT ALLOWED TO LET US LOOK IN IT. THEY ARE GIVEN A SECURITY CODE (Clearance) AND THEY NEED TO BE CERTIFIED BY THE VA TO GET THE CODE

someone mention the Ebenefits Site was going away and we will need to use va.gov to check our claims status  currently and in the past.

I just check my  claim for my spouse  for the A&A and it was in there  from my INT to the approval for her  and the BACK PAY it was all in there and the dates fililed and dates approved  ect,,,ect,,  but we can't get access to our ISR AND UNIT RECORDS  that will be in your C-FILE OR Supposed to be.

 

Edited January 5, 2022 by Buck52