FYI to All

[harry59]

I went to the VA Medical Center today to talk to the Veterans Benefits Adviser about my claims and to get a copy of two of my denied C&P exams. The first question I asked was why my secondary "intermediate-step" claims that I submitted were denied at the initial level. He looked at me an said "what's that?" After I explained to him what an intermediate-step claim was, he told me that he had never heard of that before. I asked if the raters at the Higher Level Review (HLR) would know. He said he had no idea. So, am I missing something here? They're supposed to be the experts. Last week I spoke to another advisor in the same office who told me that I wasn't eligible for TDIU because I didn't have the required percentage. He then (incorrectly) quoted me the requirements. I told him he was incorrect, but he was steadfast. I wonder how many veterans have been affected by their misinformation? Am I wrong in thinking that the VA purposely doesn't inform, or properly educate, their representatives about everything so that they don't pass the information on to veterans? Plausible deniability?

MY OPINION: if a veteran is not self-educated about their claims, and relies solely on the "expertise" of VA representatives, they're screwed. In my humble opinion.

Am I wrong?    Has anyone else ever run across this? 

[harry59]

Broncovet - thank you for your reply. I knew "why" my claim was denied, I just asked why the rater didn't follow the VA intermediate-step claim guidelines. Even though I made it VERY clear in my statements that my secondary claims were intermediate-step claims. There were several people in the office that I went to that specialized in different areas; eBenefits, claims, and so on... I saw a claims person and was just surprised at the lack of knowledge that they had. Even my VSO butchers what TDIU stands for half the time.

Berta - Thank you! That is exactly my point, and one that I wanted to pass on to my fellow vets. Don't depend on getting good and correct information from VA "experts." You have to be your own advocate. Learn everything you can about the process, and then educate your spouse. Hadit.com is a great resource for vets.

[broncovet]

Like with most occupations, there is "wide disparity" among competence among VSO's.  

The key is discretion..hiring a competent one.  That is offen very difficult, because the very good ones are often so busy they dont have time to talk to you.  

So, we often have to chose between a long term VSO, with a bad reputation, or a newbie.  Both of those choices are perilous.  

I have likewise, noticed very experienced law firms who represent Veterans, are often very busy when word gets out they frequently win Veterans retro.  Not all will take new claimants..they only have so many hours in a day.  

Restaurants are often similar..you have to wait in very good resteraunts..the lousy ones are empty, and ready to serve you.  

Many Veterans can not or will not wait, they just pick the VSO with a slot in their schedule that is soon.  That is what I did, and it was a big mistake.  

[Rattler]

Good one on the first Post broncovet