Rating and award

[Waitingtoolongdave]

Hello everyone! After 7 long years, I was finally granted service connection on May 13th of this year for a lumbar injury and sciatic nerve paralysis. After calling the VA hotline a few times, I've been told my issues are in the "decision phase."

However, a 3rd issue was remanded. I have a c&p exam scheduled for the remanded issue on October 31st. 

My question is: Will they issue a rating and award for the 2 issues already granted or will they wait for the remanded issue to be adjudicated before I see a rating and award?

[Waitingtoolongdave]

2 minutes ago, broncovet said:

Im sure its hard for employees to keep up, but even worse for Veterans.  When we do a fast letter search, sometimes it will say its been rescinded.  But not always.  

Most of us dont have time to not only read THAT fast letter, but all the others to see if its been rescinded also.  

You just pointed out a flaw.  My guess is that, for example, new employees dont necessairly know whe a fast letter was rescinded either, for example.  

Rescinding this fast letter, however, is disturbing.  Very disturbing.  You see, I was "on the cusp of being homeless" waiting on VA benefits, and I got a partial grant.  So, VA's actions speak louder than their words.  The Va has all these programs to help homeless, so why not just pay em right away, so, at least those where money is the reason they are homeless, can keep their home?  So this makes me question VA's sincerity of helping homeless Veterans.  

     Is this too hard to understand that, for many Veterans, the only thing preventing them from getting homeless is the vA check and delaying that increases the chance of homelessness?  

    I held out for more than a year...without income..before losing my home.  Many people are one or two paychecks away from homelessness.  So, just a month or two of delays, can mean the difference between having your home and homelessness.  Yes, I fault VA for delay of my benefits causing my loss of home.  I applied in 2002.  I did not see a penny until 2006.  4 years.  And, Im not unusual.  Its too long.  Way too long.  Of course, my claim was denied by the VARO with a current diagnosis, in service event, and nexus.  3.5 years and an appeal to the BVA, and 2 more RO decisions later, I got partial benefits.  It was too little too late.  Im not the only one, this has ever happened to.  

     Most of the homeless Vets "are not" on this forum.  Why?  Well, most shopping carts found under the bridge do not have wifi and a working computer.  

     OTHER Vets, sadly, take their own lives in this hopeless situation.  About 22 Vets per day.  Is money to keep your home the only reason for Vet suicide?  Of course not.  But its a big one.  If you have a home, can invite friends and family over, well that helps depression or PTSD more than going to a VA hospital a half hour and listen to a therapist, then go back to the shopping cart under the bridge.  

From what my sparse research on fast letters tells me so far, "rescinded" doesn't necessarily mean what we think. If the fast letter (FL) gets written into policy, the FL is no longer necessary and is rescinded. It looks like this might be the case.

[Tbird]

Remember: We have a bunch of Fast and Training Letters here https://community.hadit.com/forum/120-va-training-fast-letters-directives-regulations-other-guidance-documents/

 

[brokensoldier244th]

29 minutes ago, Waitingtoolongdave said:

From what my sparse research on fast letters tells me so far, "rescinded" doesn't necessarily mean what we think. If the fast letter (FL) gets written into policy, the FL is no longer necessary and is rescinded. It looks like this might be the case.

THIS- I was just pointing out that some of the info that has been used in the past from FAST letters, old decisions, etc, is sometimes based on information that is no longer completely relevant. Many veterans I have worked with outside of my 'VA hat" find a lot of information by searching Google/DuckDuckGo, whatever, and then run with it- and if they get denied they are upset (understandably) and don't know why, because- "it says X,Y,Z right THERE!!".

 

Like, for a time you could get Chap 35 DEA from both parents as long as you didnt try to use it at the same time, so you could get around the (then) 48 month limitation of total benefits cap. That is no longer the case but the CAVC case always comes up in Google, and Ive seen/worked with  some people in a Chapter 35 forum that come in expecting to use (now 36 months) of benefits twice. 

 

[brokensoldier244th]

39 minutes ago, broncovet said:

Im sure its hard for employees to keep up, but even worse for Veterans.  When we do a fast letter search, sometimes it will say its been rescinded.  But not always.  

Most of us dont have time to not only read THAT fast letter, but all the others to see if its been rescinded also.  

You just pointed out a flaw.  My guess is that, for example, new employees dont necessairly know whe a fast letter was rescinded either, for example.  

Rescinding this fast letter, however, is disturbing.  Very disturbing.  You see, I was "on the cusp of being homeless" waiting on VA benefits, and I got a partial grant.  So, VA's actions speak louder than their words.  The Va has all these programs to help homeless, so why not just pay em right away, so, at least those where money is the reason they are homeless, can keep their home?  So this makes me question VA's sincerity of helping homeless Veterans.  

     Is this too hard to understand that, for many Veterans, the only thing preventing them from getting homeless is the vA check and delaying that increases the chance of homelessness?  

    I held out for more than a year...without income..before losing my home.  Many people are one or two paychecks away from homelessness.  So, just a month or two of delays, can mean the difference between having your home and homelessness.  Yes, I fault VA for delay of my benefits causing my loss of home.  I applied in 2002.  I did not see a penny until 2006.  4 years.  And, Im not unusual.  Its too long.  Way too long.  Of course, my claim was denied by the VARO with a current diagnosis, in service event, and nexus.  3.5 years and an appeal to the BVA, and 2 more RO decisions later, I got partial benefits.  It was too little too late.  Im not the only one, this has ever happened to.  

     Most of the homeless Vets "are not" on this forum.  Why?  Well, most shopping carts found under the bridge do not have wifi and a working computer.  

     OTHER Vets, sadly, take their own lives in this hopeless situation.  About 22 Vets per day.  Is money to keep your home the only reason for Vet suicide?  Of course not.  But its a big one.  If you have a home, can invite friends and family over, well that helps depression or PTSD more than going to a VA hospital a half hour and listen to a therapist, then go back to the shopping cart under the bridge.  

Most of FAST letters have either become REG, or have been superseded at some point over the years. Rescinded doesn't always mean "no longer valid" but it is a clue that whatever that letter talked about has been updated or outdated at some point. 

I don't know anything about being completely homeless, other than my part time work with residents in an apartment building that was mostly transitional program homeless into an apartment setting in a controlled environment. I and my family have also lost a house in the mid 2000's due to economy/job loss, etc- and I was getting my benefits at the time. We had to move in about 2 weeks after fighting the foreclosure to the end, with begged and borrowed money, and then into a house that was more expensive than our mortgage had been, but cheaper than all the fees and penalties that had been due on it. Moving a family of 6, and having to explain to your kids and family and friends why is not something I want to ever repeat.

That in no way is the same as being completely homeless- I understand that- but and not completely blind  to homeless veterans' struggles, or  suicide/suicide attempts whether adjacent to me or not so adjacent. Ive never tried to say the VA is perfect, far from it- and I see the sausage every day. I'm just 1 person though in a giant machine that probably should be broken up into smaller 'somethings'- I don't know the solution but I do know that with so many Veterans receiving or applying for benefits breaking it up just isn't possible with causing even worse chaos..

Many younger employees probably aren't aware of FAST letters- but then, many of those letters apply to Raters and authorizers, and the bulk of claims workers are like me- VSRs. I found out about them here and in a few other forums over the years prior to working here. We don't make very many major decisions other than exams and character of discharges, and even that stuff is still checked by someone else. A lot of the really old FAST letters have become policy in some way or another, so  'rescinded' means that its been folded into actual M-21 regs. Sometimes it does mean the letter is no longer valid, too. 

That just emphasizes that a VSO, some other form of claims rep, the Internet, etc, is really important in claims research but don't put all 'your' research in 1 basket and run with it because we all learned on AD the devil is in the details, VSO are overworked and sometimes apathetic, Lawyers can help but they want your money, 'friendly doctors and for profit vet help websites' - same, and, worse, they get paid whether you win or not or you don't get the letters/IMO/help in filing. In my opinion  some of those are WORSE than lawyers.

[Mr cue]

Ok are we say that it became a reg or is it still valid.

Because I don't see anywhere that say the VA doesn't have to follow this fast letter. An can't seem to find a reg that address it

So the ? Was can the VA hold a granted issues why they work a remand.

An the answer seem to be no

[Waitingtoolongdave]

12 minutes ago, Mr cue said:

Ok are we say that it became a reg or is it still valid.

Because I don't see anywhere that say the VA doesn't have to follow this fast letter. An can't seem to find a reg that address it

So the ? Was can the VA hold a granted issues why they work a remand.

An the answer seem to be no

This came from brokensoldier244th: Section V.ii.3.B.1.c, but basically the whole section, starting with B.1.a should cover the rescinded fast letter.