Do you feel that had an adequate understanding of the VA disability claims process prior to submitting your claim?

2016-02-24T15:03:28-05:00

Do you feel that you have or had an adequate understanding of the Department of Veterans Affairs disability claims process prior to submitting your claim, or do you wish you had more information? If you have, or will have, more than one claim, base your answer on your most recent claim.

Response by LTC Charles T Dalbec made Feb 24 at 2016 3:15 PM

2016-02-24T15:15:33-05:00

Ian -- why the survey??

Response by SPC(P) Jay Heenan made Feb 24 at 2016 3:17 PM

2016-02-24T15:17:06-05:00

I did, but then I went through a MEB, so I had multiple folks 'holding my hand' during the process in case I had any questions.

Response by Sgt David G Duchesneau made Feb 24 at 2016 3:21 PM

2016-02-24T15:21:11-05:00

Hell no! I filed my first Claim back in 1975 after returning from Vietnam and I was so turned off by those heartless bastards that I never went back and disputed my claim until 2010. Man, did I make a big mistake! I finally got everything settled last year and I had no idea back in 1975 that I could Appeal anything. I tried my damndest to get them to go back to my original filing date of 1975 and you can guess how that went over ? DENIED!!!!! Bastards

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Feb 24 at 2016 3:22 PM

2016-02-24T15:22:59-05:00

Hell no and that includes medical vs years of service retirement from the military.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 24 at 2016 3:35 PM

2016-02-24T15:35:06-05:00

Yes, I had multiple visits with a VSO prior to starting, completed all the paperwork with the VSO, completed my VA exams, and all before I retired.

Response by Cpl Chad Perry made Feb 24 at 2016 3:51 PM

2016-02-24T15:51:03-05:00

I work at the VA and I see A LOT of claims that are unclear and we have no idea what the veteran is asking for, even on claims submitted by VA employees. And ever since March 24, 2015 all VA claims have to be submitted on prescribed forms. My best advice if you have any questions or don't understand something go talk to a Veterans Service Officer at your county veterans office or a POA like the Legion, VFW, DAV, etc. You could also go to your VA regional office and talk to someone on their public contact team.

Response by Sgt Tammy Wallace made Feb 24 at 2016 4:57 PM

2016-02-24T16:57:23-05:00

adequate understanding? well I guess I can say yes seeing as how the word adequate to me means bare minimum" or "just enough"...however if the question was did i or do i have a good understanding in the sense that I would be comfortable in my knowledge of how the system works, what's to be expect during the process and what's to be expected of me in order to make for a smooth transaction?...then my response would be NO...I get so frustrated with claims and how long it takes to do the simplest of things...for an example adding my daughter back as my dependent that the VA dropped 3 years ago in error...why does this take over a year to do...she was my dependent before, and she still is...just ADD HER BACK! another area that bugs the heck out of me: how do they arrive at their decisions on percentages? it seems to have no rhyme or reason? example: Female vet A gets raped while on active duty...suffers severe depression, MST, PTSD, migraines and a laundry list of other aliments and gets a VA rating of 60%...female vet B gets sexually harassed while on active duty suffers MST as a result and gets a VA rating of 100%...now, in my book...rape is a bit more serious than harassment however, according the VA's rating of both female veterans, it's not...I will never understand the amount of red tape, bureaucracy and hoops WOUNDED WARRIORS have to endure just to get some recognition, a little compensation and some damn respect for the lifetime of mental, physical and emotional anguish we have to live with as a direct result of selflessly volunteering and devoting the BEST years of life to the armed forces....

Response by PO2 Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 24 at 2016 7:50 PM

2016-02-24T19:50:16-05:00

Nope. I would have made a longer claim from the start had I knew what know now or more in general

Response by CPO Tim Dickey made Feb 24 at 2016 8:27 PM

2016-02-24T20:27:42-05:00

Nope. That's why I'm not filing, among other concerns.

Response by SGT Rick Ash made Feb 24 at 2016 9:10 PM

2016-02-24T21:10:52-05:00

I had good mentors when I filed my 1st claim in February of 2012. I had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer from exposure to "ionizing radiation" from the HIPIR radar of the Improved Hawk (CW) Missile System. Claim was denied as the DVA checked with the NAVY and their response was that I had not been exposed. Why didn't they respond that I was NOT in the NAVY? I was ARMY for 6 years on two back to back enlistments of 3 years each. My second claim was denied because the DVA checked the AIR FORCE, their response was identical to the NAVY! My appeal was denied as the DVA could not find my records in DEERS or OMPF. I completed my NOD with excellent mentoring, part of that from a fellow RP member, a LCDR Rabbi who worked at the DVA for 4 years.
The BIG surgery, 9 hours of a Whipple Procedure removed my gall bladder, my vagus nerve in the stomach ( I never know that I am hungry) and they cut off over half of my pancreas, the head portion and sewed the remainder inside my stomach. A second tumor was peeled off of the nerve going into the T3 disc and the nerve sheath came off with the tumor. That nerve now grates on the T3 disc and causes horrible pain. I took oral pain meds for 8 & 1/2 years. 1200MG of morphine, 60MG of hydrocodone for "break through" pain daily and a 100MCH Fentanyl patch I changed every 3 days. All of these drugs began to damage my brain, bones and heart so on September 11. 2012 (Same day as Benghazi) I had a pain pump implanted in my lower left abdomen, IV routed under the skin around my left side then a 3" vertical incision at the base of my spine to run the nozzle up to the nerve coming into my T3. I can take 5 shots a day for "break through" pain. My abdomen looks like a HWY map of East Tennessee. I even had to have two rubber meshes sewn under the skin in my abdomen to keep the very long incision from The Whipple from bursting open, so 1 foot high by 2 foot wide from my rib cage to my groin. The pain pump dispense a solution of 80% Bupivacaine and 20% Dilaudid to the T3 nerve. I calculate that the pain pump helps with 80% of the pain, I suffer greatly from the remaining pain.
I had great mentors for my NOD (Notice of Disagreement) submission. It went in on 12/29/2015 and less than a month ago I received another letter from the DVA to complete VA21-4142 and VA21-4142a. Those give the DVA permission to pull all of my medical records from my PCP, surgeon and oncologist plus the interventional pain doc. All of the docs have responded so now I am waiting on the VA. The NOD had me list all my issues, from the pain, diabetes with less than half of a pancreas, 100% neuropathy in both hands and feet from the 6 months of 24/7 chemotherapy, constant drowsiness from the pain pump ( I can't drive more than a mile without my wife in whatever vehicle ), I can nod off at any time, ESPECIALLY the Interstate Highways. And, I am not supposed to lift over 20 pounds. Right, try living on a busy equine farm and NOT do that on a daily basis. Yesterday I moved 1/2 a ton in 50 lb bags of sweet feed from an F350 to a Pioneer 700 SxS/ATV with a dump bed to the bins in the tack room.
Couldn't have done all of the claims, appeal and NOD without great mentors. God Bless them all!

Response by SSG Ronald Colwell made Feb 25 at 2016 2:19 AM

2016-02-25T02:19:57-05:00

Hi, I had to much knowledge into the VA system, there are a lot of hidden things, that aren't published on their websites etc. that soldiers aren't aware of, like grants, home adaptions, say if your using a powerchair there's a 20000 grant towards a new vehicle i.e. Pick up truck for the ramp or a van etc, also if your a member of the DAV they have what's called the x plan, thru ford, Lincoln and Mercury, where you get all the manufacturers and dealership discounts plus the x plan pricing which can range from 2000 to 7500 additionally off a specific vehicle. So if you get the grant plus the x pan pricing thru the DAV your pretty much getting a free vehicle. Like I said lots of benefits out there most don't know about, and the VA isn't gonna just tell you them. As far as claims, ratings and reconsideration, requesting increase in a rating based on new evidence, appeals process. Knowledge is power

Response by SFC Wendell Pruitt made Aug 16 at 2021 8:15 PM

2021-08-16T20:15:42-04:00

I have been in the VA system since 1993, Initially going in I was 100% in the dark and found 95% of those I was told to talk with were equally clueless, The biggest issue I have seen repeatedly is the VA system is fragmented due to organizational structure and assigned missions. I does no good to go to a VA Hospital seeking help with a Compensation claim, as virtually no one there is concerned with claims, They are medical treatment providers assigned the mission of Treating Veterans not compensating them. Once I understood this my claims became much easier to present to the Rating Officials because it was also clear to me the raters were primarily concerned with Legal requirements with fairly clear evidence requirements for the most part, I also became aware that how badly I was initially injured was near meaningless as the VA raters (once Minimal service connection is established) only look at residual disability... I have seen countless veterans spend years talking about how bad they got hurt in service, because they simply did not understand that the VA had already acknowledged that injury by establishing Service Connection with a low rating, What they did not understand was medical evidence said they had recovered from the injury with minimal Residual Disability which is what hte VA compensates...