How long after taking my final C&P will I get a decision?

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 25 Oct 2020 13:37:42 -0400

Response by SFC Jake Middaugh made Oct 25 at 2020 2:15 PM

SFC Jake Middaugh — Sun, 25 Oct 2020 14:15:17 -0400

It depends on your specific situation. Some of mine only took a few weeks. And others took a few months.

Response by PFC Brandon Roodhouse made Oct 25 at 2020 2:33 PM

PFC Brandon Roodhouse — Sun, 25 Oct 2020 14:33:32 -0400

They move pretty decent if you talk to your congressman. That is just from my experience

Response by SSgt Jim Gilmore made Oct 25 at 2020 9:43 PM

SSgt Jim Gilmore — Sun, 25 Oct 2020 21:43:23 -0400

Generally you can expect a response in 6-8 weeks. Keep an eye on eBenefits and stay in touch with your representative. As another noted, if you receive an award, the money usually out runs the letter.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 25 at 2020 9:51 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 25 Oct 2020 21:51:46 -0400

It depends on the number of contentions you claimed and the complexity of them. Less can be faster and many could be longer. However, the C&P provider is required to send the Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQ) Within days. The DBQ is what they fill out during the exam. Once it’s uploaded to the veterans benefits administration (VBA) then A Rater will look at the notes and decides what to rate each of your claimed disabilities based on the the response you gave and the Observations of the provider. If he needs clarification you could be asked to do another C&P or rater may forward to a specialist for clarification. Once he has perfected his rating decision he then sends up to a senior rater for review and insure that the rating is correct and again it could be sent back down if there is questions. If approved they will send out a letter with the decision and why it was rated that way. Letter takes about 7-10 days after you see in ebenefits that claim has been completed.

Response by SFC Matthew Parke made Oct 26 at 2020 11:06 AM

SFC Matthew Parke — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 11:06:46 -0400

Finished my last C&P in November. Final decision in April. It really depends on total years of service, length of medical records, and total number of claims. I retired at 17.5. As your PEBLO will tell you there is no real concrete timeline. It sucks but it's really just a game of wait and see.

Response by SFC James Cameron made Oct 26 at 2020 11:53 AM

SFC James Cameron — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 11:53:43 -0400

It can happen as fast or as slow as the system takes. I know that’s a very ambiguous answer, but I’ve seen cases where it was an incredibly rapid turnaround and others that took much longer. My C&P was performed in February, 2019 and I had a rating decision in April. Then the appeals process came into play. My appeal decision came in May, 2019.

This is a genuine situation of case by case basis.

Response by SPC Lisa Klenk made Oct 26 at 2020 3:33 PM

SPC Lisa Klenk — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 15:33:50 -0400

The VA will say they have a year from your date of claim. With that being said, it really depends on a number of items, 1. The actual claim and the supporting documents, Medical opinions, buddy statements supporting the injury or illness. Military records showing the incident or other forms of documents corroborating the incident. If those items are in place when the C&P is completed there is a good chance 3 to 6 months a decision. As a CVSO I have seen it vary from one month to a year.

Response by SGT Frances Richardson made Oct 28 at 2020 9:47 AM

SGT Frances Richardson — Wed, 28 Oct 2020 09:47:30 -0400

I think it all depends on the individual. I'm in a couple of groups on Facebook because I see ranges from immediate to years. My person timeline was fairly quick:
October 2019: saw VSO
November 2019: got paperwork stating timeframe (appointments)
December 2019: C&P
January 2020: decision made
December 2020: 1st payment

Just make sure that when you have your C&P before getting out (same advice if you're already out) that you tell them everything that's bothering you, no matter how small it may seem to you. Even if you come out with 0% ratings, that's still a rating (so long as it's service connected) and you can always go to have it changed. That's what I did. Took me 3 years to go back but when I did finally see a VSO, my rating increased tremendously.

Let me add that because I took the separation pay, I have to pretty much pay that back before I can receive my compensation. Luckily for me, it wasn't "too" much so I only have to wait 10 months since they backdate it to October 2019 and I didn't know I had gotten a rating until February (because I wasn't checking ebenefits). Please note if you took/take separation pay, it has to be recouped.