The VA website doesn't help. Does anyone know how to get reassessed for their VA disability rating from overseas?

MAJ Jimmy M. — Sat, 08 Oct 2016 02:14:02 -0400

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 8 at 2016 10:22 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 08 Oct 2016 10:22:13 -0400

Jimmy - there is a specific regional office that exclusively handles overseas VA Claims. Is the fastest office out of all of them.

Please send me a private message with your phone number and I will explain to you exactly how this process works.

Scott

Response by SSG Trevor S. made Oct 8 at 2016 12:27 PM

SSG Trevor S. — Sat, 08 Oct 2016 12:27:09 -0400

Spend all sorts of money to come back from overseas to take a physical, have that appointment canceled at the last minute because of union training involving coffee and socializing, spend more money to come back for a second appointment, get seen, have the paperwork lost, spend more money to come back for a third appointment, get seen, get the paperwork in, then sit and wait for about 2.5 years for them to review your file, then file an appeal cuz they lowballed you.
*reference VA Pamphlet My Opinion

Response by SFC(P) Richard Warren made Oct 8 at 2016 12:54 PM

SFC(P) Richard Warren — Sat, 08 Oct 2016 12:54:27 -0400

Sir, I actually work for VBA, so I can honestly say yes.

At the bare minimum you need to complete the VA Form 526EZ and send it in to you local VA regional office. Once that is done they will communicate with you and send out letters communicating anything else they need.

When filling out the the portion telling them what disabilities you want looked at you can simply indicate the condition and say "increase" (if already service connected), "new", "secondary" (if caused by an existing or new service connected condition), "Gulf War" (if connected to any presumptive disorders under 38 CFR 3.317), or "Agent Orange" (if it falls under the herbicide presumptive in 38 CFR 3.307 & 3.309).

I hope this helps a little, Sir.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 8 at 2016 4:11 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 08 Oct 2016 16:11:27 -0400

It's an incredibly simple process.

Not to give the veterans administration any credit, but they really did make it easy.

It can all be done while overseas, no need to return back to the United States.

Send me a private message, I can walk you through the entire process.

Response by SCPO Don Baker made Oct 12 at 2016 7:00 AM

SCPO Don Baker — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 07:00:19 -0400

Maj, I started my retirement process with the DAV at the VA in San Diego. They took a copy of my military medical record and got the ball rolling. Received my disability rating, which is more than likely higher than I could have done myself. I don't know if all VA have a DAV in the building, but it might be worth checking out. VA in Topeka, KS takes very good of me and I believe it started with the DAV. I'm now a life member of DAV. Good luck.

Response by MAJ Terri Ohlinger made Oct 12 at 2016 7:15 AM

MAJ Terri Ohlinger — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 07:15:45 -0400

The best way is to go to a VA hospital and seek out DAV rep or an Order of the Purple Heart rep or a Marine League rep and they will assist you with the bins and it's. It does not matter which US service you were in or if you received a Purple Heart, they are not associated with the VA hospitals and are there to help all Vets

Response by CPL Kevin Wheeler made Oct 12 at 2016 8:00 AM

CPL Kevin Wheeler — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 08:00:11 -0400

Go to your county VA office and tell them you want a revaluation. They will do up the paperwork and send it in ,then wait for C&P

Response by CPO Mike Castro made Oct 12 at 2016 8:01 AM

CPO Mike Castro — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 08:01:47 -0400

Where are you?

Response by PFC Bruce Flaherty made Oct 12 at 2016 8:54 AM

PFC Bruce Flaherty — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 08:54:16 -0400

Get an advocate. DAV, MOPH, VFW. They know the ins and outs of the system. I used the Military Order of the Purple Heart. You don't need to be a member. Good Luck.

Response by SP6 John Simons made Oct 12 at 2016 9:29 AM

SP6 John Simons — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 09:29:58 -0400

Sir, In regards to getting reassessed for your VA Disability Rating you need to go through the Pittsburgh, PA VA Regional Office and the VA Medical Center of which you can contact the following VA Employee Mary Pilarski @ [login to see] . Pittsburgh PA handles most of the overseas veterans other than the Seattle, WA VA & they cover the middle east & they can be contacted @ [login to see] . You can also call/text/chat via with the Veterans Crisis Line and let them know what you are looking for and they can do a consult for you. This would be the fastest way to get in touch with them. I know how this system works I retired from there.

SSG John S.
US Army Ret.

Response by SSgt Nathan Sefton made Oct 12 at 2016 12:26 PM

SSgt Nathan Sefton — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 12:26:17 -0400

You should have an assigned VSO Veterans Service Officer yout contact and request an Compensation or Pension Exam Increase on Service Related Disability. Your last letter awarding you your disability percentage should name one.

Response by SFC John Fourquet made Oct 12 at 2016 12:42 PM

SFC John Fourquet — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 12:42:07 -0400

Are you talking about a disability decision you just received from the VA or trying to get a higher evaluation for old service connected disability? The process for each is different.

If you just received a new disability decision from the VA and think you should be rater higher than what the VA rated the disability you can:
a. submit new medical evidence (medical records) for he VA to consider, or
b. if the decision is less than one year old (date on VA letter informing you of the decision) you can file a Notice of Disagreement (NOD). The NOD is the 1st the appeal process and the appeal can take
three year or more to resolve.

If you have an existing disability that you believe has gotten worse you can file a claim for a higher evaluation for that condition. If you have an e-benefits account you file the claim on line.

If you are overseas the best way to resolve your issue is filing your claim or appeal on line thru e-benefits. (http://www.ebenefits.va.gov). E-benefits can be used to upload medical records and VA DBQ examinations you have your private doctor fill out. These DBQ examination work sheets can be found on line.

Response by PO2 L J Benoit made Oct 12 at 2016 1:28 PM

PO2 L J Benoit — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 13:28:51 -0400

File a claim for increased service connection for the disability or disabilities you want increased

Response by SSG Christian Natoli made Oct 12 at 2016 1:32 PM

SSG Christian Natoli — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 13:32:43 -0400

try your state's dept of veteran affairs thats whom i used and it went through a lot quicker

Response by Capt Colleen Baker made Oct 12 at 2016 1:37 PM

Capt Colleen Baker — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 13:37:27 -0400

Yes. Most people don't know that you have one year from the date of your VA Decision/Notification letter to submit ANY new information. This includes a more accurate medical evaluation, a missing VA medical exam, new private medical records since you filed, etc. When is your Date of Discharge or Retirement? (You'll want to contact me personally with this).

Response by GySgt Joseph Jay Johnston made Oct 12 at 2016 5:09 PM

GySgt Joseph Jay Johnston — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 17:09:13 -0400

Contact Sen.Johnny Isakson,Chmn.of vet affairs he will help you...

Response by CPO Mike Castro made Oct 12 at 2016 5:15 PM

CPO Mike Castro — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 17:15:45 -0400

Your in New Zeland correct? Talk with the Embassy explain your situation and ask where they seek medical care. More than likely the doctor that sees the Ambassador along with other senior Americans has been trained in the States or has equivalent training that the VA will except.. Also you do have to fly all the way to the states, there is a regional office in the Philippines

Response by SSG Ken Gilder made Oct 12 at 2016 6:34 PM

SSG Ken Gilder — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 18:34:26 -0400

I applied directly to the VA Regional Office, at Bay Pines, FL. I enlisted the help of the American Legion Veterans Service Officer (VSO), a part of the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs, with offices on the campus of the C. W. "Bill" Young VA Medical Center (formerly the Bay Pines VAMC) also at Bay Pines, FL. Perhaps it helped that the medical Center and regional office were located within ten miles of my home in St. Petersburg, FL.

The important thing, is don't try to do this by yourself. Veterans Service Organizations (American Legion, VFW, etc.) all have VSO's trained in the process, and the service is provided free of charge. Talk to one, and get his help. I'm glad I did. After double bypass surgery, I was rated at 40%. Then, I had surgery to repair an abdominal aortic aneurysm. I made my application, and my disability rating went from 40%, to 80%, and my monthly disability check went up to nearly 3k a month.

One other thing: Make sure you deal with your state's Veterans Affairs people, as opposed to the federal VA people. The state people are more inclined to help.

Response by SPC James Harsh made Oct 12 at 2016 8:05 PM

SPC James Harsh — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 20:05:26 -0400

https://www.ebenefits.va.gov

Home - eBenefits

If you happen to receive one of our Voice of the Veteran surveys in the mail, please fill it out and let us know about your level of satisfaction with the benefits and services we provide.

Response by SFC George Smith made Oct 12 at 2016 9:50 PM

SFC George Smith — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 21:50:55 -0400

file formal complaint ...
notify your congress critter of the problem and refile for reclassification...
I tool mine from 30% to 70% by moving from Pittsburgh Pa to Clarksburg WVa Va Hospitals...

Response by PV2 Roger Mann made Oct 13 at 2016 12:34 AM

PV2 Roger Mann — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 00:34:01 -0400

Talk to your local service officer, if you don't know who that is contact your local VFW or American Legion!

Response by COL John Hudson made Oct 13 at 2016 1:22 AM

COL John Hudson — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 01:22:48 -0400

Jimmy, you have access to any military installation anywhere. It should be a simple matter to go to any military hospital and request a review by the "rating clinic" that would address your particular disability. I assume you're a civilian now - so any VA hospital would be able to assist you. You'll sign an authorization form to release any medical records from the facility that originally rated you. Be prepared to show additional issues aggravating or exacerbating the initial rated condition.

Response by SGT David Petree made Oct 13 at 2016 3:06 AM

SGT David Petree — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 03:06:45 -0400

contact the DAV . they can help with this.

Response by SSgt Michael Cox made Oct 13 at 2016 12:03 PM

SSgt Michael Cox — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 12:03:26 -0400

Is there anyone living in your overseas area that is a veteran service officer (claims specialist). If not you might have to come back to the states unless the American Legion or VFW has a VSO that will work with you via email and phone. You could also try the family support center on base to see if they happen to have anyone who helps with disability claims.

You will need your medical records from the doctor you see for your disability to show that it is getting worse. Hope I helped.

Response by PVT Robert Cameron made Oct 13 at 2016 2:53 PM

PVT Robert Cameron — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 14:53:20 -0400

The best I can tell you is to talk to your primary. You'll have to get a complete physical exam. You may have to refile. If you live in Houston, I can get you in contact with my lawyer whom is a disabled veteran. But he goes beyond the call of duty he's a bulldog (Marine ). But must Va hospitals do have legal rep's that can help you.

Response by LTC Gregory Davis made Oct 13 at 2016 5:51 PM

LTC Gregory Davis — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 17:51:21 -0400

In the name of GOD....it's crazy when your in the states. You my friend have a very tall hill to climb

Response by MAJ Jimmy M. made Oct 13 at 2016 6:08 PM

MAJ Jimmy M. — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 18:08:00 -0400

To clarify for those that are attempting to help. I really appreciate it. but I am not in the U.S. The ebenefits websites, VA websittes, TRICARE, DEERS, etc all have listings to contact for assistance. But they are all for people in the U.S. Who am I supposed to contact for overseas assistance?

Response by CPO Mike Castro made Oct 15 at 2016 6:10 PM

CPO Mike Castro — Sat, 15 Oct 2016 18:10:45 -0400

Get with the US Embassy and see if you can use Australia's VA services for the exam

Response by PO2 L J Benoit made Oct 20 at 2016 1:17 PM

PO2 L J Benoit — Thu, 20 Oct 2016 13:17:10 -0400

File a claim for increase for the disability/ies in question

Response by CPO Mike Castro made Oct 20 at 2016 5:08 PM

CPO Mike Castro — Thu, 20 Oct 2016 17:08:08 -0400

There are Veterans in Australia, I'm working on finding out what they do, once known I'll pass to you. Please email me in case I loose this thread. [login to see]

Response by PO2 Weaver Brian made Oct 27 at 2016 1:21 PM

PO2 Weaver Brian — Thu, 27 Oct 2016 13:21:27 -0400

Being in New Zealand, I can imagine it is very difficult to find anyone to assist you with this. First, take a good hard look at title 38 US Code of Federal Regulations. You can find it on the internet. This is the law by which the VA determines your disability percentage. Once you find the particular disability you want re-assessed for increase, read very carefully. If you think you can justify an increase according to the regulation(s), by all means file a VA form 21-526 for an increase in your disability percentage. The VA has a wide variety of disability benefits questionnaire forms. These are tailored to particular types of disabilities, and can be filled out by any doctor, anywhere. For example, VA form 21-0960M-6 is for foot conditions. These can be downloaded from the VA website here: http://www.va.gov/vaforms/Default.asp?CurrentPage=4&orderby=. You can scroll through the list of 21-960x forms starting on page 4 until you find the one that best fits your disability. When you write your claim, you must justify any claimed increase, and your doctor(s) must agree. But if title 38 says your particular disability is limited to a certain percentage, and you are already at that percentage, don't waste your time with it. Title 38 is the law, and if it says that 30% is the maximum, there is no recourse. That is it. That is all. I recommend you study title 38 very hard before you go any further with this.

Search VA Forms

This site provides public access to all VA forms that are appropriate to be on the web.

Response by SSG Ken Gilder made Oct 27 at 2016 2:47 PM

SSG Ken Gilder — Thu, 27 Oct 2016 14:47:59 -0400

The VA's mantra seems to be "Delay, delay, deny, deny. In another year, the vet will die." And, of course, when the vet dies, his claim usually dies with him.

But there are ways around the obstructionism. One of them, is veterans service organizations. They have veterans service officers, skilled in the ways of the bureaucrats. I found one operating out of my state's Department of Veterans Affairs, on the campus of the C. W. "Bill" Young VA Medical Center, at Bay Pines, FL. He was with the American Legion, and not an employee of the federal VA. He helped me get my disability rating from 30%, to 80%, and my disability pension more than doubled.

Best advice? Seek out a veterans service officer at the American Legion, VFW, AMVETS, or other veterans service organization. They know how to cut through the roadblocks and BS. They ARE NOT with the federal VA, and are more inclined to help.

Response by PV2 Roger Mann made Nov 3 at 2016 1:38 PM

PV2 Roger Mann — Thu, 03 Nov 2016 13:38:45 -0400

Go to the nearest American Legion or VFW and find out who the resource officer is for your area or go to a VA hospital or clinic!

Response by CPO Mike Castro made Nov 10 at 2016 5:40 PM

CPO Mike Castro — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 17:40:51 -0500

File for reevaluation

Response by SFC John Fourquet made Nov 29 at 2016 9:27 AM

SFC John Fourquet — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 09:27:47 -0500

additional info:
Where to Send Your Written Correspondence
Countries outside of North, Central or South America
Department Of Veterans Affairs
Claims Intake Center
Attention: Philadelphia Pension Center
P.O. Box 5206
Janesville, WI 53547-5206

All claims are worked in VBMS and assigned to offices by the by the national work queue. Ebenefits is still the best way to submit a claim and medical evidence. VA DBQ examination worksheet can be downloaded, completed by your doctor and the complete exam can be uploaded to ebenefits.

Response by SSG Dale London made May 12 at 2020 3:23 PM

SSG Dale London — Tue, 12 May 2020 15:23:15 -0400

Having done this myself overseas, I can confirm the process is fairly straitforward.
Nowadays the process is made a lot easier by being completely online. You can send your notification of intent to file (this sets the effective date of your claim), and everything else by uploading the forms on ebenefits.va.gov.
If you are just looking for a re-assessment on a disability you already have service connection for, it's a lot easier because you don't have to establish "nexus." Doing the grunt-work before hand will speed things up (DBQ's, Buddy Statements, etc).
If your claim includes new disabilities or disabilties that were previously denied service connection, you need to get as much of the paperwork done beforehand that you can. Buddy Statements, medical records, and service records showing that you incurred the injury while in service are incredibly important. If you cannot prove that your disability is at least as likely as not due to your service, it will be denied.
For new claims, the most beneficial item (and also the hardest to get) is a letter from your doctor stating that in his or her opinion the the problem you are complaining about is at least as likely as not due to your active service, and giving the reasons why. If you can get one of those it's your golden ticket. Without it, you may have a battle on your hands.
Good luck, Major.
One last thing - consider getting the help of a Veteran Service Organization like DAV or the VFW. They have guys who will help you get it all pulled together and their services are free. Also note that it is illegal for someone to charge you for helping to file a new claim. Beware of huxters promising you the moon,