Help please! 19 months and still waiting on VA rating!

AmyGallay

AmyGallay

PEB Forum Regular Member
PEB Forum Veteran
Registered Member
I retired 01 Nov 2011. VA Cleveland acknowledged 9 claims Jan 2012. Waited until last week. Nothing this whole time. When I call, they tell me nothing except "all we can say is it normally takes 10 months." Well I've been waiting 19 months, I can count. So finally last week I added my missing 18 claims, got a VSO rep (who said I did everything correctly and was on the ball, and he was impressed) and now more waiting. Is there anything else I can do? My dad is helping me with bills but I owe him so much and can't ask him anymore. Got denied SSDI, was told to reapply under Wounded Warrior. Have a rep to help me with my CRSC claim, which can't be done until AFTER my VA claim is finalized. I hardly leave the house and only talk to my family on the phone and leave the house like once a week when a family member more or less forces me to. My anxiety and depression is worse. The VA spent the last year changing all my meds. It took 2 years to get me on a good "cocktail" of meds to deal with my pain, depression, nerve issues, anxiety ect. Now they messed it all up. I'm throwing up daily, tired all the time, either up for days or sleep for days. They ruined everything. Is there anything else I can do to get the VA off their @$$? I see numerous cases being done in 6 months. Why am I being punished for being legacy? EVERYThING was documented, I had awesome docs before I got out. My MEB ratings should be the same for those issues on my VA claim because they both use VASRD... SO what is wrong with them? Can I really just call a congressman? But then I'd have to go into a lot of stuff I don't like to talk about. I missed the new way of board getting done by 3 weeks. Come on... since Nov 2011, this is ridiculous.
 
All I can say is that you backpay should be nice!!
 
Yeppers :)

Just really stretching me thin now. Had to cash out my TSP.

I just hate feeling like I did 3 years ago, when I was to my worst. Now with the stress of having more bills and less money...
 
You can fax or mail them a letter of hardship and send then copies of you bill statements
 
My VSO put in a note about the hardship to the VA. All my taxes are messup up also. They did not reply...
 
Amy, If it makes you feel any better i have been waiting 16 months now just for my unfit rating in the IDES system. No idea on when i will get anything back from the VA. PEBLO has no idea what is taking so long.
 
jimmyz701 said:
Amy, If it makes you feel any better i have been waiting 16 months now just for my unfit rating in the IDES system. No idea on when i will get anything back from the VA. PEBLO has no idea what is taking so long.
Click to expand...

Oh wow!
What are the trying to deem unfitting?
 
Cervical spine fusion, bad left knee. I had 24 VA items on my C&P exams, but i should have at least heard back about my unfitting conditions by now.
 
jimmyz701 said:
Cervical spine fusion, bad left knee. I had 24 VA items on my C&P exams, but i should have at least heard back about my unfitting conditions by now.
Click to expand...

Make a new thread, post your timeline, and we should be able to decipher whats going on. I suspect that you have been found fit/unfit, but notification was not sent.
 
I have been in the WTU/CBWTU for 1254 days (42 months) and have yet to see a 199, I have been told it will be at least 6 months before I see one, hopefully it will be correct.
 
My only advice is to call them constantly and e-mail them under IRIS even more often. When you get responses that don't make sense, then reply. Speak up for your benefits. Make sure you are fighting not only for your money, but also for your life (or at least the type of life you want to lead). You were in the military and you got hurt. They need to make sure your standard of living is maintained.

Amy, I am guessing that you cannot work. I would e-mail under IRIS, tell them their response is not acceptable and wait for the supervisor to come back with an answer. I did this and my claim that hadn't moved in 6 months was completed in a week. Also make sure to get all documents your VSO needs for the hardship. Make sure that you appeal SSDI. You will probably have to get a lawyer for that before all is said and done. They almost all work by taking a percentage of your back pay. Make sure you fight for what is yours. You aren't in the military anymore. You don't have to follow orders. Are you receiving your retirement pay? Good luck to you. I know the position you are in and I know it is one of the worst time periods in my life. Just hang on and it will get better.

As for everyone else talking about waiting for the 199, just hope the VA and the Army gets it right. Then, when you get out, hopefully to can start getting paid within about four months of getting out. Save up those paychecks because it can be a long and hard road after leaving.

Good luck to everyone!
 
Amy, try calling these guys if you haven't already - Office of Case Management 202-273-7453. I believe that calling that number moved my case along.
 
I was placed on PDRL.

My timeline is

May 2011 : offered 40% TDRL
July 2011: went to my Formal board. 60% PDRL
August 2011: retirement orders
01 Nov 2011: retired- sent my med to Cleveland
Jan 2012: Cleveland acknowledged 9 claims
May 2012: VA stated they were processing my claims
Called once a month and was told "ratings normally take 10 months" Even when I told them I was on month 17
April 2012: NOTHING...So I added my remaining 18 claims that were missing
 
PDRL 60%

Timeline

Mar 2011: MEB initiated
May 2011: offered 40% TDRL
July 2011: Formal hearing- 60% PDRL
Aug 2011: retirement orders
Nov 2011: Retired- sent records to Cleveland
Jan 2012: Cleveland acknowledged receiving records
May 2012: Cleveland VA recognized 9 claims

Waited..Waited..Waited
Called once a month and was told "claims take an average of 10 months"...even when I told them I was on month 17

Jan 2012: VA benefits rep told me to wait to send my remaining claims, they were in the decision phase and if I added more, it might start everything over

waited... continued to call every other week- told the same 10 month average

April 2012: Got sick of waiting-- sent in my missing 18 claims, got a VSO rep from the VFW

VSO rep stated I was on the ball, did everything correctly, was impressed by records and how imformed I was
He added a note to the VA Cleveland that it was a hardship.

This is getting beyond ridiculous.

Service members who have gotten out a year after me are getting their ratings.

I can't file my CRSC after my VA rating goes through.

I have a part time job, but it doesn't pay the bills.

Just found out yesterday, my DoD pay should be tax free for all my conditions fall under Combaet related.

Had to cash out my TSP and my Dad has been paying half my bills.


What else can I do? The VA is making me see all the specialists again. All my special order meds were denied, even though they were Dod approved, but the VA wouldn't transfere them. They keep changing my pain meds, depression meds, and neuro med. I feel worse than I did before my MEB. It took 2 years to get my meds right, and they don't care.

I don't understand why I am being punished for being a legacy. I missed the new way by 3 weeks. All the people after me have everything done, and I am still waiting. You would think for an initial rating, combat related, and probably 100% I would get some priority , and even not...have some answers by now.

Any Help Please????
 
I am sorry to hear of the wait and the hardships you are going through getting your due compensation. Supposedly, the VA is going to take some steps to try to clear the backlog of cases.

I don't know if this happened with your case or not, but what caught my eye was this statement:
April 2012: Got sick of waiting-- sent in my missing 18 claims, got a VSO rep from the VFW
Click to expand...
This may well have slowed up your claim processing. That is, for example, let's say your claim had moved from evidence gathering/claim development point to a rating decision point and then you added new claims, it is possible that they moved your case back to claim development. You have to be careful when you add things or contact the VA because in some instances, it can slow up the finalization of the claims. I know this is a frustrating issue and it should not be the case that your case slows because of providing additional information, but this does happen. Also, the shear volume of the cliaims could well have caused a slowdown.

I hope things move to completion for your claims and that all goes well. Good luck!
 
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