Not to crush anyone's hopes...

S

Snacks

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Found the following on a website. Made me sick...



How To Track Your Claim

You can't. Forget about it. Seriously. Really. You can't track your claim.

Were you told that your claim is in the decision phase? Of course it is...EVERY claim is in the decision phase from the moment it comes in the door of that impregnable fortress the VA calls a Regional Office.

Whatever you were told, you were lied to. There is no system in place that allows you to view the status of your claim or any progress it may be making.

All of the places VA provides like IRIS, the toll free number, that Ebenefits site and so on don't work. Those things do not go to your Regional Office where your claims folder (C-File) is located, they go to "call centers".

Those are provided as distractions to keep you occupied while VA operates in nearly total chaos. They don't know where your folder is on a given day. They aren't going to take time to find it for you and tell you anything that's happening.
VA uses the rationale that if they opened up phone lines to veterans so that you could talk to them, you and 1,000,000 others would probably call and bitch about it every day.

Time taken to reassure you is time taken away from working on your claim.

If you have to know the status of your claim because you are in financial trouble, you have already made your first mistake.

VA is not responsible for your financial woes. VA does not approve benefits because you need the money. VA approves benefits only because you have a service connected condition that meets the criteria to be awarded a benefit.

There is nothing at all in VA disability law that tells the VA that they must consider that you haven't been able to pay for the new plasma screen TV so they should move your claim ahead of the line.

The system is really very simple.
You file a claim. If you did it the smart way, you sent your claim in yourself and provided all the data VA needed. You mailed it using Certified Mail and Return Receipt Requested.

You got that little green postcard back so you know that your VA Regional Office got your claim. It made it into the mail room!

From the mail room the claim is triaged to the appropriate stations. It may go to compensation, education, home loans and so on.

It gets in line. The line is huge. There are 57 VA Regional Offices and there are over one million claims in the backlog. The VA receives more claims each day than it resolves. The backlog grows every day.

Your claim is in the line in the order it was received. You get no priority because you need the money...everybody needs the money.

Your claim may be headed to a section where 10 people are working. As each one closes a claims folder and sends out the award letter, he or she makes room for the next folder in that long line.

That's it. There's no mystery to it. Your claim is not tracked daily or weekly or even monthly. It's just sitting there in line waiting its turn on the desk of a rater.

I tell vets who ask me directly that from the day they file a claim to the day they get the award letter will be at least one year, more likely two.

I advise that the veteran plan to get a denial, not an award. It's my guess that 70% of all initial claims are denied. You will have to appeal and that will add two more years.

That means you should plan your living expenses accordingly. Don't rely on VA money coming to you next month so you can make the mortgage payment. Plan and spend as if you will never get any VA money...you may not.

But...you're one of those who decide that you can't wait. You're mad as hell and you're going to do something about it.

You call your Congressional Representative demanding action.

In that office is a person designated to help you. They get these calls each and every day. They know the drill. The Military and Veterans Liaison in your Congressperson or Senators office will take your info and then initiate a Congressional Inquiry.

The Congressional Inquiry is a routine form that asks the Regional Office what the deal is with your case? VA has a designated staff that will have a look and reply. They have about 45 days to do that.

The VA Regional Office people will pull your folder for review. This is not a review of the decision, it's only a look at the history of your file to see why it's taking so long.

The answer is written up and sent back to that Congressional Representative.

The great majority of these inquiries are answered with, "It's all good. The veterans folder is in line for processing. We're sorry for the delay."

Unless your case is weird and has something unusual happening, it gets back in line.

However...it has now been even more delayed. It may not get back in line where it was...it could go right back to start. You've just contributed to the delay.

If you filed your claim less than one year ago, don't try to discover where it is. You should have received the little green receipt. Then you should receive some arcane paperwork from VA that acknowledges the claim is in process.

Around 3 to 12 months after filing you should get notice of a C & P exam. Once you have your C & P exam, you'll wait another 3 to 12 months.

Plan on 2 years start to finish before you get a denial and then go into an appeal.

If you really must track your claim, every week check out the Monday Morning Workload Reports and find your VARO.

The MMWR isn't accurate. They fudge the numbers in an attempt to look good. But overall you can get a pretty good idea of how backed up your VARO is.

However...that isn't always a good indicator because of "brokering" claims to other Regional Offices. If your claim is way behind and your VARO is at max output, your claim may be at another VARO for processing there. Nobody will tell you about that or just how it works.

Be patient. Take a hobby like reading War and Peace in the original language.

Your claim will be done when it's done and no sooner.
 
BTW here is the link to the Monday Workload Reports. If you click on the most current date and once in click on the "final aggRegate" tab it will bring up the regional offices. For example I clicked on 10 September 2012 then went to Baltimore where my stuff is at. I find: 19,127 entitlement claims pending...15,656 have Been there over 125 days. Sickening....
http://www.vba.va.gov/REPORTS/mmwr/index.asp
 
Pretty much concur with the original post. The process can be painfully slow. Thought I would add in an additional point though- filing complaints or Congressionals (while sometimes warranted and the right thing to do, but in many instances not...for the following reason) can actually slow a claim. That is because someone has to respond. In order to do so, they have to get their hands on the case, suss out what has happened so far and craft a response. This necessarily slows things. My thought on this is that unless you have some objective reason to think it will help, it is often a bad idea as the response will be unlikely to help and it will likely slow the (long) processing further.

(A side note- I come across tons of posts and people that I talk to saying that they recommend filing a complaint and that in their case it helped. However, I rarely- almost never- see any evidence that this is so....my conclusion is that the original claim/issue/appeal was meritorious on the facts or the law and they got a good result because that is what was supposed to happen. The coincidence of filing a complaint was likely not of any importance. People confuse coincidence with causation. An example is that car garages are full of broken cars. That does not mean that garages break cars).
 
Not sure where this is coming from but the members on here are not just VA claims they are MEB/PEB claims.The VA is holding up the process and breaking time lines. If info was given to members they would make such a big deal. Most of use are just asking for the truth of whats going on and where it's at. If someone would tell me you package is here and it's taking about 30 days to complete i'd prob not call again til near 30 days. I called the other day and the lady told me RI is taking about 74 days to rate. All i ever asked for so i can plan my life. I'm found unfit and know i'm out of the military and need a job. the process doesn't help in this process i've lost 3 job offers due to estimating my out time and all the delays. Thanks for the site info though!!
 
firedawg225 said:
Not sure where this is coming from but the members on here are not just VA claims they are MEB/PEB claims.The VA is holding up the process and breaking time lines. If info was given to members they would make such a big deal. Most of use are just asking for the truth of whats going on and where it's at. If someone would tell me you package is here and it's taking about 30 days to complete i'd prob not call again til near 30 days. I called the other day and the lady told me RI is taking about 74 days to rate. All i ever asked for so i can plan my life. I'm found unfit and know i'm out of the military and need a job. the process doesn't help in this process i've lost 3 job offers due to estimating my out time and all the delays. Thanks for the site info though!!
Click to expand...

I think the principles hold the same with DES/IDES process and VA claims/appeals. This is not to say the system is not broken or that it could be done much better....or more importantly that they can't provide timely updates. My best guess is that it is a matter of priorities and allocation of resources.

If you ever go to any FPEB, you would probably fall out of your chair seeing the stacks of case files, all paper copy, stacked in various places and without a real reliable system to track it. (Don't get me wrong...they PEBs do track that they have the case, etc....just seems to me that in a perfect world, there would be some type of bar code put on every case at inception and wherever ti moved, the "touch" along with point of it, would be scanned and transmitted to a user available website- similar to what happens when you track a package sent via FEDEX or your order with Amazon). Like I said, I think this is a matter of priority and resources.
 
Jason, I have a real life example for you, and would like to know what how to respond to it. The VA recently awarded my 2012 COLA in August, at the same time I was received a refund of approximately $2,100. Upon, receipt of the award letter I could clearly see the VA refunding monies recouped for a severance owed.

To give you more history:

The VA has been recouping the severance pay since 2007, and I have had 4 award adjustments between that time. As of the 3 award, the severance was due to paid back in full OCT 2012, at the after tax amount. On the 4th award affecting the 2012 COLA, the VA states that I owe the before tax amount, and move the paid in full date out 2 full years. Also, doing the above as stated. Mind that I was separated in 2007 and per the statement in the VA award letter I clearly owe the after tax amount. See below for the statement in question: Award is Month/Year

3. Sep 11 -"You received a severance pay allowance of $26,056.80(gross) and $19,542.60(net) from the military for your Cervical degenerative arthritis (also claimed as radiculopathy and degenerative disc disease). We must hold back part of your VA compensation until the severance amount is paid back. VA shall withhold (after federal income tax) the severance amount received after September 30, 1996. Severance amount received prior to October 1, 1996, will include the amount before taxes are taken out. After an amount equal to your severance pay allowance is paid back, you'll start receiving your full monthly VA compensation.

4. Aug 12 - "You received a severance pay allowance of $26,056.80 from the military for your Cervical degenerative arthritis (also claimed as radiculopathy and degenerative disc disease). We must hold back part of your VA compensation until the severance amount is paid back. VA shall withhold (after federal income tax) the severance amount received after September 30, 1996. Severance amount received prior to October 1, 1996, will include the amount before taxes are taken out. After an amount equal to your severance pay allowance is paid back, you'll start receiving your full monthly VA compensation.
 
Not replying to anyone in particular and am not here to add fuel to the fire. This wouldn't be the first time someone has complained about the VA and my guess it won't be the last time. Sounds like the original person who posted his or her rant seemed a bit upset. I processed claims for the VA for over 18 months and that individual is right. The backlog increases as the days go by. I would have to say that it could have something to do with the current conflict that a majority of us were involved in over the past 10 years or so. When I was processing claims, we were still processing claims from WWII vets. Not only were we processing theirs, but also their widows who are eligible for death benefits. We weren't just processing claims for OIF/OEF vets. If fact, I don't believe I had any claims for vets after Desert Storm. When I was there, Congress opened the door for new Agent Orange claims from Vietnam Vets, which meant that at least 200,000 new claims were going to be filed as soon as the vets could submit them. It took me 11 months to get my VA claim. I also got 11 months of back pay from it as it is retro active from the day you submit your claim.....I win! If those who file claims when they get out and expect to get paid the following day, please don't be upset when it doesn't happen. As the original person who posted this stated that there are close to 1,000,000 cases in the backlog. Remember that when you file your claim. If anyone would like to help process claims, I do believe the Pension Centers are hiring for that exact job. Good luck.
 
Don't get me wrong, anytime I have filed a claim I would sit and wait out the process.. Long and slow, as it may be, but what get under my skin is the corner cutting done. Like with the example I provided regarding my COLA award. And, when you call to cite their own legalese to them regarding the award, a dumbfounding silence ensues, followed by where does it say that. It is as if the call center people lack training and minimal knowledge on the award these people are allowed to discuss over the phone.
 
Wow! Awesome discussion. Just know I didn't post this to poke anyone person or organization in the eye and I knew about the VAs process for along time. It took my grandfather 50 years to get compensation for his hearing loss from the Korean War. I just found it interesting cause I know a lot of people are under the impress the VA or PEB knows exactely where your stuff is when you call. I posted it because of how the persons blunt commentary spells it all out. I just wanted to share the info mainly. Hope no one is too offended.
 
Interesting parallels between the VA and the BCMRs. Around 1995 Congress decided the BCMRs were broken and needed to be fixed. The Air Force BCMR was being accused of rubber stamping advisory opinions from the Air Force Staff, and the Army BCMR was so backlogged the normal processing time was 3 years on a case, and it wasn't unusual to get a case assigned to you that was five years old. The Army BCMR totally turned itself around with new management and successfully dropped its average processing time to 7 months (as of last December). But the Army BCMR's incoming case load had increased dramatically in 2010 and 2011. It was thought that increase was due to the large number of people unemployed in this economy. Since there is virtually no possibility of additional people being authorized to process cases in a Government in the process of downsizing, how long the BCMRs can maintain its currency is questionable. The Army BCMR has a computerized tracking system which will at least allow the office which responds to telephonic inquires to tell the caller where the case is in the system (received, assigned to an examiner, awaiting Board, or awaiting implimentation). But thats all they can do. They will not tell the caller the telephone number of the examiner who has your case. It has been the experience of the BCMRs that people only want to hear that their case will be considered next and that they will be given what they want. If any other answer is given, an argument ensues. That takes time from the examiner that could be used to process cases . . .
 
From my limited view, including the VA into the IDES was the best decision and has reduced the total time needed to provide assistance to our future Veterans (us). Including the VA into the IDES probably added a total of 2 months to my IDES packet's processing time. From inprocessing, it took about a month to get the C&Pen exam done and the report report completed, and then the VA turned around their "proposed findings" within a month of the Army sending the unfit finding. That is far better than two years that the average Veteran has to wait.

The above isn't to say that Ebenifits is ever updated, or accurate; I agree with most everything in the origional post (the truth hurts), and I would add that the VA's policy up until 2007 was to deny everything the first-time (much like the Services' MEB/PEB process). The initial rater's job was to deny everything, and hope that the Veteran quit asking. This was their main cost-cutting measure.

The systems still have problems, but they are getting better. The U.S. is very slowly acknowledging the hidden costs of going to war.
 
I am active Navy and when I get out I hope to get a job with the VA. I want to be a case worker or assign ratings so that Veterans dont have to go thru the Dark like us. I would be fine if they would just tell us something. With my case I contacted the VA in DC and they informed me that my ratings should have been done by 4july12 and that the VA hasnt even looked at my file since June. That irritated me that my case hadnt moved in 3 months all because someone was too lazy to look at it. Then MEB found me unfit back in March and complet VA exams early May. The Navy has lost my surgery paperwork 3 times, so PEB hasnt even received my case and that was done almost 5 months ago. What the heck is going on. We just dont want to be left in the dark. If they told me right now that I was found unfit and what my %s were, and said that I had to wait a year to get out, that would be fine. Atleast I knew what my situation was and I could start to plan a future. Most of us have families and it is not fair to tell are spouses that we dont know were we are working or when we are coming home, all because someone sitting behind a desk is paid by the hour, and not by the case, therefore they take their sweet time. Good luck to everyone on here and God Bless and may we be home by the holidays. Navy Bud!
 
Interesting idea on getting paid by the case @ kiefer82. Don't you think if they were paid by the case, some of them would be giving you any kind of rating just so they could close it out and get paid? What's the benefit to them if they can't close your case for a year? Veterans Service Representatives are on a daily point system. Each type of case and each action they perform on those cases equals certain points. If they don't meet those points, they eventually get fired. Yes, government employees can get fired. I've seen it happen. Glad to hear you want to be part of that process. Good luck to you.
 
I too think that it is a bad idea to pay people by the case, then rubber-stamping would be all over the place and no one would get the correct ratings!
 
I've seen this post before too and I think it was written before the IDES process with the stand-alone VA claim process in mind but I definitely agree with it. When I buy something online, I can see exactly where it is in the shipping process. It is very sad that with all the technology we have today the VA still does not provide a way to accurately tell where your claim is at. eBenefits is a big improvement over what was there before (nothing) but it's still a work in progress with a long ways to go before it becomes what it needs to be.

Now I am not defending the VA and there is a lot of room for improvement, but after reading some of the replies here I have to say, raters aren't exactly lazy and they don't just sit around doing nothing all day. Most VAROs have mandatory overtime and a lot will work the weekends. It's just that they get more cases coming in than they can complete and the resources at the VA are spread too thin. Also, the bureaucratic red tape that covers the VA if something happens really slows things down. Most people at the VARO hate those policies just as much as the vets do but they're there for a reason.

Did you know that you can go visit your VARO and some will even let you see the rater's offices? It's a very good learning experience. I actually looked into working in the processing department of the VA but I was told I needed medical experience. I'm not sure if that's still the case but oh well, I'm IU now and trying for SSDI...
 
joshgo said:
I've seen this post before too and I think it was written before the IDES process with the stand-alone VA claim process in mind but I definitely agree with it. When I buy something online, I can see exactly where it is in the shipping process. It is very sad that with all the technology we have today the VA still does not provide a way to accurately tell where your claim is at. eBenefits is a big improvement over what was there before (nothing) but it's still a work in progress with a long ways to go before it becomes what it needs to be.

Now I am not defending the VA and there is a lot of room for improvement, but after reading some of the replies here I have to say, raters aren't exactly lazy and they don't just sit around doing nothing all day. Most VAROs have mandatory overtime and a lot will work the weekends. It's just that they get more cases coming in than they can complete and the resources at the VA are spread too thin. Also, the bureaucratic red tape that covers the VA if something happens really slows things down. Most people at the VARO hate those policies just as much as the vets do but they're there for a reason.

Did you know that you can go visit your VARO and some will even let you see the rater's offices? It's a very good learning experience. I actually looked into working in the processing department of the VA but I was told I needed medical experience. I'm not sure if that's still the case but oh well, I'm IU now and trying for SSDI...
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A couple weeks ago, I applied for a GS-7 VSO job, so they aren't overly compensated either.
 
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