I have been trying for three years now to get my military disability for 8 diff things I had problems with in the military from hearing lost to breaking both my legs during a night jump to getting shot three diff times when i was in, I got a whole whopping amount of 129.00 dollars for ringing in my ears .the rest is service connected but zero money payout .but the funny thing is the guy who did my claim said to refile in the three months and it will get something per problem I'm having . so it going to be fun times with the doctors all over again .the knee and back and hearing specialist said that is common when trying to get them to say you have a service connected health issues .so it back to salt mine at the V.A. hospital on Monday to see the doctors on the problems areas
My limited experience with the VA as a peacetime vet, active 1956 thru 1960, active reserves 1960 thru 1962, is to avoid it like the plague. I can get more help and understanding from welfare than the VA. They are kind of like lawyers, my wife's aunt is 90 years old and was in a car accident, idiot backed out of his driveway and t boned her, he had no insurance, etc, and it destroyed her car. damaged her leg, etc. She got a lawyer and they got a $6,000 payment and the lawyer kept $5,000. My limited experience with the VA is that the bureaucrats that run it are paid well, deny everything that they can, protect their butts at all costs, and act like they are holy men for being outstanding public servants. Not quite as bad as politicians or college administration, but close. Might just be the luck of the draw and that I truly don't qualify for anything, but I just avoid the organization. Good luck with your struggle with them and don't let the bast**** wear you down.
Have you spoken to anybody at your local Disabled American Veterans Chapter? They have Veteran's Service Officers who know how to navigate the VA system. They can also explain the VA rating system as it applies to your case. It took me nearly a decade after I retired to finally find a clear explanation of VA math. It's more than 4+4=5, even if that's how it looks. I must've typed and deleted "The easiest way to explain it is..." half a dozen times. It's a percentage of a remainder calculation. It will be easier to see on paper in any case. I'm just thankful that I retired without being any more busted up than I already was.
Finding someone in the VA that actually cares is the hard part. If you've got problems that can be service related and the VA won't do anything about it, you can get a private doctor to consult with and if he says its related, then I've heard they will pay up then. It's worth a try.
Sorry to hear you are having so many issues @hank2222. Hopefully some of our vets that have gone through this and gpt their claims covered will reach out and may have pointers for you. My Uncle was fortunate that his local VFW had really helpful people and resources. He never would have received the medical care he did if it had not been for a VFW lady that does not accept no. Thank you for your service.
Combat-Related Special Compensation for Disabled Veterans Link explains combat-related-special-compensation (CRSC). Might be good stuff to know.
I was told by the VA staff for years that I did not qualify for medical benefits due to making to much money. I had a jaundiced view of the VA for a very long time. Their business was the easy benefits and to ignore those that had the medical needs until they stop bothering them or dropped dead. So, I had very little interest in the VA and had few interactions with them. I am not a combat Vet, no shooting during my period of service, and only minor health issues during that same time. When attending one of the local Stand Downs I encountered a some what more persistent VA rep. that insisted on looking at my DD214. He got a serious look on his face and told me to follow him into another room. I had been stationed at camp LeJeun at one time and that single fact NOW qualified me for health benefits. Seems they fed us water that was contaminated with industrial solvents. I am now a vet with a priority 6 classification. No money involved, but health care insurance that I still am required to pay for through my employer. Good luck with the system @hank2222
If you have an issue with the VA and the Patient Advocates don't help I'd write my Federal Senators and Representatives. They will write that medical center and ask for an explanation and the VA is required to respond. It's not unheard of for the VA staff at the medical center to get the issue resolved so they can respond back that the matter is resolved. The second thing is that not all VA medical centers are the same. Some are outstanding and others shouldn't be taking care of animals. Each medical center is fairly independent from the others and has its own internal culture. Each medical center is also a part of a larger organizational unit called a VISN or now District in a new reorg effort. Like the medical centers, some of these districts are more dedicated than some. It boils down to the leadership in the executive offices and their desire to make a difference.
Yep, "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again!" certainly seems to be the service member's motto, when dealing with the VA! I got lucky, in that the doctor who saw me for my shoulder hadn't become numb to the whole thing yet. Even then, I could see the look in her eyes, that suggested that maybe she thought I was exaggerating a bit, as I still (thankfully) have full range of motion, and most of it without much, if any, pain. But once she asked me to raise my arm even with my shoulder, bend my arm fully at the elbow, and rotate the arm at the shoulder, while her hand was on top of the shoulder, I could see that expression change to one of more than mild shock....as the felt the joint going *crackle-crackle-crackle* under her hand! Yep, that's what I was telling you, doc! I missed out on qualifying for hearing loss, by about a point and a half (figured I'd go back in 2-3 years, and likely qualify), but did get 10% for the tinnitus (ringing in the ears, which is judge separately). Along with 20% for my shoulder, it just qualified me for a monthly check, and health care from the VA. I gladly take the check, and the health care card is in my wallet....but I'll stick with my Blue Cross coverage, for now!
It took me close to 4 years to get through all the hoops and crap, Even with a Purple Heart, I was still denied benefits as the V.A. doesn't reconcile combat deployments with the Air Force, so its been an up hill fight every step of the way! My Dad had it even worse, he retired from 35 years in the Navy at the rank of Captain and his health has been deteriorating since he was put on the beach, the V.A. has repeatedly denied him, claiming every thing from his income is too high, to no combat cruises ( which is complete horse shit, he has 8 combat cruises), to his assignment to a teaching position at both Annapolis, and to the Naval War Collage! Any thing they think they can get away with, they try, hoping you go away or pass away! There is ZERO compassion in the V.A. System, even with Vets choice, you still have to fight the V.A. to get claims settled and you will get hit financially to your credit score! My advice such as it is, is to start the process through your local care center that honors Veterans Choice and let them help you fight, this will help stop the billing madness, and get the V.A. to respond more kindly, after that, if you are still having issues, Find out who is in charge of your V.A. center and contact them directly. after they respond to you, you can then take action with your reps and Gov'ners office, usually a strongly worded letter from one or more of them and a good lawyer are enough to light a fire under there asses and get things done! Good Luck, I wish there was a black and white answer I could give you, but every single case is unique and requires a lot of work to resolve!
I go to the Reno, NV. VA and got to say IMHO it is one of the best! The guy that runs it actually cares enough to talk with vets... and the staff all seem to care and try to help... even sent a report to my politicians with good reviews... Oh and they put up with my bad jokes... amazing huh
I had to go before a federal judge to get my claim/claims approved after being denied. Took a while, but it only took the judge a few minutes to decide after he talked to me. I had a DAV rep with me, but judge basically told the rep to S2, he wanted to hear my story. Was also retroactive to when I'd first filed a claim.
If anyone wants to go outside of the VA to a private doctor , it may work best if they are your regular family doctor. But I have some info that may help get some of your compensation, that was told to me from a Retired Colonel that used to run the VA offices in my AO. I don't want to blast this out all over the place and have the VA flooded with this stuff and then it not help anybody. I have no proof it will work, but if you send me a pm I'll let you know and you can see if it will work for you. Please only request this if you are actually having problems with the VA and your claims. I am not a doctor, and cannot tell you if it will work or not. I haven't had to use this info, I was lucky enough that the VA doc saw it fit to give me a pretty good rating. I take my check every month, I won't say gladly, because I feel there is someone's else who probably deserves it more than me , that can't find the right VA doctor. I've got some denied claims, but I don't want to press my luck and have to start over with new doctors, and they do something and drop my comp all together.
The VA in my humble opinion has two sides to it. One side does its very best and has some people who do their best to help and comfort the vets with the limited resources they are given, met a few at nursing home facilities that nearly qualify as saints and truly cared. The other side, much of the intake and upper level management, is part of the military industrial complex and view any dollar spent on your care as a direct attack on the military budget and expenditures for your care must compete with the F-35 program, 20 years of boondoggle and $100's of billions spent on a plane that so far just doesn't work, and you loose. It is at its worst at the exit stage from the military and everything I have heard and seen in the last 60 years has been bad. The Captain or Major in charge of a unit views anyone less than 100 % as a direct threat to his performance review and will do everything he can to remove that individual from their command. PTSD, addiction problems, family problems, health problems, etc, are not their problems and using any excuse they can to remove you as quickly as possible from the unit is their only goal. Often that means a less than honorable discharge and an automatic loss of benefits to those that need them the most. Nothing new there, that has been the military way since the Romans. It has worked well for the system, one example is now that most of those involved in the Agent Orange episodes in Vietnam are dead and no longer around to claim benefits, some of the survivors may get some care and retroactive benefits.
The local VA was not the problem of me getting the denials, it was further up the chain. That is, unless the locals were saying one thing and writing down something else.
When I left folks didn't even bother with VA claims, it was considered improper. But during TAP Uncle Sam slotted you for a VA consultation prior to shipping over the side, 14 years latter (Once back pay was dissolved) the VA invited me in for an interview. Nothing I claimed was denied, but so much was listed at 0%. Still, the VA resolved that I was entitled to 110% and as I was working at the time, I could continue working. So don't expect me to blow smoke at you about the VA's treatment of Vets.
