Posted on 12/03/2004 3:15:36 PM PST by Mike Bates
I think the guidelines are consistent, but their interpretation is not. Rating a disability case involves an element of subjectivity.
We have to take care of these guys....cause they are taking care of us. We need to kick the UN out and use the money to benefit the Vets.....
If we can't take care of those injured in their service to the Nation, who can we take care of?
The governor of Illinois is too busy worrying about breeders getting their free medical cards and foodstamps to worry about our Veterans.
I might be missing something here. But I am at the 100% level as combat wounded, and the amount (highest for 100%) is just above $2,200...
$6,576???
I'm no fan of Hairspray Boy, but this is a Federal rather than State problem.
I understand that. They could tighten 'em up a little. Something seems wrong when a 50% disability somewhere, is only a 20% disability somewhere else.
Isn't IL a 'Blue' state? Where are the bleeding heart wretches when you NEED them? OH--only bleeding heart if it's about lowlife, not willing to help if it's war-related.....peaceniks like that we don't need in the VA. Can we get some names and faces from the IL VA? A little exposure...here and to Drudge....
Not that I'm an authority.
Sadly, Illinois is indeed a blue state. Years of RINOs such as Thompson, Edgar and George Ryan have taken their toll.
It is imperitive of returning wounded servicemen and women to join service groups like DAV or PVA...these groups have experienced 'fighters' for Service Officers who go into the rating board hearings and 'represent' their client veterans
Without such advocates....the VA decideds what you will and will not get....
Without a 'good' advocate in a service rep you will get screwed....
That is the way it has always been
To let the VA determine what rating you should receive is like going to court and letting the DA decide whether you are guilty or innocent
It matters not whether your state is a blue state or not...each state and district is different
Do your homework...talk to the DAV or PVA or another service organization
Please Do not let your claim or a loved ones claim be settled by the VA without outside representation
IMO
I'll have to ask one of the Veterans Advocates at my next meeting. I am a Life member of American Legion, VFW, and, DAV.
I'll ping you when I find out!
I wouldn't always agree that is the case. There are some good employees, knowledable and resolving any doubt in favor of the veteran, but they tend to get lost in the bureaucratic swamp where inefficiency isn't penalized and in some cases rewarded.
Having said that, there are some outstanding Service Officers who make a genuine contribution.
Thanks. I've never filed a disability claim with the VA. As a medic, any treatment I got wasn't reflected in my medical records. If only I'd known then what I know now. . . .
I have yet to meet anyone that works at a level above the County office that actually gives a rat's ass about a veteran.
They, one and all, treat veterans as though they were a pain in the ass, to be tolerated, to be taunted, to be insulted, to be talked down to, but never, never, as a person that has a legitimate reason for being there.
To hell with them all.
Jeez, I could jump into the fray here, but it only aggravates me. I am currently 70% service connected for PTSD and some low percentages for hearing issues (or really, lack of hearing issues).
VA disability benefits are never fully funded. The process keeps enough people in the loop until enough of us die so they can award benies to the newer folks. That is the ugly reality of it all.
Could you please explain that?
Unfortunately it is true that some VA Regional Offices are more stringent when applying compensation law. It is true at the individual rater’s level as well. I can tell you that this “stinginess” does not originate from the top, in fact the new approach is to be, as the Director of the VA Regional Office where I work says repeatedly, is to be “as liberal as legal”, meaning give the veteran everything the law will allow, always give the veteran the benefit of doubt, and if an error is going to made it is better that it be made in favor of the veteran. Unfortunately many older rating personnel refuse to listen and continue to be as hard line as possible when considering evidence and applying the law. Luckily, the vast majority of these “old heads” are retiring very soon, and the new guys like me, who will never ever be accused of being stingy, will remain. Unlike the older folks who look at a case and try to find a way to deny it, we, new newer heads, look at it from the approach that we intend to grant if at all possible.
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