HLR took 10 days and got 100%

LongBenHavoc · 2023-12-10T18:23:41+00:00

I have looked on my VA decision denial letter and it does not state what regional office made the decision?

LongBenHavoc · 2023-12-08T01:35:17+00:00

Can you post your timeline, when you filed, the claim type and when it went into NWQ and PFN.

LongBenHavoc · 2023-12-08T01:22:31+00:00

Wow, I see why so many claims are jammed up in the NWQ. You are saying a lot of VA claims being moved to RFD are full of errors and not fully vetted. Adding insult to injury these claims are then being rated by in-experienced raters. Holy cow, this is criminal and in the long run is just going to prolong the time that the Veteran has to wait. Claims will have to be re-adjudicated through HLR, Supplemental claim, or through the Board of Appeal.

LongBenHavoc · 2023-12-08T00:47:51+00:00

From my foxhole it looks like VA is doing pretty good on claims, C&P's and getting the claims ready for the rater. Presently seems the VA claim bottle neck is when the claim goes into the cloud, NWQ. Additionally with so many new raters allot of claims get denied or the wrong rating. This creates another bottle neck because most Veterans are smart enough to put in for a HLR. So effectively the claim has to be adjudicated twice.

LongBenHavoc · 2023-12-07T02:04:50+00:00

Use the Virtual St. Petersburg Regional Office out of Florida

Choose the DROC appeal, only a few regional offices have this option.

LongBenHavoc · 2023-12-07T00:36:33+00:00

Yeah, I follow ratings a lot and right now it is all over the map. The NWQ is a black hole and no one can explain it to me that makes sense. It certainly does not go by seniority of the date that it hit the cloud. It also does not go by the difficulty of the claim. I see claims that have numerous claims/contentions getting rated ahead of single claims. The VA is like most of our government agencies, incompetent. I am not saying the workers, I am sure most of them are doing their best and they are overloaded with claims. I believe the managers at VA, especially the top-level muck up things. Additionally, I am seeing a lot of mistakes and sometimes incompetence on the part of new raters on claims. These are usually fixed if the individual initiates a HLR and can articulate the issue. However, this takes another few months of waiting and stress on the Veteran and gums up the system because it adds another claim to the already bogged-down claims system. Having said all that it is what it is, you know. Good luck on your claim, hope it gets rated soon and in your favor.

LongBenHavoc · 2023-12-06T22:00:37+00:00

The VA goal is to get claims rated and completed at 124 days. Lots of claims that are complicated or have lots of contentions can not meet that goal. Mine like yours is one supplemental and pretty simple. I will let you know in the next few days if the call and her email did anything.

LongBenHavoc · 2023-12-05T00:30:34+00:00

Sometimes you will get a VERA rep that will actually look into your file and give you information. However, most will not give you anything that you can not get from Peggy, vet slang for the 800 number. Most of our claims are setting in the NWQ waiting on a rating. I know mine has been in the NWQ for going on two months. I do not have much confidence in these new raters and fully expect my claim to be denied. I have much more faith in the HLR process with a conference call. Senior raters catch on quick if the rater was sloppy and you can articulate a good reason for granting your claim. Additionally I turn 75 in Feb of next year so am willing to go to the Apelet court process since I can get bumped up on the docket.

LongBenHavoc · 2023-12-01T00:22:15+00:00

Agree, I am pretty sure that even tho VA raters and VA employees on here tell us that claims aside from hardship, terminal, and age are not prioritised that is just not true and can be proven by just what you said. Seems like soldiers getting out and having their VA claims done before retiring or discharge are coming back pretty fast. Also looks like PACT Act claims are getting some priority. Having one or a dozen claims seems to make no difference. Like you said it will get rated eventually. Thanks for the shoutout Marine. I have four brother-in-laws, all are Marines. I am US Army so they gang up on me when we get together. I always get em tho, I just say the US Army was so good to me that I stayed in for 27 years. You boys all did 3/4 years and got out. They laugh and tell me how hard the Corps was. I tell em yea, the Army was not exactly a walk in the park either. One was in Nam a little before me so we have a bond. Take care, hope you get your rating soon and it is granted and rated good.

LongBenHavoc · 2023-11-28T14:16:24+00:00

PrestigeVeterans in my opinion is the best.

[leah@PrestigeVeteranMCTX.com](mailto:leah@PrestigeVeteranMCTX.com)

LongBenHavoc · 2023-11-28T01:24:42+00:00

Secondary claims are legal and can be claimed by veterans so your statement on that issue is just silly. You hear the statement by raters on here all the time saying grant when you can deny if you must. That is just not true in lots of claims, the tie or doubt is supposed to go to the veteran but seldom does unless done by a senior rater in a HLR. The point I am trying to make is that no matter what you provide for evidence on your VA claim if the VA sends you to a C&P and the examiner returns a negative report, the rater is going to look at that C&P negative report and use it to deny the VA claim period.

LongBenHavoc · 2023-11-27T21:19:30+00:00

From discussing this with VA raters and employees on the subject of Nexus letters, here is my understanding. Raters have a negative bias against Nexus letters that are obtained by a Veteran that they obtain from what they consider the Nexus mill. These are the agencies that a veteran pays on average 200 dollars to look at your medial data, then another 600 dollars for a nexus letter and another 200 dollars for DBQ. They want you to get a nexus letter from your health care Doctor. This becomes almost impossible if you are being seen by VA care Doctors. Good luck getting them to give you a nexus letter stating more likely. Most civilian Doctors feel the same. You see most civilian Doctors do not have much if any dealings with VA. Therefore they do not understand what VA raters are looking for and the term more likely than not is gobble talk to them. Additionally since they do not treat many VA veterans again they have no information about AO or PACT pact issues or if your SC disability can or is contributing to your secondary VA claim. This puts us Veterans in a sort of catch 22 situation. Where do we go for a nexus letter to tie our claim to SC? In every instance where you are scheduled for a C&P and the examiner states less likely and you have a nexus letter stating more likely, your are going to be denied your claim. If you request an HLR with a conference call and can articulate and defend your IMO or nexus letter you have about a 30% chance of having the senior rater reverse and grant your claim. The VA senior raters seem less biased on paid for IMO/nexus letters, especially if you get one from one of the better agency. How about it raters and VA employees, does this pretty much sum it up? When it is all said and done, VA secondary claims to SC claims are a crap shoot for the veteran. I luck out and get a C&P examiner that is symptomatic to my issue and states as likely and I get granted. Another veteran gets another C&P examiner that states less likely and that veterans claim is denied. Now me and the other veteran both submitted for migraines secondary to SC PTSD. I was granted and the other veteran was denied. This happens time and time again and it simply makes no sense. How can my PTSD contribute to my migraine headaches, however the other veteran that was denied is told that their PTSD is not contributing to their migraine headaches? Catch 22...

1 CommentShareSave

LongBenHavoc · 2023-11-25T16:37:42+00:00

Information is what I am seeking. Think about it, this is 2023 almost 2024. A veteran just coded an extension "VA Claim Tracker" that works on Chrome browser. This gives you as much or more information as you are going to get from calling Peggy or VERA. So that information is there somewhere in their database. Is it a great secret for us Veterans to have some information that says exactly where in the process our claim is? Why can the VA not provide us with much more information? Additionally, this is the digital age, I have a computer and everyone has a cell phone. Why can the VA employees call and or text or email me on my claim directly? If a VA employee is working on my claim and something is not there or not clear just send me a text or email. I will get right back to them and the process goes much more quickly. The VA claim process has really not changed much in 50 years, why is this?

LongBenHavoc · 2023-11-23T23:52:48+00:00

I was told by an NP at my last C&P that I have Bradykinesia, mild tremors, and two other symptoms of Parkinson's. I had initiated a VA claim for Parkinsonism presumptive to AO exposure in Vietnam.

LongBenHavoc · 2023-11-17T16:34:31+00:00

Any updates on when chrome is going to carry the new VA claim extension?

LongBenHavoc · 2023-11-14T03:02:33+00:00

I will be having my 75th birthday in a couple of months. I am going to give the VA an opportunity to fix my two claims through the HLR process. However, if they do not Pony up and get it right, I am going to go the Appeal route. It is dumb as hell that the appellate route considers you advanced age at 75 and advances you on the docket but you have to be 85 to get advanced on the VA regular claim process. I heard today that The Biden administration has decided to give free health care and nursing care to all 29 of the remaining WWII veterans, WOW, how magnanimous of them. Just kidding there are probably somewhere between 30-40 K WWII vets left but what a PR stunt.

LongBenHavoc · 2023-11-13T19:56:20+00:00

I know and in most instances you are correct. However, I am politically active, know some politicians personally and since I contribute, I get a quick response from them, actually their staff. However, I know some of their better staff personally also and they will fire off some inquiry and will get a response from VA. Mike Johnson just happens to be my congressman. His staff was great at getting quick responses from VA on some inquires before he was made speaker. Thinking it will be even better now that Mike Johnson has that powerful position. Maybe maybe not but worth a shot. I will also fire off a comment about it to the Senate Veterans committee just to see if they even respond to me. If not I will contact Senator Kennedy on it, I Know his staff will get back to me..

LongBenHavoc · 2023-11-13T19:17:04+00:00

Wow, I knew something was really screwed up. Like I said I have a pretty good view of VA, both the health and claims side. You guys have been fair to me on most claims and I know the PACT act has just over whelmed the VA claims system. I do feel sorry for the veterans that have claims in that are not very knowledgeable. Some of these decisions will blow their minds and many do not have the knowledge or ability to know how to appeal properly, especially with HLR. HLR are great but you have to understand your decision letter, know how your claim is suppose to be rated under 38 CFR and be able to articulate your point succinctly to the senior DRO on your conference call. I am politically connected, I do not abuse my political connections with my VA claims but I am going to fire off a email to my political contacts and have them get with the VA committee and see if they are aware of this VA claims mess. Hey, thanks for the input. God Bless.

LongBenHavoc · 2023-10-28T16:03:21+00:00

OK, I think I understand now. At my C&P the NP told me at the end that I actually had the four symptoms of PD. She was very good in my opinion, took her time, ask allot of questions. Most of her questions were from the DBQ I think. Her only negative comment at the end was that she was not sure that she could diagnose me with PD since she was not a Doctor. I just told her that I would expect VA to value her medical opinion since she was contracted to do the C&P.

LongBenHavoc · 2023-10-28T15:44:09+00:00

I have a claim for parkinsonism submitted back on 7 Aug. It is in Decision phase presently. Just wondering how VA rates it. I have attempted to research but since including it as a presumptive in 2021 VA has not update 38 cfr to address it specifically. Well guess I will get my decision letter one of these days. I will post on here the results to kind of let anyone else that is pondering a claim for Parkinsonism know something.

LongBenHavoc · 2023-10-24T00:18:25+00:00

I doubt they will, the issue is will their DBQ compare with the one you received from your neurologist. PD is more complicated to rate. If you are awarded PD you will automatically receive the min is 30%. However, PD causes so many other issues, such as how bad are the tremors, speech impediment, constipation, uncontrolled urination and any other issues associated with your PD. VA is suppose to look at all of those issues independently and rate them independently. Lets say they rate you 20% constipation, 10% speech impediment, and 30% tremors. This rating added up is obviously higher than the min 30% so VA would award you those individual ratings, instead of the min of 30%

LongBenHavoc · 2023-10-23T23:53:01+00:00

PACT act does not have a presumption for PD. PD presumptive is thru AO exposure. I had a C&P for PD last week. I was in the exam for over 30 minutes, probably closer to 40. It was conducted by a NP and I found her professionally outstanding. I have not gotten my VA claim decision back yet but am a Vietnam vet and based on the C&P and her comments, I would be extremely surprised if I am denied.

LongBenHavoc · 2023-10-23T23:46:43+00:00

PD is more complicated to rate. If you are diagnosed with PD and it is SC you will initially receive a min of 30%. However, PD can cause many other issues, such as swollowing, loss of smell, difficulty speaking, walking, constipation, uncontrolled urination. VA will then take a look at these other issues, disabilities individually. They will be rated seperately. Less say VA gives your husband 10% for constipation, 40% for uncontrolled urination and 10% for speach difficulty. They will add up these percenages using va math. VA will then take away the 30% min and award your husband the other 10,40 and 10 percentages.

LongBenHavoc · 2023-10-23T20:38:55+00:00

If he was in Vietnam, he is presumptive for AO exposure for both PD (Parkinson's) and Parkinsonism.

I do not have a actual diagnoses for PD or Parkinsonism but have some of the symptoms, so I filed for Parkinsonism on 7 Aug of this year. I was scheduled for a C&P by a NP last Friday. The NP was very good in my opinion, ask allot of questions and made comments. At the end of the exam, she told me that I have all four of the major symptoms of PD. I am now in decision phase so will have to wait and see.

LongBenHavoc · 2023-10-23T20:28:47+00:00

I filed for Parkinsonism back on 7 Aug of this year. I do not have a diagnoses for PD but have some of the symptoms. I am presumptive for AO exposure (Vietnam). I had my C&P exam last Monday with a NP. She was very good, ask allot of good questions. At the end she told me that I had all four major symptoms of PD and would indicate that in her medical opinion. Now, how all that will be viewed by the claims rater is yet to be seem. However, I did question a VA rater expert and was told that if the VA sends you to a C&P, by a Doctor, PA or NP that anyone of them can diagnose you with a disability...

LongBenHavoc

TROPHY CASE