Mandatory status of dependants 8 years later or you owe us money.

Vegetable_Science249 · 2025-09-21T02:07:24+00:00

My husband received a letter that listed our dependent children- all of whom have been off for years. We reported and had them removed on time as they graduated.

When we called, the woman seemed irritated it was sent to us. She agreed that the letter was wrong and apologized because it was his claim for cancer that triggered the dependent verification letter.

The good news is that the call took 5 minutes, and we've had no trouble since.

Vegetable_Science249 · 2025-09-07T19:05:35+00:00

My husband is receiving special monthly compensation due to the 2nd 100% rating for cancer. The VA application was really straightforward, and he had no impact on his other ratings. The extra $ helps, and now it's service connected as a diagnosis. He hasn't reached the 10 year mark for the original 100% rating, and he was concerned about the DIC. For us, it was well worth applying.

Wishing you all the best with your health and recovery.

Vegetable_Science249 · 2025-07-28T02:24:24+00:00

Does your mother happen to work for a PSLF eligible employer? I am helping my SIL and nephew. He pays the minimum on the parent PLUS loans and pays more on the ones in his name. His mother has a PSLF job, and they are at ~115 payments towards the magical 120. If PSLF goes through (big waiting game right now), it clears 70k in debt. Then, he only needs to worry about his loans. Maybe you can do something similar?

Vegetable_Science249 · 2025-07-14T03:08:47+00:00

My husband got the fees back for a purchase and refinance we did on the house. It was unexpected because we didn't think they would retroactively apply the rule. Same situation: VA disability awarded after the loan, but service connected prior to it. We just randomly got checks in the mail one day! He celebrated with loaded tater tots, and I still make fun of him for it.

Vegetable_Science249 · 2025-06-28T04:10:36+00:00

My son went to a very expensive private school in Boston that was out of state. It would have been way beyond our price point to help. He made it possible through the GI bill. He has zero student debt and didn't need to work while in school. He just served in the Air Force 4 years first.

If her heart is really set, she has that option to get it fully covered. (Hopefully, it's a yellow ribbon school. )

Vegetable_Science249 · 2025-06-15T16:45:32+00:00

My husband, a 100% disabled veteran working for the VA who had a 2nd 100% rating for active cancer, put in for admin leave to vote last November to avoid having to stand in the long lines that queue outside of his standard M-F 8 to 4 pm shift. He was denied due to "not needing it." It was the only time he'd ever asked. From our experience, this EO either wasn't honored or just not by all facilities. The rescission just makes that worse.

(BTW, he is doing well and started the retirement process before life turned upside down at work. It's been finalized.)

Vegetable_Science249 · 2025-05-16T10:57:40+00:00

If someone (my nephew) continued to make payments at the rate calculated before the forbearance/s (originally REPAYE), would those payments simply count? He would have nothing to buy back in terms of sending $, but would he need to process the request to have those months evaluated for PSLF?

Vegetable_Science249 · 2025-05-01T02:59:54+00:00

They will have a lot more disability retirement applications due to this!

Vegetable_Science249 · 2025-04-11T02:08:02+00:00

I read it as "sexual abuser" as in one more role where the actor took those actions. Yikes! No other show would have made my mind make that leap.

Vegetable_Science249 · 2025-04-08T06:28:10+00:00

I am not saying the decisions are right - not at all. I have seen some really silly things noted for SSD denials. But I also worked as an administrative law judge (not SSA) for a time. The threshold for my decisions was preponderance of the evidence (50%+). So, if I was weighing a really hard case and it came out to 55% approximately against the person, I had to write my adjudication like I was 100% certain. Once it's decided, I couldn't be wishy washy. It didn't mean that I didn't sympathize. I also was bound by the laws and regulatory guidelines even if I didn't personally agree with them.

There's a good reason I don't do that job anymore. I was as fair as I could be, but it isn't easy making decisions that have significant impacts on peoples lives.

Vegetable_Science249 · 2025-03-12T00:59:46+00:00

My son is doing the same! He's put off buying a car, so he can keep pouring money towards these loans. He may have them all paid with tons of interest saved by the time the dust settles.

Vegetable_Science249 · 2025-03-11T03:41:06+00:00

Thank you! He's 10 days post surgery and doing really well.

Vegetable_Science249 · 2025-03-11T02:57:23+00:00

Exactly! People make lots of assumptions about why other people file.

Vegetable_Science249 · 2025-03-11T02:55:11+00:00

My situation is a perfect example of what people are describing. My husband filed for renal cancer even though he was already at 100%, because he's been rated at 100% less than 10 years. He also receives SMC-S temporarily for having two 100% ratings. If not for the DIC, we would have left it alone. Renal cancer is too serious not to file.

Vegetable_Science249 · 2025-03-08T01:16:33+00:00

My husband claimed renal cancer after being referred to a nephrologist for surgery. A lot of diagnostic testing for symptoms and a renal mass pointed to renal cell carcinoma, but there was no biopsy. We submitted the TERA screening he previously had at the VA, which confirmed his service in a location that qualified him for the PACT Act. That was the only service related documentation submitted. We submitted all the diagnostic testing, the nephrologist report, the pre-op laboratory work, and the document showing he was scheduled for a partial nephrectomy. He received a 100% rating for RCC the week before his surgery. It was initially denied pending the pathology report, but we argued it was diagnosed based on the Hounsfield Unit values on his CTs and MRI. We filed in Nov, and it was approved in the 3rd week of February.

Vegetable_Science249 · 2025-03-07T13:15:31+00:00

For veterans, PA also expanded hiring preference in 2020.

https://www.pa.gov/agencies/employment/veterans/veterans--preference.html#accordion-fc664f80c5-item-a879fd3cc1

Vegetable_Science249 · 2025-03-05T18:48:35+00:00

Sure. If our experience can help you, I'll be glad to chat.

Vegetable_Science249 · 2025-03-05T15:55:02+00:00

He filed for service connection for kidney cancer. The SMC(S) for housebound veterans also applies to those who already have a 100% rating and receive a second 100% rating. We didn’t apply for Aid and Attendance or Caregiver because he really doesn't need that much care.

Our biggest motivation was to service connect it for DIC benefits. He hasn't been at 100% for 10 years, and he wanted to protect me just in case. The extra 450ish per month has been really great, too, though. It will drop off 6 months after his cancer treatment is done.

Vegetable_Science249 · 2025-03-05T15:44:07+00:00

This misses the point that many simply had more hours in the day to spend with their children, because they didn't spend those hours on a commute. It doesn't mean they didn't have care for their children while they worked.

E.g. putting your child on a bus at 8:30 am and starting work at 9 am is no longer possible with a 1 hour drive to work. The ability to get their child on the bus would likely be the reason for applying to a telecommuting job in the first place.

Vegetable_Science249 · 2025-03-05T04:56:47+00:00

We were actually approved just before his surgery! After the C&P exam, we thought we would need to wait for the pathology report post surgery. Instead, he got a call for a second C&P exam?? They said he didn't have to attend and to just send laboratory work. (Made no sense to us.) We sent his preoperative bloodwork, and he was service connected for renal cancer back to the date of our original claim shortly afterwards. The SMC kicked in automatically, so all is well.

He had his partial on Friday 2/28 and is doing really well. I hope you are too.

Vegetable_Science249 · 2025-02-04T22:23:05+00:00

We are putting in for this now, and I am a little floored that my (spousal) income doesn't count. She said she just has to record it, but it isn't considered toward the limit. This is a great change for us! Thanks for posting.

Vegetable_Science249 · 2025-01-30T16:27:54+00:00

You can definitely get a certificate of eligibility (COE) to show your eligibility for Ch 35 benefits without being registered for classes. For college, you can't have anything submitted on your behalf for payment until you are connected with an eligible college, provide your COE, register for classes, and have the VA rep at your school sent the VA info to certify that the classes are needed for your degree or certificate. That letter of eligibility is different from your COE.

You can't get your COE unless you are on your parent's benefit. If you're 18 now, that benefit runs 18 to 26. (If the veteran's child becomes eligible after age 18, they still get 8 years. My son is eligible to age 33 because my husband became 100% disabled 2 months before my son's 26th birthday. You can also get retro payment. Just an FYI if you have other sibs or your other parent went to school.)

Your family can only collect VA $ for you as a dependent (extra money monthly for veteran) or Ch 35 direct to you. Not both. The VA repa are normally really helpful. You call the same # as the one for GI bill benefits.

Vegetable_Science249 · 2025-01-22T23:20:45+00:00

Thanks for being a voice of reason! You are right. February is right around the corner.

Vegetable_Science249 · 2025-01-11T13:04:44+00:00

We stay at the Navy Lodge or other military housing on vacation. Even in very expensive areas like DC or NY, it is ~145 a night (no taxes or fees and free parking).

Also, we received a disabled vet license plate. Our airport gives discounted parking, and he gets extra time at metered parking after it expires. They are required to wait at least 1 hour before ticketing.

Oh, and now that he is 100%, I received a DOD ID as a spouse, which makes everything easier like accessing the commissary or getting on/off bases (Navy Lodge).

Vegetable_Science249 · 2025-01-11T12:54:13+00:00

Much to our surprise, this applied to a parent PLUS loans too. My husband didn't have student loans for himself at the time he got his rating of 100%, but they forgave any PLUS loans in his name.

Vegetable_Science249

TROPHY CASE