FROM OUR REGIONAL

OFFICE OF BROTHERLY LOVE

Once again, if you can believe this, the DAV takes this Vet’s claim to D.C. with no nexus. In fact, the Vet doesn’t even have a risk factors questionnaire (RFQ) submitted as required for the claims file. If VA ever needed an excuse to blow old Philadelphia Phil off, this was it. In fact, the VA doesn’t even have to break a sweat and come up with their own denial nexus. How cool is that? Mr. Veterans Service Officer and his merry band have effectively represented this claim over the falls. Our Vet is down the tubes. This wouldn’t seem so nasty if it was just at the RO. He could visit our site and still pull his bacon out of the fire. Now he’s screwed and has about five wasted years into the claim without even a 0% to show for it.  This is so rude I can’t even begin to comprehend it. We’re talking about a “trained”, nationally recognized Veterans Service Officer who has proven he’s capable of defending a Veteran’s best interests before the VA. This is a job that requires the reflexes of an attorney and a steady hand to make sure all the evidence and forms are correctly assembled and filed.  You should not feel like this …

  As you see, the SO has effectively prevented this Vet from carrying this claim forward. In fact, there isn’t even room for a CUE revision. Everything was done legally and the poor guy is screwed. I have heard horror stories from some of our members who figured this out quite by accident when they came here. Some were fortunate and  able to salvage their claim in time.  Others were not. If this doesn’t make you wonder who’s employing the Major VSOs, nothing will. Either that or their training is woefully inadequate. It is said that only the sharpest tools in the shed are sent to D.C. to argue these things face to face with the judge. What was Congress thinking when they purposefully consigned us to this form of representation until we lost? Is that part of the “A grateful Nation salutes its Veterans and grants them everything they have coming to them”?

 http://www.va.gov/vetapp/wraper_bva.asp?file=/vetapp11/Files5/1144808.txt