Okay what’s wrong with this picture? We’ve all thrown bottles into the ocean via the IRIS system here at Nodville to no avail. The BvA steadfastly insists they’re “working on it”. We can see the BVA decisions are there and published. We know that the system is working yet the vA refuses to enable the system to allow us to view them.
I am not a conspiracy theorist but this smacks of a good news story. Perhaps we’ll be able to view them by 2015. What disturbs me is that vA is more than aware of the problem and blithely ignores us. Allow me to rephrase that. vA never ignores us. They are just preternaturally disposed to obeying their “first come, first served” mantra. Who do we have to thank for this? Undersecretary for Benefits Denial Allison A. Hickey comes to mind but she isn’t the IT guru who controls the censor button.
More importantly, why would vA go to the trouble of publishing something, carefully upload it to the internet, and then disable it or render it inoperable? T’would be better to keep it under wraps out of sight and profess an inability to produce it; much the same as they are doing presently with claims. I submit there’s less here than meets the eye. And as Roseanne Rosanadanna was fond of saying “It always goes to show it’s something.”
So, fellow Veterans. Chew on this conundrum. I tampered with the web address of the 2011 HCV decisions which is
http://www.index.va.gov/search/va/bva_search.jsp?QT=Hepatitis+C&SQ=vetapp11&RPP=100&UA=Search
I removed the “1” after vetapp11&RPP in the address and substituted a “2” which yields
http://www.index.va.gov/search/va/bva_search.jsp?QT=Hepatitis+C&SQ=vetapp12&RPP=100&UA=Search
Interestingly, up popped the 2012 decisions in all their glory. Equally intriguing is the fact that they are tantalizingly close but still in the promised land. The same is true for any other disease, injury or ailment one chooses to search for. I really can’t wait to hear why this enigma persists. Being a lowly Walmartian, I don’t presume to know the whys and hows of the mighty organization constructed solely for my benefit. I will reside in ignorance and trust that Greater Powers are busy trying to fix this.
Where’s the BVA Decisions?
asknod
Bethanie Spangenberg
kcraveiro
robinhoodesqvetsatty
Wesley McCauley
Veterans Claims Help 
There is NO excuse for this on-going Web snafu. Which influential people can be contacted about this? Stars and Stripes accepts letters to the editor and have an active readership.
The letters have to be short opinions, not complaints, and signed with your real name. Letters are verified.
http://www.stripes.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor
___________
I’m sending an email to Congressman Kline (MN) because he’s supposed to be responsive to veterans.
Done. This is what I wrote to Rep. Kline on his Contact Me/Web form:
Subject: Veterans
“There is a serious Web glitch on the VA’s “Search Board of Veterans’ Appeals Decisions” page. When you type “2012” to access 2012 decisions, you see the cases through March. But then, when you click on any case, you get a 404 error message. Here’s the link: http://www.index.va.gov/search/va/bva_search.jsp?SPC=true
Veteran’s need access to this public information. I have emailed the VA and so have others to no avail. Please contact the VA webmaster/IT department to correct this and contact me when it’s fixed. Thank you.”
I encourage everyone to visit their elected representatives’ “contact me” pages to inform them of this issue, ask them to act, and contact you when the problem is resolved.
Your influence counts.