After talking about Hugfest, I’ll be talking about the Independent Living Program-one of the best kept secrets VA never told you about. Enacted in 1980 by congress, VA has sought to give it a haircut ever since. They believe this is a frivolous waste of money that could be better spent on true vocational rehab or bonuses for all that hard work. Gee, did anyone consider giving bonuses to Vets for their hard work in overcoming their difficulties or helping other Vets?

As for the VR&E, they have their own MR manual (M28-1) that helps them formulate why you are not entitled to anything meaningful other than cordless tooth brushes, grab bars in tubs/showers and cordless phones for “independence in daily living.” Electric can openers for Hormel’s chili is another big one. Forget that those products will kill you if you dine on them exclusively.

Also helpful to today’s discussion is this post and the NOD I attached in Windows format. This is to allow you to plagiarize it and sub in what you need.

In addition, on the right side of the site down lower are Blogs by subject I have written diatribes on. I don’t like the word blog. It sounds like someone getting ready to hurl chunks. Bleh. Look for Independent Living Program and VR&E categories. These are the meat to get you acquainted with the subject and what I’ll touch on today.

Chapter 8 of the M28-1 is where you find the meat of what you can use. Look at this codicil:

Paragraph f:

f.             Independent Living Services and the Rehabilitation Process.  The goal of the IL program is not necessarily that the disabled veteran be able to live alone in the community with no supportive services.  Rather, the goal is for that individual to have the skills necessary to choose an acceptable life-style and then be able to manage it with as little reliance on others as possible.

The sentence in red is the essence of what you will be arguing in a denial. That and e.

e.             Barriers to Independent Living.  The goal of an IL program is to increase the veteran’s options, resulting in an improved quality of life.  options may be limited by skill deficits or by physical, environmental, or psychological factors.  For example, some veterans may be able to overcome certain cognitive limitations through training intended to improve problem-solving.

VA gives us the ability to win this argument. They punch holes in the bottom of their denial boat. The problem? The same old failure to appeal.  Appealing is the trick.

Lastly, the VR&E’s ILP adjudications are outside the normal VBA channels and do not take years and years. They usually occur in 3 months or less. Likewise for the NOD and initial de novo review for sufficiency to sustain the denial. These are baked and ready to send off to Vermin Ave. far faster than a claim for compensation. All the more reason to put in the request.

VR&E DM2  ILP medical device or….

A valuable tool for TBI rehabilitation

Rick and I hope to hear from you today.

LIVE toll-free call in line …   877 213 4329

Time is 1600 L on the west coast. 1700 for the Rocky Mountain high crowd, 1800 for the Flat Earth society and 1900 for the Easties.