I’ve been sent links to watch this Vet’s show and that Vet’s site. I’ve searched high and low for shows that inform you in real time on how to file and which “lane” you want to be in. And all too often, they’re too generic or recite stale information which can actually be downright harmful to your bottom line. I’m not going to drag names through the mud. I’m sure not trying to hype my site, either. I don’t have enough time as it is to write full time the way I did in the good ol’ days of the mini-Depression. I enjoy climbing into the ring and duking it out nowadays.

This is why a good radio show that freely hands out current, up-to-date  data on our “Area of Operations” without any snake oil is rare. I ‘m not selling anything. John and Ray sure aren’t. It’s almost boring. Between us, we don’t have a single t-shirt or coffee mug emblazoned with our logos for sale. What we do have, I feel, is free information about specific fields of compensation-some that are rarely investigated or that few know of. No pay walls. No manuals for $9.95 + tax & shipping on ‘How to…’.

Nevertheless, I strive not to neglect the FNGs- the pings, the cherries or whatever you call  them. To them, our banter might sound more like French. EED? 4138? NOD? Becoming immersed in this and adroit just understanding the terminology is only half the battle. It  changes all too frequently. The Vet offering you a recital of what he did back in 2006 to win a mega six-figure retro is useless now. It’s like explaining a Motorola brick phone to a Gen Z. Yoo-hoo? We don’t use VA Form 9s anymore, old man.

I can’t even begin to tell you how depressing it is to sit like a fly on the wall and eavesdrop on some of  the oldtimers who pass for the resident experts handing out stale advice on how to accomplish something they haven’t done themselves in over 20 years. I reckon they mean well… or do they? I sure don’t mean to be that old lady in the Burger King™ commercial asking “Where’s the Beef?” But then, too, you can go to some of the Big Name sites of Big Attorneys PLLC and hit the chat button. You’re in for a heapin helpin’ of what if’s, couldas, betteroff’s and lastly, ‘let me get your email and I’ll have one of our paras get back to you. I just answer the phone, sir.’ In this day and age, everyone wants instant answers. Newsflash. There ain’t exactly a shit ton of us out there providing those VA Google© search answers licketyspit.

This simply doesn’t help with the VA claims addict who wants an instant fix. So naturally they come to Gotit.com and ask advice of  some Vet who goes by Tay Ninh 1970 and signs all his replies with ‘I am not an attorney or VSO and my opinions are strictly mine (no flies on me).’ These shade tree law dogs are also are fond of citing to CAVC “presidents” or the M21 1MR. Funny how they ignore the actual statutes and regulations or neglect to mention them considering that is where the legal answers lie. The problem is elementary. You need an Encyclopaedia Britannica to turn them into Veterans’ DickandJanespeak.

Well, folks, at Exposed Vet, I think John and Ray’s thrust is to find different, valid perspectives. Face it. You’d get bored with a constant diet of Broncoboy word salads which always end with telling you to call CCK Law or Kenny Carpenter. Shucks. I do business with Robert and Ken on a fairly regular basis but I use them for complex things like brain surgery up at the Fed. Circus-not tinnitus and pes planus. For everything else there’s  Mastercard™, right?

Now, don’t misunderstand me. I’m not suggesting you eschew attorneys in favor of VSOs- or agents like myself. One thing I know is a lot of Agents are not afraid to take on what we politely refer to as Unicorn cases. A lot of attorneys will refuse them. Regardless, I strongly suggest you use a National Org. of Vet Advocates (NOVA) atty. or Agent because of the high standard of training we pay dearly to get.

What I also strongly suggest is avoiding the new plethora of pop up ‘advisors’ who will do your claim based on their good ol’ five-fifty warranties- five months of your increase (including dependency) or not more than $50,000 dollars, whichever is larger.  Hell, that ain’t a warranty. That’s a guarantee they’re gonna soak you ’til you fingers get wrinkled. A NOVA dude doing it for 20% of whatever he can win is a chicken dinner winner…and far cheaper. If s/he loses, there’s no charge. The problem is usually finding a good law dog who isn’t a  claims cherrypicker. I’m sorry, Virginia but there is no Santa Clause in this business.

Face it. There’s uncomplicated, straight-forward musculoskeletal or disease claims. But then there’s §1151 claims. There’s §3.156(c) claims. There are SMC nightmares. Not everyone in this business has that intestinal fortitude for difficult cases. I’ll tell you what it feels like sometimes once you dig in. It’s that feeling you get down in your stomach when your pilot stalls the Porter 150′ off the top of the canopy (alongside a karst) and you see him silently mouth the words ‘oh.shit’.  I don’t feel that insecure anymore doing this but I can  say as I still don’t cotton to §1151 claims.

Exposed Vet is far more likely to acquaint you with real-time quirks developing in VA law. The guests will probably be far more hands -on, too. I’ve watched the guest speakers for the last 10 years or so, and, for the most part, I can’t see where you could go to get better advice. It’s funny. On one site I read occasionally, the Big Banana always exhorts newcomers to head to va.gov pronto and file! File! File! Who cares if the claim is meritless? Get out there and gum up the system, soldier. And be quick about it.

Conversely, the “pink site” should have a huge sign at the entrance saying “Abandon hope all Ye who enter here.” Their resident doctor (Ye Olde Medic) back in the day averred that all folks with the Hep C virus were parenteral drug abusers and unworthy of compensation. That one-size-fits-all mentality is a learned response-usually originating in 20-years-and -out lifers’ prefrontal cortex due to ETOH poisoning.

So, if the spirit moves you, tune in Thursday night at 1900 Hrs East and 1600 West. You won’t get Combat Charlie droning on about the chances of winning a HLR, The Three Stooges from VBN® or the seventeenth recital of how Tay Ninh 1970 won his SMC S pro se without an attorney. What you will get is some ol’ boys from the back woods of Kentucky or Tennessee with one hell of a country twang in their speech. If you can get by that, you’ll probably enjoy yourselves.  Be so kind as to mute your mic if you’re grazin’ the Fritos or the dogs are barking.

The call in number remains

(515) 605-9764

Dial one (1) (un)(nung)(duy nhứt) if you wish to enter the conversation and ask a question. Or, go on your computer, go to:

https://www.blogtalkradio.com/jbasser/12248813/connect/c019a8c5d0eea69aa642efb8e4703226ae07faa9

On behalf of myself and the rest of the crew, I hope we’ll pass the audition.

P.S., We’ll also be talking about my foray down to San Diego yesterday for a BVA hearing (video) with my client who has waited 4 years + for his day in the sun. The attached below was misconstrued as a desire to withdraw his request for said hearing. This illustrates what we are dealing with at the VA. Think about it. A GS 13 interpreted this Legacy document as an AMA docket. All AMA docket numbers are the date of your VAF 10182 NOD-e.g., 190707-31582 would be the 31,582nd VAF 10182 received in the year 2019 at the Board on July 7, 2019.

This is what a $143 BILLION dollar budget buys you -idiots.

redactWithdraw BVA Appeal No 1332498A