I guess I find it hard to express in mere words how lucky I am to be allowed to help Veterans. The only thing that could possibly be even more rewarding is to be allowed to help their surviving spouses after all hope of success is crushed by a denial when their husband dies unexpectedly. Remember that old boy who did the Queen for a Day program back in the ’50s? Well, you probably don’t but I feel the same way when I get to put that crown on someone’s noggin.
Tom and Franci
In the instant case, Franci came to me with her daughter holding her up a short time after her husband passed away in October 2022. Distraught is a masterpiece of understatement. I disremember who she was referred by but that’s immaterial. What was striking to me was the logical conclusion I would have made that he died from a chemical contamination during his 20 years of service. After all, he was a jet mechanic and exposed to JP 4 for all those years. That VA couldn’t (or wouldn’t) make that connection speaks volumes as to how this PACT Act process works… or should I say how it doesn’t work.
Now, I know from experience (my own) that men are recalcitrant about going to see the doctor. Men don’t want to know why they have that killer pain in their gut. They’d rather chug a bottle of Ibuprofen and ignore it for as long as they can. This solves the problem of finding themselves in a hospital with kidney cancer. It’s even more unfair to their wives when they s unexpectedly find themselves a widow.
In the last year, I’ve watched VA slow down to a crawl, take everyone off doing ratings and assign them to building TERA (Toxic Exposure Risk Activity) and ILER (Individual Longitudinal Exposure Report) reports for Vets who aren’t even filing claims. What the hey? They did them on me and I don’t have any claims pending. Shucks. I’m even 29 years protected. How would they know how much Agent Blue and White I ate upcountry? What a waste of time. And of course, in the meantime, I have a ton of Vets with claims over 250 days old pending. WTF, over?
Nevertheless, after the May 2023 denial, I contacted my go-to IMO folks at Mednick Associates and they came through once again. It saddens me that Franci had to suffer such a protracted, long period wondering if she/we would prevail and I would be able to bring her across the line to a much-deserved DIC.
This morning, of all days, the VBMS Prize Redemption Line (formerly known as 800- Dial-A-Prayer) informed me her decision was ready for decision. In our business, that’s written as RFD. Usually, it’s another 2-3 days before it becomes RDC (Rating Decision Complete). Imagine my surprise when I dialed her file in and discovered that it had already been promulgated. Shut the Front door. Hooo doggies. I get to make that phone call and tell her to sit down first. Check it out.
My expectations of VA employees and their capabilities are very low so this restores my faith in the system in some small measure. A warm thank you should go out to John Francis K____ of the Saint Paul Regional Office for bringing this in sooner rather than later. He’s made a surviving spouse a mite bit more financially stable in her final years. In addition, he’s my hero of the week and entitled to a couple five attaboys.
Merry Christmas to you all. I had a few more of these successes this week but haven’t had the time to get them written up yet. I’ll get on that directly. I’m told by my Vets that it buoys their spirits and gives them hope their claims will be met with equally similar success.
More anon.
asknod
Bethanie Spangenberg
kcraveiro
robinhoodesqvetsatty
Wesley McCauley
Veterans Claims Help 
Sincerely appreciate the WORK it took to get this massive piece into print Alex.
Hope and pray your Missus is improving or at least not in retrograde motion.
This weekend I can take a few hours out and READ all you’ve given, there is a
shitload of ammo herein. So, back to reality RE my outlook and recent experience
with “V.A.”. You may recall that I mentioned in my last pestering call to you that I
was “feeling” that The Sect. was turning things around! BIG LOL. So, my BVA Decision
of 12/07/2023 ONLY came into my view because I probably slobbered on the 1-800
on Va.gov Re Claims and Benefits and Cynthia sent IT to my email! Further on day
15 days later less two weekends, NO USPS Snail Rider to my PO Box from them!
The “Decision” may well have been formatted by Elon Musks Sex Doll, because as
you, I’ve had plenty of decisions since my first filing in 1976, and THIS one didn’t
resemble any of them! Because I did (inwardly) EXPECT The CAVC for #3, I may
not have been too surprised albeit incredibly disappointed that I had invested
a measure of hope and optimism into receiving a full Grant. Also because of above I was prepared to File my NOD ASAP and in 2023, which I did and even have my
number as of 12/20/2023 P.M. I’ve been a-thinkin for some time that I would go
Pro Se this time and fortunately have two super templates from my appearances
in 2015 and in 2018 before the CAVC, where “Joint Remands” again let the V.A.
off the hook and one year later the results were; NADA (of course). Do you know
anyone else that had TWO “Severe TBI’s” before age of ten albeit was inducted
by Selective Service anyway and who shredded that childhood record so that
USMC (66-1970) most probably never saw this “evidence”. Fortunately, I’ve an
eyewitness to both these TBI’s who coincidentally wrote a formal testament to
V.A. in 2017, and of course another document in my record that they never even
read or IF they did; comprehend..
Merriest Christmas (screw the happy holidays)
Mike
PS; VLJ (Mrs.) Barnard, who did my Hearing on August 7th 2022 And my
Remanded Decision on 12/07/2022, and whose Remand was so specific as to be tedious, was apparently left out of the decision loop, which came out of Seattle
(Regional?) and whose REMAND may Not have even been answered! I don’t yet
know because among other issues, I never saw the TWO DBQ’s from OPTUM Serve
that were posted to my Appeal on October 25,2023! I requested via an FOIA both of them but have yet to see ANYTHING after a month has passed from their receipt of
the FOIA, although they sent a letter apologizing for the “Delay” LOL.
So, in essence I Waited One entire year for the worse decision I’ve ever seen..
(For VA) Yes, they are having some remarkable issues..
Hallelujah and Merry Xmas!
My Dad was a USAF JP4 hose nozzler for 4 years and did Fuel Quality Control for the DOD (USAF&Navy) civil service for 30 more. When we lived on Adak NAS in the 60s, as kids we played on all the old creosote soaked, downed telephone poles, Quonset huts and pier pilings all around the deserted island after hosting 200,000 troops during WWII. Down to a population of 2000 in the 60s. Mom would have dad bring home a mason jar full of the nasty stuff so she could scrub the creosote hash marks out of our Sears and Roebucks catalog Wrangler’s jeans (coudnt afford Levi’s). But Dad was adamant about Mom wearing her set aside pair of heavy-duty dishwashing gloves for this task. He always would remind us of the perils of this nasty stuff. Dad lived to a ripe old age of 91 and died of natural causes. I guess that means old age.
I am surprised the VA didnt scream “Operator Error!!!”.
Your continued great work you do for veterans and their spouses. Just went thru fort sill and Altus air base and thought about the many vets that one day will need help! You rock! Keep up what you do!!!
Great work as usual! I worry about my wife, even though 100% P&T since 2005, I figure the VA could mess it up with little to no effort.
Shoot, Gary. That’s one of the free services I offer my clients. I do a quick dumpster dive into their efolders and pull out all the 686s with their marriage/divorce data and save it to a folder with a presigned 534 and 0847. All I need is that ol’ boy’s Death Certificate and the DIC is in the bag.
How can I avail of this service?
Ross, the service is offered to my clients who I represent.
A service connected TBI and bent brain absent combat zone in 22 years made me feel less “deserving” than the clients you write about so well.