VA compensation claim.... What the hell ??

[BoJackUSMC]

Yup, you just have to be patient.... my start date was on 02/06/2014 and pretty sure I have long way to go. I am just glad (not really since I suffered lot of injuries) I have decent medical documents regarding my injuries.

[Twinhuey]

Sounds normal!! My last appeal took almost two years!

[j-shot]

It's been stuck at the "review" stage for 5 months. I looked online and it says it's requesting evidence from me. I sent in that evidence 7 months ago. What the hell is going on?

I feel your frustration.

I posted elsewhere on the board that it took me nearly two YEARS to get "in the club".

DON'T give up. That's what they want you to do.

Even though you have submitted your evidence there will be a window of time where nothing seems to happen. The reason for this is you have X amount of time to submit evidence. Just because you sent some doesn't mean they know that's all you have. They will continue to expect more until the cut off date. That's what happened with me anyway. There is a form you can file that basically notifies them there is no more evidence to be submitted. Without this notification they will wait the grace period out for evidence submission.

Note: Every time there is a dispute/appeal the "submission window" is reset. You can fill out that form more than once notifying them you have submitted all your info. Again, this is what I went through. YMMV.

Something to look forward to, and keep you on a positive note: After my two year run around I was finally entered into the system and received back pay starting from my claim date some two years ago. Yes!!

Good luck! Hang in there!!

Thank you for your service!

[BoJackUSMC]

Cant wait until I am on that other side so I do not have to keep paying for my medical treatment. Cant wait...

[j-shot]

Cant wait until I am on that other side so I do not have to keep paying for my medical treatment. Cant wait...

You'll get there. I see your posts in the other thread. Just keep hammering them.

They are just doing their thing. You do yours.

[ldsnet]

I completed my physicals in June and I still don't have my determination letter with my disability rating. Last year, DAV was telling me it was 5-7 months, and the 1 month shut down delayed them a bit.

[BoJackUSMC]

Finally, my case is under review. I just have to wait more now lol.

[downdiver2]

Just wanted to throw this out there. Be careful getting 100% in a combination or one issue / ailment. It could be a nice paycheck, but you could also be hindered in employment, medical issues, etc - even if it involves PTSD.

Also,
Do your research online. They stupidly make public the amount of rating % you will get based on the degree of your problem. It’s all standardized and if you want a 100%, which isn't advisable, its easy to obtain if you know what to say and how much you are in pain, etc.

Example: If you read online (Only going to use fake numbers, but if you search online you can find the real numbers) you can see that if your going in for a shoulder issue, be it a tear, pain, you injured it, etc.
You are given a standardized % based on loss of "range of motion" and pain. Let’s say you have 10% loss range of motion and 'some pain' that would be a standardized 10% disability rating.

Remember that a combination does not always add up as you would think.
10% Shoulder
10% Ankle
30% PTSD

This might not always be 50% overall rating as the VA does a "Group" disability ratio rating and the example above might be an overall rating of 30% or similar. Be grateful they even gave you a 0 or 10% as those can be reviewed in the future.

Also, you can always petition to be re-evaluated as the problem you have in 2003, might be getting worse in 2013 and so on. I’m going through that right now. My tinnitus is worse and my shoulder is aggravating me more than ever. I’m in for a two year wait, but it might be worth it.

Do your homework - Sorry for the long read, wanted to put a lot of info in here, in a short period of time.

*If you ever petition a rating - you magically get a run down of their reviewing process and what degree of injury is needed to get xx%

[BoJackUSMC]

I am just hoping for the best, hope I do not get denied.

[Darkstar721]

I've been waiting since jan 06. It's a long uphill battle and once u do get the garbage they give you then you have to fight for what you deserve

[BoJackUSMC]

Man that long....VA told me since I am a combat veteran my case will go little faster.
Hoping that is true.