It's hard to process claims when you're going to all those conventions.

And reps retiring with a backlog of cases that will sit until the replacement is hired/trained/assigned.

Everyone who makes a claim with the VA is a vet. It is not the Social Security Administration that processes those claims.

Here's an idea...take people from other offices and train them. How about NOBODY in ANY FEDERAL OFFICE goes to a convention until the VA disability claims are down to less than 25 days?

Coco that makes no damned sense.

Our entitlement mentality is destined to destroy our nation as huge percentages of vets desire steady income from disability, whether they are legitimately disabled and unable to support themselves !

What percentage are you talking about? Got a number? My father was also in WW2, and worked all his life. I was in the first gulf war, and worked since then. My x GF's son was recently discharged from the USMC and had a job within 2 weeks of getting home. I could name many more, so I am curious as to what kind of numbers you are talking about, and from what era's? You are ENTITLED to life liberty and pursuit of happiness, should we remove those too? I am sorry that you have friends who are addicts, and that's coming from one.

It's not just "entitled" or deserved, it's needed. If you have ever sat in a fox hole with people shooting at you, I can promise you that you would likely change your tune; it is NOT a good feeling and to say it's "stressful" is an understatement.

The article mentions waiting 9 months? I have been waiting for 13 years, and yes I do need the help. Financial compensation? I admit I wouldn't mind, but it's not necessary.

IA.ScooterTramp

heres an idea for you simpleton's in the SSD congress and white house ... help him out !!!!.....work on the VETS claims first ...you moke's.....

I can tell your heart is in the right place, but it's not that easy, trust me.

PDG U.S.M.C, 1986-1991

In 2008 was granted full disability for 3 months after a second major back operation, now I have a metal plate and 4 large bolts holding it together. Along with operation on my cervical spine, (neck) now held by screws, right shoulder, couldn't repair everything, right knee, still locks up, bad ankle all from rocket attack in Vietnam, (documented in health record) Dr. at V.A. had been writing I was permanently and totally disabled for years, but didn't hold any weight with so called "review board". I was upped to 80% from 70% in 2010, I appealed in 2010 and still haven't gotten an answer. I know lots of the new guys have some bad injuries, but also think us Vietnam vets are getting shafted by all the new ones, they seem to have more clout with the politicians probably because they are younger and will be voting longer, just my take......

Cry me a river!!! These vets STILL have shorter wait times than the rest of us! I've been waiting over 2 years. Lost my home, etc. What makes them so special??

The guy in charge of the VA is just another worthless bureaucrat political appointee who obviously does not give a rat's behind about the veterans his people are supposed to be taking care of. He could not even be bothered to show up for Congressional hearings regarding his department. Instead he sent his #2 who seemed more or less clueless except for refusing to answer questions that might incriminate him or his boss. It took me a year and a half to have my service connected disability claim processed, and then they only gave me part of what they were supposed to. Now I have to submit a claim challenging that decision and that will take at least another year to process. To be honest, I had head the horror stories about the VA but discouted them until I saw how I was treated. Now nothing they do surprises me. The greed of the people at the top knows no bounds while I have spent the last 2 years hanging on by my fingernails financially!

To get your Republican Credentials and code ring you have to use the word "Entitlement" at least once in every conversation for a week. To get a Gold Membership you have to perform the trifecta of incorporating the words lazy, entitlement, and liberal into the same sentence.

Max Cleland was going to fix the VA under Jimma Carter and there have been several between him and Eric Shinseki. The "progress" is NOT acceptable.

When I went to Nam and was assigned to the 9th Inf Div. I was told That I was in a world of sh__, and it was true! After giving blood to a rice paddy I returned home. Now I must deal with the VA and I,am still in a world of sh__.

Nam Guy, I hear you. I also gave my blood to a rice paddy outside of DaNang when the Huey I was aircrew on got shot out from under me. The difference is I landed in sh__! At least it softened the impact, sort of. Impact cracked my brain bucket (flight helmet) almost in half from front to back. Still get migraines from that.

@Legal Texanlegal.........I could not agree more!! I know several vets who fake PTSD etc to get money and my dad (WW2 and Korea) and my uncle (same wars) were both wounded and asked for nothing but to return home to their families!

@Legal Texanlegal....your father and other vets including myself put our lives on the line while you sit there running your suck about something you couldn't begin to comprehend. Your father should slap you. I'd do it myself but my p.t.s.d. may not allow me to stop.

The Republicans on those committees are chewing the VA out on the backlog. Maybe if they hadn't sent hundreds of thousands of our boys to fight 2 wars over the last 11 years there wouldn't be so many of them needing help.

The amount of foot dragging in the VA system is mind boggling !!!!

The shortest time for me was 18 months ( yes a year and a half ). Even then I had to call and write my congressman to look into what the hold up was. Lack of trained personnel , under staffed , under funded and congress doesn't have the money to fully fund the system. The system is full of loop holes for the VA to use to foot drag on any and all claims. The worst one is when the VA makes YOU the Claimant chase down action reports and or witnesses of the incident for which you are claiming disability. It is worth the fight, even if it makes you a pissed off vet in the process. Just hang in there and fight the system as long and hard as you can. Just don't do the last angry man thing. That puts your claim on the bottom of the pile or ( and this has been proven ) in the shredder. Rep. Peter King of New York found that out himself while looking into my case.

Maybe I was the exception to the rule but I had almost no problems when I was forced out in 2003 after 13 years in the Navy. I did my VA physical while still on active duty along with turning in all my paperwork. I was rated at 90% (100% unemployability) and my checks started arriving around 2 months after discharge. Since then I've had very few hiccups and the ones I did have were my fault for the most part and I've been generally satisfied with the level of care I get.

I agree w/Scooter & others - - why don't they transfer other VA employees doing other mindless unnecessary stuff to the Claims Processing area? Why don't the upper-level managers/executives pitch in & help too? Why don't they hire more claims processing employees? This is unreal.

When just about half of every veteran makes a claim, which is historically and unusually high, it has to affect the normal processing procedure. Since they all want money from a monthly income from the VA for the rest of their life then maybe the VA should hire them to process the claims.

CoCo-1551796

Here's an idea...take people from other offices and train them. How about NOBODY in ANY FEDERAL OFFICE goes to a convention until the VA disability claims are down to less than 25 days?

It takes approximately two years to adequately train a Decision Rating Officer to handle claims by his/her self. While you are training them you have to pull experienced DROs off of real cases. This creates an additional backlog. Initial claims aren't the real problem. I don't remember a time when it didn't take about 9 months to receive a determination in your claim. The real killer is what the article isn't mentioning...Appeals! Two years ago Appeals took on average about 24 months. Currently if you're lucky you're looking at 36 months. Now add to that the fact that VA is pulling people off of Appeals to work on those 9 month initial Claims. If you want to blame someone, blame the VA top officials and the Administration between the beginning of the wars and 2007 when the VA finally asked for more money for the increases in veterans (based on 5 years at war with no additional funding). The major hires didn't even happen until 2009.

Waco, Texas (418 days),

My husband hit that in May.

A lot of you but it is true that the VA doesn't always obey the law of the land. They make and change the rules as they go along processing your claim as they see fit. They don't do this all the time but I have seen it done to a friend of mine that I have helped with his claim for over 10 years. They claimed to have lost company records do to his high security MOS to almost completely denying he was even in the service at all. It took help from a Sen. to get some of his medical records and even then they only amounted to bits and pieces and that was after 6 mons. of research with the Sen. asking if he was happy with his help. You can make this stuff up and it is all true.

There are Vets. out there right now that need help and they aren't getting it in due time. Their families are suffering while they wait to hear from the VA with some kind of outcome.

Remember one thing please. As we the "general public" are sitting home enjoying the holidays there are our sons and daughters stationed all over the world keeping us safe. One of the worst feeling you can have being on active duty is being in a foxhole or at an outpost getting your ass kicked and wondering if anybody back home really cares.

One of the things we can do as we wait for the wars to end is to look out for the vets. serving now by giving a little something to the "Wounded Warrior's Project" or if you know of a veteran family close to where you live just let them know that they aren't forgotten and tell them thanks for all they do for us. If you think we have it tough paying bills etc. just remember the veteran family has to do the same on a lot less money.

This situation is not good for anyone involved with it, whether it is a veteran or a VA worker. In 2003, I completed VA "TRIP" training. That translates to Training, Responsibility, Involvement and Preparation of Claims. That was an intensive 40 hour week long course about how to do VA claims.

At age 70, I am retired from a state government job. After I retired, I received a 100% VA service-connected disability rating. So, I know about the claims process from personal experience. (It took me 9 years to get that rating - apply, disagree, appeal, etc. I have eight issues that total 150%, but the VA has a convoluted way to compute percentages. One could have issues totaling 100%, but have a rating of 60% for compensation purposes.)

However, I can still function. With the VA training I had, I could and would volunteer to help the VA in some capacity - as a volunteer. Maybe to help set up claims. I believe there are thousands of veterans who would volunteer to help. Volunteers would help free up regular VA employees to do more important work on the claims.

Most veterans who served before the current military actions do not know they can file a claim with the VA if they were sick or injured while they were in the military, and that condition(s) causes them pain or discomfort today. As more veterans from the Korea, Vietnam, and Peacetime Eras learn that they can file a claim for injury or sickness while they served in the military, the case load will increase even more.

For whatever reason, apparently the VA does not accept volunteer help from "reasonably qualified" veterans.

BTW - The TRIP class I attended had about 35 students. There were two of us who did not file claims as a job, but we were required to attend the training. The rest of the people in the class were employees of service organizations, and they had jobs as "Service Officers" who helped veterans file claims. My TRIP test score for the May 2003 session was 95.9% and that was the highest grade in that class. That means all the service organization employees scored lower than I did.

The last time I checked with the VA Regional Office, I was told, "Sorry, we do not have any volunteer positions."

One reason, and you can check it out, these "new" returning vets are of a different generation, the entitlement generation. I didn't even apply to the V.A. till wasn't able to work at anything meaningful, about 15 years after getting out. A whole new society of vets come back and apply for benefits, there are counselors for just that reason to help them apply and tell them what to say. There doesn't have to be any physical injuries just fake anything in your mind and it happens. They're going to make real good libs.

Cry me a river!!! These vets STILL have shorter wait times than the rest of us! I've been waiting over 2 years.

Waiting for what? Pretty obivious ya werent in the service. So, what have you done to deserve to have the government to try to help u out? I am not saying you are wrong, just asking... Or are you waiting for the sandwich from yer sister?

I would like to inform NBC news that their sources were and are incorrect; it is common knowledge and you can call the Waco Tex, VA themselves and they will inform you that the normal processing time is 12 to 24 months. Even so, we have been waiting and it has been over 28 months and this is considered normal by our "va rep". I remember one conversation that my husband had with the VA, the representative asked him what he was going to do when the governments broke. (Waco, Va.) Of course my husband would not pass me the phone because he is concerned that if I was to be disrespectful to this VA Rep, that his claim would be affected.

This is the ridiculious ignorance of the VA, to belittle a three time war vet one the phone and in person, my husband is like a rock and he remains strong and silent during these disrespectful undertones. Not to worry, my husband has a vocal spouse as an advocate who takes care of things.

Rick, this is NOT uncommon. In the numbers the VA is touting in the article as far as wait times goes, I can guarantee you they are not counting the amount of times the VA denies your claim, over and over, or only gives you a small rating for an illness or condition which is not the same as what you may have. It's not just the wait time for the first time filing a claim, it should also include all the times you have not accepted their ridiculous ratings and fight the system which adds years onto the whole process.

I went thru this myself and it literally took over 7 yrs to finally be satisfied. At first I trusted the VA to do the 'right thing'... what a mistake that was. I'm not sure that many of these new veterans understand or know of how this system works with the VA. They will most likely just deny your first claim because they can. Then they'll begin by giving you only the smallest of ratings, mostly for the wrong medical issue. It's after this, you really need to get down to work to fight them. It will take some time, but it's worth it in the end when you get what you deserve.

The best thing to do is go on to the VA website and do your research. Get your actual diagnosis via your dr., (on paper & make a copy) then match that up on the medical list (I forget the actual name of the file), and see what the max rating is for that. The VA uses this list as a guide and will only give you the lesser of ratings when possible - forcing you to dispute the rating and go thru all that crap again.

I finally got fed up waiting for a decent rating so this is what I did, and I encourage ALL disabled veterans to do the same. First I did my research - if I couldn't find it on the VA site, I googled it using all sorts of wordings to find what I was looking for, and I really found a whole lot of good information hidden on the VA site by googling. Then I printed out what I found as relating to the VA rating system, my actual diagnosis and what they had mistakenly rated me at. I highlighted the appropriate info I was going to send the VA.

**MAKE SURE YOU MAKE COPIES FOR YOURSELF NO MATTER WHAT YOU SEND THEM! THEY WILL LOSE YOUR PAPERWORK AND MAKE YOU START OVER IF YOU HAVE NO COPIES!** (It's also important that you have copies of your VA medical files. You can get these by filling out a request at your dr.'s office and just wait for them to be mailed. After you get that, each year fill out a new one based on the last date from the first time you asked for them to the current date - this way you won't get a whole packet of the same paperwork, just the updated year of appts. Do this each year and read them, it's interesting what you'll find in them!)

Anyway, I then wrote the VA a letter. This was a very long letter, referencing the attached articles and what I had found, using caps, bolding, italics and even highlighted with my pen and footnotes referencing the info on the website research. Before I mailed it I made sure to copy everything that was being sent to them.

After about a month I rec'd a letter from the VA telling me that they did indeed "lose" my paperwork. I was furious so I sat down and hand wrote another (this time angry) letter telling them that if they lost the letter and attachments, then how would they know I was fighting my last rating and to contact me and tell me they lost it? They lied right to my face. So yet again, I made another copy of what I had sent before (for my files) and in the new letter gave them an ultimatum that if they didn't process my request to be rated higher for all my injuries in an appropriate amount of time, I would be contacting my senator (pick one who is a big veteran supporter) and have him look into the matter to find out why the VA was slacking in this.

I was actually surprised to find a VA letter about a month or two later that they indeed raised ALL my ratings, bringing me from 10% for a back injury they said was just a sprain, to rating my actual back problem giving me the highest rating they could, included both my knee problems from having to squat rather than bend because of my back, and I ended up with a perm and total 80% rating, along with giving me an Unemployability rating bringing me up to a full 100%. Also, because of the depression I had of not being able to work, the problems with the VA, etc... they also gave me a mental rating as well. Who cares as long as the ratings are correct?

Basically, it would be best to start your claim this way, by doing the research first, but you will still probably encounter problems with the VA losing your paperwork - which is why you always make a copy). You'll be surprised by what you can find thru google as far as information on the VA rating system goes. Bookmark these sites because you will be going back thru them again.

As far as contacting one of your Senators goes, in my experience they don't really help. They'll send a letter on your behalf to the VA asking why it's taking so long and all that crap, but whatever information they get back from the VA is what they'll send to you - basically saying they looked into it and this is what the response was. I suppose unless you physically go see the Senator, they either can't or won't do anything else to help you. For some reason tho, telling the VA you would be contacting them if they - the VA - didn't fix your ratings, worked and they really didn't make me wait.

I apologize for the length of this comment, but I think it's important that veterans, especially the new ones coming off from duty with or without war deployment, know their rights and know the right way to fight them. It worked for me and I've helped other veterans write their own letters and help with their research who all ended up getting what was entitled to them, so I'm just trying to help.

Good luck to all the veterans fighting for what they're due from the VA!

Try a Congressperson. You get more direct care. Cong Israel, NY, for example, is a big proponent of veterans. Also, the biggest (I believe) VA in the country, Northport NY, is in his district.

Whether you think he is kind, or smart, who cares if it works? He does happen to be both and let us face it, who doesn't support veterans? Great talking points in speeches, esp when running for office.

On the other hand, another Cong I won't name, who won only by a small margin, has not been responsive. I take all my VA cases to Cong Israel instead, regardless of the fact that he is not my Cong. I told him that in person, and that I am unhappy I miss him by just two blocks. He said he hoped redistricting would help. Alas, it didn't. However, anything I send, his aides get back to me immediately.

Find someone like him. Also, remember that Cong are always working on the next election (2 years) whereas Senators have 6 years. Plus, they are always lobbying for their party's people. I also use election season for getting help from other candidates and incumbents and it works. It helps a great deal when you tell them i have a great idea for more votes and we will be willing to speak at a speech or to the news.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU DisabledVet68!!!!!!! And if you vets who are still alive think it is tough to get benefits, try obtaining benefits for a surviving spouse. Without going into all the gory details, it was up to me to fight (yes FIGHT) for benefits for my 92 yr. old mother, who had dementia and whose husband had been in WWII. My Technical Writer abilities (thank God I have them) were pushed almost beyond limits. I filled out form, after form, after bloody form. Sent copies of said forms, coupled with letters to every (EVERY) Senator and Attorney General in the three States where my mother had resided during her lifetime. The size of the enclosures filled a 3-ring notebook (you read it right.....A 3-RING NOTEBOOK). In addition to the Senators and Attorney Generals, I also sent said notebooks to President Obama, Michelle Obama, Vice President Biden, Jill Biden, and Secretary Shinseki. I even sent said notebooks to the Advocacy Groups of ABC, CBS, and NBC, and one to Oprah Winfrey herself. Oh yes, I forgot to mention that said mailings also were sent to K.L. Anderson, Veterans Service Center Mgr. We were told there would be a 4 - 6 month wait (yeah, right). The back and forth between myself and the VA went on for several years before my mother received her first "Surviving Spouse" benefit. My only advice...........Writing is a powerful sword. Use it and fight!

JMJ, you can go @!$%# yourself.

jmj - Go piss up a rope, ass wipe.

Plus you're illiterate: "there hand". Moron.

My claim has been in since August 2011--my THIRD claim, I should say. My first claim got me a 0% disability rating even though I had separated from the Navy for various medical reasons. My second attempt got me a 10% rating. Now, with my chief condition worsening to the point where my temp-work boss (also a veteran) has deemed me "unemployable," I can only hope that my case is going to be settled sometime this decade and for a decent amount that reflects the severity of my condition.

Truth hurts MF

I work in the system. What I see is that Legal Texanland and JMJ are correct. The assumption that we owe you the world is just beyond my comprehension. NO ONE seems to want to work, or they want to work and be paid 100% disability so they can live well at the government's expense.

that's the worst statement i have read on any site,i can tell you are not a veteran,so stfu.

I wish I read your post before posting mine. They do lie a lot but thank God you won in the end. They lied to me for 35 years before I getting service connected for a condition that developed while I was in Vietnam.

One has nothing to do with the other.

But Joe it does...every day that you serve on active duty and or on your reserve weekends you are "paying" into your VA account so to speak...one does have to do with the other...when you file, what do you think they base your ratings on????l

the Military and the V.A. are two separate organizations.

No sh*t....but your active duty time is what generates your VA benefits!!!!! Read the posts before you comment.

Steelermama: Learn some manners. It'll make you look less stupid when you're wrong.

VA ratings come off a chart. There is no "VA account" you pay into like with Social Security. You get 10% for tinnitus, 50% for sleep apnea, 80% for MS, or whatever the chart says you get. The VA is required to treat anything service-related. Assuming you're eligible for the benefit, your time in service has nothing to do with it.

Steelermama, you don't "pay anything" into the V.A. I was at Basic training, still at the reception. Another trainee was there on his first day, fell over a wall and broke his back, he got 100% rating and had not served one complete day.

Well neither of you ACTUALLY read my post, commenting on somebody elses post, so stupid is as egg on your face...I do know what the hell I'm talking about...60% rated, 20 years retired Air Force Veteran.

My husband has been waiting over 2 years. They gave him his percentage months ago. We are waiting on one piece of paper to be reversed.

I filed a review of my claim in October, I am hoping it doesn't take years but it is in so now the waiting game begins for me.

It makes no sense why it has taken the VA so long to get digitized. Good luck everyone.

It took me just under 2 years to get mine, and they didn't even consider that I had knee surgery in their determination.

Tina Linn

Never file an appeal or review of the case !!!!!!!!!!

The VA can sit on that for years and years. You must file a notice of disagreement . By federal law the VA must answer that within 90 days.

bob

After a NOD, the reply I got was they're looking at it. My original claim for which I was denied is at 1036 days and counting. The original claim was for damage to left knee due to shrapnel wound. The original denial was they said I was never in combat .... I was assigned a desk job only AFTER my 3rd Purple Heart. They didn't even look into my records, just saw that I was discharged under a different MOS. The NOD only caused them to put my case in a different pile. Going on 3 years now .......

My husband is at 21 months and 8 days wait. They are "trying to find his 1975 - 1979 Marine Service Records to substantiate his PTSD claims". That is the latest they have told us. It has been one story after another and there's no hope in sight because St. Louis records office say the records do not exist. Interestingly enough "they burned up in the 1973 fire that nearly destroyed the warehouse" even though that happened while he was still in high school and before he ever entered the service. They can't find his 1979 - 1990 Army records either.

I'm sorry to hear that your husband is getting the runaround Sunny Side.

The day I separated from the Navy I requested to see my medical file and photocopied everything.

I outprocessed and was handed my ORIGINAL medical records back. I asked several times while standing at the counter why they gave them back to me and was told that they had a copy and didn't need the originals.

McGee - VERY good idea to do when getting out. Immediately fill out the paperwork for your entire service records and make copies if they don't give you your own. At least this way when they tell you they lost them or in Sunny's case, 'burned up', you'll have what they need. Just be sure and always keep a copy for yourself.

Joe, why would you not want your original copy of your medical records? In fact, you should have made a copy before they did, betcha there is something missing, at least after 20 years there always is.

It isn't fair, Jim, but the real solution is single payer universal health care for every citizen. The medical insurance crisis extends far beyond our veterans.

Don......B.S. ask your doc what he thinks or your local E.R.

Scooter

Why should I care what my doc thinks? Compared to European countries who have universal health care our system is very mediocre. However, my doc currently treats mostly Medicare patients and would probably support universal health care.

Don97524

Ya because it works so well in other countries, you know like Canada, the same Canada where the Head of the System there came to the US using a false name to get a operation in Cali. The same system that has a patient coordinator, that is who determines when patients get treatment, who pays for a cabin on a mountain lake here in WA with the bribes she takes from patients to push up their treatments. She is very open about this fact and not in the least bit ashamed about it,"Just the price of doing business" her words not mine.

You can bet the same thing will happen here, name any government program that is run so well where those administering the system aren't abusing it for their own gains, while so many others are scamming it at the same time. IT WONT WORK BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT IS INVOLVED, just take a look at the time off our "dually" elected Congress has given themselves next year.

It is an out right travesty the way our veterans and elderly are treated in this country, OH and look they are both being taken care of by our government who is doing a bang up job already. NOT

To all the vets who have paid for our FREEDOM with their lives and bodies I say THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS.

Those who keep bashing the Canadian system always fail to understand the simple fact that the Canadians do not want to trade systems with us (that is if you can actually call what we have a system). ObamaCare is an improvement over what we have had in the past, but it is still inferior to the health care systems of nearly every developed country in the world.

People like you who keep ranting that "IT WONT WORK BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT IS INVOLVED," and other such nonsense merely out yourselves as libertarian malcontents who have marginalized yourselves with your foolish ideology. Typically, you pontificate that the government "can't do anything" but are willing to devote massive amounts of our money to the military and ask no questions how that money is spent.

No, don97524 we don't want our country to become a socialist country and that is the beginning of socialism. Next thing you know the government will be taking all of our rights and priveledges away from us "for our own good". Crime and poverty only increases at that point. Look at our states with extreme gun control laws versus the ones who don't have them. Illinois, New York, Michigan, California have higher crime rates where the south, Alaska and the west have lower crime rates. Please tell me where the government being involved in anything is better for our own good.

Yeah, like citizens in Europe have had their rights and privleges taken away? That is a stupid and false argument. And the argument about "gun control" laws is false as well, the Supreme Court decided that when they ruled those laws were un-Constitutional.

It is also false that those states you mention have lower crime rates. Especially Alaska, which has over 3 times as many forceable rapes as the National average.

The average is per capita. The actual numbers are well below other states. Most of us carry weapons with us at all times because of the possibility of running into a bear or moose in the middle of the city. For the most part no one messes with anyone up here because it is a well known fact that we are carrying. And if you think we don't have moose and bear in the middle of Anchorage, then you need to read up on what's been going on here in the city this year.

My insurance premiums have increased and my insurance company has put many more restrictions on my health care since the idiot in charge passed his law. I also lived through military medical care and I promise you, they don't give a hoot about your health. They don't have to care and they don't have to work so you are lucky to live if you have something deadly wrong with you. Do you really think that this crap the idiot in charge is madating is going to be any better? Think again. You are living under a bleeding heart liberal rock and haven't seen the light of day in years.

Raddave, have you lived anywhere, other than the US? I have. Have you ever had need of medical services in any other country? I have. And guess what, the BEST medical treatment in the world IS in this country. Why do you think so many young foreign interns fight for training in this country?

As far as the VA, when one considers the lies our politicians spout, and strew dollars around for their pet porkbarrel projects, just before election time, no wonder the VA is hurting. I'm not justifying the problems they have, and they are many, especially when one considers the number of political appointees filling senior positions in the VA, and a majority are NOT veterans, just yes men/women for their "patrons."

Hillary Clinton's predecessor, in the US Senate, promised they were going to take over the base hospital at the closing air force base, and create a VA hospital there, (the nearest hospitals are over 150 miles away, in two different directions from here, and just in this county, there are over 8,500 military retirees, and more than that in the surrounding area, with many more veterans of so many different campaigns, wars, and operations,) and that was just before he started Clinton's name as his chosen successor, (her husband was the one that closed the base, against the air forces wishes.) No hospital there yet, and that was nearly 20 years ago. In fact there's not even a building there now, as the air force had to pay to demolish it, as the building had lead based paint and asbestos in it, supposedly.

Oh cry me a river, Jim Lowder.

Alex

Why bother to comment when you clearly have nothing to say?

don, it's your opinion that I have nothing to say. I am disgusted at the expectation that you all deserve the world because you served our country--like you served it for free or something.

What the hell does "Obamacare" or as intelligent people call it: "The 2010 affordable health care act" have to do with this article?

Think about it Joe. ObamaCare (which is how President Obama now refers to it) gives everyone the opportunity to have quality health care and will alleviate at least some of the pressure on the VA.

gives everyone the opportunity to have quality health care

Its no different than the charity/welfare/Medicaid system in place in a all states already, just expanded to force the rest of us into it. Having worked as a Paramedic for 12 years in south Louisiana where it is fully operational with lots of state hospitals and doctors who use that kind of system, I can tell you first hand it doesn't work.

The patients are treated like cattle, where ER wait times are hours even for critical patients and 10s of hours for none critical patients. Where doctors try to squeeze in a hundred or more patient office visits everyday. Where every patient gets some kind of lab work done even if it is nothing more than a PH urine test so the doctor can charge more for the visit, while spending less then a couple of minutes seeing each patient.

Yep this is the system you are so proud to accept for you and your families medical needs in the future, because we all know the government does such a bang up job running anything at all. Good luck with that.

Robbob

ObamaCare gives citizens access to health insurance. It is not the same as charity care and it is apparent that you do not know what you are talking about.

Actually, the US should adopt a health care program similar to that of Canada, Great Britain, France, or any one of several systems which are vastly superior to our own. Personally, I have Medicare and prior to that I had private health insurance. Medicare is superior in almost every way to any of the private plans I was on prior to my retirement. Why not Medicare for all?

ObamaCare gives citizens access to health insurance

No it REQUIRES all citizens to get health insurance or be fined.

It is not the same as charity care and it is apparent that you do not know what you are talking about.

Oh you can bet that is where it will end up, and having worked in EMS for 21 years I can assure you I'm very up to date and informed, you got to wonder why congress exempted themselves from Oblamocare. The one thing I'm not is dumb enough to believe the liberal left's BS about how it's going to be so great for everyone, see I've seen the government "fix" things before and know that IT WONT END WELL FOR ANYONE.

And as I pointed out the Canadian system is no peach either, I now live right near the boarder and have lots of friends over there that will tell you the same thing. Most government systems fall apart because of abuse and theft by those who run it and those who use it, but instead of fixing the problems they just throw more of our tax dollars at it.

Robbob, if you are an EMS, I would not want you working on me. Congress did not "exempt" itself from Obamacare. And over 80% of Canadians are happy with their healtcare system.

Sounds to me like the VA Should hire some of the people that are waiting for thier D/C should be hired to help????

Willie, you are not forced to use the VA system.

Yeah since many of these injuries were because Bush rushed them off to war in Iraq based upon lies lies and more lies.... a war that many republicans sat out by the way

Very_Sad, it IS all in your head. It's called a psychiatric disorder that is manifested by pain. You dont' want to work. Neither does the rest of the veteran community. Wait your turn for your handout.

Hey Joe...try 3 or more years!! I have been waiting on my appeal for almost 4 years!!!

Yep....I'm at 4.5 years. The numbers in this article don't even come close to the actual numbers, because they don't account for the time it takes just to get your packet to the actual med board and then the time it takes to go through the whole appeals process after your claim has gone through the “mandatory” and inevitable three-time denial process. It must state that a claim has to be denied a minimum of three times before being approved somewhere in their SOP, because that’s all I ever hear happens. I’m tired of the four and a half years I‘ve gone through of this back-and-forth “We-don't-have-all-the-documentation-even-though-you-sent-it-to-us-FOUR-TIMES-already-and-we-need-you-to-send-it-to-us-AGAIN" B.S.! Can someone PLEASE fix this god-awful system?!?

Joe, I responded elsewhere, but tell your fellow veterans who are being paid at the 100% rate to STOP filing new claims. They get the same time and effort that your claim does. They often have volumes of evidence, and VA is required to review every piece of paper in a veteran's claims file.

Your rant makes no sense whatsoever and has nothing to do with the article. Try and stay focused?

horse apples - THE CFR is the driving force - Look at James Clapper - Obama's National Director of Intelligence and his connection with the WMDs story - Start educating yourself on how and who drives foreign policy

RalphH - Your comment makes no sense. I would bet that most of the leaders in Israel were very much against the war in Iraq. Remember, Saddam Hussein acted as a counterbalance to Iran - they fought a long, costly, bloody war with each other. Now Iraq has just become an extension of Iran. And I seriously doubt any Israelis want a "war" with Iran. But, they - and the leaders in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and the Emirates, to name a few governments - would like nothing better than Iran's nuclear program stopped. You can be assured that those governments will do nothing to impede Israel (and in fact, will probably give covert assistance) in order to take down Iran.

It is amazing how ignorant people like you find articles like this and use it as your own personal forum to spew antisemitic hatred. Let me clue you in: Jews don't own or run America or control the media. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, David Letterman, Ross Perot, the Koch family, the Walton family, Brian Williams - NONE of these people is Jewish. Jews account for around 2% of the US population and even a lower percentage of the World's population. Jews did not start the Civil War, the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimean War, the English Civil War or the War of Succession, the wars with Carthage, World War I, World War II, Grenada, the Spanish Civil War or, in fact, the 6 Days War, the Arab/Israeli conflict of 1956 or the Intifada. Israelis - Jews - do not shoot hundreds of missiles a week into Gaza - it's the other way around.

Either you never studied history or you slept through middle school and high school. I do not know where you get your information but I will give you some other facts to chew on: the world is round, the nearest star is 4.3 light years away and the Earth was not created 5,700 years ago. And, no, Jews do not have horns on their head and hooves instead of feet.

TheBobs - excellent post

Yet when the boys on Wall Street needed help it was "all hands on deck" and they were rescued in warp speed. Says a lot about the priorities in Washington, doesn't it?

Nancy, you have NO idea what you're talking about. Really. Please learn your facts before spouting off bogus ones. People get paid to deny benefits and keep the amount low? ARe you kidding me? Who is feeding you this information?

Actually what Nancy is saying makes perfect sense. If you read the case she is referring to, you will see how devious and dirty they are in the statement "two versions of his medical record". I should know as I am a disabled vet and have been fighting them for over 15 years. The CUSHMAN v. SHINSEKI case clearly shows what they are capable of by stating that the VA "altered the veterans medical records" so that the VA could deny his claim.

Just another day at the VA....

The case also states that "The Ninth Circuit also found that Mr. Cushman's medical record had been “fraudulently altered”.

Ura, you can write whatever you want to write. I work in the system. I know of NO ONE who would ever be paid for denying claims. That is one of the more bogus lies I have seen. It is shocking to me that anyone would make such an allegation. There is no such system. The only person altering medical records are the veterans. I reported a veteran who had done that and secured 100% disability benefits. He was tried in federal court, and is serving a 7-year sentence in jail. A JURY convicted him and found he had altered the records. Yeah, I am sure it was VA altering them. *sarcasm*

Alex,

What I wrote was a quote from the The Ninth Circuit Court findings and did not come from me, which is why there were quotation marks... So if the RO's/ DRO's don't get paid for denying legitimate claims, it must be incompetence. As a disabled vet who is very familiar with the system for which you claim to work (15+ years), I can attest to the incompetence first hand from both the Baltimore, MD and Washington, D.C. offices, and from specific departments within the medical centers over to the vocational rehabilitation department. You might be able to deny the pay out... but you cannot deny the incompetence. Don't ask me... hell, you can ask any vet in this forum and get the same response...

Want to clear the backlog? Do a better job with the quality checks and ensure that claims are adjudicated properly the first time which will reduce appeals. It's that simple. You claim to work in the system so it starts and ends with you.

Why should you get a penny? A motorcycle accident?? And you want us to pay for your stupid judgement.

I feel for you Joe....you must be one of those that judges without facts 1) I was hit by Hispanic lady who could barely speak English after she sat in the left turn lane through the arrow and then proceeded to turn in front of me when I clearly had a green light. with two weeks of the accident she and her husband filed for bankruptcy, sold the vehicle they hit me in and the only other asset they had was a house in California that was double mortgaged (aren't attorneys wonderful) 2) she was 100% at fault and had insurance that paid $25,000 max and I had medical bills totalling $199,000 Dollars. 3) My insurance that I had through my JOB covered the bills and then was able to take $10,000 of my settlement back away from me 3) I was not drinking or under the influence of any drug at the time of the accident 4) it took me 1 and 1/2 years to learn to walk again. 5) I lost my job and have not been able to work again as of yet 6) my plan is NOT to live on disability for the rest of my life but to take advantage of the opportunity to be retrained in order to do a job that will help others and is not physically demanding as I can no longer do the type of work that I was doing for the LAST TEN YEARS. I want off of disability as quickly as possible so the people who continue to need it can get it. 7) No private insurance company would insure me after I paid COBRA and exhausted it after 18 month (max time on COBRA) and was told that even if I wanted to pay $600 a month for a private policy there would be a LIFETIME EXCLUSION on any thing related to my prosthetic.

Joe ....thank you for your insightful (or lack of it) comment....God Bless You and Merry Christmas.....now go do something nice for someone else.

You clearly have no idea how much money veterans get. The people serving now aren't serving for free and were not FORCED to serve. I am so sick and tired of people saying, "They fought and died for our freedom." People think we should owe them the world.

i suggest after you detox from the meth you pack your trash and move out of our country,no pass back into the usa.

Actually Alex-1216059........We do !!!

Um, mylanta, no we don't!

The Baltimore Regional Office is the worst! Their game plan is to frustrate you to the point that you will never, ever want to come back or contact them again. It's by design and this plan is probably disseminated in their weekly staff meetings...