How much does the VA spend in the denial process of service-connected claims, as opposed to actually paying the claim from the outset?

Hope Springs Eternal Though seems to be the theme of a fighter, that I identify with. What a fight? It is as if you almost need to become clever, more clever then them, more smart then them, more intelligent then them. Who is them? Them is the ones doing whatever it is they are doing to you. What are their SOPs, Manuals etc they are obligated to follow? Well in the case of Adjutication of Service Connected Claim at the VA it is the M21-1MR Manual decrypted and spliced together by another Veteran Advocate that looks to break the code also. Here is quotation copy of the cover page of the manual:

"M21-1MR Part I Manual for
Disability Compensation
Veterans Rights
Pages downloaded from VA.gov and assembled with normal
pagination vs. weird VA pagination (that is impossible to track) by
Benjamin Krause on August 12, 2014.
This full 395-page manual in this format was downloaded from:
DisabledVeterans.org

But if you are rated already that is another process altogether and most likely not covered in this manual.

I am sure you have a VSO. Maybe the VSO put in the paper work wrong? Why do I say this? I have a VSO who put in a service connected claim, that had a new claims, in the last year, that came back denied, from issues I never put in for to my knowledge. I was surprised as hell when I got that denial letter, as if it made me look that I was putting in randome claims for undiagnosed issues. But it was explained to me that possibly the VSO thought those might be secondary ailments to my primary conditions already diagnosed and treated as service caused by the VA with MRI and multiple diagnosis. My original claim is for PSYCH and SPINE issues.

Congressional Advocate, laison is another way to get response. But I found you can write a very specific question for response to the congressional laison for Vets, to be forwarded to the VA Congressional Laison office for response, such as " I want to know why you the VA adjuticaive department, typed these statement in quotes "...." on page 4 and 6. These statements are damaging presumption in favor of the Veteran, in my case, and stressing me out, an injured ill veteran already diagnosed and treated at the VA PHD and MD, for these specific medical illnesses. Further more those exact typed statments in my case have are frivolous and have no law that backs them up in either USC Title 38 VA Law or your own M21-1MR VA adjutication manual ". So you wait a month or so and the VA will respond back in a generic way, and say basically something along the line, that your case is in this field offices jurisdiction, being shuffled around, by zombies, who are also busy reading comic books, who are actually newly hired by Equal Opportunity standards of hiring more Minorities. Well, maybe it does not say that exaclty, but it will be generic and it will say CALL THIS NUMBER if you want an update, and it will never answer your question, as if you never asked the question in the first place.

I am thinking we as VETS who go through this, need to team up, put our documented VA responses that make even us laugh in ways that sort of have us question reality, and show them to the world on some web site, of course with our personal identifying information scrubbed. In that web site, we will also put a bio of units served, DOD verified stressors of duty of those units, and DOD verified illnesses associated with such duty. Then we will see who laughs. Just an idea.

I wonder how much money the VA spends on leasing those VA buildings adjuticating claims? How much is their federal payroll and benefits of federal service for adjuticative processing of service connected claims etc etc etc, compared the worst case scenario of what the figure would be for actually just cutting to the crap and paying the claim?

Lastly my friend in your case, it sounds like you could possibly at the very least have an anxiety disorder or depression, secondary to all this crap, that can be diagnosed treated and service connected, and then there is TDIU application, if you reach 70% rating.

That is a strong possibility that I've got depression from this whole mess! On the bright side, I have found the humor it it, as the day I received the notice that my knees were fine, I was diagnosed by my personal Doctor, that I had severe damage due to arthritis in both knees and would need a knee replacement soon. It was all I could do, but snort-laugh, and realize that just like most Marines, I've developed the "1-2" punch that most of us have after years of running and dealing with everything from 60-90 lbs of gear to be carried around, I have the normal problems most every Marine ends up with.
On the bright side, I have great insurance, thanks to being retired, and a really good doctor, so, I have hopes of treatment, and then I'm going back and having my knees evaluated... so maybe this time, they might mess up and consider my back like they should have the first time!
Either way, I'm not backing down. Thanks for your comment, I found it very instructive and educational, and I truly appreciate it!

Quote of the month: (You Opened the Damn Big Box of worms ... never ask unless, you really want to Know... In My world This is a ..."STAND IN THE DOOR" Question...)

Do you have any working paradigm to put a petition together through congress to accomplish this plan of putting VA under DOD? For example creating an online registration petition signature drive?

The VA Civilian issue reviewing claims is 1 source of contention. I have a hard time thinking a Air Force Vet is going to understand the details, and realities, of my duty in the Navy as well.

Its good to Vent. I talk to Vietnam Vets in their late 60s early 70's now, The ones that are left. I want to put the squueze on the system now, with my youth, the best I can, so I can help out the next generation, as the Vietnam Vets, who suffered indignity before us, suffered in ways I can not fathom, completely, but in ways I can relate to my own treatment by the VA system of service connected disablity VA hootanany mind boggling anxiety attack causing treatment that reinjures an already injured VET seeking support for the first time, when he finally finds out he really needs help, and finally realizes that his illness, that has him on the streets, are flashbacks of times in uniform, he tried to forget, all not that well, as he was on the streets, or in a car, or fighting someone, or drunk somewhere, forgetting who he was, and what he was, and who he wanted to be, and how to get there.

Sorry for your plight. My dad is Vietnam Combat Vet. That ionizing radiation and RF issue exposure issue is covered a lot specifically in USCODE Title 38 (VA LAW). This is how you locate that law. Do a google search IONIZING RADIATION with USC Title 38. I hope this helps a bit. I will try to assist anyone possible.

USC Title 38 CONGRESSIONAL VA LAW states this as if references PUBLIC LAW about Radiation Exposed Veteran and Presumption, have your lawyer look at this:


1992—Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 102–578, §2(a)(1), struck out "to a degree of 10 percent or more within the
presumption period (as specified in paragraph (3) of this subsection)" after "radiation-exposed veteran".
Subsec. (c)(2)(N), (O). Pub. L. 102–578, §2(a)(2), added subpars. (N) and (O).
Subsec. (c)(3), (4). Pub. L. 102–578, §2(a)(3), (4), redesignated par. (4) as (3) and struck out former par. (3)
which read as follows: "The presumption period for purposes of paragraph (1) of this subsection is the 40-year
period beginning on the last date on which the veteran participated in a radiation-risk activity."