Veterans suffer when claims are tied up or denied

Every time I read reports like this, it takes me back to the days when it seemed everyone knew my husband had PTSD, including the people working at the VA hospital but the only people out of the loop were the very people our lives depended on. Claims processors!

Don't get me wrong here, they have rules they have to go by even though most of the rules are pretty stupid. An MOS can trap a veteran out if it's the wrong type. Go figure. An MOS that is not combat related, but more support related, was never considered to have been able to become wounded by PTSD. Even though, much like today, no one is exempt from traumatic events. Not in Vietnam and not in Iraq or Afghanistan. Yet if a claims processor was allowed to finish reading the claim, they would find things like "shrapnel" or bullet wound, or even in some cases, missing limbs. We faced this catastrophe for six years between the time I finally managed to get my husband to even go to the VA and the time they finally honored his claim. It is the worst thing to go thru while dealing with a life threatening actual combat related disability and having the people in charge of your life denying all of it.

In this article you'll read about a disabled veteran, finally having his claim approved, after he lost his home. Again, a reminder here, these are men and women trusted enough to be fully armed and trained to hold the future of this nation in their hands. They were trusted enough to go where they were sent but they are not trusted enough to process their claims before it's too late to save their homes, their financial standing, their families and in too many cases, save their lives.

Are there some capable of fraud? Absolutely but they are a tiny fraction of the honorable claims being presented and with each number of waiting claim, comes a veteran and a family. This is wrong.

On this blog you've read countless stories of how Vietnam veterans are finally being honored for their service in cities and towns across the nation with celebrations, parades and parties. Yet look at how many years it took us to do this for them. How many years are you willing to wait to really honor them and the newer veterans seeking treatment and compensation for the wounds they came home with?

Backlog of VA claims and appeals is nearing 1 million
Over 80,000 cases are added monthly
By Lou Michel
NEWS STAFF REPORTER


The U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs is closing in on a milestone, and it’s not a happy one.

It’s approaching the 1 million mark in the number of outstanding claims by veterans.

The VA’s Web site shows more than 722,000 current claims, along with more than 172,000 appeals, for a total of about 900,000. That is up from about 800,000 total claims in January, according to the site.

Even though the VA says the average wait for a claim is 120.9 days, Welch, a Vietnam veteran, says he works with veterans who are “waiting anywhere from six to 14 months.”

It’s a disaster for them financially, he added.

“Part of the issue that’s happening with traumatic brain-injured veterans is they are unable to work and what happens is some lose their homes,” Welch said.

One of the vets who lost his home was Kreiger, he noted.

Kreiger, an Iraq veteran who eventually was classified 100 percent disabled, said he has been approached by dozens of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans denied benefits for post traumatic stress claims.

“Easily 50 veterans have come to me because the VA proved their PTSD was something they had before going to war, which makes them now ineligible for the benefit. The VA doesn’t even call it PTSD anymore. They refer to it as a personality disorder,” he said in citing bureaucratic struggles faced by returning veterans.

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http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/708119.html