Frustration continues with the VA after 20 years.
I don’t know why it would be any different. I had high hopes
that 20 years later the filing for disability claims would at least have some improvements,
I was mistaken. I filed for the claims that have been previously denied because
I did not know enough years ago to be able to rebuke their decisions. Today I received
a letter that I found really telling. I believe the letter was to put me from
the “awaiting a decision” pile into “awaiting more information from the veteran,”
for the mere reason to have a lower number of “backlogged” claims for the end
of the year. Why? Well when I had put in for the claims, I attached a 45 page
annotated detailed list of when, where and why for all of my claims. The letter
which I received was the want of more information. I have been helping others
with disability claims due to Military Sexual Trauma, actively, for the past 5
years. I have gotten the veteran what they were entitled to. I know what is
needed to file and win a claim, the process of the VA, the certain words that
need to be put into the claim, what is needed from the doctors, all of it. So
when I got this recent letter, after it has been in the claims process for
about a year (it was a continuation of a file over two years ago), I just had
to do some deep breathing techniques.
I wonder how many other veterans have received such letters
just to allow the VA to have better numbers with their backlogs for the end of
the year. This exact thing has happened a year ago, take me out of the “waiting
for claims” to put me into the “waiting for the veteran” pile. The one paragraph
in the letter that made me take even more breaths was “You have claimed
exposure to an environmental hazard based on your service during the Gulf War.
We can take no action since you did not claim a specific disability. Tell us
the specific disability that resulted from your exposure so we can process your
claim. Attached to this letter is a more detailed guide called “Submitting evidence
for claims about GULF WAR UNDIAGNOSED ILLNESSES” to help you submit evidence in
support of your claim.” This would not as be as frustrating if I had not
already been given this paper (a year ago) and gone over it, again, line by
line putting in all the information. I filed the exact same information from
the exact same requested information from the beginning. I have had two Gulf War Registry Examinations, the first one the VA lost all the information on,
except the one page that states when I had the exam done and who was the Nurse Practitioner
who got the beginning vitals. Everything else in the exam is somehow lost from
my records. I have had another one completed with the listed disabilities that
I have because of the exposures, also submitted with previous claims. I have
listed the exact symptoms and disabilities which are related to the exposures,
they have been conveniently removed from this claim, thank you VA. I will be
sending them in a copy of the original claims process and also the one where
they sent me back the letter stating what I was claiming, which is yet another
reason this is so annoying. To continually remind the VA what the claims are,
even when the previous letters they sent had the disabilities listed, and now
they don’t. It continually amazes me how the years change, but the
inconsistencies, mind-numbing stupidness, and “lost” information from the VA
does not.
For the past 20 plus years I have purposely utilized the VA
for the symptoms which I know where caused from my service time. So the
evidence that is still around, ok, if they haven’t purged it, is in my medical
records, and the limited records that I have been given from the VA. Complete records
I have continually requested and not been given, again Thank you VA.
As I get older, the disabilities are not getting better, but
worse, and I have a sinking feeling that I will one day die from them. Before
that time I want to make sure that all of the issues are documented and
recognized by the VA, so that when I do expire from one of them (or a
combination of them) my family will still be able to receive the benefits that
I have fought these past 20 plus years for. It’s exhaustive to continually look
through my records, continually tell the VA they have the exact information
they are continually requesting, the information that I gave from the beginning.
For all of you who are in the claims process, maybe just received
a letter asking for more information, information the VA has already been
given, just so that their numbers look better at the end of the year. I feel
for you, but do not give up. I have been fighting over 20 years, and I will
continue to fight this until I receive what I am asking for. I do hope if I die
while in the “claims process” my family will continue with my claim until they
have the letters agreeing that the injuries were sustained in the military,
were due to my service, and are service-connected.
On a lighter note, a Merry Christmas to you all, and a Happy
New Year too.
