Veterans Blog

VA Sluggishness

2010-12-19T15:29:00.000-08:00

I have been waiting for the VA to send me an appointment with both podiatry and orthopedics for over a month now! I'm going to have to call them about these appointments tomorrow. I'm also awaiting an C & P exam for allergic rhinitis. Probably not much will happen until aftr the holidays!

Final Decisions from the BVA

2009-08-03T17:01:00.000-07:00

In today's mail I got a letter from the BVA with the decisions concerning my disabilities. Everything was pretty much as expected. What surprised me was that my back pay was direct deposited today as well. The amount was pretty close to what I had guessed it would be. After reading the letter I realized that I need some more documentation to send to them and then I should be able to get the rating for bipolar disorder raised from 30% to 50%. I hope that the letter that I sent to them a few days ago succeeds in getting me the correct effective date for that.

I made an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of my individual ratings and their effective dates. The reason for this is because I need to know when I have had an item service connected for more than 10 years and when a particular rating is 20 years old. The VA can't deny service connection on anything that is more than 10 years service connected and can't lower a rating that is more than 20 years old.

I also confirmed that most creditors can't go after my disability pay. The federal government, however, can. I'm still not sure if they can take away my disability pay if I default on my student loans but it looks like they can. I'm 51 years old and have so much student loan debt that I will never be able to pay it off unless I get a dramatic increase in income. Going from 60% service connected to 80% service connected does increase my income some, but not enough to pay back those loans and live by myself too. Until I can get to 100% service connected I will need at least a part-time job or a successful website.

Tentative Rating Decisions

2009-08-01T15:25:00.000-07:00

I recently received a letter from the DAV stating that the BVA has reached some tentative decisions. They have granted service connection for my facial acne at 10% which surprises me because I was expecting 0%. I'm also getting about 9 years back pay on that.

They granted 30% service connection for my bipolar disorder but only back dated it to 2007. I sent a letter to them protesting that and stating that they should back date it to when I filed my claim for Depression. If I have to appeal this to the veterans court of appeals it will take several more years to get my money, it will be worth less then due to inflation, and I will have to split it with a lawyer. So, no matter what the eventual outcome is, I will lose money if I have to appeal this in court!

I don't have an effective date yet on the 10% increase on my right shoulder. I got 0% for gastritis secondary to the bipolar disorder. The effective date is the exact same as the bipolar disorder.

I sent a letter to the DAV asking them how to get the evidence of TMJ Disorder reconsidered because I can't afford to go through more testing to prove that I have it. I'm still waiting on a reply.

Privacy Policy

2009-04-30T12:05:00.001-07:00

Any comments posted to this blog are available for the whole world to see. Do not put anything in a comment that you don't want the world to know. I will probably never contact you directly if you do post a comment but I reserve the right to do so if I wish to.

Third party advertisers
We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our site. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address or telephone number) about your visits in order to provide advertisements to this and other Web sites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.

Good News

2008-12-02T13:17:00.001-08:00

Recently, I got a letter from the VA Board of Veterans Appeals. It was a decision on some issues that I had appealed. They raised the service-connected rating on my right shoulder from 0% to 10%. I don't know the effective date for that yet so I have no idea how much back pay I am going to get for that. I also got service connection for my acne scars, my gastritis and my bipolar disorder. With all 3 of these I don't know the effective dates or the ratings for each one. When this is all sorted out I could be at 100% service connected. The back pay could end up being quite a bit! The issue of allergic rhinitis was remanded back to the regional office.

Update on Medical Records

2008-03-10T16:05:00.000-07:00

About a week ago I finally read the contents of the big envelope that I got from Congressman Adam Putnam's office. It contained some things that I completely forgot about. Much of the information in my files was useful to me in furthering my claim. However, they failed to send me what I specifically asked for, my C&P exams from June 2007. So I called his office and spoke to Pam Fuller and told her that I still need those records. She said that she would inform the person that is handling this. So, I am still waiting for those records.

I also sent a letter to the VA Appeals Management Center telling them that they had overlooked a great deal of evidence in my favor when making prior decisions concerning my claim. I hope that they actually read my letter and verify my information. That should lead to an increase in my service-connected rating.

Contents of the Envelope

2008-03-02T18:04:00.000-08:00

I got a large envelope from Congressman Adam Putnam's office about a week ago. I just opened it yesterday. It had some of my medical records going back to the 1970's when I was stationed at Ft. Carson. I found some useful stuff there that I pointed out to the VA in the letter that I am going to mail to them tomorrow. However, they did not send me what I specifically asked for! That was the C & P exams from June of 2007. I will have to contact his office again and make it quite clear that I still need those records. Unfortunately, I deleted the emails that I got from his office prior to opening that envelope. I will have to call his office again to request those particular records.

I Got My Medical Records

2008-02-23T19:18:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago I got a really think envelope from Congressman Adam Putnam's office. I haven't opened it yet, but I am pretty sure that it is all of the medical records that I requested back in June of 2007! It is unfortunate that I had to get my congressman involved in order to get them from the VA! After I have gone through them I will send a reply to the VA about the issues that are going back to the BVA. I can say this much, I am really tired of being screwed over by the VA when it comes to getting problems that started when I was in the service rated as service connected!

Good News At Last!

2008-01-31T21:06:00.000-08:00

I went into my online bank account and noticed a large deposit from the VA. They finally paid me for that increase in rating on my back! Hurray! Now I can get on with my life! Now all that is left for me to do is to get my medical records from last June and then to try to convince the VA to grant service connection to the problems that started when I was in the service!

I Heard From The AMC Today

2008-01-29T13:53:00.000-08:00

I got 2 packages from the Appeals Management Center today. Both packages were bad news. They basically said that I was not going to get an increase in rating for my right shoulder problem, even though x-rays are showing arthritis in my right A/C joint! They are denying service connection for facial acne because I can't prove that it started in the Air Force. They are admitting that I have GERD (acid reflux) and some psychiatric problems, but they deny that both are service connected. I currently have a 10% disability rating for tinnitus (ringing in both of my ears) and they will not increase it above that level unless I can prove to their satisfaction that the problem can be heard by someone else or that it is causing some major problems in my life. Basically, the doctors that did the C&P exams in June of 2007 all screwed me! I still haven't heard from them on that 20% rating I am supposed to be getting on my back problem!

I am Still Frustrated With the VA!

2008-01-25T15:18:00.000-08:00

When I first started this blog I was planning on detailing how I went about getting the rating that I believe that I deserve from the VA. So far, all I have been able to do is document how frustrated I am with the fact that I can't get those fracking assholes to do anything that I ask them to! I still don't have the medical records that I requested back in June or July! I still haven't been paid for that increase in rating on my back awarded over a year ago! So far, nothing I have done has worked to get those fracking assholes to pay me! Even contacting my congressman has produced no results so far! They know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they owe me and yet they keep stalling when it comes to actually paying me! I still don't know why those fracking assholes refuse to pay me! The last response that I got from the Appeals Management Center in DC was along the lines of, we got your application for benefits but we are too busy to process it. We are still deciding if we need more information to make a decision on your claim! I sent those idiots written proof that they owe me over 4 years back pay. Why are they still refusing to pay me?!?! I truly hope that someday I can put a success story on this blog! The other day I estimated that they currently owe me $9,880 in back pay! This is just an estimate based on a difference in pay of $190 per month. I don't know that actual pay differential for the past 4 years so all I can do is estimate it. By my figures, I will be owed over $10,000 in back pay by the time that I finally receive it! What truly sucks is that the VA is getting an interest free loan from me that I did not authorize! I am the one that needs an interest free loan! If it was me owing them over $9,000 and refusing to pay they would hit me with all kinds of interest and penalties! They would have the IRS or some collection agency after me! Why can't I do the same to them! It is simply not fair!

I Heard From Adam Putnam's Office Today

2008-01-02T16:44:00.000-08:00

Pam Fuller called me back earlier today. She works for congressman Adam Putnam and she sent a form for me to fill out. I have done that and will fax it back to her tomorrow. She promised to do an inquiry, whatever that means. I tried to make it clear to her that I need for someone to light a fire in someone's pants at the VA in order to get them to do their jobs! Now, I just have to wait and see if this actually does any good or if I am going to waste my time and money sending this fax.

I Contacted Adam Putnam's Office Today

2008-01-02T14:10:00.000-08:00

I called congressman Adam Putnam's office in Bartow, FL. today and briefly spoke to some woman on the telephone. She told me that some other woman handles VA issues and that that woman would call me back. So far, she hasn't. I was told the same thing by Gus Bilirakus' office and no one ever called me back. So far, I have asked 3 different politicians for help with this problem and I have yet to get anyone to actually do anything about it! We'll see if this woman actually does call me back from Adam Putnam's office.

Update on Getting My Back Pay Continued

2007-12-09T14:02:00.000-08:00

I went to www.house.gov and put my zip code into the form there. I found out that my congressman is Adam Putnam. I went to his website and filled out the form there asking for his help with the VA problem. I got what looks like an autoresponder message that he will eventually get back to me after he has read my message. I don't expect anything to happen before January 2 because his staff is probably on Christmas vacation. I hope that I can get his help via email and phone calls because I really do not want to have to drive all the way to Bartow, Florida to see him in person. It is about 40 miles one way.

Still Frustrated With The VA

2007-12-08T15:28:00.000-08:00

It has now been over a year since the BVA agreed to increase the disability rating on my back! I still have not been paid for that increase! So far, nothing that I have done has worked to get these jerks to pay me! Recently, I sent another letter to the Appeals Management Center in DC telling them that I am owed some money and I sent proof that I am owed. So far, I haven't gotten a reply of any kind. I gave them until the end of 2007 to pay me. If they don't I will go in person to both of my US senators and to my congress person. One of the three will help me with this problem, I hope. So far, I have been ignored by both Senator Bill Nelson and Congressman Gus Bilirakus when I asked them for help! I got a flier from Gus Bilirakus, but when I called his office I was told that I am not in his district. I need to find out definitely for sure who my congress person is and contact him or her. Right now, I am owed over 4 years back pay which is over $9,000! I really do need that money now!

Still Getting Nowhere With the VA

2007-10-12T13:35:00.001-07:00

I requested a copy of my most recent C & P exams back in June 2007. I got a letter stating that they would send my records to me when they were reproduced. I haven't heard anything from them since! It should not take four months for them to copy my records and send them to me! This is ridiculous! I also haven't heard anything on that audit that the DAV requested. The VA is just dragging their feet when it comes to everything that I have asked them for! The only things that I can get in a timely manner are medical appointments at the local VA hospital.

Right now I am owed over $9,000 in back pay and I have no idea when I am finally going to get my money! At the rate that things are going it could be another year before I see the money that I am owed! And what sucks is that I can't charge them interest on this money that they are refusing to pay me!

The Ball is Rolling

2007-09-09T13:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got a letter from the DAV that basically told me what Miguel Carrion sent to the VA. He basically asked the finance department of the VA to do an audit of my account as quickly as possible and sent them a copy of the fax that I sent him. I have no idea how long this audit will take, but it should result in my getting that back pay that I am owed and the increase in my monthly pay. I'll let you know if and when that happens.

Help From the DAV

2007-08-25T12:47:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, August 21, 2007 I contacted the DAV office in St. Petersburg, FL for some help with this not getting paid problem that I have. I spoke with Miguel Carrion and then faxed some information to him. He promised to get on it right away and to have something sent to the VA by Monday, August 27. I do hope that he keeps his word on this and gets the VA to pay me pronto! If not, I am going to be in a world of hurts financially!

I did request deferments on those student loan payments that are coming due in October. If I can't get the extensions on my deferments or some kind of forbearance I will be screwed. Even with reduced payments I cannot pay both loan payments without a full-time job. Getting a good paying job without my own car will be really difficult and getting a car without that back pay that I am owed will be impossible!

The Left Hand Doesn't Know What the Right Hand Is Doing!

2007-08-16T12:59:00.000-07:00

Here is an update on the continuing saga of my efforts to get the VA to pay me the money that I am owed. I tried contacting my NSO and the DAV and was told that she no longer worked in that office. The rest of the NSO's were at some national convention until the 16th. I'll try calling them again on Monday, August 20. I did call the regional office in St. Pete, FL and was told that one issue was cleared but it is being held up by the other issues that are still under remand. It looks like I won't get the back pay that I am due for several more months! Right now, I am due almost 4 years back pay on my back. That comes out to about $9,120! I really do need the money and their stalling like this is not helping me any at all!

I was told by Fred and the appeals management center that there is nothing in the computer about a partial grant and that it could be several more months before a decision is made on the issues that are remanded to them. Because the appeals management center is not aware of the fact that a partial grant has been made, even though I have told them so several times and in writng, they will not process the paperwork to pay me! Senator Bill Nelson has yet to respond to my request for help in this matter, most likely due to the fact that congress is on vacation now. It is a crying shame that I cannot get the very people who are being paid to help me to actually do their jobs!

Update on Getting My Back Pay

2007-07-28T15:04:00.000-07:00

Two days ago I went to the website of Senator Bill Nelson at billnelson.senate.gov and filled out a form asking for his help with my back pay that I am owed. It has been over 8 1/2 MONTHS since the BVA decided to increase the disability rating on my back and I still haven't been paid for this increase! I have called at least 5 times on this matter and I keep getting excuses, but no money! I have even written them asking when I will get my money and so far I have yet to get a reply! They acknowledge receiving the letter but have yet to reply to it. They tell me that there is nothing in the computer about being owed any back pay! So, I asked the senator to look into this and find out why I haven't been paid yet and when I will be. If I don't hear from him by August 2, 2007 I will call his office and try to find out what is up. I may end up having to go to his office in Tampa to fill out some forms or something. I do hope that I don't have to travel to Tampa.

My Life Is Still On Hold

2007-07-21T15:03:00.000-07:00

Back in December of 2006 the BVA decided to increase the disability rating on my back from 10% to 20%. The effective date for this is September 2003. Normally, whenever I get an increase in my disability rating it only takes a month or two to get my back pay and the new increased amount. For some reason that I do not know and have yet to get anybody to explain to me, it had taken over 8.5 months for them to process my paperwork and I still haven't been paid yet! This is ridiculous and inexcusable! There is no valid reason for this! I was told back in February that partial grants take priority over remands and that I should be paid within two month. Well, that just hasn't happened yet and I want to know why!

I desperately need this money to get on with my life and the longer that they make me wait for it the longer I will have my life on hold! I need the back pay to get my own car and I need the car to get a decent paying job. Also, I need an new suit to were to job interviews because I gained too much weight to fit into my old one. Again, I need that back pay that I am owed to buy a new suit.

What sucks is that if it were the other way around and I owed the VA money they would charge me all kinds of interest and penalties for taking over 8.5 months to pay them! It simply is unfair that I can't charge the VA interest and penalties for taking this long to pay me!

When all is said and done my overall disability rating should be at least 70%. However, I am quite sure that I will get cheated out of some of the back pay that I will be due. It has happened several times already.

Some of My Frustrations With the VA

2007-06-18T16:05:00.000-07:00

One of the issues that is still under appeal is the acne scarring on my face. Prior to joining the US Air Force in 1976 I had clear skin. It was a little on the oily side and I had dandruff, but my skin was clear. On occasion I would get a minor outbreak of acne and it would usually clear up in a few days. When I started Air Force basic training in July of 1976 I had clear skin. The very first day of basic training I had a change in my sleeping schedule, my diet, the amount of exercise I got, the climate and my hair went from long to almost gone! Dandruff fell off my scalp and onto my face every day. I remember complaining to one of the training instructors about this and he replied, "You don't need to see where you are going. I will tell you where to go. Just follow the guy in front of you." I never went on sick call while in the Air Force so I have no record of this outbreak.

When I finally did try to claim the acne scarring as service connected the VA used the lack of medical evidence from the Air Force to deny service connection. The other excuse was that the scarring occurred prior to my joining the Army. I appealed this decision and it was eventually remanded back to the regional office for further development. Currently, my claim is being handled by the Appeals Management Team in Washington, DC.

Recently, I sent some photographs of my face to the Appeals Management Team by mail. The post office's website states that the package was delivered on June 11, 2007 but I have yet to get the little green card back. I wonder if I put the wrong return address on it. Anyway, I am now waiting for the Appeals Management Team to look at those photographs and the one taken at the local VA hospital during my last Compensation and Pension (C & P) exam. The report from the dermatologist coupled with the photographs should be enough to get service connection granted for my acne scarring. However, with the VA you never know! Some of the excuses used in the past for denying service connection have been pretty out there! So, I just won't know for sure until I get the latest decision from these people.

I am trying to get a rating for the acne scarring, even if it is at 0%, so that I can get the VA to do something about the scarring. One dermatologist told me that only laser would remove the scars because they are too deep for anything else to work. I am very tired of the scarring on my face and want to get rid of these scars!

Other issues that are still under appeal include the rating for my right shoulder, GERD, my depression, allergic rhinitis and whether or not I can get a separate rating for tinnitus in each ear. There should also be an appeal for them denying my knee problems and my TMJ disorder, but those appeals never got processed. It looks like I am going to have to refile and then try to appeal again. However, I have been told that if I have too many issues open at one time it just slows the process down. So, I am going to wait until I get the final decisions and have exhausted all appeals on the current issues before I try again on the knees and TMJ problems.

Hello Friends!

2007-06-10T18:14:00.000-07:00

My name is Mike Serovey and I am a veteran of both the US Air Force and the US Army. I joined the Air Force in 1976 and made it half way through basic training before they disqualified me from the job that was guaranteed in my enlistment contract. They wouldn't train me in the jobs that I wanted and I wouldn't take what they offered so I ended up taking an honorable discharge and went home after only 21 days active duty. I later wished that I had stayed in the Air Force because I missed out on the old GI Bill and the new Montgomery one too! Also, I would have had a better life in the Air Force than I did in the Army.

A few months after I got out of the Air Force I joined the Army. Both times I used the delayed enlistment option that they had. I went on active duty in the US Army in September of 1977. I went through basic training and AIT at Fort Sill, OK. Fort Sill is just outside Lawton, OK. That is one place that I have no desire to ever return to.

After that I was stationed at Fort Carson, CO. At first I was assigned to HHB, Division Artillery and a few months later I was transferred to C Battery, 1/29 Field Artillery. I remained with C Battery until my first reenlistment. During the time that I was at Fort Carson my MOS (Military Occupation Specialty) was 13E, Canon Fire Support, Fire Direction Specialist. I told the gun crews which way to point the canons and what charges to use and what the shell/fuse combinations were. I also gave them the setting for timed fuses.

After a while I wanted out of the cold of Colorado and out of artillery. So, when the reenlistment NCO came by to talk to me about reenlistment I told him that I wanted a medical MOS. The first school that came open was 91G, Behavioral Science Specialist. I took it and reenlisted for another 3 years if I remember right. I had considered getting out of the Army at the end of my first enlistment but I was told that there were no jobs back home and I didn't have enough money saved up for college. I also had no real job experience outside of field artillery so I decided that reenlisting for a change of MOS was my best option. Besides, at that time I had a wife and new baby daughter to support.

I went through training as a 91B (Medic) and 91G at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, TX. I liked Ft. Sam and would be happy to be stationed there permanently. After that I was transferred to Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, WA. It was a very rainy place and that is where I first developed depression. My son was born during the time that I was stationed there. My job during the entire time I was at Madigan was a drug and alcohol rehab counselor. At first I liked the job but then I got tired of it and wanted to do something else.

Eventually it was time for me to go to Germany so I reenlisted again for 6 years this time. I reenlisted on the last day that they were paying a bonus for 91Gs to reenlist. While in Germany I was stationed at Giessen Milcom. My job there was again as a drug and alcohol rehab counselor. However, I got on the wrong side of a few people and got kicked out of the rehab agency. They made me the assistant training NCO (read that "go fer") until I completed my tour in Germany. At the end of my 3 years in Germany I had orders in my hand to go to Fort Ord, CA. Those orders were rescinded and I was held in Germany and extra 2 weeks so that they could kick me out for unsatisfactory performance. I spent about a day and a half at Fort Jackson, SC out processing the Army.

When I got out I almost immediately filed a claim for VA benefits. However, I didn't know that I could claim some of my conditions as service connected nor did I know that I could get free help in filing my claim from service organizations like the DAV and American Legion. I filed by myself and got a measly 10% rating. It took me about 9 years to discover that I could get free help from the Military Order of the Purple Heart. I met a guy named Herschel Lane while he was on a cigarette break and told him about how I got cheated by the VA on my rating. He stated that he could help me to get a higher rating and he did. He got me from 10% service connected to 50%. I am currently at 50% until the paperwork gets processed to pay me for the increase in the rating on my back. I am supposed to be at 20% for my back but I am still at 10% until my paperwork finally gets processed.

My current ratings are: flat feet 30%; back problem 10% (supposed to be at 20%); tinnitus (ringing in my ears) 10%; left shoulder problem 10%; right shoulder problem 0%; and hearing loss 0%.

In the future I will post more of my adventures in the Army and what I have had to endure with the VA in order to get the rating that I believe that I deserve.