Veterans who wish to file a disability claim with the Veteran’s Administration are likely to find themselves lost and frustrated. Battling the enemy can sometimes be simpler than battling the VA when it comes to knowing what needs to be done. Even the VA itself admits that things do not always go as smoothly as one would think, even though they try.
There are three distinct divisions within the Veterans Administration: Veterans Health Administration, Veterans Benefits Administration and National Cemetery Administration. A person who is seen for medical issues through the Health Administration would think all their information is available to the Benefits Administration and vice-versa. With that line of thought it is simple to assume one’s information is as easy to access as the click of a few buttons on a computer. Unfortunately for the American military veteran that is not the case.
That is why Battle for Veterans’ Benefits – Taking on the VA was written and is becoming the handbook of choice for those wanting to submit a disability claim. This book walks you through the corridors of the Veterans Benefits side of the VA house, showing you which doors you should be opening and which you should avoid.
A recent article on the VAntage Point website itself underscores the necessity of why a veteran needs to know how the Veterans Administration works. The author of the article talks about lengthy waits, numerous phone calls and a pocketful of departmental business cards only to find out he had been misdirected in his endeavors. He was not connecting to the section he needed and had to start the process all over again in the correct department.
On page 16 of Battle for Veterans’ Benefits – Taking on the VA the authors K. David Monahan and Alex Connolly themselves talk about this problem quite succinctly.
“The VA has a “Duty to Assist” the veteran with each claim. What this means is the VA will contact other government agencies for copies of your military records, and will also advise you that the VA is looking for your records.
All this is great, sort of. If one government agency is slow, imagine how much slower it is when several government agencies are trying to work on the same claim. It actually can slow down the claim process.”
As we all know, government bureaucracies are a convoluted mass of buildings, departments and employees. They do things their own way at their own time. You can either learn to be patient, or pick up a copy of Battle for Veterans’ Benefits – Taking on the VA and learn how to avoid some of that misdirection. Your choice.
