I hear complaints almost every time I talk to a vet about how the service organization officers in charge of their cases are never in or never call them back. I don’t know why this is happening. Maybe the service officers have too many claims. Maybe they don’t know what they’re doing or know the CFR or VA law. Maybe they just don’t care and are just concerned with having a job. It could be all of the above in many cases. There are many dedicated NSO (National Service Officer) personnel from the service organizations and state and county vet reps who will try to help all they can.
Here are some tips when dealing with a shaky service organization NSO.
1. Don’t let them tell you that you can’t open a claim.
You can open a claim at any time if you feel you have a condition that may be eligible for service connection. They may talk about "frivolous" claims, meaning a claim that has no merit or is not based on logic and is sure to be turned down. I once met a guy who was service-connected because he twisted his knee while playing touch football outside his barracks in Hawaii. I met another who was 30% service-connected for compulsive gambling.
So don’t let a service officer make you feel guilty or try to discourage you from filing the claim if you were injured in the service.
2. Don’t let them tell you that you should happy with what the VA gave you and you shouldn’t put in for an increase if your condition gets worse.
Any service officer who tells you that should be fired because they just don’t want to do their job. They are there to represent you and they should not be advocates for the VA or tell you that you should be grateful that the VA gave you anything.
3. For PTSD, don’t let them tell you that the VA will take your percentage away or decrease it, if you reopen the claim for an increase.
This is not true. Once you are service-connected for PTSD, your percentage is likely to only go up and not down. There is no cure for PTSD, and though, you may improve on a temporary basis, PTSD does not go away. This is a scare tactic to stop you from re-opening the claim for whatever reason the service officer may have for not wanting to help you. It’s not your fault they have a big caseload, or that they just don’t want to take the time to work on your claim. You shouldn’t be punished for it.
4. If your service officer won’t take your phone calls or never calls you back, leave a message that you are going to call their national headquarters to file a complaint and to get the claim service you need.
The service officer will usually call you back in a timely manner after you leave this message. They don’t want you contacting their main office to complain about them. This could lead to an investigation of their work habits. They don’t want that to happen.
The service organizations are there to help you, the veteran. Their rent and office space is paid for by the government so they can help you. It should not be the other way around, with the service organization favoring the VA when it comes to veteran claims. When filing a claim, always ask to deal with a National Service Officer (NSO). They are supposed to be trained in the law and know what they are doing.
You should never have to feel guilty for being injured in the service and then requesting the help or care you need.
(Excerpt from the February-March 2012 S-2 Report by Dennis Latham)
No comments:
Post a Comment