Big Changes Are Afoot For Veterans Affairs

Veterans Affairs

Benjamin KrauseAgency representatives say says big changes are afoot for Veterans Affairs in the arena of veterans claims submission and adjudication. We are marching into uncharted territory for VA claims administration and adjudication.

My take is the next couple years will dramatically change the face of veterans claims and Veteran Service Organization (VSO) claims assistance.

VA’s speakers at the National Organization for Veterans Advocates (NOVA) provided a wealth of information about what to expect for the new digital VA. I wanted to take a second while here in San Francisco to post an update for readers between sessions.

VA leaders Kevin Secor and Robert Reynolds provided input about the new electronic systems VA is encouraging veterans benefits law attorneys to utilize. I signed up in the system that will allow me to submit evidence electronically in a similar manner as eBenefits for veterans.

VA is still somewhat confused about next steps regarding our access to the VBMS system that VA adjudicators use. The big problem with the current status of the program is that Regional Office chief information officers are requiring attorneys to sign waivers of privacy rights including potentially right for VA to search our computers.

To be continued…

Similar Posts

7 Comments

  1. On the science side of the damages could be just for those who served there. If you need assistance and have family member you are entitled to these benefits whether stateside or not, only 24 hours is all you need. Collect all bills and damages done because you actually get a lawyer and take it too another level. (As I am, and yup again, why do these “professionals” know the answers to a simple Heart Rate Reading.” 122 is off the charts for me, but what “she should of done, call a code blue.” That is not my average which this rhythm was holy cow craziness! Now, I see in “training” maybe she missed the one on when to call a code team because a woman doesn’t have the same systems as a man.

    Now, back to Agent Orange discussion, seriously if they denied it shouldn’t you be able to sue via Tort Laws. “It is medical malpractice!” Now for the not so happy news, because I don’t rest well after a longer than I can handle drive. ( I wasn’t driving, but Texas sure could use some major road damage here.)
    You have a DNA strand, I read an article about in one of my late night studies, it changes a part or the Genome so any children who get sick, be a fighter, they do not want that info as public knowledge. You can Google? Then just start of reading some when you have typed in Agent Orange ( lingering results) it really disturbs me when a person drafted or volunteered or was in theater of combat, it just shows how much they hide. Trust me I shall write very plainly, when an event happen, his Captains Mast ( since I was party to this damn crazy guy!) so I really think our government is not stupid, they just won’t admit your kids may die before their time. When a genome is change like that, right now they have no clue of generations it will affect. Look up JAMA, NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE these are some really good studies and they don’t get bought so sleezy. I would also suggest looking at it with the U.K, who has some really excellent schools! I wanted to go to the University of Edinburg, because of how they were both class work but teamwork to assist Social Problems, and in the U.S.A.? I wouldn’t trust NIH.gov but searching universities and sometimes a student will take it on with his instructor present. AND WHO WHICH IS THE “WORLD HEATH ORGANIZATION.” ( we are not number one, hope no body thought we were)
    I hope that helped in some small way I would have to find the number of the women I spoke to, a caregiver even if it’s the wife or mom, $1700 a month to assist you get help needed. ME? Oh no this one is not stepping foot, wheeled in to another VA so help me all the Gods! Just on my own saw one of the team of my back surgeries he said the exact same thing. Guess what? He isn’t impressed by the North Texas VA Health Care a Program!
    If Ben doesn’t mind it, I shall post the number and they mean buiness! For me? I so wanted to finish off my degree plan, and I literally cried for two hours because I do not lie, and I kept thinking springtime, well Orlando has had a few freezes but not when I checked into my new command. I just didn’t get how the Regional Office consider cross reference social security number, birthday and gee, my last home of record! ( oh and my maiden name I had given and didn’t change when I left the service back in 1981. I see the drill, that record scanned in, seriously you must be joking because no complaints for the time frame? Well, there is. 1994, and I never get why order a chest x-Ray when the nerve root was my living night mare! I have a very thin medical dependent record and even active duty it wasn’t that big. However they discounted gee, this Naval Person was very busy with her last child ( again thank all the a Gods!) he was My Son of Anarchy! ( I should say in someways he still is!)
    Blessings and prayers and thoughts will be for you fighting a system that many lost their lives, why take it and deny, just like PTSD? They need to watch their P’ and Q’s on that one too!

    ***BEN I HAD TO USE ANOTHER EMAIL ADDRESS, GUESS YOU KICKED OUT? I have a whole bunch of files deleted but have even more to go through!***

  2. I don’t “THINK” this I know that the entire experience I have had in dealing with the FUBAR VA Medical, VARO in Oakland, California and the SNAFU Northern California VA Medical System has been a waste of my life! Wounded in Vietnam and like many other of our brother’s and now sister’s that have been wounded by the enemy and have suffered from the effects of war’s…the blah, blah, blah is now part of some regulation that basically wants their “partner’s” like VSO and the NSO to stall the VETERAN or give ill advice like Solano County has and the sabotage that they do to our claim’s which ultimately get denied or low balled then we have to deal with the same BS by SNAFU,NSO which is on the VA side of the fence. As we all know that one day the VA is looking for more lie’s to tell more last in their class doctor’s and other rejects form qualified medical employer’s because they can see the train wreck just by interviewing these often bigoted, racist last in their class prospect’s. FTVA!

  3. AS a civilian I am disgusted totally in the way Vets are neglected. Vets from Viet Nam fought to get treatment for agent orange…many lost the battle. Now Afghanistan/Iraq Vets are dealing with a much much more pernicious poisoning called depleted Uranium (DU) and traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Only one place in the US can even diagnose DU poisioning and yet most of the Grunts were terribly exposed. This destroys health and vitality and leads to heart disease, kidney problems, lung problems, and brain problems. MOST general practice doctors are in the dark about this. They see a GI with symptoms and cannot even come up with proper lab measures so the GI gets labeles a head case. With that the GI can have all the psychotropic drugs they want. These destroy health, vitality and mitochondria. TBI’s are also rarely diagnosed because it takes specialists. A general practice MD will miss the diagnosis. While there are treatments for TBI these often include neurofeedback to help recalibrate the brain. VA is doing minimal neurofeedback… So what does the Vet do to feel better? Self medicates with drugs/alcohol. Then they get labeled an addict. The GI’s know they feel awful but do not know why. This diagnostic protocol will not get addressed because the physicians are clueless. The VA is not having to pay all of these claims for damages and they skate free… I for one highly recommend that people avoid the poison, military service, like the plague. (See YouTube: Beyond Treason: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViUtjA1ImQc ) While there is great honor among our soldiers there is no honor within the leadership that allows this horror to continue. DU is against the Geneva Convention. Leaders know this and they continue the poisoning of soldiers a well as the enemy’s soldiers and the residents of the countries where DU has been used.

  4. For the love of God, let it be true. Do you know how unbelievably sick and tired both my spouse and I are on waiting for our claims to pull through? Providing the VA doesn’t make a mistake on the rating the first time around–and they always do–it takes YEARS for them to iron this s*** out. It’s been so long, in fact, that in the time they’ve been working on the last claim we’ve (a) completed a Master’s Degree, and (b) all but forgotten there is even a claim pending. For people who rely heavily on these disability ratings, they’re basically sitting around for the better part of a decade in poverty. It’s unfathomable.

  5. On a similar note, have you ever read the VA’s privacy statement they send to you? They pretty much tell you about anyone can access your medical records including the VA police. Other Federal and State law enforcement can, in certain circumstance request your personal information without a court order, search warrant or arrest warrant.

    And, if you think your information is secure from access from unauthorized VA employees and contractors and hacking from individuals and hostile countries, you’re living in a dream world.

  6. Huh.!!
    Waiver of Privacy rights, VA can search Veterans’ Counsels computer.
    That would lead to loss of Attorney-Client privilege plus, is not work-product supposed to be protected.
    Let me guess, the VA spent millions on this technology just to be useless. No attorney in his right mind would consent to such a waiver given knowing the integrity of the Federal agencies. Just like ATF, find ways to beyond scopes of search and find ways to store the data, not just of the veteran client but maybe his or her whole practice.
    This is turning out to be a Trojan Horse.
    Play their game, put some works on that computer that preaches how a proper administrative agency should BEHAVIOR.

Comments are closed.