Veteran's Affairs Claims: Sit & Wait Game Continues

http://www.va.gov/

VA claims are currently taking a minimum of 6 months to go through.... The good news with this is that once you submit your claim your compensation is back dated to the day that it began, (if submitted within 1 year of the change of status). Meaning, if you are discharged from the military you have 1 year to submit your claim from your EAS date to receive back payment. If you submit it after that one year of being out it starts from the day you submitted your claim. I was lucky enough, almost a decade ago, to start my claim right after I was discharged, it took only a couple months back then for everything to go through and I was back paid to my date of separation. However, now with there being so many that are in the process of getting out it is WISE to start your claim 6 months PRIOR to getting out. This way all of your VA medical exams are completed and the sit and wait process will start upon EAS instead of waiting for so long once you are out. If anything more were to happen in between you are always capable of adding to your claim. And there is the possibility of secondary conditions that may take place over the years in relation to conditions you previously claimed. I have a couple secondary conditions that I still need to claim, but just don't seem to find the time to get it done. Carpal tunnel and slipped discs in my neck are related to my lower back injury that took place while I was active duty. I have all the documents, xrays etc for it, just need to make an appointment with my VA rep to go over everything and start those claims.

Then there are dependents. You can claim your husband/wife, child/children/step child, or parent as dependents. It does raise your compensation amount. I am still currently waiting for my claim of my husband to go through back from Sept. But will get back paid for the extra amount of him whenever it does go through. Then there will be the process of adding our little one when he is born.... That will be another loooonnnngggg wait for that to go through too.

I know of several people that are out there waiting for these compensations to go through. People that are in dyer need of that tax free income..... Almost all of  these claims are electronic. And I and my VA rep friends/co-workers (co-workers because we all help transition military members out, not because I work for the VA) have stated that someone in the VA Central Office and Satellite Offices are not doing their jobs in any type of efficient manner. Each of us would be able to process/enter at least 100 claims a day. My take is that they are just looking at job security and that doing the minimum is "okay" while our Veteran's out there who are trying to get by and who have been cut from the military out of no-where while planning on making it a career due to down sizing are basically being put on the back burner...... It is complete CRAP that it would take so long for these Heroes to receive what can help them make it through their transitioning process.....

Just my current rant that I see on a daily basis with where I work and what I have experienced.