Vent: The V.A. and my son-in-law UPDATE: Message 1

[Shmily1]

OP, what state is your SIL in? My DH, a 'Nam vet, was an SC for the Patriot Guard and we helped several people with getting VA benefits and with helping the families make it during the too long process. One year, we bought Christmas gifts for a family that the dad had come back from Iraq with a severe brain injury and the VA wouldn't give him disability. Now he is at 100% and the family is doing fine. The mom was taking good care of him, but because she couldn't leave him to go to work, she had no money for Christmas. It may be that we would know someone that could help your SIL get some help with this.

 

[JCJRSmith]

Tina (and everyone else who responded),

thanks for the kind words/encouragement/ideas. I will try to keep this updated as the saga continues.

I really did not get to know my son-in-law well until he came back this summer and we spent a week at WDW with him and my daughter and grandkids. He really is a terrific young man, and we are very happy to have him in the family. My daughter picked a winner.

 

[manning]

Our country is truly embarassing in regards to how our vets are treated. I have no advice, just hugs and prayers.

A classic example of the government not taking care of someone who has taken care of us........and it is going to get worse.

Get your congressman to lean on the VA and the army. He should not be there. He has given more than enough for us.

This is not new. After WW2 the government made a promise. In return for defending our freedom they would take care of them. It started out that way but little by little it has been taken away

A PROMISE BROKEN!! NEED MORE BE SAID??

 

[holycow]

Do you have an email for the congressman that helped them the first time.

Maybe if you got a campaign together and get people to email their displeasure he'd get some response quicker.

 

[momof1princess]

the way our government treats the brave men and women who serve our country is disgraceful. it took over 30 years for my grandfather (who got TB twice in the army, could barely breathe, broke his back and could barely walk after years of therapy) to be classified 100% disabled and get his full military benefits, and by then, he was dying. OP, i pray your SIL gets what our country owes him. i, for one, am humbled by his sacrifice and grateful for his service. i am the proud granddaughter of a (now deceased) WWII and Korean War veteran.

 

[powellrj]

I just got off the phone with DS. He is a disabled vet who also works for the VA and this was his advise.

He said you need to get in touch with your OEF/OIF case manager and see if they can tell you where your case is. He said it should be reinstated once he is finished with active duty.

Next you need to go to your regional VA office. He said whatever you do, don't call. Go in person. If that is impossible, write them. When you get there you need to ask to speak to the Coach in Public Contact. If that person isn't available, you need to speak to the Coach in TRIAGE. He said make sure its your Regional VA office, not just a local one.

He said you can also get help from a local veterans service organization like the VFW or Disabled Vets organization. He said they are a wealth of information and can often get access to help when others can't.

Good luck!

 

[BLTtinkerbell]

Just wanted to thank your son-in-law and all other soldiers for their service. God bless all of our soldiers and their families. Good luck with this situation.

 

[DisneyFed]

OP:

VA Office of Inspector General.

 

[JCJRSmith]

I just got off the phone with DS. He is a disabled vet who also works for the VA and this was his advise.

He said you need to get in touch with your OEF/OIF case manager and see if they can tell you where your case is. He said it should be reinstated once he is finished with active duty.

Next you need to go to your regional VA office. He said whatever you do, don't call. Go in person. If that is impossible, write them. When you get there you need to ask to speak to the Coach in Public Contact. If that person isn't available, you need to speak to the Coach in TRIAGE. He said make sure its your Regional VA office, not just a local one.

He said you can also get help from a local veterans service organization like the VFW or Disabled Vets organization. He said they are a wealth of information and can often get access to help when others can't.

Good luck!

I will pass this info on to John (my son in law). Thank you very much.

 

[DIZNUT57]

First let me start by saying Thank you to your SIL. I have worked for the VA for 13 years on the medical side of things. I have to disagree with a lot of previous statements that the VA does not care. I along with everyone I work with would bend over backwards to help all of the men and women that have protected us. We really get tired of people saying we don't care or our hospital is second rate, nothing could be farther from the truth. The govt. does have red tape and it is very frustrating but please don't throw all VA employees under the bus. That being said please make sure he sees his OIF/OEF officer. As previously stated the DAV will work tirelessly for him. Also it truly is better to talk to someone in person rather than on the phone. I know it can be slow but the pure volume of people coming home with problems is huge. Trust me, just keep at it and it will work out.

 

[Piecey]

First let me start by saying Thank you to your SIL. I have worked for the VA for 13 years on the medical side of things. I have to disagree with a lot of previous statements that the VA does not care. I along with everyone I work with would bend over backwards to help all of the men and women that have protected us. We really get tired of people saying we don't care or our hospital is second rate, nothing could be farther from the truth. The govt. does have red tape and it is very frustrating but please don't throw all VA employees under the bus. That being said please make sure he sees his OIF/OEF officer. As previously stated the DAV will work tirelessly for him. Also it truly is better to talk to someone in person rather than on the phone. I know it can be slow but the pure volume of people coming home with problems is huge. Trust me, just keep at it and it will work out.

I've never said the VA doesn't care... but I'll be the first in line to admit that dealing with them can be quite frustrating!

That said, not all medical centers seem as nice as what you are saying.

DH has encountered a ton of people that quite clearly are just there to earn a paycheck. The medical care he has received has been pretty bad-- DH goes strictly to civilian Dr.'s now because of the local care available to him. It's a shame, but they're not ALL wonderful places.

 

[DIZNUT57]

I totally agree they are not all the same. Just like all civilian hospitals are not great. I sat in the ER at a local hospital for 3 hours one night. I can give countless examples of the same thing you describe at regular hospitals. I know at my VA people from every hospital around would love to work here. Just don't think all VA's are dreadful places because they are not. I don't how many VA's you have been in but the place I work has the most technologically advanced equipment usually before any cilvilian facility or Dr office. I'm sorry you have not had much luck but we work very hard to take care of our vets.I would also be willing to bet most doctor offices and hospitals do not see near the amount of people we do on a daily basis.