# Veteran posts on Reddit her experience contacting Secretary McDonald



## 197649 (Jan 1, 2013)

All vet should read this 

http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/167...her-experience-contacting-secretary-mcdonald/


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## jon1 (Mar 18, 2012)

Glad to finally see a positive story about the VA after all of these years....


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## JM101 (Jan 6, 2015)

I am very happy with the changes and can speak from actual experience that these changes are really happening.

I emailed Secretary McDonald with a problem I was having with my claim. Within 2.5 hours, I received a response from the Under Secretary for the Compensation side of the VA, an email from the Western States Manager of the VA and an email from the Director of my VA Regional Office. 

No way was I expecting such response, especially from the high bosses.

Yes this is the new VA and I'm very proud to be a member of it.

JM101


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## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

As a Volunteer Driver in the past years, I drove many Hundreds of thousands of miles for the VA. Talking to the different Vets that I transported, the stories ranged from complete disasters to total satisfaction in the manner in which their case was handled. Being very healthy and since I am registered with the VA for my caregiver, the only thing I receive from them is an annual Physical and I am pleased with that. Am glad to see that they are working to improve the image as it has become somewhat tarnished especially this last year.

I recently received a letter from the VA containing a "Veterans Choice Card" . Anyone know what this is about?

Fred


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## JM101 (Jan 6, 2015)

Hi Fred,

Thanks for helping us Vets out with you driving us around for our appointments as a lot of us could not get there without your help.

In answer to your question about the VA Choice Card, it is a temporary program put in place to help the Vets who are having issues with distance to a VAMC for their medical appointments, and also to help those who are having to wait for a medical appointment. Depending upon the situation, the VA will pay for you to see a private doctor on a non-emergent basis...but approval must be received before doing.

To make the program work for you, you need to call that phone number on the back BEFORE you do anything to see if you are really eligible. That is a must. 

Unfortunatly, the Choice Program is not for overseas vets and only valid in CONUS. I received mine 2 days before I left for the Philippines and was told here in PI, that it could not be used at this time in the Philippines...maybe sometime in the future for us EXPAT VETS. 

Hope this helps

JM101


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

I think I will try to contact Mr. McDonald and see what response I get. I have tried everything from writing to my Congressman and Senators to using every other Veteran avenue known with very little success in my complicated case.

My issue? The left hand of the VA has no idea what the right hand is doing and I am stuck in the proverbial middle!

I was in a serious accident during active duty and sustained an extreme back injury that continually gets worse as time goes on. During that accident, there were several other incidental injuries such as a broken nose and knocked out a few teeth, broke my jaw, dislocated shoulders and severe nerve damage to both legs, etc.

Well the US Military fixed everything...but now that these injuries are causing new problems and in need of additional repairs, I am having difficulty getting the VA to take action.

The VA knows the incident was service connected. The VA knows there were several injuries sustained...they just can't locate the actual original medical records to view what procedures were conducted on my broken body. Not my fault they can't find these records but I am paying the price for it.

EXAMPLE - the military replaced my knocked out teeth with some nice new porcelain teeth. But after thirty or forty years, these porcelain teeth are needing some repairs, (chips, cracks), but the VA refuses to do the dental work until they see where the original work was done in my military medical records. Well...many of my old records were lost in a fire in Saint Louis, Missouri, (according to the DOD), and then the VA said I need to request my personal medical records directly from the military base where the work was done but this base has long since been closed down and all records were sent to storage. The storage facility says that the VA now has all of my medical records but the VA keeps telling me to obtain the proof first before they will provide any treatment!

AND...this is only one example out of five or six that I am having difficulty with and have had problems with the VA for more than eight years fighting this losing battle. Perhaps Mr. McDonald would like to hear about my story...we'll see what happens and I will keep this thread posted about my progress or lack of. I am not holding my breath but I will try to keep an open mind and see what happens.

I am the official poster child or "Poster Veteran" for falling between the cracks, getting lost in the shuffle, being avoided or getting over looked! If it can happen to you in a delay of necessary benefits, I have experienced it first hand! The left hand of the VA has proof of the injuries but the right hand of the VA is still looking for the proof that apparently the VA already has. In the mean time, I can't get the treatment I need for some service connected issues.


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## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

JM101 Thanks for the info, I was curious if we could utilize it outside CONUS. Guess we will just wait and see how it unfolds as the letter did say to hang onto the card so there may be something in the future.

C.C. Sorry to hear about your situation, maybe going direct may result in some favorful action for you. It it's any consolation, you are far from being alone in your treatment. As I mentioned, I heard from both sides of the fence on a lot of issues.

Fred


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

Well, I did it! I sent an email to Secretary McDonald, (thanks c_acton98 for posting that link to the article with his personal mobile phone and email address), and although I have not received any response directly from him, I did receive a very quick reply from his staff telling me the Secretary has received my email and it is currently under review and being forwarded to the appropriate officials within the VA organization.

I am anxious to see what, if anything, happens and how quickly! I'll keep this thread posted...


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## JM101 (Jan 6, 2015)

Cebu Citizen,

Because i had handled my own original claims with the VA without the use of a VSO, I have gotten pretty familiar with the ups and downs of the system and how they want things presented to them. 

(Disclaimer) I am not a VSO nor an Attorney nor do I know everything about the workings of the VA and of course I can not give you any kind of legal advice, nor can I predict the actual outcome of any determination by the VA. Blah Blah Blah.

OK thats out of the way. When I retired a couple of years ago, I knew I needed something to do with myself and what better thing to do than to help other Vets who were having trouble with the system. 

I am VERY good at research. I am also very good at organizing a claim for submission to the VA, realizing what the VA raters are REALLY looking for. 

Since some of your records were lost in the St Louis fire, you need to find out which ones were actually saved and which ones were not. I understand "they" have been able to put together some of the lost records.

I recommend you submit a Freedom of Information request for your "C File" from the VA. This will let you know what they really have in their possession.

When I requested my C File, and after a very tedious page by page study of a pile of papers 6+ inches thick, I was able to find what they could not and prove my own case to them. It was a lot of work, but very much worth it. 

This is where I would start.

Hope this helps and if you want more assistance, no problem to PM me.

JM101


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## JM101 (Jan 6, 2015)

Cebu Citizen,

You must have been posting at the same time as me,

Congrats on writing the Secretary and getting a response back.

Just to let you know that the "Big Bosses" are taking a real interest in our situations, I have received 11 real, not autoresponder emails from them so far with real results. So this is not just "lip service" from them.

Good luck with your case.

JM101


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

JM101 said:


> Cebu Citizen,
> 
> Because i had handled my own original claims with the VA without the use of a VSO, I have gotten pretty familiar with the ups and downs of the system and how they want things presented to them.
> 
> ...




Thanks JM101, but I have been there and done that already. "EVERY" avenue has been taken and ended in an unsuccessful outcome...same old run around, we don't have your records or we need more information. At one point they asked if I had any witnesses and I said yes and told them my parents and an old army buddy knew first hand because they visited me in the military hospital while I was recovering.

They told me to get statements from these three people...the problem...my father dies almost 16 years ago...my mother passed away nearly five years ago...and my old army buddy is in a VA Hospital for veterans and is unresponsive from a brain cancer created by agent orange during the Vietnam Conflict.

I already had a VSO and we already submitted a claim under Freedom of Information and whoever it was that ultimately responded to my claim said that the VA is in full possession of all my military medical records...but the VA claims they need "more info"...and I am still stuck in the middle.

When I received copies in the mail, there were only about 120 or 125 pages sent to me. I know my military records are much bigger than this because I have seen them before when I was on active duty and it was huge then. Mine has got to be like yours...6 inches thick or more. But I keep getting the run around.

As in my example case I mentioned earlier, I was in an accident, it happened in the line of duty while on active duty and is listed as service connected. During that accident some of my teeth were knocked out and replaced/repaired by the military. Now after 30 or 40 years, these repairs are beginning to fail and are in need of continued care and additional work that the VA is failing to provide. Dental service is ONLY provided for those veterans who are 100% disabled or those who actually had trauma to the teeth as I did. And as mentioned...this is only one of several issues where I am being over-looked by the VA for service connected medical needs.

My whole problem is that one branch of the VA recognizes that I was in this traumatic service connected accident and that their were injuries to my back, legs, both shoulders, head, mouth and nose but they cannot connect the dots to see that the damage to my mouth was my teeth getting knocked out because they cannot find my actual military dental records. In my medical records there were even photographs of me with my teeth missing, (before the dental repairs). Even an idiot can look at a picture and figure out that I am missing some teeth...but not the VA. Not that I am calling the VA idiots...

I feel like I am being punished for the DOD's inability to keep and properly file or archive records. I just keep falling through the cracks no matter which way I turn!


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## JM101 (Jan 6, 2015)

Lets hope that "Secretary Bob" can resolve your situation favorably and quickly.

JM101


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## 197649 (Jan 1, 2013)

I myself have done the all the research and filling out applications requests etc to VA. I was successful on all counts some took longer than others. IE Special Adapted housing, The VA here was at a loss I was told no one had ever tried for it yada yada yada not sure all I was told was true but just the same I have been successful thanks to the help of the SAH people Kelly and Betty. I have had my kitchen and bathroom remodeled to fit my needs. Next is my office / computer room.
I have also been fighting with VA here about Home Improvement Structral Alterations $6800.00. VA here said cannot be done. Even though FMP has a method to apply VA PI does not. I have also been told that an electric scooter is a luxury item and cannot be allowed. So I went ahead and sent the good Sec a letter. I emailed it on the 9th on the 11th I got a response. 
Mr. Acton,

The Secretary has received your email dated February 9, 2015. He has forwarded your inquiry to VA leadership for review and direct feedback to you. Thank you for your communication. 

Office of the Secretary 
Department of Veterans Affairs 
810 Vermont Ave NW 
Washington DC 20420

So we will see where it goes from here.


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