After years of being out of the Army, I made the decision to pursue a new claim for disability with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Having heard nothing but horror stories, I always steered clear of the VA, but since President Donald Trump took office, I’ve noticed some shifting around and problems being addressed.
While I was still seeing viral videos of veterans being abused and mistreated while receiving care at the VA, I felt encouraged reading other veterans’ stories. Some had gone through the process relatively unscathed. Taking into account that the VA has a horrible reputation dealing with veterans, and hoping for the best, I dove into the paperwork and legwork required to complete my claim.
Right out of the gate, I faced a huge obstacle. I am currently located overseas, and there is only one accredited representative where I am located. When it became difficult to coordinate meetings, and my emails and calls went unanswered, I did my own research.
When I asked why this information wasn’t being made available to me, I was met with, “Sorry, you’ll have to contact tech support.”
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Armed with information, I began rounding up the necessary documentation. I had already submitted an intent to file with the VA, which gives veterans one year to submit their claim. This also means that once a disability rating is given, veterans receive back pay to the date of their intent to file. I have only ever gone through the VA to receive my GI Bill benefits, and that took about 45 days to complete and begin receiving payment. Even so, I hoped for the best.
I mailed the necessary paperwork to the VA on Dec. 13, 2017, and I have yet to receive any official word from them. There is an online portal for veterans called eBenefits. Throughout this process, I have checked it almost daily while waiting for my information to populate.
When a month went by, I called the VA myself. An agent looked up my file and confirmed that my paperwork had been scanned on Dec. 18, 2017. She also confirmed that my claim was officially open and was in the “gathering evidence” stage. The agent informed me that I would soon be receiving letters from the VA. She gave me a tentative date of completion for Dec. 31, 2018.
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I explained that I wasn’t seeing any of this on my eBenefits account, which was tracking that I had “0” intent to file documents. All she said was, “Well, that doesn’t matter now, because we’ve received your claim.” Um, what? So I explained that my eBenefits account also showed “0” open claims.
I waited a little longer for something to show up in my account before using the VA’s chat system.
Whoever was on the other end also wasn’t helpful. I had to ask questions numerous times before the chat person responded with specific information.
She was able to provide me with in-depth information on where my case was and from whom the VA was waiting to hear in support of my claim.
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When I asked why this information wasn’t being made available to me, I was met with, “Sorry, you’ll have to contact tech support.”
The eBenefits website seriously needs some attention. Veterans should be able to access information as it becomes available. I’m beginning to understand why people rage at the VA.
Angelina Newsom is a U.S. Army veteran and an OpsLens contributor. She served 10 years in the military, including a deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. She studies criminal justice and is still active within the military community. This OpsLens article is used by permission.
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