The VA - Claiming and maintaining your benefits
If I, in some small measure, succeed in helping you through the VA claims process, or otherwise provide information or a resource person of value, I will have succeeded.
Americans want to trust those they send to the halls of power and find they have sent the most ill-equipped to represent them. They have vested in their elected the power to make promises and war without ever considering how they will keep those promises or win those wars. America is the less for it.
America's political machine has sent young men and women in harm's way, into full scale war, declared or not, six times in the last 100 years. Two of those wars are ten years in duration with only promises about when they will end. America promised these young and faithful they would take care of them and their families should the unthinkable, the unspeakable horror that is war happen. Those trusted have not kept their promise, loudly proclaiming to the multitudes of their grand patriotism, high honor, and country without actually practicing such.
The informative material to follow is a result of my personal experience and the first hand experience of those I believe to be accurate and honest in their reportage. It is arranged in eight categories. If a category is without materials, it's because I personally, nor has a trusted compatriate, had sufficient experienced along that specific categorical line. They are:
First Things First - What you need to know and consider before you file your claim with the VA.
Collecting Your Records - This is the important first step. This where your military records live, the forms needed to gain access to them, and an administrave method to manage the process.
Application Process - It's the government, that said, everything has a process. The better to conform your application to that process, the better your chance of a positive outcome.
Tracking an Application (Claim) - Keeping track of what you have filed, where you sent (filed) it, and knowing the status of your application is the first step in maintaining your sanity.
Appealing a Denial - The odds that your application (claim) will be denied or rejected are more than even. Knowing what to do should you be denied is the next step of maintaining your sanity.
Maintaining Your Disability - Just because you have been granted a disability does not mean you will keep it. You must be prepared to fight for it or lose it.
Politics - Yes, there are political components. Know for whom to vote, and write them. They aren't going to know your opinion unless you tell them. If they promise something that's important to you, hold their feet to the fire. Every time you post a letter or an email to your elected riff-raff, send a copy to your local newspaper. If you don't care, don't expect them to.
After Thoughts - This section contains everything else.
Before you read much further, most of the documents and mind-maps enclosed may or may not be current. It is not foreseen any will ever be totally complete, rather perpetually under revision. Check the date of the last revision, and come often to see what's new or changed.
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http://www.onewearysoldier.blogspot.com/