Oh well. Looks like my 120 days will be about 12 April. Fantastic. Then more waiting. Meanwhile, my husband wants to go back home with the kids and just wait for me to be done. Oh and I'm working like 11 hour days when I'm not having an active attack. And the new meds I'm on make me feel sick. I just keep telling myself, "This too shall pass." It's my life motto right now.
Wait Time For Providence, RI
- Thread starter Tony22
- Start date
DaPats, my question is essentially...how do you know that the VA accepted your packet on Oct. 8th? PEB asked for ratings on the 7th, but does it indicate anywhere that the VA accepted it on the 8th? I ask because there is absolutely zero annotation on my ebenefits since October. And request for ratings was sent in December. I have no proof that they even accepted it or acknowledged it. Thus I am wondering have I really even started on the 120-150 day count that is the VA right now?
Well, some of them we get from copies of documents we were given (i.e. narsum). Some can be obtained from your ebenefits account which is accessible via CAC card or if you make a login/password with an email account. For the unfit, I had to contact a PEBLO on base. He told me that they do not send unfit memos to members or even notify them about the memos. You have to call and ask which is what I did. He told me that the PEB found me unfit on 12 DEC. You have to be very proactive with this process if you want to know anything. It is their perogative to keep us in the dark.
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As Air Force, I am assuming your package is in Providence, RI? If so, you really need to get some help from external sources if you haven't already. Consider a congressional or a DAV rep. That is a ridiculously long wait. You are well over the average in RI.
I posted here because my case is in RI. Lol. Talked to base VA rep around the 1st of January. She told me that she just got back the first case she filed from AUG and that AF headquarters AFPC should get my preliminary ratting back within 30 days. I am going to call the VA next week and see if I can track it down to make sure it's not lost. Then go from there. Curious if there is any July Aug Sep folks on here right now still waiting on the all mighty VA.
Well a lot of people post wherever on here. There are some Providence posts on the Seattle thread. Just seeking clarification smartypants. 
I think many people on this thread from that timeframe have already received ratings. (I counted six of them on just the first two pages of this thread that got ratings back) Do you have a DAV rep yet? Seems to be helpful to many outliers on here.
I think many people on this thread from that timeframe have already received ratings. (I counted six of them on just the first two pages of this thread that got ratings back) Do you have a DAV rep yet? Seems to be helpful to many outliers on here.
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Like I said the best thing about this forum is being able to relate they similar craziness and also gauge what has happened to others and work with that. Like Frank is a guy I've been talking to since I got on here because we started the process very close together he was a week ahead of me in the process, and he had his ebenefits get changed last week so I can only hope my changes this week but who knows.
Also I probably check ebenefits 5-10 a day it's not healthy but it's our addiction at this point. And on day when it does finally reflect something positive for us we'll be happy as he'll and be able to move good luck everyone and rememeber
Also I probably check ebenefits 5-10 a day it's not healthy but it's our addiction at this point. And on day when it does finally reflect something positive for us we'll be happy as he'll and be able to move good luck everyone and rememeber
Absolutely DaPats, so much in our lives depends on the outcome of this process. All we can do is educate one another on the process and help each other out along the way. Ebenefits is a great tool but definitely gets addicting when your constantly waiting for an update, lord knows the va won't give you anything over the phone. I strongly urge everyone to utilize the DAV as they will take the time to examine your entire claim over the phone. Good luck to everyone and at this time, I'm at 118 days in the final approval stage, hope to hear back soon.
Howdy everyone. I'm waist deep in the mud just like you.
MEB started Sept 2013
Narsum signed Nov 2013
Found unfit Dec 2013
PEB forwarded to VA ~ Dec 6th 2013.
I'm currently at the "Review of evidence" stage on ebenefits.
Frank looks like you are at the home stretch, good for you.
MEB started Sept 2013
Narsum signed Nov 2013
Found unfit Dec 2013
PEB forwarded to VA ~ Dec 6th 2013.
I'm currently at the "Review of evidence" stage on ebenefits.
Frank looks like you are at the home stretch, good for you.
Lol review of evidence 1 month after acceptance, seriously I quit, done and done and done. I am so grateful someones cases are moving, but I would be filling a congressional right now, if I did not know for a fact that it would just slow my case down. maybe I'll get lucky only 2yrs 10 months until I hit 20, with an inevitable formal board a VARR and a secaf appeal I may hit higher tenure for TSgt.
I am on roughly the same timeline. My stuff got forwarded to VA in December. Mine is also in review of evidence, BUT it says this stage started in October. I don't think it means anything until it goes to preparation for decision.
The case start date is the date the VA msc entered your info into the system to request the C/P exams, it is mostly irrelevant for the IDES process, the most important date concerning the "average va rating time" is the date found unfit.
That day or the next it goes to the VA for ratings, and even though all cases after Jul. or august last year were all digital, they still have a "15 day indoc" period built in but not counted.
They are not supposed to use the entire 15 days or whatever but they do, just instead of the old days where bob from the mail room would have to find, then hand carry a packet to the proper office (rating/appeal/education/death/housing benefits etc) now they use it to triage cases into at least 2-4 separate piles from what I can tell; 7 claims or less, 8 claims or more, all records included, records still needed. The ones they deem still need records/evidence go into a pile, the requests are sent out and if nothing is received within 30 days I believe they send out another notice, they then sit there for until either 60 days or records are received, if nothing is received, they will either rate or remand the associated conditions with what they have.
after that the claims are que'd for rating, This is the part of the process I am lost at and coincidentally currently stuck in. I fail to understand how a case can be purposely put into limbo, if the case is ready for advancement, assign it to a rater and press on, if it is not ready for advancement then leave it at the last destination office it was at. I've been told time and time again that they have everything they need for my case, but it has not yet been assigned to a rating official.
Review of evidence means it has been assigned to a rater and if they have everything they need to make a determination, then they will go ahead, if not it will go backwards. once the rater makes a decision it moves to prep for decision, then an in-house review, after the in-house review either the notification process starts OR it may be picke dup for a STAR review.
Sadly even with built in reviews/sign-offs at multiple points an internal investigation last year found 23% or more of cases rated incorrectly, so really at the end of the day, after 3-36 months wait, you still have a high probability of errors.
I understand what you are saying. If review of evidence really does indicate that I have a rater, then I guess that's good for me. However, I am telling you that my review of evidence phase start date is 10/30/13. The rater would have had nothing to do with my file at this time as I had not even been found unfit by the PEB yet. My unfit memo is dated 12/12/13. So I guess if I got assigned a rater in October, my case sat in a pile somewhere too. It is my understanding that they don't even look at a file to rate it unless there is a determination of unift and a subsequent request from the PEB for ratings.
correct, they do not do anything with a case until there is an unfit notice sent. my "phase start date" of gathering evidence is the same as my date requested the c/p exams (march something/ebennies is down right now).
I do not know the details of your case, but I would wager it is fairly "simple" for rating terms/in the pile of <7. and the triage team did not think of any other evidence that may be needed in your case.
Out of curiousity however, do you know/recall if on your C and P exam notes, the VA had any specific questions regarding your claims? (these would be about a paragraph long each and read something like "in regards to the claimed condition of XYZ, does the (evidence type) provide a clear and accurate statement or in your medical opinion is it sufficient to judge limitations during flare ups" etc.
In terms of them having questions, it's been a long while since I read all of that through. I'll have to look over it again. I do not have 7 or less claims though. I was referred to MEB for RRMS (severest form of Multiple Sclerosis). I have 14 other claims, so 15 total. I am not sure which of them are considered unfitting but I can tell you that most of them are secondary conditions of the MS (symptoms caused by MS attacks). It might make more of a difference that I have only 3 years of service, so my medical records are quite thin. I will look over the C&P claims though and see if they had any questions.
So I looked through all the pages that my PEBLO submitted, including the C&P from VA. I do not see any questions from the reviewers/doctors. All of my claims are straightforward and supported by my medical records from the hospital where I work. There is a phrase at the end of some of my claims that states: "VA may request additional medical information, including additional examinations if necessary to complete VA's review of the Veteran's application." Now, this is on the bottom of more than one of my claims and seems very scripted, therefore I don't think it pertains to me specifically. Even though I have many claims, they are all substantiated through my medical records and most are related to MS. I don't think they will have a hard time rating it. Just depends on when they get around to it.
Well its been a long road, PEBLO called to notify me: 10% DOD, 70% VA. I'm satisfied and content, taking the money and running! This process has ran it's course on my family and I. I will definitely add more claims with the VA in the future, but I'm ready to begin my new life as a civilian. Good luck to everyone and I made a promise to myself to use my case as a resource to anyone on this forum moving forward as cardiac pacemaker cases seem to be rare. To anyone on this forum: please contact me if I can be any assistance!
Frank4747,
First of all, CONGRATS on getting the results back! I feel that same way that you do regarding this process and moving on with life. Thank you and your family for your service, and hope you enjoy civilian life & life will be good to you.
First of all, CONGRATS on getting the results back! I feel that same way that you do regarding this process and moving on with life. Thank you and your family for your service, and hope you enjoy civilian life & life will be good to you.