Very true on all sides here...having people on your side helps, but as service members going through this process and just wanting to move on with our lives we all get frustrated with the generic lines like we are calling dell tech support for laptop issues. Who doesn't want a better explanation on the status of our claims? No one should have to wait more than 30-60 days for a rating on their case. The big glaring question is what do we need to do, or who do we need to get a hold of to expedite the process? The use of IDES was supposed to speed it all up, but it doesn't seem like I have seen one case that actually met the IDES timeline that they advertise.
True, they all blow the timelines, in some cases to a great extent (mine was unofficially 2.5 years), but under DES (legacy) I know folks that where in the military phase for 2-3 or more years and only then could they start the VA phase once out, additionally with the individual services assigning ratings (even though they were supposed to use the same criteria as the VA), their DoD ratings were crap and even longer fights ensued.
So yes IDES is still not perfect, but it is a VAST improvement over DES, by a long shot.
In regards to who you call/what you can do etc. thats the problem, there is not anyone, no one holds the VA accountable, its supposed to be congress, but yeah this admin could care less about our troops past present or future so good luck with that. The VA ques and routes everything in predefined channels, they do make mistakes (according to the IG about 27% error rate on claims development), but in most cases, one is just waiting their turn, and if you could call someone and get your package moving package, you would be bumping back some other soldier, sailor, airmen or marine, so it may be a win for you, but a loss for one of our brothers/sisters.
I understand frustration, hell I had legitimate fights at almost every step of the way, and my PCM screwed everything up resulting in my MEB being put on hold for over an additional year almost because of clerical errors/lost documents, and now because of those errors made in 2012, the va did not recognize one of my conditions because she(my pcm) listed it with my vericose veins and not what it was which was my thigh litterarly exploding due to a 3 litre blood clot forming. So I still have a lenghty fight ahead of me, and most of you all will too.
All I can recommend is find a hobby, play elderscrolls online, or your favorite shooter, build model airplanes, vent on here etc. because the wait is just starting within the IDES process, VA appeals/ratings increases etc can take months/years as well and your only getting your retirement pay then.
