'The VA is waiting for us to die'

[pecwae]

As an Army soldier during the Vietnam War, David Best patrolled Korea's demilitarized zone, lugging a 40-pound pack on his back in temperatures as bone-chilling as 20 degrees below zero and as smoldering as 100. During his service, Best developed an intermittent pain in his left knee, which radiated to his thigh and groin. "It felt like someone was stabbing me with a knife."

snip:
Since 1997, Best has battled the Veterans Administration for compensation benefits, which he says now total $300,000. And for 10 years, the VA has denied him. The case remains on appeal.

snip:
The problem is even worse, says attorney Craig Kabatchnick, who was the senior appellate attorney for the VA's Office of General Counsel from 1990-95.

"Our job was to deny claims," he says. "We celebrated beating veterans, especially those representing themselves." There was no official policy, he says, but ranking attorneys instructed staff to fight and deny cases—even though the law mandated that they give veterans the benefit of the doubt.

much more at:
http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A46354
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This article gives an insider's view of what really goes on inside the C&P process.

[luckyleftyme2]

1. vets should read this

the link he provides is a very good read.

[AndyA]

2. Support the troops.

As long as it doesn't cost money.

And as long as it serves the needs of the administration.

Shameful. How quickly we forget.

[The Wizard]

3. Veterans have to understand

it's an adversarial system and they need someone with the road map to the system to negotiate for earned benefits. After years of pissing into the wind I finally found someone who knew how to go about getting benefits. He's retired now, but there are others out there who can help. The key is to never give up. Get a service organization like the Purple Heart, VFW, VVA, or DAV to automatically appeal every negative decision. Stay focused on appealing for every reason possible. Keep knocking on the door until it opens. When veterans give up, chicken hawks win.