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VAC wait times

PMedMoe said:
I can't remember when I applied, but I received the letter saying my decision was pending in late May (I believe they had received all my info as of 16 May) and just received the decision (5%) in the mail today.



I also went and got Veteran's plates today...  ;D

Seems pretty close to the 16 week mark from step 3 (I assume it went to step 3 in May)... not bad. Was 5% close to what you were expecting?
 
BinRat55 said:
Seems pretty close to the 16 week mark from step 3 (I assume it went to step 3 in May)... not bad. Was 5% close to what you were expecting?

Yes, it was at step 3 in May.

To be honest, I wasn't even sure if I'd get anything, so I was happy with the decision.
 
Awesome. I am retiring 3B and was actually encouraged to apply for "what ails me"... this (so i'm told) makes VAC aware of the meds i'm on and should be covered when I transition out. I'll bet they are scratching their heads on my applications -

1. Heart attack on the range during a PWT3 (so, coronary something or other)
2. OSI / PTSD (This was difficult as one can imagine - I felt like a money grubber, like why should I get paid because I went away, and sometimes i'm still there...)
3. Diabetes Mellitus. I was diagnosed with diabetes a few years back just after I came back from Bosnia...

Now, again, i really don't expect much (if anything) with the exception of VAC acknowledging and possibly covering some of my meds on release. I take 14 pills a day which will be quite costly when DND isn't picking up the tab.
 
BinRat55 said:
Now, again, i really don't expect much (if anything) with the exception of VAC acknowledging and possibly covering some of my meds on release. I take 14 pills a day which will be quite costly when DND isn't picking up the tab.

I hear ya.  I didn't put down my hypothyroidism because it couldn't be attributed to military service.

What I did put in for was called "Cumulative Joint Trauma".
 
And after 27 years, joint trauma can really "cumulate"  :bowing:
 
PMedMoe said:
I hear ya.  I didn't put down my hypothyroidism because it couldn't be attributed to military service.

What I did put in for was called "Cumulative Joint Trauma".

This is the hard stuff. How can I point to it being military caused if I don't have an accident when it injured something? I have been in the Military since I was 17 all my joint pain is related to the military in one way or another.
 
Tcm621 said:
This is the hard stuff. How can I point to it being military caused if I don't have an accident when it injured something? I have been in the Military since I was 17 all my joint pain is related to the military in one way or another.

Hence the "cumulative" part.  I did in fact have a slip and fall (on ice) during Basic, but it wasn't documented.  The decision is made on several factors (I don't have the paperwork here but I can add to this reply later).
 
I had the same trouble with my shoulders... carrying the weight of my CoC Lol!!

Seriously - when my letter came back application denied (no indication of incident within a SDA) I called the BPA number they were so kind to give me. The lawyer assigned to me was absolutely unequivocally smashingly great! Did I mention she was great? Went to the hearing, she had my med docs with flags at roughly a dozen places in the file. I had a bit of work to do as well - I provided a 5 pager on absolutely every job I did and how it affected my shoulder. The panel was in 100% agreement when I left. Received a decision of 30% at 5/5 within two months.
 
BinRat55 said:
I had the same trouble with my shoulders... carrying the weight of my CoC Lol!!

Seriously - when my letter came back application denied (no indication of incident within a SDA) I called the BPA number they were so kind to give me. The lawyer assigned to me was absolutely unequivocally smashingly great! Did I mention she was great? Went to the hearing, she had my med docs with flags at roughly a dozen places in the file. I had a bit of work to do as well - I provided a 5 pager on absolutely every job I did and how it affected my shoulder. The panel was in 100% agreement when I left. Received a decision of 30% at 5/5 within two months.

Awesome. That will help me a lot.
 
Tcm621 said:
This is the hard stuff. How can I point to it being military caused if I don't have an accident when it injured something? I have been in the Military since I was 17 all my joint pain is related to the military in one way or another.

Have a read through the Entitlement Eligibility Guidelines on cumulative joint trauma. Note, it applies to weight-bearing joints! Then, build your case from there, by documenting (as noted above) every trade you had, the numbers of hours spent over days, etc., to meet the guidelines. May seem like a lot of work, and it sure is, but hopefully it helps towards a favourable outcome.

http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/services/after-injury/disability-benefits/benefits-determined/entitlement-eligibility-guidelines/cumuljd
 
Sorry to side track but I have been told the NVC was/is actually a liberal initiative that was put into law on or around 2005/2006.

Can anyone confirm for me that this the truth and and that that is when the lifetime pensions ended and 1 time lump sum payouts began ?

Google is my friend but all I keep finding is stuff from 2011.
 
Pretty sure that's not correct. I'm sure Harper would have made damn sure there was no ambiguity about that if that were the case.
 
The liberals brought the NVC in but with the Conservatives and NDP fully supporting it.

This explains the facts.

http://www.ombudsman-veterans.gc.ca/eng/blog/post/287
 
Teager said:
The liberals brought the NVC in but with the Conservatives and NDP fully supporting it.

This explains the facts.

http://www.ombudsman-veterans.gc.ca/eng/blog/post/287
IIRC it was also supported by the RCL.
 
Thanks guys.  And the change from life time pension to lump sum, that was part of the original plan by the LPC not something added on by the CPC once in government later ?
 
PMedMoe said:
Hence the "cumulative" part.  I did in fact have a slip and fall (on ice) during Basic, but it wasn't documented.  The decision is made on several factors (I don't have the paperwork here but I can add to this reply later).

Okay.  Decision based on:

Medical condition arose out of (or is directly connected with) your Reg F service;

And based (again) on: Statement provided, MPRR, PHE on enrolment, medical exams dated (etc), QOL questionnaire.

So, just be as precise and honest as you can.

Seriously, I just went through my release medical and the Doc was bringing up stuff I didn't recall (until after discussion) and things I had never been notified of.  During your service, it's a good idea to get copies of your med docs about every five years or so....
 
Re: wait times.

I had an application for the PIA for a very long time. My case manager told me they were waiting for a medical report from the OSI clinic. Fair enough.

Just wqs speaking to the regular operator at the 1-866 # and figured I'd ask her if that report had come in. At first she said no but then did some digging around. Apparently the system is somewhat complex. Eventually she found the report, sent in in July, "tucked away" somewhere.

She explained that case managers don't often have to "dig around" like the phone operators and as such they can sometimes find things that the case manager can't.

So maybe worthwhile to call them.instead of the case manager all the time.
 
Halifax Tar said:
Thanks guys.  And the change from life time pension to lump sum, that was part of the original plan by the LPC not something added on by the CPC once in government later ?

It was part of the original plan. It was all part and parcel of the NVC. The idea was to transition away from life-time monthly payments to the lump-sump benefit. As noted above, the Liberals (party in power at the time) were behind the original writing/drafting of the NVC, which was supported by all parties in government...and yes, certain Veterans' organizations (most of whom will swear until they are blue in the face they didn't agree with some/all of the NVC and it was forces upon them).

The Liberals lost the next election, the Conservatives took over, and have since taken the quote-unquote credit for bringing the NVC into being.
 
RobA said:
Re: wait times.

I had an application for the PIA for a very long time. My case manager told me they were waiting for a medical report from the OSI clinic. Fair enough.

Just wqs speaking to the regular operator at the 1-866 # and figured I'd ask her if that report had come in. At first she said no but then did some digging around. Apparently the system is somewhat complex. Eventually she found the report, sent in in July, "tucked away" somewhere.

She explained that case managers don't often have to "dig around" like the phone operators and as such they can sometimes find things that the case manager can't.

So maybe worthwhile to call them.instead of the case manager all the time.

So... case manager? We have case managers? How do I know who MY case manager is? Are we talking about the same thing here? Forgive me, I'm a little confused... And these case managers / 1-866 operators... they can tell you what they are waiting for to go to decision? How do you know all this? Do others know this?

Not trying to be rude, but information for me can be dangerous, but lack of information is even more dangerous!
 
BinRat55 said:
So... case manager? We have case managers? How do I know who MY case manager is? Are we talking about the same thing here? Forgive me, I'm a little confused... And these case managers / 1-866 operators... they can tell you what they are waiting for to go to decision? How do you know all this? Do others know this?

Not trying to be rude, but information for me can be dangerous, but lack of information is even more dangerous!

Case managers are assigned to veterans that have more serious injuries/illness or are needing or on a rehab plan.

When you call the main VAC line you can ask them to look at the status of your application.
 
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