If you are a Veteran, you might know just how difficult it can be to deal with Veterans’ Administration (VA). Here are some things you can do to alleviate your VA troubles.
When I first met my husband, he did not tell me he was a Vietnam veteran, but it was not long before I figured out that out.
Every time he heard a loud sound, his body trembled slightly. At night when he heard a loud sound while sleeping, his heels dug into the sheets until they made holes in the sheets. It only took about a week for his heels to wear holes in any new set of sheets on his bed.
One day we were driving around and passed a sign for the traveling Vietnam memorial. He pulled in and we walked around. He cried as he read the list of names of fallen soldiers. Then he confided in me that he was in Vietnam.
Knowing that Agent Orange could have caused many of his health problems, we began to look into this. We were dealing with the Philadelphia VA right before boxes of unopened mail from Veterans were found in the trash there. So of course, I struggled to get his disability claim processed.
But, using a process I developed, I was able to successfully help him receive a 100% disability rating from the Philadelphia VA in the height of its turmoil in just seventeen months. I have also used this process even after he got his 100% disability rating when we had VA troubles trying to get medical care.
How to deal with VA troubles
First, write a letter.
- Think about what you need from the VA and how the fact that the VA has not provided it has made you feel. Then write about this using “I statements”. For example, “I feel angry that the VA has not provided the surgery I need. I served my country and put my life on the line for others’ freedom, and this is how my country thanks me?”
- Write a letter to the Secretary of the VA and the House Committee on Veterans Affairs. Use the “I statements” you just wrote in your letter. Do not attack the VA directly, but do state what the VA has not done for you and how that makes you feel in your letter.
- After you have written your letter, put it aside for twenty-four hours and then reread it and make any changes you feel you should make. Also, you might want to have a friend edit it for you.
Second, FAX your letter.
- Now FAX your letter to the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs at (202) 225-5486 and the Secretary of the VA at (202)273-4880.
The first time I tried this approach to deal with our VA troubles, within two hours of sending the fax I received a phone call from the head of case management in Washington DC (who worked directly under the VA secretary). I have used it to help other veterans and it has worked like a charm every time.
If you have VA troubles, do not give up. Instead, please try this approach and wait for good things to happen.
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soar like an eagle above life’s storms.
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