In true Veterans Affairs (VA) fashion, they strike again!
Recently, I received a letter in the mail from the VA explaining (admitting) that they were wrong in denying me of an award (disability percentage) from a 2008 denial. This is 2023 and they admit they were wrong for denying me the rating in 2008. For those paying attention.
They award the rating, finally, and provide an award amount into my account. But wait…there’s more.
I receive a letter a day later, from the VA, that states I was overpaid by $10k. They continue to state that my disability check will be garnished while they recoup that amount. The end with an 800 number to call if I want specifics.
I call the 800 number. The rep on the phone states they cannot see inside my case to give specifics, but can escalate that question and have the next level contact me.
I wait a week. I call back.
This rep tells me they cannot see inside any cases and cannot see any explanation about the overpayment. I ask ‘why is it that the letter gives this number to call if I want specifics’ to be told that they don’t know and that the last rep should not have said someone would call me back with information.
I then ask this rep if there was anyone there that could see inside my case, to which he said no. I then asked why this call center existed if they cannot answer any questions, as directed on the letter, and his response was ‘is there anything else I can help you with’. I answered back that he didn’t help in the first place.
I then asked for the regional VA number. He said they won’t speak to vets. I then asked for the District number, He told me they won’t talk to vets. This went around and around until I finally said “that’s fine, since you don’t want to actually answer any of my questions nor get me to someone who can, I’ll contact my congressman”. Which I did.
My congressman sent an inquiry and the VA called a day later.
Now, why would it come to that? Why do I need to call my Congress-person, to get action from the VA? Why is it necessary? It is because the VA wants to keep an independent entity in place, to avoid liability directly, to keep themselves shielded from veterans, especially from veterans who woke up and began to do some research.
The call I received was to inform me that they overpaid me on that last award. They made the mistake (their finance dept.) and will recoup the amount overpaid, from my disability check, until balance of zero.
When I was discharged, medically and honorably, from the military, I was provided a severance check. A severance check is the money paid for time served, because I wasn’t going to be retired. The amount was recouped, in its entirety, until the VA received ALL of that money.
Now, the VA states “no double dipping” which means no collecting retirement and disability. The rub is: I wasn’t retired, yet the VA recouped many MANY thousands of dollars that was not there’s. They plan on doing the same for this overpayment.
I asked this woman: “So the VA admits they were wrong in denying me the rating, overpays me because they shouldn’t have retro-paid me from 2008 denials, and now are forcibly taking their money back?” She said finance made a mistake.
I then stated: I want to make sure I have this correct: The VA takes back thousands of dollars that was my severance check, thus leaving me with a partial disability check for years, to recoup money that wasn’t there own. I spent almost 20 years in the military, destroying my body for? Was it so the VA could recoup the money the goverment gave me for serving that time? What about the 800 number on the letter, to get information that could/would explain the overpayment, instead of being generic in nature and not providing actual information? Or even still, why does it take a congressman to get the VA to explain exactly why/where the overpayment took place?”
The woman hemmed and hawed and tried to explain that the VA made a mistake. I get it, people make mistake. Since I knew I was being recorded, I made sure to explain that I record all correspondence with the VA. ALL. I then continued to explain that this was yet another targeted harassment and retaliation for fighting the VA to gain the ratings on the disabilities that were in my record(s).
She had nothing. She couldn’t explain why the 800 number could not provide answers. She wouldn’t back herself into a corner, she seemed much too smart for that.
Bottom line: The VA will continue to recoup monies from veterans, because politicians pass the laws that the VA benefits from, while it screws the veteran community over. These politicians do receive donations from the VA, which is not illegal, unless these politicians happen to admit they receive these donations prior to important votes. That would/could expose them for the greedy crooks that they are.
Take a look at the Congressional Committee on Veterans Affairs. The area I am currently compiling information on. About 87 Bills proposed and over 54 bills have had their title change. Now, why on Earth would the title be manipulated? How many of those Bills already exist in this Congress? How many of these Bills are copycats from previous Committee’s? Oh how the sleeping begin to wake.
Add insult to injury, Philips had to put out a recall for their CPAP machines, because it WAS CAUSING CANCER to the users. CANCER. A foam ring was deteriorating and the user was breathing it in. Philips calls for the recall, so veterans and users alike register their machine(s).
Philips reports their status on social media, yet don’t report any veteran status of replacements because the VA is supposed to handle that. I’ve yet to hear anything from the VA regarding the replacement CPAP machine. The VA gains when delays occur. I believe we are now about 2 years from when the CPAP machines were registered.
Where are the politicians? The ones who run on a platform of being a veteran and caring about their veteran voters? Where are the politicians who use being a vet as a launch pad to get elected?
How many actually believe that just because someone WAS a Navy SEAL, ARMY veteran, Air Force Airman, Marine, etc. that meant they were trustworthy, honest and still had even the slightest level of core values still inside them? If you gave blind allegiance to someone because of what they DID in the military, without actually researching their background and affiliations, then you deserve the destitution they may deliver to your front door.
Do I think many will read my book(s)? No. Do I care? On a small level, sure. I would love for people to read my book and gain the education that reality provides, but I also believe that most will remain ignorant to the facts because ignorance is truly bliss to these people.
“If I don’t admit to the truth, I can go on believing that everything is great!”
Ignorance only breeds victims and those that cry the loudest remained asleep the longest.
It is time to wake.
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