PACT deadline extended after bottleneck mess
So many vets waited until the last minute to file for retroactive benefits under the PACT Act that they essentially crashed the site (VA.Gov/PACT Act website). This caused about 18% to receive error messages, wait times on the phone to rise from about 30 seconds to 10-15 minutes, and the deadline to apply be extended until Monday August 14.Military.com
The online system sent error messages to about 18% of veterans and survivors who were submitting claims as well as notices of intention to file claims, which were due Wednesday to receive retroactive disability payments dated to Aug. 10, 2022.
“First and foremost, no veteran or survivor will miss out on a single day of benefits due to this issue,” VA officials said in a statement. “Every veteran or survivor who received an error message while applying for PACT Act benefits can consider their intent to file complete.”
Officials stressed that all those who received error messages had been noted, and the VA plans to reach out to every veteran who received one to verify their intentions.
They added that they are working to decrease hold times on the department’s 1-800-MyVA411 help line, which also experienced an uptick in calls as the PACT Act filing milestone neared. Military.com
VA officials announced Wednesday night that the deadline for the disability claims or submission of intentions to file a claim is now 11:59 p.m. Aug. 14 for compensation to be backdated to Aug. 10, 2022 — the date the legislation was signed into law. Military.com II
Maybe it’s just me, but I would think if you wait till the last second to file for something as important as a disability, you sort of deserve what happens. Or maybe deserve a bit extra under the ‘mental’ category.
Category: "Teh Stoopid", "Your Tax Dollars At Work"
Maybe I’m retarded… maybe, but if one has a presumptive condition wouldn’t the coverage be retroactive?
Besides, a couple percent on their schedules when all factors are imputed and then decreased by other compensation, plus the fee for having a fee, and you DID take a complementary donut from the nice lady at the entrance…
The motherfuckers can keep their $12.50.
If retroactive coverage for presumptive conditions went all the way back to the time of diagnosis, then I’m owed money since 1992.
A whole $12.50? DAAAYYUUUM! Wow, put a $1.45 with that and I can buy a 12 pack of Mr. Yuenglings Bottled Golden Elixir. Sign me up!
Oh…wait…DOUBLE DAAAYYUUUM! I received my letter in re of this just this Monday past. I found it odd that I even received one being as (a) I have never signed up for ANY VA bennies at all, how did they know my address? I haven’t received any mail at my Home of Record in 50 years. (b) If “records indicate” me being at any of the locations listed, I damn shore don’t remember being there.
I’m sure that the phone line was jammed and the web site crashed because the auto dial machine at All Points Logistics was working overtime at the orders of Phil Monkress. Got to get all of his new employees covered by this.
Good luck to the troops that are/should be covered by this.
How many times this week did Slow Joe Biden mention his son Beau, the JAG Officer, contracting brain cancer from exposure to burn outs? Because you just know that a JAG Officer who happens to be the son of the Vice President of The United States was literally assigned a shit detail.
🤮
Completely off topic, but Hack Stone is currently waiting for his lovely bride Rosetta Stone to finish up her medical appointment in the Arrowhead Building at Walter Reed Military Hospital in Bethesda. So if you are looking for a great deal on some outdated Red Hat Software, swing on by and check out our kiosk by the escalators. Be sure to use promo code Spandex for a 13% discount.
Spandex? Could the discount possibly be larger than 13% or do discounts not apply to those who shouldn’t be in spandex to begin with. 🤔
All I know is my new $23 boat shoes are fantastic (haven’t walked in them yet). My hand-me-down Hokas the GS-14 gave me before he left for Japan fell apart and my New Balance 990s were worn once, packed for the move, and haven’t been seen since. Nice 50% discount on store brands, but I don’t think we sell spandex…just camo underwear.
I’m a very proactive/reactive person. In other words, I don’t really care much about what happens and will simply adjust as needed. Being in Louisiana now, let’s call my attitude laissez-faire… I filed for Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) to ensure I didn’t have to wait too long for a rating. If anything happens I’ll react in a suitable manner to ensure the family is taken care of.
I somehow got 100% out of the gate but will potentially be getting reduced to “only” 90%. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate it and have enough physical and emotional scars to warrant it (though I’m admittedly subjective in opinion about this), but if I do end up with a decreased rating, so be it. There’s plenty to file in terms of primary and secondary claims. As such, I looked at the PACT Act and decided not to file at the moment. If I fall under it, cool; if not, well, I’m not as in need of disability payments as many others who have been unjustly waiting for years to receive benefits. On the other hand, I’m not one of the many who seem to be receiving benefits they never earned for false claims and the like.
Long story short: I’m retired and am still able to work full-time at a decent retail job. I also submitted my resume to the IRS because I like the irony of potentially working for an agency I don’t really see eye-to-eye with.
All that “me” talk to get to this: those who rightfully filed should not have waited until the last moment to do so. I retired 1 December and had my BDD claim submitted 3 June, exactly 180 days prior to separation. Two months after retirement I got my first check, with minimal stress to me or to VA claims personnel.
My VA disability experience was very similar. Only glitch was that the letter with my disability examination appointment was sent to the wrong address. Tucson VA called to see why I was a no-show, I said no-show for what? They got me in a week later. NO complaints about their service. I’ve had two kinds of cancer that are now presumptive under the PACT act. I may or may not get an increased rating, who knows.
Hopefully you do. It’s not free money, those who served and who have sacrificed quality-of-life and/or will potentially have a shortened lifespan deserve every benefit provided.
I was fortunate in a couple of ways: one, I was mostly teleworking and could take time off as needed to make appointments, and two, Northern Virginia a VA contractor that was able to provide quick appointments, with one facility being right outside of Quantico, just minutes from the house.
Tucson VA did it all one visit, I was there most of the day. Very thorough exam, on par with the retirement physical the Army did. They have an excellent reputation. Phoenix VA, however… that’s where you go to die.
I can only imagine. I’ve yet to go to an actual VA facility, but need to start making appointments. I chose to go about an hour west instead of making the 30 minute or less drive into Baton Rouge for this very reason, though.
FTVA! (Y’all do the math… )
We can go to Tyler, a subclinic of Dallas, or Longview, a subclinic of Shreveport. Based on what I heard around here, I signed up for Shreveport – they say Tucson-Phoenix is like Shreveport-Dallas.