VA: Steve Lowery’s Navy Cross wounds aren’t service connected
The Las Vegas Review Journal tells the story of Steve Lowery on March 5, 1969 when he earned the Navy Cross atop Hill 1308, three team mates were killed. Lowery and six others were wounded. One received the Medal of Honor, posthumously the others Silver and Bronze Stars. Lowery, however, earned the Navy Cross. But, according to Lowery, that’s not good enough for the Department of Veterans Affairs;
Yet in the eyes of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the bullet from an AK-47 that ripped through his thighs and shrapnel from a “Chi-Com” — Chinese Communist — grenade that pierced his right knee were not related to his military service.
Nor was the neck injury he suffered near the end of his career when a moving van rear-ended his car when he was stopped at a light while on active duty in Hawaii.
That’s what the letter says from the VA Benefits Regional Office in Reno that rejected his claim for service-connected compensation.
“We determined that the following condition is not related to your military service,” reads the Aug. 1, 2011, letter from “A. Bittler,” veterans service center manager. “Gunshot wound to left thigh; neck condition; shrapnel, right knee; gunshot wound, right thigh.”
Apparently, Mr Lowery has been playing these games since 1994 when he retired.
That time, his war wounds were deemed not related to his military service because the VA had requested his medical file from Department of Defense archives but never received it. Without the file, there was no evidence of his wounds and thus no reason to schedule a physical examination, he was told.
“They explained to me they had reached their decision with no health record in front of them. I asked how that happened, and he (the claims processor) said, ‘Well, when we sent off a request to the archive to produce your medical records,’ the only thing they had was my pre-induction physical and one visit to the Nellis Air Force Base hospital after I retired,” Lowery said.
He noted that VA officials made no further effort to resolve the two-decade gap in his medical file.
Yeah, so this is a lesson to all of you guys who are still serving, make copies of all of your records.
Category: Veterans' Affairs Department
This pisses me off. Meantime, a drug addict goes to White Castle and gets in a losing fight with a baseball bat. $$$$*CA-CHING*$$$$ And a lifetime of bennies.
FUUUUUUUU But honestly I’m not surprised at the VA.
I’m dealing with the VA for a new power wheelchair right now. I’m so pissed and so frustrated that I’m about to tear out what hair I have left.
My old wheelchair lasted 10 years before finally crapping out. That was 10 weeks ago this coming Thursday. It should NEVER take 2 1/2 months to get a wheelchair ordered. NEVER! NEVER! And this is just the ordering part, which isn’t done yet. It still has to be approved by several doctors and apartment heads and then submitted to the approved vendor, who will then submit it to the manufacturer to be custom built. After 1-6 more weeks (depending on the holidays and how busy the manufacturer is it will be shipped to the vendor, then eventually they will deliver it to me.
Fuck you VA, fuck you
Edit: department heads
Gravel, you prolly already know this, but check with your local VFW and Legion hall. They often have stuff you can borrow. Granted it won’t be a power unit, don’t know if that’s critical or not.
Good luck.
OC
Thanks, but yeah I’m good. Permobil (the manufacturer of both my old wheelchair and the one being ordered) had their corporate rep for my area bring me a loaner. It’s not like I’m crawling around on my stomach or anything … still it shouldn’t take this long and everyone at the VA seems to be taking this lackadaisical approach.
Well, it will get worse before it gets better. Holiday leave is nearly here and the skeleton crews are being designated. Those not on official leave will be at the malls during some part of the workday. Supply is already out of Scotch tape. (The smart employees got theirs weeks ago.) The experienced employees don’t use official leave. They know that aside from a few calls and an email or two, they’re on leave when they’re in the office AND they get the ‘credit’ for being there. Plus, there are the gatherings, the let’s-not-call-them-parties parties, the online shopping, and so forth. I’m not singling out the VA for this. It’s the whole damn government–of which VA is a part.
I went in the Dallas Federal Building a few weeks ago on a sunny Tuesday afternoon at about 14:15. The sign at the IRS Service Counter said “Due to traffic and staffing, if you do not already have a number today, no more numbers will be given out and you must come back tomorrow.”
There was one guy working the counter. He told me to call an extension on the phone out by the elevators. The extension he gave me was not a working number. He would not call the party I needed to see, even though I asked him to. His answer was, “I don’t call them.” The security guards finally gave me the scoop. No one really works in that building. They all “work” from home. The building was about as busy a a mausoleum. I really liked the signs that said “no photography allowed”…. yeah, cameras are only a good thing when the police have them, but I digress. I eventually left the building and mailed in my documents that they said they wanted. Left two phone messages. No one has called me back, ever. I guess it’s because the IRS owed me some big refunds, or maybe racism because I am a honky.
What if we had a government shutdown and nobody noticed?
“Doris?”
“Yeah, Lou.”
“Can you help us out? I’m down to three people answering the phones.”
“Sure, Lou.”
[An hour later]
“Doris?”
“Yeah, Lou.”
“I thought you were going to help with the phones.”
“I did, Lou. I changed the wait-time recording from 45 to 90 minutes.”
“Oh. Okay. Thanks.”
Didn’t check in our Records FAQ but, here is the link to assist veterans in locating their Records …
He definitely needs to get a VSO to help work his case! DAV and AL are two of the better ones, based on personal experiance, and you do not have to belong to either for them to help. Applied back in Juretirment my retirment and gon a notice the other day saying a determimnation had been made. Granted I had copies and gave them everything for a fully developed claim, so that probably help. But between the advice from the DAV and AL, I was lucky and fortunate that I didn’t encounter any of the horror stories going around. Then again I haven’t tried to see the VA yet for treatment, so time will tell.
You see, this is exactly why I voluntarily surrendered my 100% service connected disability bennies back on 8/18/2010. If ever there was a Veteran who deserves service connected disability benefits, it’s Steve Lowery. There I was getting over $32,000 a year for 10 years while Steve Lowery didn’t get one single dime from the VA! Oh, Jesus, this makes me mad as hell!!
I went for a hearing test at the Syracuse NY VA hospital after returning from my first tour to Iraq. Didn’t care about disability, just wanted the ringing in my ears documented (multiple IEDs). Had the nice woman from the Order of the Purple Heart tell me that they usually put combat badge awardees (CAB in my case) in for PTSD, which I didn’t want. After the test was done, the female tech was looking at the results, and asked me what I did for a living. Told her I drove a tractor trailer for almost 20 years. First thing out of her mouth was “That can cause hearing loss”. I came back with “So can high explosives going off feet away from your head”. Saw the writing on the wall, and sure enough claim was denied (with a letter that pissed me off so much I tore it up and burned it). Then I read about these fucksticks who have scammed the VA for years apparently sailing through the process with ease. Fuck the VA, and fuck every SOB that works there (my uncle is one of ’em). Went back for another vacation in Iraq, and another in Afghan, and I’ll be goddamned if I deal with those parasites ever again.
Stupid bureaucrats.
No surprise here.
NON BREAKING NEWS:
This story is so common, the VA has it down to a science.
In fact, when you send ALL of your records they still don’t consult the records.
More to come on a story I am very much involved with that involves a former BT with 32 years who waited till retirement to submit claim.
NO REVIEW OF THE 32 YEARS OF MEDICAL RECORDS WAS CONDUCTED.
ALL CLAIMED INJURIES WERE IN RECORDS.
COMP AND CLAIM DOCTORS REFUSED TO REVIEW RECORDS.
So whether you have records or not, it means nothing VA.
The VA is broke hard!
This is really no surprise and it is sickening. They told me that my knee replacement from being blown up is non-service connected.
Heck, I was told that I probably received a TBI from the same explosion that put a 3.5″ crack in my skull. But, the VA said they cannot verify the information because I have no medical records in their system. They didn’t even look at the psych and exam info I brought them because I could have been blown up in my civilian life, apparently.
The VA seems more geared to get Obama money to the liars and phonies than it does to help the vets who need it.
Nothing new here. Government red tape has been screwing over GIs for decades.
http://articles.latimes.com/1995-10-29/news/mn-62518_1_death-march
To provide a different perspective, I have been treated extremely well by the VA here in Missouri and I am very grateful to have both TriCare and the VA to fall back on now that I have started having some serious health issues.
I was assisted in filing my claim after I retired by a young female former Marine SSgt who had been seriously wounded in OIF and was working at one of the State sponsored Veterans Services Offices. I had all of my health records but she put it all together and in typical Jar Head fashion she was aggressive and efficient and though it took a year before I got a determination, there was no horse fuckery.
They even opened up a brand spanking new VA Clinic about 30 miles from my farm where I get excellent treatment and have a relationship with the Doc where the last time I was there he looked me in the eye and told me I was turning into a fat ass and needed to lose some weight.
I guess what I am saying is that though the VA is certainly deserving of criticism and needs reform there are a lot of good people working for the VA and the service you get is highly dependent on the region and/or individual state. I retired out of FRA and the VA in Alaska at the time was abysmal, here in southern Missouri I feel pretty damn lucky and really have no complaints.