Question:
I was Active Duty Air Force from Oct 1983 till July1987. I joined the United States Air Force Reserves as an Air Reserve Technician working on the TF-39A Jet Engine for the C-5a Aircraft. I was a Master Jet Engine Technician an One of Two Certified Test Cell Operators during Iraq Freedom and Part of Desert Storm. I was retired from the Air Force Reserves due to injuries sustained at while working for the Government I was retired as a Staff Sergent E-5.I received no disability benefits. I have acute hearing loss and have been on SSDI for the past year. I have filed numerous VA claims since I retired and have been denied. I need your help I feel no one here at my Local VA clinic will help me regarding this matter. I have been in failing health and every month I do not even have enough money to feed my dog a healthy meal. Please Help.
Jim's Reply:
When we deal with the government, there is always a process we must follow. Policy and procedure, rules and regulations, are all derived from law and we must play by the rules or we lose. When we file a claim with the VA for a disability benefit, the claim goes through an adjudication (decision) process and we are either approved for the benefit or we are denied. If denied we must then timely file a formal appeal to keep the claim 'alive' so that we can rethink our options to achieve the goal. Often enough we turn to the accredited veterans law attorney for help. Nobody at the local VA clinic is supposed to help you with your claims, the staff of a clinic is there for your health care and they don't work with claims. Talking with a lawyer won't cost you anything, click here for that information.