Question:
I received a letter from VA saying Military Order of the Purple Hearts is no longer accredited. That I needed to get another Organization to pursue my claim. I've been 100% IU with no further appointments since 2002. They aren't going to drag me through that whole deal again are they? Should I talk to one of these legal reps on, VA watchdog.org?
Jim's Reply:
MOPH ended their service program in 2018. I haven't heard much about it since so I'm surprised that you're getting such a letter today. I had thought that since this happened long ago it would have been settled.
In any case, it sounds as if MOPH holds your POA as your representative for VA claims and appeals. In practical terms this has no effect on you since you're not in the midst of claims or appeals. What your VA is doing is trying to clean up loose ends in terms of having someone on record to replace MOPH if you should ever need a representative. The action by VA is to ensure that any and all claims that are in process or may become active again have a representative should the veteran want one. That POA is a legal document that can have an effect years from now so better to take care of it in a timely fashion.
I'm not sure who your letter is from, the VA or MOPH? In any case I assume you were given instructions on how to choose a new representative and you should choose 'none' or otherwise state that you will represent yourself in the future. If you should need an advocate down the road, yes...I would recommend that you speak with an accredited veterans law attorney first. Good luck sir.