Question:
Hello Jim, I'm a Army Veteran. I have filed for PTSD in 2019 and received a 70% rating from them. I filed a secondary claim under PTSD for sleep apnea. They gave me a rating of (0%) service connection. I then filed a supplemental with new evidence for the sleep apnea.
I just received a notice from VA asking more information from me, which I don't understand what it means? I already gave them everything regarding my sleep apnea and my PTSD claim. my biggest worry is, could VA reduce my PTSD rating or take it away from me once it been approved? Are they asking for information for my PTSD or my sleep apnea claim? I will attach the portion below of what they are asking from me. Thank you for your help Jim.
"Our letter dated <date> asked you to furnish details regarding the stressful event(s) that caused your post traumatic stress disorder. The response we received does not meet the minimum level of detail needed for VA to seek assistance from the U.S. Army and Joint Services Records Research Center (JSRRC). JSRRC assists VA in verifying veteran's claimed stressful incidents when VA cannot verify the stressful incident based on records from the service department or when VA cannot obtain the necessary records from the service department. It is important that you provide us with more specific details concerning your stressful event(s). Failure to respond or failure to provide a complete response to this request may result in a denial of your claim. Specifically, we still need: *<insert information>."
Jim's Reply:
I don't know. I wish I did but the fact is that this is a very common occurrence when we file claims and all too often, we'll never know why they asked for additional data.
Most often VA is sending you a boilerplate message telling you that you must submit more information and that comes to you as a reminder to give VA all the evidence you can. They would tell you that they're trying to help you win your claim but it seems like all they do is confuse the veteran with the claim.
If you have already filed everything you can reasonably think of, I'd not worry about this since there's nothing to be done. Wait for the decision and if it isn't what you expected, you appeal.