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I still recommend connecting with a VSO to discuss your situation in depth. It can be easy to be siloed in programs, but have someone with a fresh set of eyes review and advise you outside of the VA. They can help advocate alongside you.
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Jun 17, 2023 09:04
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Scheduled for my first ever VA physical in a VA clinic. Should go well.
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Jun 17, 2023 16:26
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US Berder Patrol posted:Thanks for the advice. Yes, I applied for Ch 31 VRE benefits and the appointment I mentioned was with a VBA VRC for VR&E. He told me to go through my mental health provider to get referred to CWT and that they (the local VRE folks) would only really help me with an education plan after I had done a deal with CWT. I actually started my community college night school and job hopping saga the past couple of years bc I didn't like my job... in environmental on a hospital campus. I'm a bit hesitant to sign myself up for the same job at a poorer institution for way less money and also have shrinks ask me about it every week. I am struggling to find work I can stick with (a psychosocial barrier to employment stemming from persistent and severe mental illness, if you will), but ultimately this program doesn't seem like a good fit for me. ayo i got something for that rear end, check the dms. tl;dr they're probably lying to you. VR&E's unofficial motto is dead vets don't need benefits and helping live ones is counterproductive to making point 1 happen
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Jun 17, 2023 16:38
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US Berder Patrol posted:Thanks for the advice. Yes, I applied for Ch 31 VRE benefits and the appointment I mentioned was with a VBA VRC for VR&E. He told me to go through my mental health provider to get referred to CWT and that they (the local VRE folks) would only really help me with an education plan after I had done a deal with CWT. I actually started my community college night school and job hopping saga the past couple of years bc I didn't like my job... in environmental on a hospital campus. I'm a bit hesitant to sign myself up for the same job at a poorer institution for way less money and also have shrinks ask me about it every week. I am struggling to find work I can stick with (a psychosocial barrier to employment stemming from persistent and severe mental illness, if you will), but ultimately this program doesn't seem like a good fit for me. also everyone who deals with Ch 31 should drop the 20 on this poo poo https://www.disabledveterans.org/vre-survival-guide but if you can't spare the 20 i might know someone who knows someone, just saying
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Jun 17, 2023 16:40
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TheWeedNumber posted:check the dms. Queer Grenadier posted:I still recommend connecting with a VSO to discuss your situation in depth. It can be easy to be siloed in programs, but have someone with a fresh set of eyes review and advise you outside of the VA. They can help advocate alongside you. Thank you both for the advice and resources on VRE. I'm signed up for the classes I want for the fall, and with 60 days left til they start I am pretty sure help from VRE is off the table for this semester already. I think my best option right now is to entertain the CWT route since maybe the part time work at the VAMC will be enough money and a flexible enough schedule to get me through for now. If I talk to the CWT folks before class start and it doesn't seem like such a good option, I'm already applying for day jobs and I can drop some classes. I've been working on this degree for a year now in night school without the VA's help, I'm pretty sure I can finish it without their help in the next year-ish or two in the worst case. It's a community college AS degree with trivial cost to attend without regard to my living expenses. The part that upsets me about all of this was the VRC's insistence that I not exhaust my GI Bill since I would need the eligibility to get the good housing stipend from VRE in the future -- lol cough up then! Ultimately he's right on that tho and it's why I've been working on the program for a year without their help, so I could get all the intro stuff done in order to get a full time, in person course load teed up to claim some benefits. I've been avoiding using the last of my Ch33 bc I didn't want to waste it on a half time schedule or an online-only stipend rate and was still hoping to get VRE lined up for these last two terms. Still tho I'm gonna have to get paid somehow, so if CWT takes too long to set up, or it doesn't pay well, or it's just straight up inappropriate for what I've got going on, I'm considering certifying GI Bill as my nuclear option while I've got a full time in person courseload lined up for at least one semester. Queer Grenadier, do you have any more info about CWT? I just don't have a good idea of what to expect because I can find very little info. My guess is it's for unhoused or substance abuse disordered people who have just been flat out of the work market for too long to really put together a resume and need a hard reset. I'm not trying to live in a halfway house, nor am I interested in a makework program but I think my current understanding of CWT is colored by my being cranky about not getting what I wanted from VRE. That said, I do struggle with work life because of my disabilities and maybe CWT would be good for me in terms of rehabbing me vocationally. But maybe also the VRC is just ducking my case. If I try to parley with VRE again in the future I will do so a little better equipped on the process and 100% will go through a VSO on my next try. Real talk though, I think I'm done with the VRE people as far as this project goes regardless of whether I get into CWT or use GI Bill.
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Jun 17, 2023 21:00
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US Berder Patrol posted:Thank you both for the advice and resources on VRE. they WANT YOU to be tired of their poo poo. They can and will pay up retroactively. The problem with VR&E is its a dice roll with corruption and bureaucratic bullshit thrown in on top. Maybe you get a counselor who is true blue with it and supports you. They will tell you their version of the straight dope but its also kinda a lie. The counselor who flat out lied to me about getting a Master's tried to bounce me back from the ivy league to my public school I just transferred back from. The one who was true blue with it was like "sure we'll pay for it if its a 4+1." But the one who was true blue with it ALSO tried to tell me "let's get you your BA first and then we'll put the master's on the IWRP (the contract you and VR&E have as far as services and job training goes)." And, while well meaning, that poo poo was a lie. It was just the company line but it bore no resemblance to the poo poo 38 USC 3100-3120 or the relevant parts of 38 CFR talked about. Read that poo poo I sent you, take a moment to chill. But honestly you can get loving medical school out of VR&E if you can justify it. Don't be deceived. Will you have to fight them along the way? Definitely to various degrees. But it's worth it. TheWeedNumber fucked around with this message at 00:13 on Jun 21, 2023 |
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Jun 18, 2023 03:59
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US Berder Patrol posted:Queer Grenadier, do you have any more info about CWT? I just don't have a good idea of what to expect because I can find very little info. My guess is it's for unhoused or substance abuse disordered people who have just been flat out of the work market for too long to really put together a resume and need a hard reset. I'm not trying to live in a halfway house, nor am I interested in a makework program but I think my current understanding of CWT is colored by my being cranky about not getting what I wanted from VRE. That said, I do struggle with work life because of my disabilities and maybe CWT would be good for me in terms of rehabbing me vocationally. But maybe also the VRC is just ducking my case. Honestly, not much more. But, I will say this. I was limited in my last reply. I was thinking of only the CWT-Transitional Work track at the VA Medical Center. There are also other tracks. I say give it a shot and hear them out, can always not go the CWT route. CWT is separate from VR&E, though. So don't feel you can't pursue VR&E later. https://www.va.gov/HEALTH/cwt/veterans.asp quote:CWT Transitional Work (TW): TW is a pre-employment vocational program that operates in VA medical centers (VAMC) and business and industry. CWT/TW participants are matched to actual work assignments for a time-limited basis. Veterans are supervised by personnel of the sponsoring site, under the same job expectations experienced by non-TW workers. TW participants are not considered employees and receive no traditional employee benefits. Participants receive base pay determined by the prevailing wage and at least, the Federal minimum wage. In states having a minimum wage which exceeds Federal minimum wage, state or local minimum wage must be utilized. The expectation is that TW participant’s transition from the vocational work assignment to competitive employment in the community.
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Jun 18, 2023 06:36
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TheWeedNumber posted:also everyone who deals with Ch 31 should drop the 20 on this poo poo What is the 20? I may drop it but I don't know what it is. Got my undergraduate from C31. Counselor was a chode but I made it. If this is significant, I will add my voice.
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Jun 18, 2023 14:31
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Booger Presley posted:What is the 20? I may drop it but I don't know what it is. the 20 dollars for that guide. good work on undergrad btw
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Jun 18, 2023 15:09
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Queer Grenadier posted:Honestly, not much more. But, I will say this. I was limited in my last reply. I was thinking of only the CWT-Transitional Work track at the VA Medical Center. There are also other tracks. I say give it a shot and hear them out, can always not go the CWT route. CWT is separate from VR&E, though. So don't feel you can't pursue VR&E later. Ok, thanks. Yep, this is the same link the VRC sent me. I'll just have to see what the CWT people at the local VAMC have to say. TheWeedNumber posted:they WANT YOU to be tired of their poo poo. and buddy I am I tried to get VRE back in 2015 when I started at Cattle State Research University studying geology. The counselor told me they didn't really recommend university attendance for me, so I said thanks for your time and used my GI Bill to get that degree. Then, I had a VRE claim about 2 years ago. As I mentioned, I didn't like my job pouring biopsy tissues pickled in methylated spirits from little drums into big drums, so I came up with a plan to get a vocational certificate in GIS from the local public university CE program. The VRC approved of it and told me I was good to go, so I resigned from my job. Then the university postponed class starts for two weeks, and then on the day classes were supposed to start... whoops, we can't certify this. The program, the CE school, they aren't in WEAMS. Would've been nice to know, but I never heard of it and didn't know I had to look that up, so I never did. Hell, they got an extra two weeks where they could have told me! Lol. At this point, obviously, it was way too late to line up a slate of classes there or anywhere else, so I just asked VRE to close my case and set about looking for work. The actual financial fallout was not too bad, but I think I am still kind of reckoning with the damage to my work history, as I've only been able to get hired for a couple of temp contracts in the in the meantime. Luckily the spotty employment I'm getting gives me plenty of time to work on getting myself through a community college program. I have been setting myself up to get a full time in person semester together to get that GI Bill money this fall, but I was already not really relying on VRE to come through for me. I filed this latest VRE claim because the state veterans employment dude told me to when I filed for unemployment at the end of my last temp job. They've never been helpful for me in the past and I didn't really expect them to help me this time. I'm glad y'all are getting good effect on target, but I'm just explaining my history with the Chapter 31 program and why I'm just as happy to move on without their help.
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Jun 18, 2023 17:21
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US Berder Patrol posted:Ok, thanks. Yep, this is the same link the VRC sent me. I'll just have to see what the CWT people at the local VAMC have to say. If you are willing to fight, you can win. If you are not, that’s perfectly ok. I’m not willing to fight the VA on some things, but I was given 100% P&T at retirement so I don’t really have too much to fight with them on, with some exceptions the VA has been pretty good to me. I’m sorry you got / are getting hosed by these people. TheWeedNumber is definitely the guy to talk/listen to about this poo poo. If you see Mr. Nice he’s like an old Jedi master with a few VA things, so that’s worthwhile. I wish I knew how to help you somehow, but having lived a semi-charmed kinda life with the VA (Those song lyrics actually go with being a Vet in a VA parking lot pretty good for the record) I just don’t know how to fight-fight them, they’ve always just reached out and helped me more or less. Only really had to ask a handful of times and was practically waited on hand and foot. Sorry dude. Seriously. It varies so goddamn much. We need to fight to get the VA overhauled so that we just get people getting a consistently fair equitable treatment based on the law for healthcare and benefits you loving deserve for serving.
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Jun 18, 2023 17:48
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LtCol J. Krusinski posted:If you are willing to fight, you can win. Thanks for the kind words. Yeah, I don't want to seem like I'm one of those vets who's super salty about the VA in general. The GI Bill got me an expensive and prestigious undergrad degree, and I love my primary care doc who I actually see at the VA as a preference over whatever I would get through Tricare. I know Ch 31 has been useful for many of the GiP crew and I don't want to put the program down in general terms, so let it suffice to say that I haven't gotten any mileage out of my three claims. I was hoping to get VRE lined up this school year, but also kind of expected it wouldn't shake out and had back up plans before I even put the application in. The machine itself doesn't have any feelings, so I'm trying not to take it personally.
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Jun 18, 2023 18:08
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Is TheWeedNumber the ol' Lt Col J Krusinski guy
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Jun 18, 2023 19:13
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lite_sleepr posted:Is TheWeedNumber the ol' Lt Col J Krusinski guy No.
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Jun 18, 2023 19:18
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Reading this makes me think I should start planning now for 18 months out when I'm applying for voc rehab for medical school, tia
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Jun 18, 2023 19:23
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lite_sleepr posted:Is TheWeedNumber the ol' Lt Col J Krusinski guy No
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Jun 18, 2023 19:30
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maffew buildings posted:Reading this makes me think I should start planning now for 18 months out when I'm applying for voc rehab for medical school, tia Please don't let my experience put you off of it. I've heard lots of voc rehab success stories right here in this subforum.
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Jun 18, 2023 19:32
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believe you me, it absolutely will not deter me because I sure as gently caress don't want to pay for medical school on my own.
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Jun 18, 2023 20:09
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lite_sleepr posted:Is TheWeedNumber the ol' Lt Col J Krusinski guy im Mandozer
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Jun 18, 2023 21:22
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maffew buildings posted:Reading this makes me think I should start planning now for 18 months out when I'm applying for voc rehab for medical school, tia email me at mandozerthegreat@goatse.cx to receive a wonderful and exciting gift!
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Jun 18, 2023 21:23
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lol really? you were in? First we were in goonswarm together, then I bumped into you again in Royales with Cheese, now here.
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Jun 18, 2023 22:25
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lite_sleepr posted:lol really? you were in? ayy lmao
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Jun 18, 2023 22:57
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Just wanted to rant about the VA Caregiver program (PCAFC) a little. I applied for it a while ago, did a few online interviews which seemed to go well, then received a rejection letter last week. The packet they sent out was an illegible photocopy and was missing several pages. Honestly I'm more angry about the quality of the packet than the rejection itself, but some of the evidence they cited for their decision (the evidence I can read, at least) is literally the opposite of what was presented during those interviews. Oh well, I'm gonna fight it. Anyway that's my rant, thanks for listening.
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Jun 19, 2023 17:34
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Punished Ape posted:Just wanted to rant about the VA Caregiver program (PCAFC) a little. I applied for it a while ago, did a few online interviews which seemed to go well, then received a rejection letter last week. The packet they sent out was an illegible photocopy and was missing several pages. Honestly I'm more angry about the quality of the packet than the rejection itself, but some of the evidence they cited for their decision (the evidence I can read, at least) is literally the opposite of what was presented during those interviews. Oh well, I'm gonna fight it. I heard there was poo poo up with that program too. Keep fighting it and holy poo poo does that sound like ammo worthy of fighting that decision. They are idiots and they might have helped hand you the win with that level of incompetence.
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Jun 20, 2023 23:34
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I submitted my BDD claim! Can't wait to fight the battle when it all gets denied! I hope it doesn't though, if most of it gets rated I'm going to lol gtfo the Guard and not look back.
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Jun 20, 2023 23:36
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It's really interesting what VR&E says is needed and suddenly determines isn't necessary once you start putting them on the spot and asking them, politely, why they are hosed up. Like can you please justify why you were an absolutely colossal idiot in professional communications with the relevant 38 USC and 38 CFR citations? I got the email congratulating me on passing the spring semester and moving onto an IWRP (the long term document you need for an education plan). No more informational interview requirement now that I asked my counselor the following repeatedly and cc'd her supervisor and the VREO on it. Especially when I hit them with the callout "Hey Supervisor, why is your employee ignoring the content of my emails? Do you support their position?"quote:
I think they gave me the IWRP in the hopes that I would go away. Thankfully, they also denied my request to change my vocational goal so hopefully Ben Krause will take this one. Let's analyze one of these letters and talk about this poo poo.   Notice what is being said in the first picture. Notice the laws and CFR being cited. Apparently their decision is based on those cited laws and regs. According to VR&E, to change a goal I have to prove the current goal is no longer attainable or that my circumstances have changed and made the current goal infeasible. Notice in the quoted email I asked them to tell me what policy says I have to prove I'm unable to do a job in order to change the goal. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/chapter-I/part-21/subpart-A/subject-group-ECFR5195d07f3c988a1/section-21.94  Notice the difference between infeasible (one of the possibilities) and "The veteran's circumstances have changed or new information has been developed which makes rehabilitation more likely if a different long-range goal is established." They missed that and this citation entirely in their letter. Another thing that's important are definitions. I looked up every USC and CFR citation, none of the poo poo they cited says anything close to what they purported in the letter. I'm the one who found the cite that says anything remotely close to the poo poo they are saying. And it doesn't say what they said either. There's wiggle room here champ. https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml...Cfalse%7Cprelim  https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml...&edition=prelim  Please keep track of the highlighted terms and now let's look at the overall intent of the VR&E program under 38 USC and 38 CFR https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml...Cfalse%7Cprelim https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/chapter-I/part-21/subpart-A/subject-group-ECFRb756c9e3aa60c6e/section-21.1   What do you think all that means? Does that mean they get to send us to the cheapest goals, do the bare minimum to take care of us, and bounce us when we aren't meeting some perfect loving timeline? I'm not lawyer but maybe Mr. Nice! can read this one for me and tell me what he thinks. I think what it means is that everything I've dealt with from these NY voc rehab fucks might just be illegal! It sure the gently caress wasn't adhering to USC or CFR! And finally, you might recall that I'm trying to change my vocational goal to one that requires a doctorate. For the finisher I present 38 CFR 21.53 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/chapter-I/part-21/subpart-A/subject-group-ECFR1baf1ab6655ba99/section-21.53  In conclusion: their basis for denying my change in goal is weak, it ignores my request to be evaluated for a serious employment handicap (you think being in the workplace as an autist is easy? Go ask the GIP discord people if they think I might qualify, knowing the history I have with those folks and my demonstrable issues with interpersonal communications and "lack of chill"), and BECAUSE im autistic and BECAUSE I can hyperfocus on poo poo I care about, rehabilitating me to be a goddamn professor who researches till he dies is more likely to see to it that I'm rehabilitated. When I entered VR&E, I was not diagnosed with autism. This is new information that affects my determination. gently caress you, pay me. TheWeedNumber fucked around with this message at 00:17 on Jun 21, 2023 |
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Jun 20, 2023 23:57
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also gently caress voc rehab for making me turn into a baby paralegal on this poo poo. I got books to read, scholarly articles to write, PhD applications to put in, summer classes to pass. I ain't got time for this dumb poo poo. Nevertheless, if you want your Chapter 31 benefits, it might be simple for you or it might be tooth and nail like it has been for me. It's worth the fight though.
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Jun 21, 2023 00:01
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rifles posted:I submitted my BDD claim! Can't wait to fight the battle when it all gets denied! go get your poo poo homie
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Jun 21, 2023 00:02
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US Berder Patrol posted:Is anyone familiar in any way with Compensated Work Therapy (CWT)? I had an appointment with the local VRE folks to try to beg some housing stipend to go back to school this fall, and the counselor wants me to go thru CWT first. Update: I'm at the end of a program of engaging with some CBT type stuff, and on the agenda for my last appointment this morning was time to ask my counselor for any other referrals I may want to pursue. It seemed like perfect timing to ask about CWT but unfortunately not only did they not know how to refer me for it, they're pretty sure it's on the Benefits side of the VA. Lol edit: Since I have the last post, I'll just edit in Update 2: I have recently been seeing an occupational therapist at the VA who has been talking to me about memory, organization, and attention stuff, all of which I struggle with as a mentally ill weirdo. Since they are an occupational therapist who works in "Occupational Health" at my local VA, I thought they would be a good person to ask for the CWT refer. They don't know, either. Starting to think the VRE people have me outfoxed, here. US Berder Patrol fucked around with this message at 00:30 on Jun 24, 2023 |
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Jun 21, 2023 01:18
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US Berder Patrol posted:Update: I'm at the end of a program of engaging with some CBT type stuff, and on the agenda for my last appointment this morning was time to ask my counselor for any other referrals I may want to pursue. It seemed like perfect timing to ask about CWT but unfortunately not only did they not know how to refer me for it, they're pretty sure it's on the Benefits side of the VA. Lol how did i miss this? They do not have you outfoxed. Go gently caress these nerds up the rear end and get what you deserve. These motherfuckers are the dumbest people to ever hold a degree I have ever met. ChatGPT is more useful than they are fam. I'm gonna look into this Compensated Work Therapy thing at some point this week. I'm working on grad school apps however I will make time for you. Its not a VR&E program so I'm not 100% on it but I'm sure there has to be some publicly available info about it. At this point I would be talking to a VSO. I recommend Disabled American Veterans but go talk to someone about this. And don't cut VR&E the pass neither. gently caress them glorified data-entry specialists. They don't know poo poo but eat chip and gently caress vets out of benefits.
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Jun 26, 2023 01:24
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if you ever think of VR&E remember this picture this is who is telling you to go gently caress yourself  this is who they are sending to deliver the message its a game till you show them you know the law and their manual. once equipped with the requisite knowledge to routinely call bullshit on them, you can and will win. Unless you absolutely do not have the mental bandwidth to engage with them, fight and play for keeps. And bring friends (VSOs, your elected officials).
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Jun 26, 2023 01:31
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TheWeedNumber posted:how did i miss this? I sent my Primary Care doc a message to ask about the CWT, and I think 3 different providers is enough asking from my end. If the doctor doesn't know, then I'm done pulling on the CWT string. Based on what I heard from the last guy I asked, CWT is something you get set up with on the way out of a rehab or hospitalization or homelessness intervention type of situation, and not something an intermittently depressed guy asks his doctor for. My best guess is that VR&E knew that this was going to be a snipe hunt for me and sent me chasing this as a way to get my case off their desk without officially denying my claim (which maybe they are not allowed to do). I can only speculate at their reasoning, but what I know is that they're not trying to help me. I don't have any kind of plan from them, next steps if the CWT doesn't work out, they didn't even offer me a point of contact at CWT, etc. I scheduled a call with the VRE office to ask for documents and the person who called me (not my VRC) told me to FOIA req the information from them lol. I appreciate your offering to help, but this isn't going to be productive. edit: I also think it's possible the VRC was making a decision that they believed in good faith was the best way to help me and so I want to make an earnest effort to at least get in touch with the CWT folks and see what they have to say even if this isn't as fun of a way to gripe edit2: but even in the charitable interpretation the VRC is still trying to get rid of me lol US Berder Patrol fucked around with this message at 06:20 on Jun 27, 2023 |
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Jun 26, 2023 18:00
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So my rep already called me and said he can't process my claim because I didn't submit my "full military medical record" and can't until I do so. I pulled my record entire medical record and manually pulled every relevant-to-claim record from it. My entire record contains all of my records from childhood because I grew up in the Tricare system, it's massive. I told him he's not getting records from when I was a minor, he said "uhhhh but we need the whole record". I went to the records dept at my local MTF to see if they could just give me from entry date onwards and they couldn't assist (actually claimed they'd charge me $25 + $0.13 a page if I got any more records since they already provided me the mandated one-per-SM). I'm probably going to end up pulling everything relevant out again and stitching it together into one file. They are not receiving my full record, the majority of it was from when I was a sick kid and it's none of their business. It really surprised me that "I did all the legwork for you already" isn't an acceptable answer to them.
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Jun 29, 2023 03:19
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They are your advocate, why are you getting squirrelly about them seeing your pediatric TRICare records? The government has access to those by default, if you are worried something might get flagged as pre-existing or non service related because of poo poo in your dependent records, don’t be. Your VSO isn’t going to draw those kinds of connections or point them out to the VA. I mean.. it’s your medical records. The ones the government already has, and maintains, you are just shutting out your own advocate, while giving the government an upper hand. Seems silly? I dunno, maybe you have your reasons.
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Jun 29, 2023 14:11
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US Berder Patrol posted:I sent my Primary Care doc a message to ask about the CWT, and I think 3 different providers is enough asking from my end. If the doctor doesn't know, then I'm done pulling on the CWT string. Based on what I heard from the last guy I asked, CWT is something you get set up with on the way out of a rehab or hospitalization or homelessness intervention type of situation, and not something an intermittently depressed guy asks his doctor for. are you asking me to stand down on the CWT front or the VR&E front homie? I respect your decision either way but I will always encourage you to fight VR&E. The other program, ehhh idk enough about it to feel one way or the other about it.
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Jun 29, 2023 14:25
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LtCol J. Krusinski posted:They are your advocate, why are you getting squirrelly about them seeing your pediatric TRICare records? The government has access to those by default, if you are worried something might get flagged as pre-existing or non service related because of poo poo in your dependent records, don’t be. Your VSO isn’t going to draw those kinds of connections or point them out to the VA. Thanks for this. I also spoke with a couple peers and they thought similarly. I guess I'm just paranoid and expect the worst with the VA. I'm actually not worried about anything being "flagged" as pre-existing; I waivered all of the juicy stuff when I enlisted.
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Jun 29, 2023 14:32
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TheWeedNumber posted:are you asking me to stand down on the CWT front or the VR&E front homie? I respect your decision either way but I will always encourage you to fight VR&E. The other program, ehhh idk enough about it to feel one way or the other about it. Well, you can stand down on the CWT thing. You need a VA doctor's note to get you in. The Occupational Health guy found out and got back to me and in fact got in touch with my PC doc for me. Our VA has the following flavors of CWT: Transitional work experience, supported employment, and homeless veterans supported employment. They sent me a screening questionnaire (are you homeless, are you on drugs) and I guess I'll hear back from the CWT people soon. I don't know what to think about the program just yet in the absence of actual evidence, but my gut feeling is still that this isn't for me. I can update if it actually interests you or anyone else. On the VR&E thing, they sent me a decision letter, quote:Based on a review of these laws and regulations, I have decided that I must discontinue further action on your VR&E claim... I don't know what "discontinue" means in official terms, so I'm not sure if I would have to have them close the claim and make a new one, what. I'd say I have to follow the CWT thing to some conclusion first and I guess contact the VRC back afterwards. The problem for me there is I don't want to do business with this VRC whose immediate plan from our very first meeting was to shuffle my case off to somewhere else. I think if the CWT doesn't work out, I will just continue to pursue night school classes after work at whatever job I can get. Likewise, if CWT's "transitional work experience" or "supported employment" does seem like a useful option, then I'll continue my night school classes while I do that. It was good timing for me to try for the VR&E and a fulltime class schedule because I got laid off from my last job a few months ago and I'm not working now anyway, but I can make do without them. It's a cheap community college, and I don't need the tuition paid for me. gently caress VRE if they don't want to help. They have hosed me bad in the past and are giving me obstacles to my goals now. I reserve the right to talk mad poo poo about them and their work for the rest of my service-connected disabled life lol
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Jun 29, 2023 19:24
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US Berder Patrol posted:Well, you can stand down on the CWT thing. You need a VA doctor's note to get you in. The Occupational Health guy found out and got back to me and in fact got in touch with my PC doc for me. Our VA has the following flavors of CWT: Transitional work experience, supported employment, and homeless veterans supported employment. They sent me a screening questionnaire (are you homeless, are you on drugs) and I guess I'll hear back from the CWT people soon. I don't know what to think about the program just yet in the absence of actual evidence, but my gut feeling is still that this isn't for me. I can update if it actually interests you or anyone else. Discontinue means they closed your case. I assume its a letter of denial that looks like the one I posted up thread. That means you can appeal their decision a number of ways. I would need to see the letter or at least have you copy and paste the cited laws and regulations to see if they are full of poo poo. There's a fair chance that whatever they cited has little to nothing to do with what the letter actually says. The thing that's nice about VR&E is if you have some GI Bill left, you get the GI Bill stipend while you are in school, not the voc rehab stipend. Like yeah maybe the tuition isn't poo poo to you at the community college level, but you gotta understand, they will pay for advanced training. They will pay for ivy leagues. And uhh, bro, you're a veteran and your story is competitive for ivy league apps. VR&E NEVER wants to help. It is entirely luck of the draw if you get a useful counselor or not. You basically need to treat these dudes like you're Tony Soprano whenever they say some poo poo you don't wanna hear. only instead of having furio slap a motherfuckers cap off their head, you slap them with laws, regulations, and excerpts of their own manual. You hit them with past precedent in veteran board of appeal cases in an extreme case. You get VSOs and congress shitters involved. That's if you are doing it on your own. on my end, i'm tapping ben krause because I got better poo poo to do than be a paralegal while also trying to get published as an undergrad for these academic journals. PhD apps are due this december for next year, I just don't have time to waste. Otherwise I would be slowplaying them and loving with them via email, calling the white house hotline, all that poo poo to handle it on the self help front for free. And there's also veterans education success (https://vetsedsuccess.org/). These guys helped me in summer 2020 to get them to pay for columbia. They will put a lawyer on your case to correspond with VR&E for you. You can sitback if they take you pro bono. I don't know what you are trying to do as far as education or work stuff goes so I don't know whether to be obstinate here and tell you "fight them for the bennies" or to be like "yeah let it rock." If there's some big pie in the sky thing you wanna do, I promise you they'll deepthroat your whole dick before this ordeal is over and you will get that goal in writing, funded, paid for. With a laptop if you need one paid for (I got one that was like 1.5k easy), books covered, extra money in your pocket (between a few hundred to E-5 tier BAH if you got GI bill days left), and whatever other supplies you can justify as needing paid for. I got a big rear end super stapler on my desk paid for by them. I'm certain I can make them eat the cost of printer ink, reams of paper, and the paperjogging machine I got off eBay too. All retroactive. You have to break them on your knee at first but once they realize they cannot gently caress with and that you are backed up by some folks, they get cooperative real quick. It all depends on what you wanna do with your life. For me, I need a doctoral degree out of their asses because I'm dedicating myself to research and government service. That's why I'm fighting them. If your aims are lower, dodging the headache might be the thing that's right for your peace of mind. Won't lie to you brother, its a pain. But it pays out in the end. That's what I don't want you to forget. I'm here if you need me. Do what's right for your situation. TheWeedNumber fucked around with this message at 20:02 on Jun 29, 2023 |
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Jun 29, 2023 19:57
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Yeah, it's the same letter format, and it has a bunch of appeal options listed at the bottom. I looked up what they cited and basically they don't expect that I will comply with their plans (38 U.S.C. p 3111 and 38 CFR p 21.364). I have a bachelor's in geology from a top name school in the field so I'm good on the ivy league, and I'm trying to add a vocational type paper (either a certificate or an associate's degree) in electronics. I think my undergrad + vocational degree will get me a better job than either could get me alone. I can finish a "Basic Electronics" certificate with literally just one more class from here, but I thought it would be worth it to chase the full associate's if VRE would help me live while I go to school fulltime for two more semesters. Obv my BA put me in good position for that by clearing the physics and calculus reqs. Going in I thought this was probably a pretty reasonable ask from the VR&E folks, and I'm not really sure I have the patience or the temper to wrestle with them over it.
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Jun 29, 2023 20:45
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US Berder Patrol posted:Yeah, it's the same letter format, and it has a bunch of appeal options listed at the bottom. I looked up what they cited and basically they don't expect that I will comply with their plans (38 U.S.C. p 3111 and 38 CFR p 21.364). I have a bachelor's in geology from a top name school in the field so I'm good on the ivy league, and I'm trying to add a vocational type paper (either a certificate or an associate's degree) in electronics. I think my undergrad + vocational degree will get me a better job than either could get me alone. I can finish a "Basic Electronics" certificate with literally just one more class from here, but I thought it would be worth it to chase the full associate's if VRE would help me live while I go to school fulltime for two more semesters. Obv my BA put me in good position for that by clearing the physics and calculus reqs. Going in I thought this was probably a pretty reasonable ask from the VR&E folks, and I'm not really sure I have the patience or the temper to wrestle with them over it. those are the regs for people who have been shitbags in the program. You have literally done nothing wrong. As I thought, it was a chickenshit denial reason and goes against this poo poo. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/chapter-I/part-21/subpart-A/subject-group-ECFR1baf1ab6655ba99/section-21.53 quote:(c) Expeditious determination. The determination of reasonable feasibility shall be made as expeditiously as possible when necessary information has been developed in the course of initial evaluation. If an extended evaluation is necessary as provided in § 21.57 a decision of feasibility shall be made by the end of the extended evaluation. Any reasonable doubt shall be resolved in favor of a finding of feasibility. So the "I don't think the veteran is gonna comply with our plans poo poo" doesn't really make sense on many levels. This addresses the "can they get through the pipeline" doubt poo poo. As in reasonable doubts go in your favor. That said based on what you've said I don't think its worth the bullshit unless you need to come to them for a master's or above, or a BA in a field. There's a discussion to be had there if/when you need to have it. For now, pop smoke and let your hair down bro, this one's done unless you really wanna fight em. Sorry this happened to you.
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Jun 29, 2023 21:06
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