VA Claims: A Match Made in Heaven

The More You Know: VSOs Explained

Okay, so now that you’ve sat down, made your laundry list of ailments, and have begun getting them assessed, it’s time to find yourself a VSO.?If you’ve been through DoD TAP (A.K.A. Soldier for Life, Transition Readiness Program, etc. based on your service), then you’ve hopefully heard that acronym.?At the time this article was written, TAP had gone virtual, and I’ve come across an alarming rate of transitioning Veterans who were unfamiliar with what a VSO is and what it does, so let me elaborate a little bit.

Technically, a VSO stands for Veteran Service Organization.?You’ve likely heard of a lot of them.?VFW, American Legion, AmVets, and DAV just to name a few.?While there are a ton of VSOs out there, essentially, a VSO is a nonprofit that exists to assist you as a Veteran.?With that, many of them hire representatives that are there to assist you with everything that is Veteran’s Affairs related.?Officially, they’re called VSO Representatives, but the acronym/term VSO is often synonymous with the Representatives themselves as it is with the organization that they represent.?So, for the purpose of this article, every time that I use the term/acronym VSO, I am referring to the VSO Representative that assists with your claims, rather than the organization that employs them.

While we’re on the topic of claims representatives, let me touch on VA claims attorneys and other paid agents that offer assistance in getting higher ratings and/or compensation.?Here’s what I’ll say upfront:?I will never recommend or endorse anything that comes at a cost to the Veteran.?

I will never recommend or endorse anything that comes at a cost to the Veteran.

Now, there are some organizations that don’t charge the Veteran anything upfront and will rather take a portion of the difference in compensation over the course of a certain time period; and if no increase in compensation occurs, then the Veteran doesn’t owe anything.?I have my own opinions on these agencies/law firms, the particular clientele that they tend to appeal to, and the intentions of said clientele.?I will reserve my opinions for a forum other than this article but reiterate that I do not advocate lying or exaggerating conditions in any way shape or form.?Does the VA legitimately get it wrong sometimes??Yes.?But, if you follow what I’m telling you, you are likely to be fairly assessed the first time, and I will argue to the ends of the earth that any errors on the VA’s part can still be addressed by the VSO free of any charge to the Veteran.

A Match Made in Heaven: Finding Your VSO

With that out of the way, let’s talk about finding a VSO.?With regards to the timeline, I’ll say that if you’re within 12 months of separation, there is nothing wrong with beginning your search now.?If you’re within 6 months of your separation, you need to find a VSO yesterday.?If your VSO is a good one, then you’ll find that their calendar books up well in advance, sometimes months; so I would encourage you to reach out to the VSO you’d like to use no later than about 9 months out.?They may tell you to call back at a certain point in your timeline, but it’s better to have them tell you that than have them tell you that they’re booked up for three months and now you’re in crunch time.

When trying to find a VSO, the easy answer is that the VA maintains a search database of all VSOs that are registered with the VA on its eBenefits website.?You do have to create an eBenefits account in order to utilize this search, but if you haven’t, you’ll want to create an account anyway as this will be how the VA notifies you of much of your claims-related updates/results.?This system also has a list of all registered attorneys and claims agents, but again, I will only be speaking to the VSOs.?

Of course, it’s never as easy as it seems.?Initially, while this website is a great place to start, there are a couple of flaws.?First, the site may have repeat listings.?For instance, you may see a local VFW VSO in your area, and it will only have their address listed.?Then you’ll see a VFW VSO listed again further down, but this time with a phone number.?All that to say, just make sure you’re looking at all of your options, and there may be a lot.?A quick search in my area (Hampton Roads) pulls up over 70 listings.?That’s a lot of folks to consider, so let me provide you with some ways to whittle that number down.

First, you can narrow the distance from your search location.?If you don’t want to be driving 50 miles one way to see your VSO (although it may be worth it if they’re just that good), then decreasing the search distance will weed out a lot of that.?Another preference that I’ve seen people have is the organization itself.?A lot of these organizations, like the VFW and American Legion, have membership halls/lodges in which you can go mingle with a fellow Veteran (and often get beer dirt cheap).?If you’re a member of one of these groups, you may have an affinity to stick with them.?Nothing wrong with that, go with what you’re most comfortable with.?

The other issue with the eBenefits database is that while it lists all local registered VSOs in your area, it shows absolutely no way of rating their abilities.?Here’s the one critical piece of advice that I’ll give:?Not all VSOs are created equal.?Now, I’m not knocking a particular organization.?I’ve found awesome VSOs across nearly all of the organizations that employ them.?However, just because there’s a solid VFW VSO in one area, doesn’t mean that all VFW VSOs are awesome at their job.?A good VSO is literally worth their weight in gold as the expression goes.?So how do you find a good VSO in your area??Easy: Ask around.

Not all VSOs are created equal, and a good one is literally worth their weight in gold

If you have fellow Veterans who have gone before you and completed their VA claims process in the same region that you’re in, ask them whom they used.?Ask them if they were satisfied with their VSO.?Do not ask them what rating they got but rather if they feel their VSO represented them properly.?Near a military installation??Then reach out to the local TAP program(s) on that installation.?Ask if they know of any VSOs that they’ve heard good things about.?Have a transition mentor in your area??If you don’t, you need to get one.?Ask them if they know or heard of any.?

Now, maybe you’ve leveraged all these resources and you still haven’t received any recommendations.?Or maybe you’re relocating the split second your terminal leave starts, and you won’t be near any military installations or fellow Veterans in the area that you’re moving to.?What to do then??Here’s what I’ve encouraged folks to do to gauge the quality of a VSO…

First, a good VSO is going to be able to help you backward plan.?The VA claims journey is not a quick and easy one.?If you’re applying under the Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) program (which if you’re still active duty, you absolutely should be applying under BDD) then you have that specific window to apply (90-180 days from separation).?A good VSO is going to help you solidify this timeline and set firm appointment dates with them to prepare/execute the plan.?Dates like when you should request your medical records.?Some places take longer to produce your records than others, and they should know the timelines if they’re local.?Oh yeah, and they should remind you that behavioral health records are kept separate from your regular records, and if you have those types of records, it involves an extra step.?

A good VSO is going to be able to help you backward plan, and outline all the required documents you'll need.

A good VSO will also help you backward plan dates like when you should have all your other records in order.?Married??Divorced??Current spouse previously married??Have children??All these elements carry the possibility of you having to provide appropriate documentation.?A good VSO is going to let you know this upfront, and therefore be able to help you backward plan in case you must go hunting for documents like your current spouse’s divorce decree and stepchildren’s birth certificates.?Hopefully, you're seeing what I’m getting at.?A good VSO is going to know the process inside and out, and therefore be able to help you set hard tangible dates to meet certain task benchmarks.

Another great litmus test of a good VSO is that they’ll know exactly what the VA is both able to accept as a claim, and what sort of terminology they look for.?A VSO with some sort of medical background is often more adept at these kinds of things.?Mine was a retired CSM of a major Army hospital.?He knew the terminology inside and out and was extremely proficient and capable to speak the proper language when filing the claims.?Now, VSOs can also learn the proper lingo, so I am in no way saying to ignore a VSO that doesn’t have a medical background, but ensuring they know what the VA wants/looks for and can properly speak to it is vital.

So, now you have a decent understanding and have been equipped to find a good VSO to assist you with your claims process.?Again, if you find a good one, and follow the rest of the things I’m going to talk about, there’s a good chance that your claims will be properly and fairly assessed, and there won’t be any need for appeals and the like.?I’ll never advocate for anything that is a cost to the Veteran, and VSOs are at your service free of charge.

That concludes this week’s topic about VSOs. If it was helpful, please don’t hesitate to like, share, and comment. Join me next week as we begin breaking down the rest of this journey from the structure of your timeline, beginning at 12 months out. Until then, remain safe and healthy, and know that you’re not in this alone!