Hall/Clinton on VA process changes with comments.



Link below is an article on the changes coming to disability claims process.

http://www.2ndbattalion94thartillery.com/Chas/DisabilityProcess.htm

Comments and suggestions are below this article I think would have a tremendous impact on this backlog of claims and equal justice for a single Veteran versus another Veteran or widow with the exact same denied Service Connection.

Approving some and not some others with the exact same scenario for Service Connection is inexcusable.

Kelley

Once again I am overwhelmed at the lack of outside the box thinking and just more of the same. More computer usage, more training, employee evaluations, give a year to make up some more crap as to why it takes so long; and on and on with the same diatribe stuff we have heard for who knows how long. I wonder how many millions will be spent on some creative software that will never work without millions more being poured into the system - that is never going to work. Have not we been there already on this issue?



It is just beyond comprehension that Veterans and their familys have to suffer because of failed VA philosophy and processes for timely Service Connection and the failure of our own government to mandate some logical common sense processes that are non-adversarial. Which most on the VACs have agreed the process and philosophy of Veterans Affairs is nothing but adversarial.



Congressman Hall s disabled veterans cannot afford to wait a moment longer, said Hall, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs subcommittee on disability assistance, Hall said processing a first-time claim by a disabled veteran can take 180 days, and even longer if a veteran appeals the initial decision. The long processing time is part of the reason there is a backlog of about 400,000 claims awaiting a decision by VA.



How many of the above in this mythical 180-day decision was nothing but a denial? Does anyone really believe VA can actually make a positive decision in 180 days when their philosophy and even reward system is based on denials. Presumptive disorders take at least that long if not longer and those should be automatic within minutes of hitting the door of the VA office, at least Service Connection should be established immediately.



Senator Clinton Improving VA procedures so that claims can be processed and benefits delivered quickly, fairly and accurately for our veterans, their families and their survivors is the least we can do, said Clinton, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.



Then by God do something positive with action that mandates some level of common sense and repercussions for those that do not follow the mandates. Talk talk talk.TALK.



Congressman Hall reduce the disparity in decisions involving similar issues and cut the number of claims decisions that end up being overturned.



My Presumptions:

I am assuming that Congressman Hall is discussing the disparity of C P ratings for the same disorders or similar.

I am assuming that Congressman Hall is discussing the thousands of VA claims that get overturned at the Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA). Which should include those claims at VA that are consistently being denied and then when the claim gets to the BVA they are commonly overturned. (Meanwhile four years has passed)

I am assuming that Congressman Hall is discussing that computer information shareable, searchable, and criteria based.

Certainly we can consider the Board of Veterans Appeals computerized decisions as Information Sharing Technology. Is this used for anything but posting on the InternetNO! Even the BVA does not use this searchable data for their decisions to expedite claims that are similar or even exactly the same.



Veterans or widows cannot even use this data as pointing to prior overturns that are exactly the same issues and Service Connected scenarios.



Make any sense? It does if your intent is to delay or stall in an adversarial VA setting that is supported by White House after White House and some members of our own Congress.



Example:



You have Veterans that served in Vietnam which are presumptive to exposures to Agent Orange. (This by itself is a joke when you look at the congeners that these men were actually exposed and tested positive for years after the war. In looking at the great work done by the POINTMAN Project I and II early after the war and recognizing the congeners found and the data put out by Hatfield last year of those congeners still found in the hotspots that still exist today; these are very very similar. So AO in and by itself seems to be more of a government perpetrated myth as to causations.)



These Veterans either die or become disabled from presumptive exposures while serving in theatre.



All of them meet the requirement for presumption.



The only decision factor is the association to either the toxic chemical exposures or Service in that Environment for Service Connection. (Do Veterans really care which one since they are dying and/or disabled?)



The Veterans or Widows put in the same claim to VA, which is disapproved. (Knowing full well that BVA in many cases has overturned the exact same decisions for the exact same scenario. Overturned for the exact same reasons. (It is on the Internet for heavens sakes.)



This continues on by VA day after day year after year knowing full well they are denying a claim that will be, in due time if the Veteran lives long enough, overturned by BVA. (Make any Sense?)



Do not get me wrong folks. This year for Veterans has been the Year of the Veterans. Thanks to Congressman Filner and indeed Congressman Hall and his hard work.



However, if Congress is going to start introducing pilot programs to reduce the backlog of claims or get disabled Veterans at least partial support then



I would suggest that Vietnam Veterans have waited long enough and many are dying from AO issues. (ABC report 400,000 Vietnam Veterans are dying from AO issues. Not new to us... we already knew this.) Vietnam Veterans and their Widows have faced government-corrupted studies, politicians who could care less that scientific fraud is and had being committed against them, and White House after White House of nothing but self cover up indifference to the massive issues created by their own arrogance.



Congressman Kagen a medical doctor has concluded the additional cancers should be presumptive.



See HR 6798

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/110-h6798/show



You will notice that only 8 congress folks have cosponsored this bill. Where is all the support of those in Congress who go home to you every two years and tell you they support Veterans/Widows/Orphans. Where is the support from that only talk and do nothing! Do not let them lie to you any longer? This bill is a primary target to look at to see who in congress is for Veterans and those that passively say they are for Veterans and then do nothing.



http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/110_HR_6798.html



The above link documents constituent comments also and everyone should contact their political leaders (cough) to support this bill.



But I digress.



If we are going to do pilot programs, the one I have suggested has very little risk/chance for any claim to be approved that should have been disapproved. At this time we are denying based on not letting one single claim get through that should not be approved thus the adversarial nature of VA. Of course this puts undue hardship on the dying Veteran Familys denied VA claimthen overturned by BVA. Much is being lost between denial and overturned including some level of comfort for the dying Veteran.



Why the VSOs are not supporting this as a way to get these dying or disabled Veterans approved and widows the support they need with existing computerized data, already accumulated and searchable; is a real question. That is if the real intent is get the help needed and stop this dumb process of VA denying clams that at least as likely as not will be overturned at BVA. Overturned claims that are fully documented.



How can one Veterans claim or a Widows claim for the exact same thing and the exact same presumption be approved for 20 and then denied for 20 for others?



Should the data and facts of an overturned disapproval mean nothing when considering similar approvals at VA?



Should we have a pilot program that looks at BVA overturned decisions and then establish criteria for similarity and then demand these claims get immediate approval and reduce the backlog of claims within six months. YES!



I can think of nothing else that would reduce the backlog within months with little risk to the government as to validity of claims being approved. This would also free up time to work on newer claims and those claims that are unique and do not fit the denial/BVA overturned scenario that exists.



The other issue I would like to comment on is the massive amount of Veterans with diabetes that have secondary damages or at least according to science and medicine today that have well established associated disorders with the diabetes and insulin resistance. These are not just some subjective list of associated maladies but are listed and medically treated as common with the diabetic process and time of disease.



Veterans with these secondary issues already known to be associated should not have to prove over and over again to VA clerks what every medical university or college has already agreed with and recognized as medical fact and physician treated as fact.



There are some very common issues and some issues that may or may not be associated to every case of diabetes. However, would it not make sense to establish an already approved list of known secondary disorders that must be approved by VA or BVA and then get the Veteran his C P for his rating for his new associated disorder to diabetes in a timely manner. More time is spent trying to convince what medicine has already concluded a half century ago than the actual rating. Common sense and medicine/science clearly has stated that if you have diabetes then these other disorders or symptoms are indeed associated.



Even a standardized form/check list for these secondary disorders could be used for the Veterans doctor to check off one time and one time only with no discussion or denial by VA clerks the doctor checked as "at least as likely as not associated to the diabetic condition" and did not say the exact words deemed needed so the VA clerk instead denies the claim.



How much time would that save? I would suggest a bunch since the claim now would only need one form, no delays and no bickering between the doctor and the VA clerk; claim association as secondary is automatically approved with that form and then over to C P scheduling for rating.



No we do not need more talk talk talk with no actions that certainly define that nothing is being done but the same discussions over and over and over.



Thanks folks,



We need to get going on HR 6798 and now! Make sure your congressperson and senator supports this bill. It has been long enough. And the reasons for the long enough are despicable at best.

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Sarah wilson

Medical tourism is attracting quite an attention from the patients all over the world. However, there are people who are still unaware of this fantastic service. However, it is also known as medical travel or health tourism that was earlier coined by travel agencies around the world. However, it denotes to the practice of traveling to another country to obtain better healthcare. It is gaining popularity amongst the patients residing in the United States and UK for its economical yet qualitative services.
However, the medical tourism includes services for elective procedures and complex specialized surgeries, such as joint replacement, cardiac surgery, dental surgery, and cosmetic surgeries. These services are offered by the various health clinics and hospitals use informal channels of communications and offer legal and regulatory assistance to the patients seeking quality and reimbursement or redresses. Moreover, going for treatment in other country serves two purposes, one the patient gets rid of the disease and secondly the patient gets to explore and enjoy the medical tourism destination and recuperates at fast pace too. Therefore, if anyone seeking treatment for various disease and is planning to go to any of these destinations then this service is an answer to all medical woes. In fact, countries like India, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Costs Rica and Philippines are favored destinations for obtaining treatments in comparison to other US and European countries.
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Article Source: http://www.ArticleJoe.com

Sarah Wilson is a tourism management expert with years of experience in overseas medical tourism management. If you want to know more about www.surgeryunlimited.

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Of all the things you can give out at your trade show booth, by far the most useful and most direct in terms of communicating your sales message is some kind of printed material.
Unfortunately, compared to more imaginative handouts, printed materials can be fairly ordinary some would call them boring. But the fact remains that printed materials are almost always the best way to communicate your promotional message.
You work hard to make an impression with your trade show booth. And you train your staff to say all the right things. But once your visitors are gone there are really only two things connecting them with your company and your products: your follow-up strategy, and your handouts. Will your handouts make it past the waste basket? Have you made them an integral part of your follow-up strategy?
One of your primary goals should be to put a piece of product literature into the hands of your prospects and get them to take it back to the office. You want to avoid it being thrown into the garbage can just outside the exhibition hall.
Why printed product literature?
One important reason why product literature makes such a popular handout is because printed pieces of paper or card stock are inexpensive. And when your printed pieces are well designed and nicely produced they can be much more effective in terms of communicating your message than things like hats, mugs or pens.
So what makes an effective piece of product literature? Here are a few suggestions.
First, creative graphic design is important. A poorly designed cheap one colour flier does not look good on your company or your products. You often dont need an expensive multi-page brochure. But what you do need is an attractive, simple advertising piece that has catchy graphics and a clear statement of the pitch.
Use full colour photographs and a striking headline. And try to come up with something more than a description of the product. Put yourself in your customers shoes. Ask what features and benefits they are looking for in your product. And then create a statment in your product literature that focuses on your products customer-oriented benefits.
Second, make an offer your potential customers cannot refuse. Give them something like a free pen or a credit against their first order for filling in an inquiry form or customer survey. Or coordinate your offer with your website by encouraging your prospects to take advantage of a special offer they can only access online.
This strategy should encourage your prospects to keep your handouts, at the same time as enticing them to respond by accessing your website to have another look at your special offer. In other words, this could be a very effective followup strategy.
Third, design your printed handouts so your prospects will be likely to keep them. Everybody keeps business cards, so make sure to include a business card in your handout package. Many people keep business cards for years often long after the person has left the company or the company has ceased to exist.
Business cards are important, so make yours stand out from the crowd. Printing is so inexpensive now you can print your cards in full color without incurring much of an expense. Use a full color photo of your product, or some other striking photo to communicate your marketing message. These days online photography websites have hundreds of photographs you can use for almost nothing.
Another idea is a full color post card / business card combination. Design the 3.5 x 6 postcard as a coupon or a request for more information that has your company mailing address pre-printed on the reverse side. When your prospects tear off the perforated card they are left with a business card for their card file or Rolodex
The imaginative ways you can use printed materials is almost limitless. Put a bit of time and effort into designing striking handouts and you wont be disappionted with the returns.

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I dont understand how it is beneficial for a minister to have a housing allowance, if during tax time you have to pay SE tax on both your income and your housing allowance. This does not seem to save any money?! My husband is a minister and it seems like we are paying more money through SE tax than we would if he were taxed like anyone else.
I know we are not taxed on the housing allowance part, but it seems like since we have to pay SE tax on the housing allowance (which other people dont have to pay), there isnt much benefit to the housing allowance. Am I correct?

The gross income of a licensed, commissioned or ordained minister does not include the fair rental value of a home (a parsonage provided), or a housing allowance paid, as part of the ministers compensation for services performed that are ordinarily the duties of the minister. If you own your home, you may still claim deductions for mortgage interest and property taxes. If your housing allowance exceeds your actual expenses, you must include the amount of the excess as other income.
A minister who receives a housing allowance may exclude the allowance from gross income to the extent it is used to pay expenses in providing a home. Generally, those expenses include rent, mortgage interest, utilities, repairs, and other expenses directly relating to providing a home.
The ministers employing organization must officially designate the allowance as a housing allowance before paying it to the minister.
http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc417.html
Update to additional comment
the SE tax is His contribution to Social Security and Medicare Tax so it is beneficial to be contributing to that for retirement purposes
http://www.irs.gov/publications/p517/index.

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Quepos is a town located in the Manuel Antonio province of Costa Rica on the Pacific Coast. Manuel Antonio is a popular tourist destination in Costa Rica for backpackers and luxury tourists alike. Manuel Antonio is built up with some of the most luxurious places found in Costa Rica. Unlike the Caribbean coast and the province of Limon, Manuel Antonio features high rise buildings, fancy boutiques, 5 star dining and resorts, and even sidewalks! Many Americans and Europeans seek a vacation there because of the common comforts offered and backpackers who tend to stray a far into more budget and back packer friendly areas visit Manuel Antonio and Quepos just to see what its all about.
Like much of Costa Rica, the list of things to do in Quepos will never go blank. With tour operators, surfing, restaurants and live music, as well as many other activities how can one get bored in Quepos?
Our Favorite Adventures in Quepos
Oceans Unlimited
A 5 Star Instructor Development Dive Resort located in Quepos that offers numerous dive courses, tours, and snorkeling as well. Whether you want to be a Dive Master or simply see a few fish up close and personal, this is the company to go with. Prices range from US$59 to US$700 depending on what sort of adventure you seek. For more information about Oceans Unlimited check out our post all about Oceans Unlimited!
Canopy Safari
No trip to Costa Rica would be complete without a canopy tour (that would be like going to McDonald’s and never tasting a Big Mac). The country has over 400 canopy tours giving you amazing views of the jungle while sending adrenaline coursing through your veins. Tour rates vary on season, but the average cost is around US$50. If you find yourself with nothing to do in Quepos, its definitely worth the pretty penny to zip through the trees.
Manuel Antonio National Park
Although it is the smallest national park in Costa Rica, Manuel Antonio National Park is the most frequently visited of them all. From lush green mountain tops, to coral reefs and sandy beaches, as well as jungle trails this park offers a wide variety of beautifully preserved sights. With hundreds of different species of insects and wildlife it’s the perfect place to spend a day relaxing. Like all parks and preservations in Costa Rica there is a small fee or donation to enter that is used to fund environmental projects.
ForeTRAX ATV Tours
One of the best ATV tours in the country is offered in Quepos by this company. Go on 3 ½ hours tours or full day tours for rates starting at US$95. Although it costs a bit to enjoy it is well worth it. The tour takes you up and down jungle trails with a bilingual guide who will point out wildlife and guide you to a beautiful waterfall for a relaxing (and chilly!) swim. Afterwards sit down and feast on dinner at the company’s private restaurant. The first tour goes out at 7am and the last goes out 2:30. Reservations are recommended, especially in the high seasons. Must be 16 to drive ATVs.
If these things don’t float your boat check with a local hotel concierge or tour operator for suggestions. The list is truly endless. From surf lessons or dancing to horseback rides and day spas, there is something for everyone.

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Finding Buddha in the Tropics
I came to the startling realization a few days ago that I have spent the majority of my adult life in Latin America. I moved to Costa Rica in 1998 at the age of 23 and have remained here for a decade. During that time, I have adjusted to and absorbed some Costa Rican culture. In turn, Id assume that some of the Ticos I know have picked up a few of my gringo habits. How much is hard to say, as these are difficult things to quantify.
This is a quick list of the most notable life lessons Ive learned from my past 10 years in Costa Rica.
1. Be Patient - nothing, absolutely NOTHING happens quickly in Costa Rica. You need the patience of a saint to do business and survive the day to day in Costa Rica. But slowing down is just what some of we gringos need. Learning to adjust (somewhat) to a slower pace in Costa Rica may have extended my lifespan a few years.

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