Veterans' Advocate Jim Strickland launches the most authoritative and easy-to-use guide to a successful VA claim.

-------------------------

Veterans' Advocate Jim Strickland provides regular columns for VA Watchdog dot Org.  If you would like to contact Jim about his columns, you can email him here...  The archive of Jim's articles is here...  To find an answer to a specific VA benefits question, use the VA Watchdog search engine... click here...  And, be sure to use Jim's:  "A to Z GUIDE OF VETERANS DISABILITY COMPENSATION BENEFITS" click here...  JIm's series for new vets, "Welcome Home," is also featured on Military.com. And, you can follow Jim on TWITTER here ...

-------------------------

A to Z GUIDE OF VETERANS DISABILITY COMPENSATION BENEFITS

by Jim Strickland

Many of my friends know that beginning with my association with VA Watchdog dot Org and Larry Scott, I've championed one fundamental idea; I believe that with adequate information presented in a rational format, the majority of veterans are capable of managing their own VA benefits applications.

A knowledgeable veteran working directly with the VA is better equipped to handle his or her original, basic claim than any intermediary. Nobody cares about a veterans claim the way that the veteran does.

These veterans are the same men and women who faced enemy fire and worked with and worked on mechanical and computer engineered devices as complex as anything ever made by human hand. Our government trained them to think without sleep, to work without breaks and to tolerate extremes of their environments from blizzards to the current sand box they're in today.

These are smart, tenacious people who think and react quickly...when they have the information to use. Unfortunately, our VA doesn't make it easy. VA and many Veterans Service Officers act as if there's some huge secret that veterans aren't allowed to be in on. They speak in legalese and obfuscate important details at every turn.

The best example is found in a simple award letter. If the condition awarded is thought by VA to be a temporary one with a good chance that there will be improvement, the award will read, "Future examinations are scheduled..." or similar verbiage. If the award reflects that the condition has been determined to be Permanent & Total, the award will read, "No future exams are scheduled...". In the case of P & T it may also say, "Dependents are eligible to apply for Chapter 35 DEA benefits...".

Why doesn't VA just say, "Temporary" or "P & T"?

In any case, I try to demystify that nonsense and give the veteran words that have a straightforward meaning.

The VA web site is full of information. It's very well done considering how much there is to cover. That is, it's well done if you have a degree in sorting through multiple confusing layers of links that frequently dead end to nowhere. The VA search tool is the worst one ever devised. It hasn't yet come close to giving me what I'm looking for in any simple search.

The rest of the Internet is full of great data that veterans may need to process their claim successfully. But the rest of the Internet is the Wild, Wild West and can be full of hazards both in misinformation as well as malware if you visit the wrong sites.

I designed the Google Knol as a way to help vets find the information they needed in a single place. The knol, together with the collection of resources available on VA Watchdog dot Org was a boon for many readers. I get mail every day telling me of success in winning claims because of the info we've shared.

As time passed, it seemed to me the knol was getting disorganized. The knol is built on a template and few changes can be made to the design and how it's structured. It worked but I've always thought that there must be a better way.

I think I've found that better way. What could be easier than alphabetical order? To do this right required a certain page layout and it took quite a search to find it...I looked at hundreds, maybe a thousand or more designs before this one. The navigation menu to the left of each page being exactly the same on every page was perfect. I wanted a quiet, easy on the eyes very soft color...the Army green scheme fit nicely.

I like a few pictures and this software had that ability to make
inserting photos a breeze.

To my way of thinking, the A to Z Guide of Veterans Disability Benefits has it all. Most importantly, the data in there is time tested...there's no guesswork or maybe. It's easy to find what you're looking for. The data is being cross referenced in greater detail every day. New authors...many attorneys...are making scholarly contributions of current changes to law and how it affects you.

I want a friendly feel so there's already room for a few jokes. I'm building a "Community" page so that veterans can make announcements of their favorite charity event or perhaps a stand down. I'll even offer an infrequent newsletter for the veteran who really wants the latest benefits data.

The knol won't disappear. I'll work on cleaning it up as I can. Google is advancing that software so it may be a useful tool to have a look at as we go along.

I hope veterans enjoy this latest offering as much as I'm enjoying building it. Suggestions are welcomed, as always. I'll be seeing you at http://jimstrickland912.com

-------------------------

TOPICS: veterans, veterans' benefits, VA, Department of Veterans' Affairs, Jim Strickland, Veterans' Advocate,