Dear Ms. Vicki
My husband spent 20 years in the Air Force. He was 100% disabled and drew VA compensation for 17 years. He died 7/19/11 and that check stopped, of course. I filed for my entitlement the next month and as of this date I have not started receiving my pay which should be about half of what he was receiving each month. I contact the VA once a month and receive the same answer each time, “We received your application and are working on it.” Do you have any insight on this subject?
-Waiting For the VA
Dear Waiting
I’m so sorry to hear about your husband. I know this is a tremendous loss for you. I’m very familiar with the VA process because of the stories of so many others who are walking in your shoes. From my knowledge, the VA is backlogged trying to deal with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans first. They are not saying you are not important, just not the first priority. Of course I know that you need this compensation expeditiously. Here’s the deal, if they say they have your application, that’s good. They are working on it. I wish they could give a deadline of when the claim would be settled. They will write to you if there is any other information needed. Otherwise, you can continue to call them as you wish. Thank you for writing to me. Keep in touch. If you learn any more information, feel free to share it so I can pass it on to others.
-Ms. Vicki
About Vicki
Hi! My name is Ms. Vicki and I’m a native of Dallas. I’m married to an active-duty Soldier and we have three sons. I’ve always had a gift for giving quick advice and steering people in the right direction. I have a Master’s of Science in Social Work from the University of Louisville and I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I provide services for a wide array of concerns such as combat stress, PTSD, couples and marital problems, depression, grief and loss, stress and coping, etc. Find out more at my website.
