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I am posting this on behalf of my dad, who is a Vietnam War vet. My parents live in Mississippi and are thinking of moving to Michigan to be near us. One reason is simply age and having no family in Mississippi, but another is the MS VA system.
My dad is 100% disabled (DAV), and the VA Hospital in Jackson, MS is threatening to take away his status (i.e. bust him down to 80 % or 30% disabled or even say he's not disabled) not because my dad works or makes money or is "normal". I promise none of those are true. They sent similar letters to hundreds of MS disabled vets and forced them to drive to Jackson to fight the VA. They were told if they didn't come to a hearing that they forfeited their rights.
My dad's question is (and mine): is this sort of thing also happening in Michigan? He called his friends in Oklahoma and Texas, and none of them are dealing with this. He is hoping Michigan treats their vets better than Mississippi and doesn't harass and threaten them. The Mississippi VA does this every few years, and it's very stressful to everyone.
If anyone has any input, it is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
We all support and appreciate the valiant efforts of veterans. The question at hand, however, relates to disability status. You didn't provide any indicators of the extent of your dad's disability.
I don't think it's unreasonable, in fact I would argue it's prudent, to make sure the status of anyone is always correct. Going to a hearing, or having a doctor's examination, seems like a rational approach to me. Are you suggesting that anyone who is a veteran should be granted 100% disability for life? That seems egregious.
Unfortunately, I have heard horror stories about most VA facilities. The one in Detroit is newer, but as for procedures and such, that seems to be an internal function. I am sure your dad's case will follow him to whatever VA facillity he goes to as will any previous recommendations.
We all support and appreciate the valiant efforts of veterans. The question at hand, however, relates to disability status. You didn't provide any indicators of the extent of your dad's disability.
I don't think it's unreasonable, in fact I would argue it's prudent, to make sure the status of anyone is always correct. Going to a hearing, or having a doctor's examination, seems like a rational approach to me. Are you suggesting that anyone who is a veteran should be granted 100% disability for life? That seems egregious.
I never suggested that all vets should be considered 100% disabled for life. I was asking if the VAs in MI play games and try to disabled statuses pulled from legitimately disabled vets. Texas and Oklahoma are not doing this so I was curious about MI.
Since you asked, however, my father has routine visits with Mental Health, Cardiology, and General Care doctors, but he goes out of state to Alabama for his care because the state of Mississippi denied his disability years ago. He had to hire lawyers and fight for his disability. My father is severely incapacitated by PTSD, chronic lung problems (likely caused by asbestos on the ships), and numerous other mental problems. The doctors in AL couldn't understand why the MS VA denied him. He was hospitalized for these problems after Vietnam while still in the military. He's on a host of meds, and he's got civilian records to back this up also.
The Jackson, MS VA is notorious for its ill treatment of veterans. Anyone who is able travels to AL, LA or TN (though some say Memphis is also bad).
Thanks for your comment, z. My father is hoping to straighten everything out in MS before moving, but he's wanting to move before they harass him again. One of the first things they said to him at his hearing was, "I see you no longer have legal representation." That was a red flag to him. He has found a lawyer in AL that can help him, if necessary. There are no lawyers certified to work on VA issues in MS. One of the other veterans hauled in has an attorney in Texas. It's really ridiculous how they treat veterans. They really don't seem to give a crap that these men served their country and now suffer from the physical and emotional scars.
I am posting this on behalf of my dad, who is a Vietnam War vet. My parents live in Mississippi and are thinking of moving to Michigan to be near us. One reason is simply age and having no family in Mississippi, but another is the MS VA system.
My dad is 100% disabled (DAV), and the VA Hospital in Jackson, MS is threatening to take away his status (i.e. bust him down to 80 % or 30% disabled or even say he's not disabled) not because my dad works or makes money or is "normal". I promise none of those are true. They sent similar letters to hundreds of MS disabled vets and forced them to drive to Jackson to fight the VA. They were told if they didn't come to a hearing that they forfeited their rights.
My dad's question is (and mine): is this sort of thing also happening in Michigan? He called his friends in Oklahoma and Texas, and none of them are dealing with this. He is hoping Michigan treats their vets better than Mississippi and doesn't harass and threaten them. The Mississippi VA does this every few years, and it's very stressful to everyone.
If anyone has any input, it is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
So sorry to hear about your father's issues with the VA, sincerely. Although my father, uncles, and three brothers did serve in various arms of the service (during WWII, Korean, Vietnam, and Iraqi wars), I don't have any personal experiences from them to share or offer advice/opinion.
I did pull up some information for you and I hope it can be of help to your father's situation. I did not find anything concerning Michigan per se, however, two sites seemed pretty specific concerning stripping benefits from DV. There are four sites total, the last one with a list of VA locations and the services provided by various cities in Michigan.
Oh, thank you so much for your post! My sister is a social worker at a VA in Florida. She spends most of her time working with homeless vets, and she tries to raise money for shelters. Her VA Hospital in Florida is not doing this crap either. Some VAs are so, so good, and others are just cesspools. I just can't comprehend it. I am hopeful that Michigan's VA treat our country's heroes better.
I'm at a disabled status myself. I'm getting treatment at the VA in Durham NC. I haven't experienced any problems yet, in fact they are great. I'm transferring to the VA in Michigan, most likely the Ann Arbor location. I will be living in between the Detroit and Ann Arbor VA but heard the Ann Arbor VA is slightly better due to the U of M doctors that serve the VA as well.
I think that is a plus because I transferred from the Fayetteville, NC VA which was horrible compared to the Durham, NC VA and most of my specialists are Duke doctors. If anyone has any experience with the Detroit and Ann Arbor VA treatment, please post your experience.
I'm not disabled status, but was at the VA Battle Creek Medical Center just today for a physical. The staff was very friendly and helpful to me. My paperwork was handled very fast.
Ive worked at both hospitals in Michigan. The one in Ann Arbor does affiliate with U of M doctors. But the one in Detroit is affiliated with Detroit medical center. Karmanos cancer center, the cardiology services are some of the best in the state.
I think the OP was asking specifically about the status of being service connected status. I have not heard of a systematic trend of removal or downgrading service connection status.
the decision about service connection not only affect the cost of services at the hospital but also monthly cash benefits.
I don't believe this type of decision is made at the individual hospitals. It is a decision based on guidelines from Central office and should be the same whether you are in Alaska or Florida or Michigan.
Thank you for your information. Yes, I was asking about systematic downgrades.
One other issue is cost of living raises. My father was notified that he was eligible to receive one, and then, some time later, he received a letter from the Jackson, MS VA saying that unless he appeared before a hearing, he could not receive it. Their state rep told him this was illegal and told my dad to contact a certain man (I don't know who), which my dad did. Still, he attended the hearing two weeks ago. No word yet. We don't understand how a state VA can withhold a federal cost of living increase, approved by Congress and the President. We are wondering if other VAs did this also.
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No personal experience, but...
