What's your experience with veteran disability claims? - Public Insight Network | American Public Media

What's your experience with veteran disability claims?

Disabled troops returning from combat face an unexpected battle: the growing stack of disability benefit claims waiting for action from the Department of Veterans Affairs. We are working with the Center for Investigative Reporting to explain what's causing the delays and highlight how those delays are affecting veterans -- many of whom have waited six months or more for the VA to rule on their claim.

If you're working your way through the VA system now, or if you have a family member who is, please take a few minutes to review our questions below and share your experiences.

You can also read more about this topic from the Center for Investigative Reporting.

If you have any questions or want to speak with me directly, you can reach me at 651-290-1226 or jsguntzel@americanpublicmedia.org.

Sincerely,

Jeff Severns Guntzel
Senior Reporter, Public Insight Network

(Photo by John Moore, Getty Images)

* indicates required field

First Name *

Last Name *

City *

State or Province

Postal Code *

Country *

E-mail *

Phone *

Are you a veteran who has filed a disability claim? *

Yes.
No.
No, but I intend to file for disability.
No, but I know someone who has.

When, approximately, did you, or the veteran you know, first file the claim with Veterans Affairs?
( YYYY-MM-DD )

What type of claim was filed?

Where was the claim filed (city, state)?

Has your claim been resolved? *

Yes, I got my benefits.
Yes, I got my benefits but my rating was too low.
No, I am still waiting for a response.
No, I was denied and appealed. I am still waiting.
No, I was denied and have given up.
Other

If you selected "other" above, please explain:

If your claim has been resolved, about how long did you wait?

Please describe the claims filing experience. Did it go well? Have you experienced any problems while waiting for a claim to be resolved? *

Is there anything else we should know about this topic?

If you are or were in the military, please state your rank, branch of service, and when you served (e.g., 1990-1996).

If you are a combat veteran, where and when did you deploy?

If you have one, please upload a photo of yourself here. We may need it if, in the future, we publish your insights or observations online (we'll ask for your permission before we do). This is not required but would be very helpful.

Upload your photo here. (No bigger than 1 MB please)

Please give us some details about this photo: name(s), date, location and the story behind it.

May we publish your insights (and any uploaded files) and attribute them to you? (Your comments may be edited for length or clarity.) *

Yes
No
Contact me first

I have a few more questions that help us better understand your perspective, and allow me to include people of a variety of backgrounds in our stories. You are not required to answer any of them.

What is your gender?

In what year were you born?

What do you do for work?

Which of these best describes your education level?

What race or ethnicity are you?

Thank you for your time. I may contact you to find out more about your experiences. If you have any questions, please contact jsguntzel@americanpublicmedia.org.

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