Dear Steve and All,

I have studied several hundred appeal citations on the VA appeal site... anyone who would like to look with me i will be happy to share the link.

The Appellants (Veterans) are represented by many different Veteran Lawyers and also Veteran Service Officers including but not limited to DAV, American Legion and Veteran of Foreign Wars;

So, in all cases with or without attorneys, it is always an uphill battle mostly for our Thailand Veterans.

You are 100% right.. our Thailand Veterans must not just file for benefits... They must build a case.. and sometimes that is almost the same as the Veterans taking on the mind of an attorney...

to build a case you will need to first file the claim and present your conditions that are on the list of VA covered conditions and then prove your exposure using your Military File records and any other supportive evidence such as lay statements or maps which can be used to demonstrate your work duties and also your off duty activities also your own testimony ..

It is good to have a good concrete claim .. but even with that you may have to appeal before they will finally approve your case.

Your post is very true .. its good to get a good solid claim ready.. however, one thing i would like to add is for our Veterans to be persistent and do not give up because you become frustrated or angry about being delayed and denied.

Also, try using different groups to help you... If you are not happy with the service you are getting from your current VSO.. then try one of the other groups ... I have named some above... they are all ready to help you...

And that goes for the lawyers too... I have spoken to many but glad i met the right one... He was the only one I needed...

Steve, I think of all of you so much..I am so sorry for all that you guys have to endure to be able to use the benefits that you were awarded when you fought for our country...

I will keep helping as much as I can... Sometimes I can't even get the Veterans to call or write me back so i can get the correct dates and other information so i can help them... sometimes its good to know who i am helping..

Some of the Veterans are too sick to worry over such a long drawn out process to get their claims approved...

I wish there was something we could do on a grand scale... but in the meantime i would like to remind the Veterans no matter what they choose to do... These benefits are yours...please don't let others dissuade you from filing or from doing what you need to do in order to get them in place.

with respect and care ,
susie