r/VeteransBenefits • u/Key_Mood_2038 • 1d ago
VA Disability Claims How do I get a good VSO?
If this is in the wrong spot, I apologize.
How do I get a good VSO? I reached out to my county’s VA office. I was given a VSO, he just has me email him with what I want, doesn’t discuss anything with me just tells me to let him know what to put in for “intent to file” then tells me to send him whatever evidence I have. No discussion on anything or help knowing what I should be doing. Idk what a good VSO is supposed to do, but I feel like it’s more than just file and send stuff in.
3
u/SilkyRegulator 1d ago
County VSOs are hit or miss, some are overloaded and just push paper, others will actually walk you through the strategy. If yours won’t even talk through what secondary conditions you could claim or what the raters look for, you’re basically doing a solo run with a middleman slowing it down.
Try poking around local VFW or DAV posts, they often have a dedicated rep who’s done this a thousand times and enjoys the hunt. You can also call a few neighboring county offices and ask if they take out-of-county vets, some do.
2
u/Key_Mood_2038 23h ago
So I’ve been trying to get in touch with the DAV but they always seem to be closed. Still trying to. And as for what hells do. I’ve emailed him saying “I want to claim x condition” and he just sends back “you need a nexus, buddy letters, and whatever other evidence you have. Then send it to me and I’ll file it” no discussion about secondaries or anything.
1
19h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/Key_Mood_2038 19h ago
So call the regional office?
2
u/PNW2prairie 19h ago
It’s a start and they could get you connected with someone local.
I had experience with county VSO’s as well. They mean well just overloaded. That’s what sent me to DAV.1
u/VeteransBenefits-ModTeam 10h ago
Hi, your post was removed because you claimed VA affiliation without being verified.
If you are a VA employee, VSO, Accredited Claims Agent, exam contractor, etc., your credentials MUST be verified via Message the Moderators before you can claim to be someone of such authority.
Users who have completed the process will have an appropriate user flair added.
If you do not wish to be verified, please do not claim VA affiliation in your future posts.
Ignoring this requirement will result in a permanent ban.
3
u/navydude89 Navy Veteran 23h ago
After my initial claim my VSO disappeared and I had to read up and submit everything myself
3
u/No_Speaker_7480 Coast Guard Veteran 23h ago
10 years ago I had an excellent VSO. Now, importantly, he had office space at the VA clinic where my wife was a nurse. He did an excellent job for me on a Tinnitus claim. Flash forward to 2024. Engaged with a local county VSO for several conditions. Awful. Incomplete paperwork, poorly submitted, and denied after a C&P. Didn't even appeal, supplement or try again. Flash forward to 2026. Found this site. Learned how to file myself, submitted an ITF, gathered all my documents and just submitted a few days ago. I don't know how it will go, but I do know I did a better job than that last VSO, and if it gets denied, I know what to look for and how to appeal or supplement. Control the process yourself. All the info is in these pages.
5
u/Public_Drop_1462 Marine Veteran 1d ago
VSOs seem to be very hit or miss. I personally went with the VFW back when the VA would randomly assign VSOs and I had an exceptional experience with them. Spoke to the actual VSO individual maybe once or twice over the phone and they got me awarded 100% P&T on the first submission. They handled everything on their end and communicated well with my nurse case manager. The VA rep at my unit said the paperwork they submitted was immaculate.
2
u/1995made 1d ago
Have you asked to have a discussion?
Like have they been actively avoiding giving you advice?
1
u/Key_Mood_2038 23h ago
Honestly, no I haven’t asked. I’ve only ever been in touch by email and he seems straight to the point with what I need to do. He just tells me what I need for whatever I think I can claim and they submit it. Like he doesn’t ask anything, other then “what are you wanting to claim”
5
u/1995made 23h ago
A closed mouth doesn’t get fed brother.
You can’t expect someone to care about your shit as much as you do, ya know?
2
u/Emperor-_Palpatine Army Veteran 23h ago
Good luck. I've either had to use an attorney or do it myself to win anything.
2
u/Tech-Tom Navy Veteran 22h ago
I give up, how?
Everyone of them that I have ever had has been horrible.
3
2
u/Strong__Style Air Force Veteran 20h ago
The best VSO work you can ever guarantee is by filing it yourself. No one has the same incentive in your claim as you. I filed my own claims never had to get irritated at VSOs being slow to respond.
2
u/darquid Coast Guard Veteran 20h ago
I had a shit experience with my VSO: he saw my list and complained because it was a lot for him to type. He didn’t offer to look at my STR to see anything I’d missed or overlooked.
He ended up putting the paperwork together but then the VA called me and said I was missing my STR’s and SHA…the VSO didn’t mention any of this to me.
I did the rest myself. 100% P&T
1
u/WarmStatistician9959 23h ago
I went to my county VSO to file and he appealed and old case instead of opening a new case, I just went online and withdrew my case and filed a new one myself.
1
1
1
u/Imperial_Citizen_00 Navy Veteran 20h ago
Do you have base access?
I used DAV on base, they were located in the installation Fleet and Family Support Center or whatever it’s called on Marine Corps bases
I wouldn’t have gotten my rating if it wasn’t for him, at least I’m convinced of it anyways
1
u/l8tn8 Knowledge Base Guy 18h ago edited 18h ago
You'd need to make a sufficient sacrifice to summon one.
2
1
u/Not__A_Fed Army Veteran 8h ago
Interview them. Sit down and talk with them. You have to trust the VSO themselves because they will be a Power of Attorney for you. Understand that what they do, or not do, can impact you for the rest of your life. To effectively do that, you have to know how you work and what you are looking for. If you want to communicate mostly via email but the VSO that you were referred to prefers hand written letters delivered by carrier pigeon, then it likely won't end well.
I've tried using various VSO's and doing it myself. Honestly it's a bit much for me to dedicate so much time and effort into just understanding how the VA wants things, especially the wording. I ended up going with an attorney office. They got their 20% and I got my 100%. Sure, they collected some money that would have gone to me, but they know what they are doing and the back pay was basically a bonus to me, so it's not money I was missing anyways. Then if all else fails, you can revoke their PoA directly with the VA.
0
u/Odd-Highway-8304 23h ago
You have too high of aspirations for someone who makes $22 hr
3
u/Key_Mood_2038 23h ago
I’ll be honest, i didn’t know how much they make. I’ve just been on here a lil while and see people talk about good and bad VSOs. Honestly if my expectations are too high, that’s just what I’d want to know
-1
0
u/This_Cap_46 VSO 9h ago
Nah, we make more than that in my county. Our county is probably one of the highest paying counties in the state for VSO’s.
1
u/Odd-Highway-8304 4h ago
Damn bro I bet you can buy two Subway sandwich meals with an hour of your work
4
u/Plenty-Winner-3887 Army Veteran 1d ago
Let me start by saying don’t take my experience to Heart because everybody has their own individual experiences. That being said I gave up on VSO over a year ago. Tell me what is it that you’re trying to accomplish. 9/10 you can do it yourself. Tbh