I officially retired last week. My proposed ratings are 70% for a service-connected disability which caused my separation from the military. I understand it takes about a month after sep date for the VA to finalize the ratings and send out the letter. It is frustrating because many jobs require a VA letter for proof. I have the initial letter, but it only says proposed. Will this work in conjunction with my DD-214, which shows an honorable discharge and reasoning for sep as physical disability? I feel a little weary about submitting it because it all has details on the disorder, with some jobs I am ok with providing, like for the VA, but with others, I would rather not have to show the specifics on my disorder. Thank you for any information.
Can you use the initial VA proposed ratings letter for claiming 10 pt preference?
- Thread starter brohammer
- Start date
I talked with the VA, they said it could take until June for it to be completed, nearly 3 months from now. It really hinders the application process. I can still claim 5 pt, but of course would rather claim 10.
The VA pay date on June 1 is only ~7 weeks away, not 3 months.
Generally, your VA compensation finalizes on the first of the month following the completion of 30 days of separation. So, if you separated anytime in March, compensation should begin on May 1.
Generally, your VA compensation finalizes on the first of the month following the completion of 30 days of separation. So, if you separated anytime in March, compensation should begin on May 1.
Don’t believe it will happen. Not that soon. I called the VA today, guy I talked to said it could take until June. Then he huffed, said I had no disability. It really bugs me. I never ever wanted this. They have blocked me from getting me so many jobs. If I still had my clearance 90-120k easy. But what now ? I can get a q clearance, that’s it maybe, making 45k...wahoo, my whole life work down the drain, yay.
If a 5 point veteran preference is “keeping” you from getting a job, then there is a good chance that you were not all that qualified for the job anyway in my opinion. I personally cannot agree with the “blame” game. Every job I have been hired into has been with a 5 point veteran’s pref even though I am over 30% and entitled to 10. The 5% is not keeping you from a job, not even a well paying one, general qualifications or things like properly formatting your resume is.
I agree 100%. Despite numerous attempts at correction, Brohammer believes he is being discriminated against. EVERY veteran deals with this transition time between active duty and VA compensation start. Just a small amount of research here would have showed that if you retire at the beginning of the month, it will take the system nearly 2 months to finish processing the claim.
If you retire at the end of the month, preferably the last few days, its really only a bit over 1 month before things are complete.
Like @golfrnut said, the government job I have was a result of the 5 point letter making me eligible/mandatory for an interview. The rest was up to me and my experience and interview.
Further, Brohammer has claimed he has recently removed all medication he takes from a "70 percent" disabling condition. He may not understand or think so, but one does not accidentally receive a rating like that. There are many people I know that suffer from debilitating depression, for example, and could not get a 70.
So, grandiose ideas, posting at all hours of the day, not understanding simple communication, paranoid thoughts, and other apparent concerns (several on other posts and interactions), leads me to believe I should hope he/she gets some immediate medical attention and back on the regimen his doctor recommends if he/she were honest with them.
It will only be few weeks to finalize your rating. June is just a projection. That projection will change like four times until one day you log into eBenefits and find your rating is posted. Relax.
Even if it does take a bit longer and you miss the window on this job posting, there are literally hundreds of jobs posted weekly on USAJOBS and governmentjobs.com, not to mention private sector-focused web sites. There will always be other jobs. Hell, chances are this exact job or one very similar will be posted again. Don't fixate on what you can't control, focus on what you can- resume, cover letter, networking, interview prep. Effectively marketing yourself is far more important than preference points and your're distracting yourself from that by worrying about this.
Even if it does take a bit longer and you miss the window on this job posting, there are literally hundreds of jobs posted weekly on USAJOBS and governmentjobs.com, not to mention private sector-focused web sites. There will always be other jobs. Hell, chances are this exact job or one very similar will be posted again. Don't fixate on what you can't control, focus on what you can- resume, cover letter, networking, interview prep. Effectively marketing yourself is far more important than preference points and your're distracting yourself from that by worrying about this.
Regarding your original question though- that's between you and the prospective employer. The job posting or application should detail what is required for a 10-point preference and if it does not, there should be a point of contact somewhere to find out. Some folks will work with you, others will not. Such is life.
A couple of thoughts:
Government HR`s can't accept the benefit estimate letter for disabled vet preference because it's just a proposed rating. You will get an actual rating but unfortunately you do have to wait on it. In some cases USAJOBS will allow you to update an application after submission.
The VA enrollment folks have the same issue of not being able to use the proposed rating. If you deployed to a combat zone after 9/11 then they did the correct thing to enroll you in that category. Being enrolled in the combat vet category will not mess up your rating. Once your rating is finished then you should automatically revert to the category of care that corresponds with your rating.
Regarding calling the VA; I don't recommend it for IDES information . The folks on the phone mean well but they can't differentiate between an IDES claim and the many other types of claims the VA processes. Their answers are mostly scripted and based on the average completion times of the other types of claims.
Government HR`s can't accept the benefit estimate letter for disabled vet preference because it's just a proposed rating. You will get an actual rating but unfortunately you do have to wait on it. In some cases USAJOBS will allow you to update an application after submission.
The VA enrollment folks have the same issue of not being able to use the proposed rating. If you deployed to a combat zone after 9/11 then they did the correct thing to enroll you in that category. Being enrolled in the combat vet category will not mess up your rating. Once your rating is finished then you should automatically revert to the category of care that corresponds with your rating.
Regarding calling the VA; I don't recommend it for IDES information . The folks on the phone mean well but they can't differentiate between an IDES claim and the many other types of claims the VA processes. Their answers are mostly scripted and based on the average completion times of the other types of claims.
Your retirement orders have the percentage on it, will be greater than 10%. You must complete form SF-15 to claim the 10 point preference. Here's the form, read the instructions and educate yourself.
https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf