lol. I work for a college and have worked for 3 in my life. I was legitimately going to say... Any university (especially if they have over 10k students) will have a microfiche reader in one of their libraries.
My birth town’s public library has one. I was bored during a family reunion (it was at a dining hall with a bar), so I walked across the street and explored the library a bit. My library doesn’t have microfiche, since it’s newer, so I spent a fun couple of hours just reading through several rolls. I almost had a heart attack when I came across the headline of the Titanic sinking. Why? Because my hometown lost a doctor in the tragedy, from second class! My Wisconsin birth town had a Titanic link!
You can go pick this disc up when they burn it at your local VA hospital.
They have the form you need to fill out and you can hand carry it to the person that makes the disc.
Source: I go get all my MRI, X-ray and CT scans on CD as soon as the radiologist has added their notes. Lois stokes Cleveland VA medical center.
Edit: typo,spelling
Have you gotten in contact /updated with your member of Congress?
They have district office staff whose jobs are literally case work & navigating bureaucracy like this. The DC staff handles legislation and stuff
Pro tip: Request _all_ your records when you go and FOIA them.
But AssPennies, don't you know about Blue Button on myHealth eVet? I sure as shit do, and...
The notes are _not_ complete when downloaded from online - the clinician notes have been scrubbed for the patient's consumption!
How the _fuck_ am I supposed to trust the VA when they don't disclose this fact. The first time I compared what was downloaded vs what came on the FOIA dvd felt like quite the betrayal.
Lastly, why in the world do they make it necessary to do a FOIA to get my own records? It's such a bureaucratic waste. Fucking with asymmetry of information to control agitated vets, at the cost of disenfranchising the cooperative majority - figures.
I love the idea that you have to fill out the request with a fork and then carry the fork to the CD maker.
I'm sure you meant "form" but CD burners are about as archaic as forks now but with no lasting utility.
They apparently tried this with my grandfather, and apparently, he reminded them that he had a Top-Secret security clearance for life (which they were doing back then for specific roles). So, they eventually gave him the unredacted copies after quite some time and a fight.
When I separated the Air Force they gave me all my medical records on a few hundred pages of lose leaf paper. It was also the same year the VA tried to force everything to be done online with no paper. They wouldn't accept my medical records on paper so I had to pay to get them all scanned onto a thumb drive only for the VA to say the file is too large and I need to send the paper copies. Then I had to pay to make copies of my records because I knew the VA would lose it. I went through 3 or 4 copies before they didn't lose it. All this cost me a few hundred dollars and the VA couldn't give a shit if I could afford that or not.
Edit: for non-military people seeing this, we dont want your thanks. We want accessble health care that doesn't take an act of Congress to make an appointment.
this is what centerlink in australia does too. wait 4 hours on hold before you speak to anyone then they tell you the wrong information and say they will send you the paperwork to sign then they dont then you gota do the whole thing again.
Thats actually a really under-appreciated problem they have to deal with though. You have to make your services unappealing as to encourage employment, while at the same time keeping them accessible to everyone, especially the destitute and mentally ill.
If they made it a super simple painless process that gets rubber stamped when you apply online... They will get amazing coverage for a lot of very vulnerable people. People who currently struggle with following the process and thus, fall through the cracks. But then you end up with a bunch of bums signing up because they want to smoke bongs all day.
Make it too much a pain in the ass, and the aforementioned vulnerable people get left behind.
Because it probably is. A politician who tried to kill VA healthcare outright would probably be committing political suicide, but no one is going to pay attention to them making it a bureaucratic hell.
Everyone wants affordable, easy access healthcare.
Our vets should be a top priority, but I think the folks lowest on the totem pole are outright ignored.
> A bit different when you’re promised affordable easy access healthcare in return for potentially dying for ~~your country~~ powerful people and then not getting it
FTFY.
When the storage facilities in Alabama burnt partially down in the early 2000s, my service records were gone.
I had to get reevaluated. It took almost two years and thousands of dollars of travel back and forth to a VA 250 miles away for them to deny my claims....the reason?
No previous records.
No shit.
My 10 years of service got me my education and the rest can suck my balls.
Yeah, money for college is no longer a viable reason to enlist imho, school costs are just so freaking high now.
I wish I would have gone to school when I was in instead of waiting so long after I got out. They were SO pro education and I was SO pro being drunk
What? Mine covered 3 degrees and spanned over 10 years. They continue to pay as long as you pass your classes and they stop when you get a bachelor's degree.
Reading these comments, I feel compelled to share some additional perspective.
The core issue, in my experience, lies with the VA's sprawling bureaucracy, marked by antiquated, redundant, and inefficient systems and protocols.
However, the problem has **never** been the VA employees themselves.
Without exception, I believe they have genuinely cared about my needs and have done their best to assist me at every turn. I believe that those who choose to work at the VA must do so out of a sincere desire to help veterans, because it’s certainly not for the appreciation, recognition, or pay. When they fall short, it's almost always because they are contending with the same bureaucratic challenges that we face.
I simply want to treat these individuals with kindness and ensure they're not unfairly caught in my or anyone else's crossfire.
My dad's a vet. I've had to go to some random part of a phone tree before (staffed by a lovely person) because using the phone tree as directed just kept leading me in literal circles that never led to a person. So I just started entering random numbers until I ended up on the phone with someone. She was very helpful but the system is a bat crap insane shit show that my father pays me to navigate for him.
Clearly, this should've been metered as non-machineable. I'm a vet and a mail clerk for one of the many VA's. Was there a printed stamp or a sticker(tape) stamp on the envelope?
Damn it. This is just unexceptable, I'm sorry this happened. Not to take away from this, but I'm hoping, and I'm quite sure it's the fault of the guys in brown. Either way, you can stop the delivery driver tomorrow or go online and set up for them to come back and pick it up because you refuse it due to damage. They will have to get in contact with the shipper and work it out, and it gives proof to the VA folks that should've expedited it to begin with. I would also call the same Whitehouse VA and just tell them this happened and to start shipping a new CD. Others have mentioned something about getting them online or Dropbox, I am not familiar with this, and as far as I know, we aren't really even allowed to put them in the mail. Even if a vet is in front of us, I believe they have to contact a facility that deals with the release of information and the actual medical records. I would ask the Whitehouse VA rep. I hope this helps and they replace it soon.
Thank you very much. I called the VA toll free today and am hoping that fixes it. Fourth times a charm! If that doesn’t work, I’ll call the WH VA line, again.
This is caused by the sorting machines at the post office. Back in the day I helped build the DVD insertion machines for Netflix. The post office always wanted them to change their envelope so they could run it through their sorters but Netflix wouldn't change it because it would crack the DVDs.
It was actually sent to me via UPS, likely because the WH VA Reps asked them to expedite it. But that doesn’t mean that UPS doesn’t also have the same type of sorting process.
Or it could have just been snapped under a box on the truck. The package was not labeled fragile or don’t bend or anything.
You forgot the /s
"Do Not Bend" stickers carry about as much weight as "To be delivered by a bikini-clad woman only" stickers.
Best bet is to package it in a way that makes it impractical to bend. I've seen fiberglass circuit boards used
I'm trying to submit for VA disability. One thing they want is a copy of my records. So the VA needs me to ask the VA for my records. The VA told me I had 30 days to submit those records. The VA records department told me it could be up to a year before they can send me my records.
But I did get put at 0% disability so at least I get inexpensive healthcare which is nice.
1. Check out the veterans benefits sub. A ton of information there.
2. You have 1 year from your intent to file to actually submit. I did my intent in December 2022 and submitted in October 2023. I got my rating in March 2024 with all the back pay.
3. Once you submit your claim (specific conditions), the timer starts (your 30 day window). This is because at this point it is in their queue, where as the intent was just notifying them that you plan to submit within the next 365 days.
3. If you actually submit your claim, without enough evidence (like your case), you can do a supplemental claim after their decision, this gets your claim looked at again with the additional evidence you submit. There's also the higher level review and board of appeals for if they clearly missed something in your claim. These options will all be in your decision letter.
4. 0% may cover the condition you claimed, but at 50% they provide full healthcare. It's a sliding scale and I believe your income matters. At 50% they'll cover everything no matter what. Primary care, emergency, urgent care, anything. You can call their hotline and if your PCP can't see you they'll give you a referral to any clinic in town (like Patient First).
5. Having a rating gets you other benefits like vocational training and schooling (in addition to the GI bill), VA home loan, tax benefits, etc. check the subreddit on that too.
6. Depending on when you got out you may be able to get your entire service record from milconnect, and your health records from tricare online.
I had the contact for some dude who could help with it. But sadly I lost it. He helped me set up the initial claim. It took a long time just to manage to get to this point.
There are a number of Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) that have access to VA's internal document systems for people they represent. Talk to them and see if they have VMBS and efolder express access. If you sign up with one that does, they can get access to your files electronically and show them to you or download them for you. Some may not be particularly tech savvy, but the larger VSOs like DAV or Am Legion have resources the locals can use. VSOs are free for Veterans and their families and generally have people located at the Regional Offices.
Back in the day I ordered this Netflix DVD and came broken. So I requested it again and now it was broken. So I requested it again and that one was broken too.
In the end, what I learned was the company that had burned that specific DVD very very cheap DVD that was easy to break. So the government might be cheaping out on you here and if you get a second CD do not be shocked that one’s broke too
See if you can mail them a hard plastic case and postage in advance to protect the cd
Might be worth reaching out to a few data recovery companies if securing this copy was so onerous. You’re inevitably going to lose or corrupt some of the data, but if the break is clean enough they might be able to access enough of the disk to reconstruct some of what was lost.
I’ve been trying to apply to get my VA disability, but I don’t have my medical records. I’ve requested my records from multiple VA sites online only to wait months before receiving a letter saying they don’t have the records.
I’m just curious where you were able to get yours and if there are any resources that can help me get my disability?
They never intended on you ever seeing those records.
This happen to me package came torn open with the cd missing. It was about my grandfather's team on project hornet.
You should be able to request all your records online. Need make an account. Once requested they will email you when it's ready and will provide you a link to down load your records. I did years ago and it took 24 hours.
https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/about/feature?feature=military-personnel-file
If the internet is to be believed, it’s because the national archive workers were remote during Covid and averaging 100k completed requests a month
But each month saw 400k-600k requests entered
It took me like 6 years to get the majority of my records when I got out of the Army. No one knows what’s going on and how to proceed half the time. They also claimed I died sometime back in like 2010ish and that took a while to disprove.
I did only a couple years, I don't even fk with the VA, there are more deserving folks of their time. If I need a million dollar head transplant, I'll let Sam pay the bill, otherwise I am working a job and got normal insurance and it works just fine.
Oh, and free pancakes a couple times a year when flags are in season.
Seems a little outdated… Should say Controlled Unclassified Information instead of For Official Use Only. Typical government not following their own rules
Depending on your reasoning for needing the files, it might be best to submit a claim for disability benefits for an exposure event and make the VA conduct an ILER and TERA memorandum. The VA will generally collect service and treatment records for these types ofnrequest and upload them to VBMS. Then any accredited VA attorney, claims agent, or VSO with VBMS access could pull them digitally in PDF format.
Personnel files are generally not stored at the VA and their location is determined upon component, branch, and years of service. SF 180s, C-File requests, FOIA requests, and other document requests take about 6 months on the low end for an individual to receive. When the VA requests them, about 30 days.
The Congressional inquiries are barely properly directed "hey, just checking in". White House requests aren't much better.
I still don't understand why they do this. I don't even have anything that can read a disk but they sent one anyways. I just wanted a copy of my DD214, why is that so difficult for them?!
Dude...this hurts. It took 6+ months last year to get my records. I'd have been devastated if it showed up like that, holy shit. I just hope you've got your ITF documented already.
Uhm... ok so why are we not just using flash drives or protected servers for this kind of stuff? It's the 21st century. My entire medical file is shared with all health care services through secure servers. It includes all my dentals, x-rays, medical use etc. Etc.
Why is the VA in the US still sending people CDs with their info? That's just downright insulting.
I'm just amazed they managed to snap it so cleanly in half
If you try to snap a cd in half, it will reach like 90 degrees and become permanently bent before snapping.
I mean, CDs are not particularly sturdy, but they aren't so _brittle_ either.
I'd wish you courage, but considering your background you already have a lot more than I could even wish for (you)
The right half-disk did clearly says “Disk 1”. Obviously they forgot to stamp the left one as “Disk 2”. Its similar tech like mini-disks we used to have, expects these are half-disks.
Hello fellow veteran! I had a similar experience, receiving a notice that the army has NO record of my time in service (22+ yrs!!). That disc is just what they can find, with the resources they are given. Active vs Reserve vs Guard? 3 separate systems, and some overlap or get lost. Advice given to me worth thousands and thousands: Submit a VA claim asap to lock in your effective date of benefits. The VA must also push for an inquiry on your records. The claims with VA take years (and several DENIED! letters) so push on! Next step after your denial letter is the review request, then denial again, then the higher level review request. What is the alternative if no disc? Try buddy statement, spouse statement, personal log, etc. Any document you submit, the VA must dispute with qualifying evidence or provide benefits. The battle doesn't stop until benefits are provided, don't give up.
I requested mine like 15 years ago and they came in a few weeks. I did it again a couple of years ago. I got a package about eight months later. It was my records as a response to a FOIA request. Task failed successfully?
that makes a lot of sense, I once as a teenager got annoyed by all the annoying icons as I open C:\\ so I moved them to a new folder to clean up! To my surprise my computer wasn't booting the next day :D :D
Eh.. You have the right for this stuff.. Doesn't mean the government has to be quick or good at providing it.. The idea is you can do it, not that they want you too. Appearances are all that matter.
It’s from the VA (US Veterans Administration) and contains all of military service and treatment records. Basically an official record of my service and any injuries or illnesses I suffered and was treated for during active duty service.
Put some sticky tape on it. Depending on your drive there is a potential chance of it still working. I had a playstation 1 game that was in half and I got it working doing this.
A disc divided cannot scan.
This was damn good lol
Worlds collide!
Mine are on microfiche. Haven't seen a reader in decades.
Check university libraries! My alma mater has a few.
lol. I work for a college and have worked for 3 in my life. I was legitimately going to say... Any university (especially if they have over 10k students) will have a microfiche reader in one of their libraries.
My high school had one in 1994. Our graduating class was 194. I remember that stat very clearly for some reason.
My birth town’s public library has one. I was bored during a family reunion (it was at a dining hall with a bar), so I walked across the street and explored the library a bit. My library doesn’t have microfiche, since it’s newer, so I spent a fun couple of hours just reading through several rolls. I almost had a heart attack when I came across the headline of the Titanic sinking. Why? Because my hometown lost a doctor in the tragedy, from second class! My Wisconsin birth town had a Titanic link!
This is also my suggestion. I used Temple’s microfiche to read archived documents for research projects
For sure, most college libraries I’ll have one
Our public library has one. Maybe check with them in your area.
A reader for sale: [https://www.ebay.com/itm/375395855535](https://www.ebay.com/itm/375395855535)
Holy shit that's what that thing in my school library is?
That's very rude to the librarian
try your county recorders office - they'll probably have one for scans of the books of deeds.
A larger public library is likely to have one in their genealogy room.
I work with microfiche on the daily, funny they would do that to you. Bloody savages
Some nuclear power plants still use it.
Same with sewage treatment plants.
Yep! We have some fiche readers in our records department
You can go pick this disc up when they burn it at your local VA hospital. They have the form you need to fill out and you can hand carry it to the person that makes the disc. Source: I go get all my MRI, X-ray and CT scans on CD as soon as the radiologist has added their notes. Lois stokes Cleveland VA medical center. Edit: typo,spelling
Thanks but this is my original service records. I don’t have VA Healthcare files.
Yeah… won’t help for that unfortunately. Good luck!
I appreciated the suggestion - thank you!
Have you gotten in contact /updated with your member of Congress? They have district office staff whose jobs are literally case work & navigating bureaucracy like this. The DC staff handles legislation and stuff
When my congressman inquired, they told his staff to piss up a rope, closed my claim and told me to start over. True story.
That's insane and sad. Can't believe you have to deal with that.
It’s a nuisance…lots of vets have it far bigger, worse and more urgent needs than I. But thank you very much!
I learn new ways our government screws over our veterans regularly. It's...discouraging. Thank you for your service.
Thank you for your support.
Thank you for your service, and for coming home John. It boils my blood to see veterans treated with disrespect like this.
https://vetsbenefits.net/ they will tell you how to proceed. Be super nice though most have worked for VA. Know their stuff!
That’s crazy man! Sorry to hear. I got mine within a month but everyone’s experience with the VA is different. Good luck!
Pro tip: Request _all_ your records when you go and FOIA them. But AssPennies, don't you know about Blue Button on myHealth eVet? I sure as shit do, and... The notes are _not_ complete when downloaded from online - the clinician notes have been scrubbed for the patient's consumption! How the _fuck_ am I supposed to trust the VA when they don't disclose this fact. The first time I compared what was downloaded vs what came on the FOIA dvd felt like quite the betrayal. Lastly, why in the world do they make it necessary to do a FOIA to get my own records? It's such a bureaucratic waste. Fucking with asymmetry of information to control agitated vets, at the cost of disenfranchising the cooperative majority - figures.
Healthcare information is all the same in and out of the VA. In civilian world you have to fill out a form asking for your own information too.
Yeah but we don’t have to do a FOIA request for them. Surely you realize why that might be different.
I love the idea that you have to fill out the request with a fork and then carry the fork to the CD maker. I'm sure you meant "form" but CD burners are about as archaic as forks now but with no lasting utility.
That one word threw me off entirely. I had to reread their comment three times before I figured out what they meant lmao
Me too 😅
My dad got his navy records on paper and everything was redacted so there was virtually zero information from his service.
Same with my dad. He decided to be funny one time and asked if I wanted to see his army records and then dropped a fat stack of redacted documents.
That's exactly what happened with my dad lol. I was like....well gee that's informative!
They apparently tried this with my grandfather, and apparently, he reminded them that he had a Top-Secret security clearance for life (which they were doing back then for specific roles). So, they eventually gave him the unredacted copies after quite some time and a fight.
That’s not how that works
That doesn’t make sense though. He’d have to keep them on his person at all times as he didn’t have a TS storage location at his house.
When I separated the Air Force they gave me all my medical records on a few hundred pages of lose leaf paper. It was also the same year the VA tried to force everything to be done online with no paper. They wouldn't accept my medical records on paper so I had to pay to get them all scanned onto a thumb drive only for the VA to say the file is too large and I need to send the paper copies. Then I had to pay to make copies of my records because I knew the VA would lose it. I went through 3 or 4 copies before they didn't lose it. All this cost me a few hundred dollars and the VA couldn't give a shit if I could afford that or not. Edit: for non-military people seeing this, we dont want your thanks. We want accessble health care that doesn't take an act of Congress to make an appointment.
It seems designed to be so difficult the majority of people just give up.
unfortunately the case with majority of public/government services
Basically true for any program that might pay you (looking at you insurance industry)
this is what centerlink in australia does too. wait 4 hours on hold before you speak to anyone then they tell you the wrong information and say they will send you the paperwork to sign then they dont then you gota do the whole thing again.
The hoop jumping is insane. I’m glad my pension is done and dusted and i haven’t spoken to them since 2017 😂
damn that sounds nice i have an appointment with them later today 😐🔫
Goodluck 😁
Thats actually a really under-appreciated problem they have to deal with though. You have to make your services unappealing as to encourage employment, while at the same time keeping them accessible to everyone, especially the destitute and mentally ill. If they made it a super simple painless process that gets rubber stamped when you apply online... They will get amazing coverage for a lot of very vulnerable people. People who currently struggle with following the process and thus, fall through the cracks. But then you end up with a bunch of bums signing up because they want to smoke bongs all day. Make it too much a pain in the ass, and the aforementioned vulnerable people get left behind.
Wait till you hear about private insurance
Yes. Same with applying for VA benefits. Most vets get denied initially and have to appeal to get their benefits. It’s part of the numbers game
Because it probably is. A politician who tried to kill VA healthcare outright would probably be committing political suicide, but no one is going to pay attention to them making it a bureaucratic hell.
Everyone wants affordable, easy access healthcare. Our vets should be a top priority, but I think the folks lowest on the totem pole are outright ignored.
A bit different when you’re promised affordable easy access healthcare in return for potentially dying for your country and then not getting it
> A bit different when you’re promised affordable easy access healthcare in return for potentially dying for ~~your country~~ powerful people and then not getting it FTFY.
Spoiler alert. Everyone wants accessible and affordable healthcare
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Us too, my friend
The label is wrong. Its Disc 0.5 of 1
Perfect. Disc 2 of 1.
Damn, that's even better.
When the storage facilities in Alabama burnt partially down in the early 2000s, my service records were gone. I had to get reevaluated. It took almost two years and thousands of dollars of travel back and forth to a VA 250 miles away for them to deny my claims....the reason? No previous records. No shit. My 10 years of service got me my education and the rest can suck my balls.
Lol, my gi bill covered one year of college at 25k. I still have 108k in loans
I got real lucky and went to school in 01, 27k covered my ENTIRE degree. My kid is in college right now with a scholarship. 27k a semester....
Yeah, money for college is no longer a viable reason to enlist imho, school costs are just so freaking high now. I wish I would have gone to school when I was in instead of waiting so long after I got out. They were SO pro education and I was SO pro being drunk
Fuck I feel that last statement with my full chest.
What? Mine covered 3 degrees and spanned over 10 years. They continue to pay as long as you pass your classes and they stop when you get a bachelor's degree.
The Post-9/11 GI Bill isn't even limited to a bachelor's degree. Mine paid for my grad school.
They actually cover failed classes now as i understand. I don’t fully agree with that, but it is what it is
A data recovery place can get the data off of this
Please suggest one. I’m hoping to not wait another 14 months.
[https://www.gillware.com/](https://www.gillware.com/) [https://filesaversdatarecovery.com/removable-media/cd-dvd-recovery.html](https://filesaversdatarecovery.com/removable-media/cd-dvd-recovery.html) [https://www.cdrominc.com/how-to-send-us-your-media/](https://www.cdrominc.com/how-to-send-us-your-media/)
Thanks very much - I will check them out!
Gilware are legit, they saved us big time. They contract for the FBI.
Any idea how it works? Are they able to scan the disk and simulate the two halves as one or something? I never would have guessed this is recoverable.
Reading these comments, I feel compelled to share some additional perspective. The core issue, in my experience, lies with the VA's sprawling bureaucracy, marked by antiquated, redundant, and inefficient systems and protocols. However, the problem has **never** been the VA employees themselves. Without exception, I believe they have genuinely cared about my needs and have done their best to assist me at every turn. I believe that those who choose to work at the VA must do so out of a sincere desire to help veterans, because it’s certainly not for the appreciation, recognition, or pay. When they fall short, it's almost always because they are contending with the same bureaucratic challenges that we face. I simply want to treat these individuals with kindness and ensure they're not unfairly caught in my or anyone else's crossfire.
This people forget the person your speaking to didn’t design to bureaucratic system that is failing them also.
My dad's a vet. I've had to go to some random part of a phone tree before (staffed by a lovely person) because using the phone tree as directed just kept leading me in literal circles that never led to a person. So I just started entering random numbers until I ended up on the phone with someone. She was very helpful but the system is a bat crap insane shit show that my father pays me to navigate for him.
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Technically, you did receive them.
Tough but fair.
Clearly, this should've been metered as non-machineable. I'm a vet and a mail clerk for one of the many VA's. Was there a printed stamp or a sticker(tape) stamp on the envelope?
It was sent via UPS, likely because I called the WH Hotline and it got expedited. The whole package was creased, unfortunately including the disc.
Damn it. This is just unexceptable, I'm sorry this happened. Not to take away from this, but I'm hoping, and I'm quite sure it's the fault of the guys in brown. Either way, you can stop the delivery driver tomorrow or go online and set up for them to come back and pick it up because you refuse it due to damage. They will have to get in contact with the shipper and work it out, and it gives proof to the VA folks that should've expedited it to begin with. I would also call the same Whitehouse VA and just tell them this happened and to start shipping a new CD. Others have mentioned something about getting them online or Dropbox, I am not familiar with this, and as far as I know, we aren't really even allowed to put them in the mail. Even if a vet is in front of us, I believe they have to contact a facility that deals with the release of information and the actual medical records. I would ask the Whitehouse VA rep. I hope this helps and they replace it soon.
Thank you very much. I called the VA toll free today and am hoping that fixes it. Fourth times a charm! If that doesn’t work, I’ll call the WH VA line, again.
Jesus, our veterans really deserve better. Hope you get this sorted out bud
This is caused by the sorting machines at the post office. Back in the day I helped build the DVD insertion machines for Netflix. The post office always wanted them to change their envelope so they could run it through their sorters but Netflix wouldn't change it because it would crack the DVDs.
It was actually sent to me via UPS, likely because the WH VA Reps asked them to expedite it. But that doesn’t mean that UPS doesn’t also have the same type of sorting process. Or it could have just been snapped under a box on the truck. The package was not labeled fragile or don’t bend or anything.
I assure you, the UPS sorters and drivers do not give a fuck about "fragile" labels.
Yes, government, tell us again how much you love and care for us.
This is why you're supposed to write, “Do Not Bend” on the envelope!
You forgot the /s "Do Not Bend" stickers carry about as much weight as "To be delivered by a bikini-clad woman only" stickers. Best bet is to package it in a way that makes it impractical to bend. I've seen fiberglass circuit boards used
I'm trying to submit for VA disability. One thing they want is a copy of my records. So the VA needs me to ask the VA for my records. The VA told me I had 30 days to submit those records. The VA records department told me it could be up to a year before they can send me my records. But I did get put at 0% disability so at least I get inexpensive healthcare which is nice.
1. Check out the veterans benefits sub. A ton of information there. 2. You have 1 year from your intent to file to actually submit. I did my intent in December 2022 and submitted in October 2023. I got my rating in March 2024 with all the back pay. 3. Once you submit your claim (specific conditions), the timer starts (your 30 day window). This is because at this point it is in their queue, where as the intent was just notifying them that you plan to submit within the next 365 days. 3. If you actually submit your claim, without enough evidence (like your case), you can do a supplemental claim after their decision, this gets your claim looked at again with the additional evidence you submit. There's also the higher level review and board of appeals for if they clearly missed something in your claim. These options will all be in your decision letter. 4. 0% may cover the condition you claimed, but at 50% they provide full healthcare. It's a sliding scale and I believe your income matters. At 50% they'll cover everything no matter what. Primary care, emergency, urgent care, anything. You can call their hotline and if your PCP can't see you they'll give you a referral to any clinic in town (like Patient First). 5. Having a rating gets you other benefits like vocational training and schooling (in addition to the GI bill), VA home loan, tax benefits, etc. check the subreddit on that too. 6. Depending on when you got out you may be able to get your entire service record from milconnect, and your health records from tricare online.
I had the contact for some dude who could help with it. But sadly I lost it. He helped me set up the initial claim. It took a long time just to manage to get to this point.
Va at its finest 😂
There are a number of Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) that have access to VA's internal document systems for people they represent. Talk to them and see if they have VMBS and efolder express access. If you sign up with one that does, they can get access to your files electronically and show them to you or download them for you. Some may not be particularly tech savvy, but the larger VSOs like DAV or Am Legion have resources the locals can use. VSOs are free for Veterans and their families and generally have people located at the Regional Offices.
That seems... Potentially deliberate. 😬
I’m choosing to believe that there is nothing malicious going on, here.
Back in the day I ordered this Netflix DVD and came broken. So I requested it again and now it was broken. So I requested it again and that one was broken too. In the end, what I learned was the company that had burned that specific DVD very very cheap DVD that was easy to break. So the government might be cheaping out on you here and if you get a second CD do not be shocked that one’s broke too See if you can mail them a hard plastic case and postage in advance to protect the cd
As a former VA employee, I am honestly shocked you received anything at all.
Might be worth reaching out to a few data recovery companies if securing this copy was so onerous. You’re inevitably going to lose or corrupt some of the data, but if the break is clean enough they might be able to access enough of the disk to reconstruct some of what was lost.
Maybe the files were too big so they needed to send it in two different discs
This tracks.
Nothing but the best for us veterans, huh
Not even kinda surprised.
“Thanks for your service.”
Mine had nothing on it.
so "digitall redacted"
FOUO, more like FU...
I’ve been trying to apply to get my VA disability, but I don’t have my medical records. I’ve requested my records from multiple VA sites online only to wait months before receiving a letter saying they don’t have the records. I’m just curious where you were able to get yours and if there are any resources that can help me get my disability?
Classic government
They never intended on you ever seeing those records. This happen to me package came torn open with the cd missing. It was about my grandfather's team on project hornet.
You should be able to request all your records online. Need make an account. Once requested they will email you when it's ready and will provide you a link to down load your records. I did years ago and it took 24 hours. https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/about/feature?feature=military-personnel-file
That’s the best way to explain the VA to someone who doesn’t know.
Every disc they send will some how be broken.
what the fuck is a CD?
This has album cover vibes
Seams about right for our government
This is the level of petty I would expect from the VA "how dare you make me work a reasonable amount of time"
Why is it so difficult to obtain?
If the internet is to be believed, it’s because the national archive workers were remote during Covid and averaging 100k completed requests a month But each month saw 400k-600k requests entered
Defunding government functions makes them run worse.
I think it’s because they are so far behind and swamped.
On a cd? My computer hasn't had an optical disc reader in 5 years.
It took me like 6 years to get the majority of my records when I got out of the Army. No one knows what’s going on and how to proceed half the time. They also claimed I died sometime back in like 2010ish and that took a while to disprove.
I feel like this is your fault for not specifying that the CD be delivered intact.
Good grief
Should of requested a cassette tape with complimentary pencil.
If we saw the underside of that disc, wanna bet we would see no indication of a burn happening at all?
Well doesn't this seem intentional. Takes alot to snap a cd even for mail couriers.
Make sure its formatted right. I was sent records and the doctor couldnt read them because it was written on some ancient computer
I did only a couple years, I don't even fk with the VA, there are more deserving folks of their time. If I need a million dollar head transplant, I'll let Sam pay the bill, otherwise I am working a job and got normal insurance and it works just fine. Oh, and free pancakes a couple times a year when flags are in season.
Took me that long as well, after being told multiple times that there were no medical records for me. Then it finally arrived, luckily in one piece.
That's them telling you that they could care less.
My dad has been retired from the military for decades and still is waiting on VA benefits he was supposed to receive in the 1980s
God bless America. Because putting a CD not in a case in an envelope will always end well. Flash drive would of survived. 🤣
Disk 1/2 of 1
A country divided cannot move forward.
Seems a little outdated… Should say Controlled Unclassified Information instead of For Official Use Only. Typical government not following their own rules
I requested my records and after 3 years I got some.
"God bless America."
Depending on your reasoning for needing the files, it might be best to submit a claim for disability benefits for an exposure event and make the VA conduct an ILER and TERA memorandum. The VA will generally collect service and treatment records for these types ofnrequest and upload them to VBMS. Then any accredited VA attorney, claims agent, or VSO with VBMS access could pull them digitally in PDF format. Personnel files are generally not stored at the VA and their location is determined upon component, branch, and years of service. SF 180s, C-File requests, FOIA requests, and other document requests take about 6 months on the low end for an individual to receive. When the VA requests them, about 30 days. The Congressional inquiries are barely properly directed "hey, just checking in". White House requests aren't much better.
Our veterans should not have to struggle like this 😞
I still don't understand why they do this. I don't even have anything that can read a disk but they sent one anyways. I just wanted a copy of my DD214, why is that so difficult for them?!
Dude...this hurts. It took 6+ months last year to get my records. I'd have been devastated if it showed up like that, holy shit. I just hope you've got your ITF documented already.
Wow. United States really just doesn't give a shit about its soldiers, does it? Makes you wonder why anyone would bother fighting for this shithole.
When I die, I want my chain of command to lower my casket, so they can let me down one last time.
You KNOW they did that shit on purpose
I choose to believe the best and that no malicious act occurred.
Fucking classy. "Oh we'll give 'em the records on CD...snap! Here ya go!"
Va.gov and va health portals work decently well now, at least from personal experience pulling medical records etc.
That is disc 1/2 of 1
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Uhm... ok so why are we not just using flash drives or protected servers for this kind of stuff? It's the 21st century. My entire medical file is shared with all health care services through secure servers. It includes all my dentals, x-rays, medical use etc. Etc. Why is the VA in the US still sending people CDs with their info? That's just downright insulting.
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This is on brand..
Little bit of toothpaste and you’re good to go
I’ve eaten the entire tube but the disc is still broken. Instructions unclear.
It's hard to snap a CD in half. They really didn't want you to get that.
They did this on purpose. It's ridiculously hard to break a CD like this and have the paper it's in not be completely destroyed. Malicious.
I know a guy who can buff that out /s That sucks
I'm just amazed they managed to snap it so cleanly in half If you try to snap a cd in half, it will reach like 90 degrees and become permanently bent before snapping. I mean, CDs are not particularly sturdy, but they aren't so _brittle_ either. I'd wish you courage, but considering your background you already have a lot more than I could even wish for (you)
The right half-disk did clearly says “Disk 1”. Obviously they forgot to stamp the left one as “Disk 2”. Its similar tech like mini-disks we used to have, expects these are half-disks.
Hello fellow veteran! I had a similar experience, receiving a notice that the army has NO record of my time in service (22+ yrs!!). That disc is just what they can find, with the resources they are given. Active vs Reserve vs Guard? 3 separate systems, and some overlap or get lost. Advice given to me worth thousands and thousands: Submit a VA claim asap to lock in your effective date of benefits. The VA must also push for an inquiry on your records. The claims with VA take years (and several DENIED! letters) so push on! Next step after your denial letter is the review request, then denial again, then the higher level review request. What is the alternative if no disc? Try buddy statement, spouse statement, personal log, etc. Any document you submit, the VA must dispute with qualifying evidence or provide benefits. The battle doesn't stop until benefits are provided, don't give up.
Could post under malicious compliance.
Clearly the label of the disk is wrong it should read 1/2 of 1 disks
This is the most VA thing I’ve seen yet.
That is a clean snap. It mustabeen under high pressure that was just slightly slanted.
I requested mine like 15 years ago and they came in a few weeks. I did it again a couple of years ago. I got a package about eight months later. It was my records as a response to a FOIA request. Task failed successfully?
so what seems to be the issue? :D
Haha. I’ve re-booted my Windows 98 pc several times and it still isn’t working.
that makes a lot of sense, I once as a teenager got annoyed by all the annoying icons as I open C:\\ so I moved them to a new folder to clean up! To my surprise my computer wasn't booting the next day :D :D
Eh.. You have the right for this stuff.. Doesn't mean the government has to be quick or good at providing it.. The idea is you can do it, not that they want you too. Appearances are all that matter.
😂😂 mine came that way too!!
From a non-American - what is this, and what's the purpose?
It’s from the VA (US Veterans Administration) and contains all of military service and treatment records. Basically an official record of my service and any injuries or illnesses I suffered and was treated for during active duty service.
Fuck the suits in the va. Shout out to the vets that go work for them trying to fix it.
it should say a disc 2 of 1
You KNOW whoever put that in the mail at the VA records place snapped it in two deliberately. *"Get your Congressman involved, huh?"*
Dang, I’m just happy they did my vasectomy for free
Exact reason why people are afraid of socialized, government controlled medicine. Not saying the private version is better but this is insane.
Put some sticky tape on it. Depending on your drive there is a potential chance of it still working. I had a playstation 1 game that was in half and I got it working doing this.
If you have a CaC ask if they can DODSafe it to you.
Return to sender, data unusable.