Louisiana Rubber Down Magazine November Vol. 12 | Page 27

Veterans C o l u m n

T

he Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) has implemented a program designed to adjudicate claims for compensation and pension
in a more quickly and efficient manner. It’s called
the Fully Developed Claim (FDC) and filing a claim this
way could shave months off of the already lengthy process. The
FDC process allows the claimant to submit all evidence at once,
thereby giving the VA all the substantiation needed to support
the claim. This is especially helpful if only Federal records are
needed, such as a DD-214, service treatment records, VA medical records, etc. The VA will obtain these records if you don’t
have a copy to submit. However, if private medical records are
needed, you MUST obtain these records and submit them along
with a completed VA Form 21-526EZ. Failure to submit private
records will result in the claim being removed from the FDC
program and having it placed in the traditional claim process.

to have my claim decided”? I answer that question with another
question: “How big is a rock”? In other words, it depends. It
depends on many factors such as the type of claim, the amount of
issues claimed, the type of evidence to support the claims, etc. The
process can be intimidating and confusing to the inexperienced
claimant. Veteran’s Service Organizations exist specifically to assist veterans with claims. The Military Order of the Purple Heart
(MOPH), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), AMVETS, and
Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) are just a few of the local organizations that can assist, and there is never a charge for services.

The number one question I am asked is “How long will it take

Fred Fuentes
National Service Officer
Military Order of the Purple Heart
1250 Poydras Street Suite 605
New Orleans, LA 70113
Phone: [phone]
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