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I should be sleeping

Monday, January 25th, 2010

Instead of sleeping, I will go ahead and update my blog. A few things have happened since my last post, so I’ll just make this an overview of past events and future plans.

Twelve days ago, I bottled my first beer. Patience is one of those things I work hard at exercising, and much of that hard work is applied towards patience with the VA. I will be the first to say I am amazed that I have not yet cracked open a bottle to see what kind of creation I brewed. It will be hard, but I will let that beer sit for at least another week before I crack one open.

School is off to a good start, and is not posing that much of a problem. Only having classes two days a week is quite nice. The five hour gap I have between my physics class and my calculus lab is definitely not fun, but I will survive. At least that gives me time to do some homework, or take a really long nap.

Some new brewing equipment has made its way into my possession. Once I get a large enough stock pot, propane burner, and a wort chiller I will be good to go for 5gal brews. When that is all said and done, hopefully by the end of the week, I will be able to have three different beers going at any given time. A few threads over at HomeBrewTalk.com prompted me to rethink my brew stand idea, and I’ve come up with a way to eliminate the needs for any pumps and still not have to physically pick up much of anything myself. When I get a chance, I will do a quick sketch up of the idea and start coming up with a build list so I can move to fabricate the stand.

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Spring 2010 tuition and fees status: PAID

Saturday, January 9th, 2010

The title really says it all. I logged in to my PeopleSoft account at the University of Houston to see if my Fall 2009 payments were finally squared up, and was absolutely shocked to see $0.00 as the balance for both Fall 2009 and Spring 2010. I checked the payment codes for both, and they both said VA GI Bill.

Spring 2010 is still more than a week away, and my payments have already been made. Just. Wow. I’m taking this as the miracle of 2010.

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My first brew

Friday, January 8th, 2010

Twelve days ago, I started brewing my own beer. Today, I made a stop at DeFalco’s Home Wine & Beer Supplies to pick up a few things I needed to finalize this brewing project. Lacking a hydrometer was making it pretty impossible to know if fermentation had halted or not, so that was number one on my list. I also picked up a floating thermometer, a bottle of Iodophor for sanitizing my equipment, a bottle brush, a case of 12oz. bottles, a few hundred bottle caps, a bottle capper, and a packet of priming sugar (dextrose).

new supplies

Assorted brewing supplies

When I got home from DeFalco’s, I prepared to take the first sample of my West Coast Pale Ale from my Mr. Beer brew keg. Surprisingly enough, what poured out looked, smelled, and even tasted a lot like beer. It may have been a bit on the sweet side, but I am not complaining right now. Once carbonated, it will definitely pass as drinkable in my book.

first sample

First sample, straight from the brew keg

The hydrometer reads right around 1.010 for the specific gravity right now, at 72°F. According to the handy dandy sheet that came with the hydrometer to correct for temperature I add .002. So we’ll call my reading today 1.012. Since I did not have this instrument when I actually made the wort, I have no earthly idea what the original gravity was. That being the case, I will hold off another few days and take a reading again. If nothing has changed, I am going to start bottling. I’ve not quite decided exactly how I plan on doing the priming part but I’m sure I’ll get at least 30 different suggestions before that time comes!

hydrometer reading

Hydrometer reading

I think an Apfelwein is likely to be the next thing my Mr. Beer ferments, while I start gathering the equipment required to step up to 5 gallon all-grain batches of beer. This is definitely a lot of fun, and if the result is drinkable beer, I am all for it.

Posted in Beer, Updates | 4 Responses »
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Patience and persistence required

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

The title of this post sums up two of the most important tools one must have when dealing with the Department of Veteran Affairs. Filing a claim, to any of the VA’s many departments, is a daunting task. Translating the form-letter responses the VA sends once your claim is received requires mastery of the foreign language spoken by the department. For many veterans, this is too much to handle on their own.

After reading several of the comments on my Post-9/11 GI Bill saga post, I decided a post was necessary to provide some sort of advice to my brothers and sisters at arms. The sort of advice that might give veterans a glimmer of hope in the dark cave that is waiting for the VA to process a claim. The sort of advice nobody gives you when you separate from the service, or decide to file your first claim with the VA.

Rule #1 – Be patient.

We all want our benefits, and we all want them now. That simply is not going to happen, and pacing back and forth hoping tomorrow is the day you get your money is only going to stress you out. If you are like me, you already carry too much stress from your time in the service. Do yourself a favor, and roll with the punches. Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the grease – so squeak on, but do not expect same-day action from the VA.

Rule #2 – Be persistent, and proactive.

You will get mountains of mail from the VA. Most of it has nothing to do with anything. Some of it is crucial to your claim. That means you’re going to have to read it all. Buy a shredder, as most of it belongs there. When the VA makes contact with you, make contact back with them immediately if there are any discrepancies whatsoever. If there is something that does not add up, tell the VA it does not add up. Keep telling them until you receive official notice, that would be more mail if you’re wondering, from the VA that there was a problem on their end and they are correcting it. Never take a “we will take care of this right away” over the phone as resolution. Just like in the service, if it is not on paper it never happened.

Rule #3 – Get assistance.

Whether this is your first claim, or your fifteenth claim, an extra set of eyes is invaluable. Any mistake, no matter how small, will likely result in your claim being delayed even longer and ultimately denied. Many veteran service organizations exist, and most of them have workers dedicated to helping veterans file claims. I am a Life Member of Veterans of Foreign Wars and a member of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Both of these organizations can provide important information on filing your claim, and drum up support for you while you fight for approval of your claim. Though you may feel alone, know that you are not.

Rule #4 – Be prepared.

As I said earlier, if it is not on paper it never happened. Hopefully, you kept copies of everything your branch of service ever gave you. That is, if you were lucky enough to get a copy for yourself in the first place. Your official records will be the first thing that is checked. The probability your file is incomplete is about the same as the probability that the sun rises in the east tomorrow.

As an example, my medical records cease to exist past October, 2006. I was not released from active duty until July, 2008. The only award in my OMPF? Parachutist badge. Nothing else made it into my file. Fortunately, I have copies of all but my medical records (since the Army refused to release them to me while I was active, and then refused to release them to me upon separation).

If you do not have your records, do whatever you can to get them. Assuming that fails, as it did with the second half of my medical records, find someone who was there with you. Have them write you "buddy letters" for incidents they witnessed or of which they had direct knowledge. Remember, unless your buddy happened to be the diagnosing physician they need to stick to comments that are strictly within their area of expertise. An infantry friend cannot write that an IED detonation gave you TBI. He is not a medical professional. What he can say, is that an IED detonated on your patrol, he saw you get hit in the head and experience a loss of consciousness for however many minutes. Buddy letters are to establish that an event did in fact occur, and was related to your service. Nothing more.

Rule #5 – Make Congress work for you.

Know who your district representative is, know who your senators are. Have their contact information easily accessible, for both local and Washington D.C. offices. When you file a claim, go ahead and start writing a congressional inquiry. I keep an open file on my computer with the details of any claim I have going. If it becomes clear that the VA simply is not working on my claim, which happens, I print that file, scan it, and email it to the local office of my representative for congressional action. As I said above, if it is not on paper it never happened. This includes your VA claims. You need to keep copies of them, and when you’re filing a congressional you should send everything to them.

Once Congress is involved, you will get some sort of response. Refer again to rule number one, be patient. The response you get may not tell you a single thing you did not already know, but it forces someone at the VA to actually touch your file. Usually, this means it gets worked on shortly thereafter and you get some sort of resolution to your problems. This also establishes a paper trail, and takes away anyone’s ability to claim you never asked for information.

Rule #6 – Use the Internet.

This last one should be a no-brainer, considering it is 2010. When I say to use the internet, I do not mean head to Google and search for forms you need to fill out. While that is one good use of the internet, you have bigger fish to fry.

Consider the following, the VA has shifted some attention to “new media” and now has it’s ear to the ground listening to the buzz on Twitter and blogs. My Post-9/11 GI Bill saga post is ultimately what got my Ch33 claim finalized for Fall 2009. I shared it on my Twitter account, it was retweeted (echoed) by several other veterans online (to include IAVA’s Paul Rieckhoff) and ultimately the VA responded from their accounts.

Twitter is free. Blogs are free. You probably already have a Facebook account. All of these can serve to get your case noticed, and resolved. You just have to use them together, and keep at it. Remember what I said about the squeaky wheel getting the grease? Get your squeaks amplified by the internet and you might get a shiny new set of wheel bearings.

If anyone else has suggestions I left out, feel free to leave them as comments. I’ll add them to the body of the post. Never give up, and never accept defeat. If you earned an honorable discharge, you held up your end of the deal. Do not let the government back out of their end.

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Plan B worked

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

Late in 2009, I posted my concerns that admissions into the Cullen College of Engineering at the University of Houston was going to be impossible without some help. Yesterday, I got that help and left campus knowing my petition to officially declare a major in mechanical engineering had its first signature. Now that I actually have a target, can lock myself down and make sure I hit it.

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Retroactive Stop Loss Pay

Monday, January 4th, 2010

Just got this most excellent email:

Sir,

Your claim has been reviewed by a case manager and it will be completed shortly. Your claim was submitted for 12 months. The case manager determined you are eligible for 12 months. This calculation is based on the difference between your ETS, (contractual obligation) and your release from active duty (REFRAD date). It is only for days served on active duty. Additionally, recent legislation concerning re-enlistment bonuses may affect an individual?s eligibility for retroactive stop loss pay. The legislation requires the Army to review all claims, to verify whether or not the soldier received a bonus, prior to delivery to DFAS for payment. Therefore this will require additional time to process all claims. Thank you.

-Stop Loss Case Manager NC

Considering the fact that I took no bonus money, I should be expecting nine months of tax-free stop loss money, and three months of taxed stop loss money (my last three months were outside of a designated combat zone). Good news indeed.

If you are a veteran and fell under stop loss in OIF or OEF, and you do not know what I am talking about you need to go read this now.

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RIP Midnight, my Malaysian Wondermutt.

Friday, January 1st, 2010

14 years ago, I found a litter of puppies in a trash pile on the other side of the planet in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I kept one as my dog, and named him Midnight (the others also got good homes). Tonight, we had to put him down. Luckily, all of his people were here to say goodbye. My siblings, my parents, and my grandparents. We all loved him, and he loved us all back. He was the best dog ever; my family and I will miss him.

Midnight, 2006

Midnight, 2006

Midnight

Midnight, Christmas 2006

Midnight

Midnight, 2007

Midnight with Grandpa

Midnight with my Grandpa

Posted in Updates | 3 Responses »

It Lives!

Friday, January 1st, 2010

After three full years of sitting in the garage, my Dad’s Galant lives. He took it apart right after I got home from Iraq the first time, in 2006, to change the timing belt. This was supposed to be a father-son project, but it just didn’t happen like that for various reasons. Now that I live at home again, it was time to get the car out of the garage. Sooner was better than later, since I’m pretty sure my Mom was ready to set fire to the garage.

Putting things back together was not nearly as difficult as I’d feared. A few things were annoying, but that’s to be expected when working on a Japanese vehicle. It fired up with the first turn of the key, and ran quite well for a vehicle that hadn’t had a drop of gas in the tank for years. Today, I flushed out the radiator and everything seems to be working well. Even the AC still works, which is all kinds of impressive. My truck won’t hold R134a for more than a month, the Galant held a seal for several years.

The Galant is running again

Finally running again.

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A new hobby is born

Monday, December 28th, 2009

Most everyone that reads this even semi-regularly is fully aware that I like beer, a lot. My digital beer wall is rather incomplete right now; I have more than 15 new beers to add to the collection, I just have not made my way to setting up the lightbox and taking more photos. Eventually, I will re-shoot everything anyway.

So, now that we have established that I enjoy beer I’ll introduce the new hobby. Brewing my own beer. Countless hours inside The Ginger Man in Austin, Texas, put me in contact with brewers and other beer enthusiasts in Central Texas. When I moved to Houston, one of the first beer-related events I attended was a release-party of sorts for the Saint Arnold Divine Reserve 8. I was surrounded by home-brewing beer fiends. The creator of the Divine Reserve 8 was seated directly behind me. Hearing the men that made the recipes for, and brewed, the beers I loved sparked something inside me.

For months, I did not really do anything about this spark. The fuel was added when I stumbled into a thread on my favorite motorcycling forum about brewing one’s own beer. Fuel plus spark equals a full blown fire. Fortunately for me, my parents took note of all the talk about brewing my own beer and got me a Mr. Beer kit. At this very moment, I have a 2.5 gallon batch of their West Coast Pale Ale fermenting in my closet.

Something tells me as I read, and learn, more about brewing beer I will end up with an inordinate amount of equipment. My goal? Creating my own Belgian Tripel ale.

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Unresolved, the Post-9/11 GI Bill saga (Updated, x3. Scroll down – issue resolved!)

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

Somewhere on the fringe of your memory, you may recall a post I made about the utter failure of the Department of Veteran Affairs to competently roll out the Post-9/11 GI BIll. My story is not unique in any way. My story is shared by, literally, hundreds of thousands of veterans of our ongoing armed conflicts. Veterans who promised something to their country, and upheld that promise. A promise, in the form of the Post-9/11 GI Bill (Ch33 hereafter), was made to us and has not been honored to a degree anyone could consider acceptable.

Four months. That is how long it took the VA to figure out I was eligible for Ch33. Keep in mind I had already been in the VA’s system for education benefits for a year under the Montgomery GI Bill, and am also in the VA’s system for disability and compensation. The requirements for Ch33 eligibility are simply not that hard to vet, especially not for veterans of an active-duty component. Did the veteran have 36 or more months of continuous active-duty service after September 11, 2001, and receive an honorable discharge? One sheet of paper contains all of this information, and the VA has this sheet of paper with my name on it in at least triplicate. Even the laziest of unskilled work could make it through literally thousands of these claims in a single day if motivated by a bacon double-cheeseburger. I will stop trying to understand how the VA failed to do this, because it defies all logic and I’m not sure even Socrates could come up with an explanation.

Roughly two more months have passed, and my Fall 2009 claim is still incomplete. When the VA found someone able to muster the will to read my DD214 and determine that my honorable discharge after 4 years, 11 months, and 26 days of continuous active-duty service did in fact mean I was eligible for Ch33, they fumbled the ball again. The University of Houston submitted my tuition and fees to the VA correctly, the VA turned around and certified me for a full $1000 less than I was owed. Immediately, I contacted the VA and informed them of their mistake. As far as they were concerned, it must have been my mistake. I got the school to call, and explain exactly what the mistake was and the VA agreed with them. “We will get this fixed,” they said. My account summary at UH still shows a $1000 debt owed. I have already taken half of my finals, and registered for Spring 2010 courses.

If you think that is pitiful, hold on to your chair, it gets worse. Remember the $3000 emergency advance payment the VA so graciously offered when they had veterans dropping out of college, because of the mountains of debt they built up, because the VA failed to deliver BAH payments as promised? I took one of these checks and was informed shortly thereafter the debt would be settled by withholding BAH payments when my claim was finally processed. When I finally got my money in early November, there was $3000 too much money. In early December, I got a full BAH payment for the month of November. The VA still isn’t withholding the money. That’s great, right? Free money! All my problems are, surely, gone! Wrong. Even if the overpayment is entirely the fault of the VA, you will pay it back. This has happened to me before. I have no desire to deal with the same sort of insanity again; I put away $3000 somewhere I wouldn’t touch it until either the VA withholds from my future BAH payments, or sends me a another debt-collection notice. Fool me once…

A contact within the Department of Veteran Affairs got me this response to an inquiry about settling the debt from the GI Bill head-honcho Keith Wilson:

“VA is currently developing the process to collect the amount of advance payments received. When the process is developed, VA will provide notification to all students that received an advance payment to ensure they understand the process and their questions are answered.”

If anyone else feels like that is the non-answer of the century, I am glad I have company. Why call veterans, and explain to them that the debt would be settled by withholding from BAH payments if that was not actually the plan?

As the semester draws to an end, I cannot say I look forward to Spring 2010. Allegedly, claims have yet to begin processing for the new semester and that is just another disaster waiting to happen. Ch33 was meant to afford veterans of our most recent wars the ability to go to school and focus only on school. We would not need to work, because we would get a housing allowance. We would not need to worry about how many hours we were taking, because our tuition and fees would be covered. Instead, we were not paid either on time. Instead, fighting to get what we were owed before we had to drop out, or risk drowning in a pool of debt, became a full-time job that robbed us of many hours that could have been spent studying.

This has been said many times, but is worth repeating again. Failing to plan, is planning to fail. The VA failed to plan, and failed us all.

For more information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and some of the ways you can fight back against the VA when they fail to do their jobs, go visit newgibill.org.

Update:
Finals are over, my grades have been posted, and the VA has still not paid for their $1000 mistake in my fees. I have tried to call, every single day, for several days and still cannot get anyone on the phone at the VA. This is absolutely maddening. I shudder to think of how the veterans even less fortunate than myself are taking things, especially this close to Christmas.

People ask me what I want for Christmas. Now I know. Give me a competently run GI Bill, and an effective Department of Veteran Affairs. That is all I want, and it will last me a lifetime.

Update #2:
Christmas has come and gone, and I had a good one. What I did not have, however, was resolution of my ongoing issues with the VA. In fact, things have become even more interesting.

The VA apparently uses Twitter now. Personally, I think they might want to master the technology they already use before they branch out too far into social media. Below is what the VA sent me regarding one of my tweets about underpayment of fees.

From @VAVetBenefits: @anthonymartinez Check w/ your certifying official to see what amounts your school submitted to VA for payment as that is what we pay.

Is that so? I have two documents, which I have scanned (with my personal information redacted) and uploaded here, proving otherwise. In addition to those documents, the VA’s own question system has an open and unresolved entry under my account about the underpayment of my fees started by a VA employee. Since a picture is worth 1000 words, and I have already exceeded 1000 words in this post, look below (click the photo for a larger view). I got lazy with my redaction of personal information, but note the areas highlighted by neon-green arrows.

VA fail

VA Fail

Update #3 – Resolved

From @VAVetBenefits: @anthonymartinez Resolved. Thanks for the info and good luck!

This tweet appeared on my TweetDeck on December 30, 2009. Last night, on my way to my younger brother’s wedding, I got mail from the VA office in Muskogee dated December 29, 2009, that acknowledged the underpayment and informed me they had sent the appropriate $1000 payment to my university.

Big thanks to @DeptVetAffairs and @VAVetBenefits on Twitter for working hard to get my issue resolved. Without them, I’m not sure I’d have ever been paid. Another thanks goes out to Paul Rieckhoff of Iraq and Afganistan Veterans of America for his retweets of my updates here on the blog and the work his organization does to help other veterans in positions even worse than my own.

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