Diminished Earning Capacity (DEC)

The Veteran has never been involved in the process, I believe you are mistaking it with the review hearing with VRAB, where the Veteran is in attendance, and can speak directly to, and answer questions from board members. The DEC board, on the other hand, is currently conducted  by VAC employees at your local VAC office, including your CM, who go over all the reports available, to make a decision. ideally, your CM would act as your advocate, but if they are the kind of person who would berate their client, like you described last night, I do not feel that was likely the case, and could be the reason your DEC was denied. But soon, all those same reports, are going to be shipped to some office, and some faceless bureaucrats will decide if the reports, are adequate to support a DEC determination, or not. This effectively takes your greatest advocate, or your greatest opponent, out of the equation.

bigrex wrote:A board is held at your local VAC office, with your CM, thier supervisor, and medical staff. It does not get sent to Charlottetown, like other applications. But apparently, VAC is creating a new office out west, whose sole purpose, will be to adjudicate DEC applications. So they are removing the personal element of it, because your CM will likely see you as more than just a name on a piece of paper. Plus, it will likely cause a backlog, and longer wait times, because instead of having a handful of applications heard by each office, they are all going to be fed to the one office

I `ve read this whole threat and there seems to be two opinions of what happens at a DEC board, I was under the impression that a veterans CM pleads a case before the equivilent of a jury, and this IDT after hearing all the the CM has to say about their client either gives a thumbs up or down. But there are others here who say the fate of a vet receiving a DEC is all in the hands of the CM. The CM recommends to the board whether or not the Veteran should be DEC and the IDT either agrees with the CM OR NOT. i.e. I a CM could report that they do not feel their client has exhausted all efforts and is not ready for DEC, but the IDT could look at all the evidence and disagree and say, no, we feel this veteran is not likely to return to gainful employment. Does any one have any hard facts about who is ultimately in control of a vets fate? Has anyone`s CM outright told them that they were the ones who granted their DEC?

Oh ok. Thanks.

That new office idea out west don’t seem like a favourable move for us, guess time will tell!!

Gunner

A board is held at your local VAC office, with your CM, thier supervisor, and medical staff. It does not get sent to Charlottetown, like other applications. But apparently, VAC is creating a new office out west, whose sole purpose, will be to adjudicate DEC applications. So they are removing the personal element of it, because your CM will likely see you as more than just a name on a piece of paper. Plus, it will likely cause a backlog, and longer wait times, because instead of having a handful of applications heard by each office, they are all going to be fed to the one office

What do you mean by local level?

Well, DEC is currently decided at the local level, so they may feel they have enough reports from your Psychiatrist, to make a final decision.

Claim went to step 3 yesterday. I applied a little over two weeks ago for the cia supplement/DEC. I talked to my Cm that same day before I applied, so I could get the go ahead to make sure she was on the same page. I haven’t heard anything since, is it normal to go to step 3 without hearing anything from my psychiatrist or Cm to ask questions or anything?

I just did the claim on my vac. Did as bigrex suggested and put in DEC pending. Now to wait and see what happens.

Gunner

bigrex wrote:@ Hellraiser. Ok, that's great. It was just your assertion that you had already approved for CIAS, without being DEC, that set off red flags. Because you don't need DEC to get CIA and ELB.

@Gunner, as long as you have the application for CIAS into VAC, before April 1st, it will be grandfathered. You can apply while your DEC is pending. I'm sure that VAC has been seeing plenty of CIAS applications coming in, before people are declared DEC, because they don't want to risk losing out on the benefit, simply because of a date on the calendar.

true bigrex, some people will just not qualify regardless of the date, but for those that feel they do, no wonder there is a push on. Gunner, you and I are in the same boat, my Cm told me, vac has added boards to try and handle the influx of DEC, applicants, I’m also one, my hearing will be between now and April. I also, on the advice of others here, filled out that CIA(s) form in advance, I don’t trust what will happen to it in limbo as you never hear back about it. So the day my hearing sits, I’m putting in another one assuming it’s before April 1, it’s a big loss if you don’t.

I would just write pending. I applied for Rehab, CIA/CIAS, ELB and DEC all on the same day, with my CM, so it's possible to apply before being deemed DEC. It would just be taken in steps.

Bigrex, so should I just check off I am DEC on the form now even tho I’m waiting?

Gunner

@ Hellraiser. Ok, that's great. It was just your assertion that you had already approved for CIAS, without being DEC, that set off red flags. Because you don't need DEC to get CIA and ELB.

@Gunner, as long as you have the application for CIAS into VAC, before April 1st, it will be grandfathered. You can apply while your DEC is pending. I'm sure that VAC has been seeing plenty of CIAS applications coming in, before people are declared DEC, because they don't want to risk losing out on the benefit, simply because of a date on the calendar.

Bigrex, my CM told me yesterday she’s goin to start the process for DEC. So if I don’t hear back before April 1, I guess I’m screwed with regards to getting cia supplement?

Gunner

Rehab was approved, CIA showing up on payments, paperwork states elb will show up soon. I was wrong on cias though. It has been completed in my vac.
Quote
Under subsection 18(1) of the Act, you are also eligible for the Earnings Loss Benefit.
Your benefit will be processed and you will be advised of the monthly benefit amount.



I served 1985-2005
6 un tours
2 humanitarian tours
medically released PTSD, severe depression etc.

Screwed up just like everyone else on here.
Not trolling.

Hellraiser wrote:I applied for CIA/cias/elb late DEC 2018. CIA came thru today, the others have been approved. I have not been deemed DEC yet.
Don't wait, apply today.

Something is just not ringing true here. You said that you applied for everything at the same time, and CIA had been approved that day. But then made it sound as if ELB and CIAS had already been approved, as if they are completely separate benefits. But every Veterans, who has gone through this knows that approval is done in stages. Rehab program would need to be approved, then ELB and CIA, Then get the DEC determination, then you can get CIAS. Also you stated that you applied in late December, but VAC would have been pretty much shut down until after the holidays, so nothing would have been actioned until January. I could see one application, maybe CIA, being approved in roughly 6 weeks, but not everything. Not unless you are a close relative to someone in the upper echelon of the government or VAC.

I'm not saying that you are lying, but we do not know you. We have had trolls create accounts, making false claims, just to cause trouble, or even trying to scam money from members. And your username doesn't alleviate any suspicions.