Think Battling Insurance Companies is Tough? Try the Army - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Kuan · #1 06-05-2010, 09:01 AM

http://www.startribune.com/local/95663679.html

Quote:

Despite the loss of his leg, the Army had twice denied Hallberg, 26, of Andover, a $50,000 insurance payment because he could not provide enough medical information "that demonstrates the extent of your loss[es]."

SERIOUSLY?

Pavka007 · #2 06-05-2010, 09:08 AM

This is just unbelievable BS

I friend of mine got $127 000 from a car accident. This guy lost a limb and they still asking for medical information ??? This situation crying for HUGE litigation.

layback40 · #3 06-05-2010, 09:22 AM

insurance companies have a lot to answer for. The army probably has an agent doing the dirty work for them. They will just keep trying to knock you down. It takes a certain type of person to do that sort of work. No social decency Driven by $$ only.

strelnik · #4 06-05-2010, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by layback40

insurance companies have a lot to answer for. The army probably has an agent doing the dirty work for them. They will just keep trying to knock you down. It takes a certain type of person to do that sort of work. No social decency Driven by $$ only.

The real problem is Army administration. Lack of competent administrators who are not officers.

Case in point:

Yesterday I spent 3 hours going over paperwork with a staff sergeant who asked for a letter of endorsement from me and from his commander, a lieutenant colonel, for appointment as a warrant officer.

Both of us denied him his letter because the package he wanted to submit was so screwed up: major misspellings, things missing, directions not followed.

I was not angry with him, but I pointed out that this package would be rejected as soon as any senior warrant officer saw it on the appointment board.

His answer: " I didn't fill it out, the recruiting sergeant did it all; he just asked me a couple questions."

That's a mistake by itself. Own your own fate.

I then spent a half hour showing him what was missing. I then told him what he had to do to fix it, which will include some schools, etc. Over the next year I will help him get the schools, and the duty he needs, to have all the boxes checked for success the first time through.

After he left I spent 30 minutes chewing out the recruiting sergeant, who is an SFC , E-7 and told him what a messed up job he did on behalf of someone whose career he almost trashed.

His response:

1. It wasn't that bad.
2. I may have gotten it through with your two letters.

The Army has an awful lot of NCOs who have no education beyond HS, which makes them useless as administrators, but they get that because they get the rank. They can't write NCO evaluations, letters, c orrespondence involving any exceptions to policy, etc. etc.

They use MS Word to copy templates and just change the names.

As administrators, they are incompetent. Plus they do the minimum.

This whole situation smells so much of-- no, stinks of-- "not my job."

Someone in that chain needs to be fired.

HuskyMan · #5 06-05-2010, 01:15 PM

I've heard that Disabled American Veterans is good at taking up the fight for a vet who is getting the run around.

aklim · #6 06-06-2010, 12:58 AM

A friend of mine lost a lung to cancer. As that was the larger of the 2, he had less than 50% breathing capacity and was disabled. He filled out the proper papers and got it. Unfortunately for him, the story did not end there. He lived for a little too long and suddenly he was denied disability. Reason? According to the govt, one of 2 possibilities occur in cases like his. He either dies or gets better.

We were curious about this. Since the wife and I talked to him, we concluded he was alive. That being the case, the only other thing that could be is that he got better. Since he didn't get a new lung, he must have either grown another one or the one he has suddenly got doubly efficient.

Anyone care to explain how this happened? Since both the wife and I talked to him, it couldn't be that we both imagined he was alive.

layback40 · #7 06-06-2010, 02:40 AM

Strelnik,
Its great to hear there are still some people about in the military with the will to demand high standards!! Admin people do have a habit of 'near enough is good enough'. When that attitude takes control its well on the way to disaster. Personal pride in anything with our name on appears to be in decline.

mgburg · #8 06-06-2010, 05:50 AM

The other way around the "red tape" is...unbelievably...take it directly to his District's Congressional Representative...then to a Senator if that turns into a flask of molasses in January...

Right now, any Congressional Representative that fudges on any HC issue is asking for an Unemployment Boot up his/her arse.

Now's the time to strike while the iron is hot and malleable...

aklim · #9 06-06-2010, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by layback40

Strelnik,
Its great to hear there are still some people about in the military with the will to demand high standards!! Admin people do have a habit of 'near enough is good enough'. When that attitude takes control its well on the way to disaster. Personal pride in anything with our name on appears to be in decline.

Admin people just follow the rules and numbers. Their job is not really to think.

retmil46 · #10 06-06-2010, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strelnik

This whole situation smells so much of-- no, stinks of-- "not my job."

That's the same response I started hearing more and more of my last few years in the Navy in the mid 90's. There were even times when I gave a junior enlisted an order to do something, and got the "not my job" response!

If I'd tried the same response when I was a junior enlisted in the late 70's and early 80's, I'd have gotten a CPO's boot up my arse so far I'd have tasted shoe leather for a month.

It seemed to me there was a sea change going on, starting in the early 90's, with society and political correctness, that lead to this change in attitude with many in the generation that followed mine in military service.

I wouldn't put it off to lack of education so much - sounds more like just doesn't give a **** about doing their jobs in a professional manner, or bothering to learn how to.

As far as the gent who lost his leg getting screwed over - sad to say, I've heard many such stories over the years.

strelnik · #11 06-06-2010, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by layback40

Strelnik,
Its great to hear there are still some people about in the military with the will to demand high standards!! Admin people do have a habit of 'near enough is good enough'. When that attitude takes control its well on the way to disaster. Personal pride in anything with our name on appears to be in decline.

Yes, thanks, I once had a heart-to-heart with a military doctor with my handgun out and sitting on his desk, which cost me several severe a$$-chewings and misery for about 30 days. But that was about 20 years ago.

But the doctor's work ethic changed. Mission accomplished.