Board of Veterans Appeals (Attorney Advisor)

[Anonymous]

Do you guys really care if someone has their diploma or bar admission on their wall? Who gives a shit? Doesn't matter if they went to George Mason, George Washington, Georgetown, Florida International, or if they went they went to Kaplan or whatever school it was that created an online JD. A diploma is a diploma, and a degree is something to be proud of.

If you're shaming someone for putting a diploma on their wall, you are the problem. It is your problem that you're insecure that you are working at the same low-satisfaction ranked agency as folks from lower ranked schools. Maybe you should have worked harder and done better during OCI. Spend some time working on your anxiety over your situation, and less shit talking your hard working colleagues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you guys really care if someone has their diploma or bar admission on their wall? Who gives a shit? Doesn't matter if they went to George Mason, George Washington, Georgetown, Florida International, or if they went they went to Kaplan or whatever school it was that created an online JD. A diploma is a diploma, and a degree is something to be proud of.

If you're shaming someone for putting a diploma on their wall, you are the problem. It is your problem that you're insecure that you are working at the same low-satisfaction ranked agency as folks from lower ranked schools. Maybe you should have worked harder and done better during OCI. Spend some time working on your anxiety over your situation, and less shit talking your hard working colleagues.

Honestly, I went to a top law school but I’m doing the same job and passed the same bar as my cohorts who went to unranked law schools, so who cares? We going to talk about LSAT scores next? Did some of y’all peak in law school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you guys really care if someone has their diploma or bar admission on their wall? Who gives a shit? Doesn't matter if they went to George Mason, George Washington, Georgetown, Florida International, or if they went they went to Kaplan or whatever school it was that created an online JD. A diploma is a diploma, and a degree is something to be proud of.

If you're shaming someone for putting a diploma on their wall, you are the problem. It is your problem that you're insecure that you are working at the same low-satisfaction ranked agency as folks from lower ranked schools. Maybe you should have worked harder and done better during OCI. Spend some time working on your anxiety over your situation, and less shit talking your hard working colleagues.

I don't think anyone cares. The reference to diplomas on the wall goes back to a troll post quoted above. The person hates the Board for some reason and spends a lot of time on insult posts about Board employees and their work.

[Anonymous]

https://afgelocal17.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025.02.04-Takano-Blumenthal-Ltr-to-SECVA-re-BVA-Remote-work-exemption-Final.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you guys really care if someone has their diploma or bar admission on their wall? Who gives a shit? Doesn't matter if they went to George Mason, George Washington, Georgetown, Florida International, or if they went they went to Kaplan or whatever school it was that created an online JD. A diploma is a diploma, and a degree is something to be proud of.

If you're shaming someone for putting a diploma on their wall, you are the problem. It is your problem that you're insecure that you are working at the same low-satisfaction ranked agency as folks from lower ranked schools. Maybe you should have worked harder and done better during OCI. Spend some time working on your anxiety over your situation, and less shit talking your hard working colleagues.

I don't think anyone cares. The reference to diplomas on the wall goes back to a troll post quoted above. The person hates the Board for some reason and spends a lot of time on insult posts about Board employees and their work.

The vast majority of criticisms about the Board in this thread relate to the toxic work environment. These are legitimate criticisms. You all need to stop focusing on the handful of sarcastic comments from one or two “trolls” and focus more on how to improve the work environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you guys really care if someone has their diploma or bar admission on their wall? Who gives a shit? Doesn't matter if they went to George Mason, George Washington, Georgetown, Florida International, or if they went they went to Kaplan or whatever school it was that created an online JD. A diploma is a diploma, and a degree is something to be proud of.

If you're shaming someone for putting a diploma on their wall, you are the problem. It is your problem that you're insecure that you are working at the same low-satisfaction ranked agency as folks from lower ranked schools. Maybe you should have worked harder and done better during OCI. Spend some time working on your anxiety over your situation, and less shit talking your hard working colleagues.

I don't think anyone cares. The reference to diplomas on the wall goes back to a troll post quoted above. The person hates the Board for some reason and spends a lot of time on insult posts about Board employees and their work.

The vast majority of criticisms about the Board in this thread relate to the toxic work environment. These are legitimate criticisms. You all need to stop focusing on the handful of sarcastic comments from one or two “trolls” and focus more on how to improve the work environment.[/

“You all need to focus on how to improve the work environment.” My work environment is fine at BVA, so speak for yourself. Even if it weren’t, how do you propose that lowly and nonsupervisory GS11-14s fix it? I’m curious.

[Anonymous]

mass firings at other agencies of probationary employees:

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/12/politics/scores-of-firings-federal-agencies

so far BVA probationary employees have been told they are okay.

[Anonymous]

Off topic, but anyone get their bonuses?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you guys really care if someone has their diploma or bar admission on their wall? Who gives a shit? Doesn't matter if they went to George Mason, George Washington, Georgetown, Florida International, or if they went they went to Kaplan or whatever school it was that created an online JD. A diploma is a diploma, and a degree is something to be proud of.

If you're shaming someone for putting a diploma on their wall, you are the problem. It is your problem that you're insecure that you are working at the same low-satisfaction ranked agency as folks from lower ranked schools. Maybe you should have worked harder and done better during OCI. Spend some time working on your anxiety over your situation, and less shit talking your hard working colleagues.

I don't think anyone cares. The reference to diplomas on the wall goes back to a troll post quoted above. The person hates the Board for some reason and spends a lot of time on insult posts about Board employees and their work.

The vast majority of criticisms about the Board in this thread relate to the toxic work environment. These are legitimate criticisms. You all need to stop focusing on the handful of sarcastic comments from one or two “trolls” and focus more on how to improve the work environment.

No one is "focusing" on the diploma troll, also known as the troll who thinks writing a 5 page SOC is the same as writing a 40 page decision.

Trust me, the Board has always had a challenging work environment due to the nature of production. The answer is to get on with it and be happy you have a secure job or find another place to work.

If you are actively being discriminated against file an EEO complaint or grievance or invest in a private attorney. You are not going to find a ton of sympathy for slowing down the work requirements in an agency that consistently has a backlog in the thousands.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you guys really care if someone has their diploma or bar admission on their wall? Who gives a shit? Doesn't matter if they went to George Mason, George Washington, Georgetown, Florida International, or if they went they went to Kaplan or whatever school it was that created an online JD. A diploma is a diploma, and a degree is something to be proud of.

If you're shaming someone for putting a diploma on their wall, you are the problem. It is your problem that you're insecure that you are working at the same low-satisfaction ranked agency as folks from lower ranked schools. Maybe you should have worked harder and done better during OCI. Spend some time working on your anxiety over your situation, and less shit talking your hard working colleagues.

I don't think anyone cares. The reference to diplomas on the wall goes back to a troll post quoted above. The person hates the Board for some reason and spends a lot of time on insult posts about Board employees and their work.

The vast majority of criticisms about the Board in this thread relate to the toxic work environment. These are legitimate criticisms. You all need to stop focusing on the handful of sarcastic comments from one or two “trolls” and focus more on how to improve the work environment.

No one is "focusing" on the diploma troll, also known as the troll who thinks writing a 5 page SOC is the same as writing a 40 page decision.

Trust me, the Board has always had a challenging work environment due to the nature of production. The answer is to get on with it and be happy you have a secure job or find another place to work.

If you are actively being discriminated against file an EEO complaint or grievance or invest in a private attorney. You are not going to find a ton of sympathy for slowing down the work requirements in an agency that consistently has a backlog in the thousands.

Let’s be real, most BVA decisions are three to five pages long. Few decisions are more than 10 pages long. I’ve never seen a 40 page long BVA decision.

And, improving the toxic work environment at BVA doesn’t mean slowing down the work. Those two goals are not mutually inconsistent.
There’s a reason why BVA is near the bottom of work force quality of life surveys. But, on the bright side, BVA ranks higher than the Bureau of Prisons

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Off topic, but anyone get their bonuses?

They didn't come out until June(?) or so last year, right? Since we still don't have a budget, and the Board may need to spend more money on office space and equipment, I'm not expecting them for a while.

Or maybe I didn't get one this year. Who knows? I got all exceptionals on my yearly eval, but nothing ever gets communicated at the Board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you guys really care if someone has their diploma or bar admission on their wall? Who gives a shit? Doesn't matter if they went to George Mason, George Washington, Georgetown, Florida International, or if they went they went to Kaplan or whatever school it was that created an online JD. A diploma is a diploma, and a degree is something to be proud of.

If you're shaming someone for putting a diploma on their wall, you are the problem. It is your problem that you're insecure that you are working at the same low-satisfaction ranked agency as folks from lower ranked schools. Maybe you should have worked harder and done better during OCI. Spend some time working on your anxiety over your situation, and less shit talking your hard working colleagues.

I don't think anyone cares. The reference to diplomas on the wall goes back to a troll post quoted above. The person hates the Board for some reason and spends a lot of time on insult posts about Board employees and their work.

The vast majority of criticisms about the Board in this thread relate to the toxic work environment. These are legitimate criticisms. You all need to stop focusing on the handful of sarcastic comments from one or two “trolls” and focus more on how to improve the work environment.

No one is "focusing" on the diploma troll, also known as the troll who thinks writing a 5 page SOC is the same as writing a 40 page decision.

Trust me, the Board has always had a challenging work environment due to the nature of production. The answer is to get on with it and be happy you have a secure job or find another place to work.

If you are actively being discriminated against file an EEO complaint or grievance or invest in a private attorney. You are not going to find a ton of sympathy for slowing down the work requirements in an agency that consistently has a backlog in the thousands.

Let’s be real, most BVA decisions are three to five pages long. Few decisions are more than 10 pages long. I’ve never seen a 40 page long BVA decision.

And, improving the toxic work environment at BVA doesn’t mean slowing down the work. Those two goals are not mutually inconsistent.
There’s a reason why BVA is near the bottom of work force quality of life surveys. But, on the bright side, BVA ranks higher than the Bureau of Prisons

You have never seen a 40-page decision? It's actually quite common.

How long did you work at the Board, a few months?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you guys really care if someone has their diploma or bar admission on their wall? Who gives a shit? Doesn't matter if they went to George Mason, George Washington, Georgetown, Florida International, or if they went they went to Kaplan or whatever school it was that created an online JD. A diploma is a diploma, and a degree is something to be proud of.

If you're shaming someone for putting a diploma on their wall, you are the problem. It is your problem that you're insecure that you are working at the same low-satisfaction ranked agency as folks from lower ranked schools. Maybe you should have worked harder and done better during OCI. Spend some time working on your anxiety over your situation, and less shit talking your hard working colleagues.

I don't think anyone cares. The reference to diplomas on the wall goes back to a troll post quoted above. The person hates the Board for some reason and spends a lot of time on insult posts about Board employees and their work.

The vast majority of criticisms about the Board in this thread relate to the toxic work environment. These are legitimate criticisms. You all need to stop focusing on the handful of sarcastic comments from one or two “trolls” and focus more on how to improve the work environment.

No one is "focusing" on the diploma troll, also known as the troll who thinks writing a 5 page SOC is the same as writing a 40 page decision.

Trust me, the Board has always had a challenging work environment due to the nature of production. The answer is to get on with it and be happy you have a secure job or find another place to work.

If you are actively being discriminated against file an EEO complaint or grievance or invest in a private attorney. You are not going to find a ton of sympathy for slowing down the work requirements in an agency that consistently has a backlog in the thousands.

Let’s be real, most BVA decisions are three to five pages long. Few decisions are more than 10 pages long. I’ve never seen a 40 page long BVA decision.

And, improving the toxic work environment at BVA doesn’t mean slowing down the work. Those two goals are not mutually inconsistent.
There’s a reason why BVA is near the bottom of work force quality of life surveys. But, on the bright side, BVA ranks higher than the Bureau of Prisons

You must have had a lot of CAVC remands on your crappy 3-5 page decisions before you were dismissed, likely for insufficient reasons and bases. Mine are only that short if it’s a dismissal. No wonder you didn’t make it. Good luck at the Bureau of Prisons!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you guys really care if someone has their diploma or bar admission on their wall? Who gives a shit? Doesn't matter if they went to George Mason, George Washington, Georgetown, Florida International, or if they went they went to Kaplan or whatever school it was that created an online JD. A diploma is a diploma, and a degree is something to be proud of.

If you're shaming someone for putting a diploma on their wall, you are the problem. It is your problem that you're insecure that you are working at the same low-satisfaction ranked agency as folks from lower ranked schools. Maybe you should have worked harder and done better during OCI. Spend some time working on your anxiety over your situation, and less shit talking your hard working colleagues.

I don't think anyone cares. The reference to diplomas on the wall goes back to a troll post quoted above. The person hates the Board for some reason and spends a lot of time on insult posts about Board employees and their work.

The vast majority of criticisms about the Board in this thread relate to the toxic work environment. These are legitimate criticisms. You all need to stop focusing on the handful of sarcastic comments from one or two “trolls” and focus more on how to improve the work environment.

No one is "focusing" on the diploma troll, also known as the troll who thinks writing a 5 page SOC is the same as writing a 40 page decision.

Trust me, the Board has always had a challenging work environment due to the nature of production. The answer is to get on with it and be happy you have a secure job or find another place to work.

If you are actively being discriminated against file an EEO complaint or grievance or invest in a private attorney. You are not going to find a ton of sympathy for slowing down the work requirements in an agency that consistently has a backlog in the thousands.

Let’s be real, most BVA decisions are three to five pages long. Few decisions are more than 10 pages long. I’ve never seen a 40 page long BVA decision.

And, improving the toxic work environment at BVA doesn’t mean slowing down the work. Those two goals are not mutually inconsistent.
There’s a reason why BVA is near the bottom of work force quality of life surveys. But, on the bright side, BVA ranks higher than the Bureau of Prisons

You must have had a lot of CAVC remands on your crappy 3-5 page decisions before you were dismissed, likely for insufficient reasons and bases. Mine are only that short if it’s a dismissal. No wonder you didn’t make it. Good luck at the Bureau of Prisons!

The average grant of service connection is very short. You know full well that grants aren’t appealed to CAVC. And considering that CAVC remands more than 70 percent of cases, getting a case remanded is not unusual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you guys really care if someone has their diploma or bar admission on their wall? Who gives a shit? Doesn't matter if they went to George Mason, George Washington, Georgetown, Florida International, or if they went they went to Kaplan or whatever school it was that created an online JD. A diploma is a diploma, and a degree is something to be proud of.

If you're shaming someone for putting a diploma on their wall, you are the problem. It is your problem that you're insecure that you are working at the same low-satisfaction ranked agency as folks from lower ranked schools. Maybe you should have worked harder and done better during OCI. Spend some time working on your anxiety over your situation, and less shit talking your hard working colleagues.

I don't think anyone cares. The reference to diplomas on the wall goes back to a troll post quoted above. The person hates the Board for some reason and spends a lot of time on insult posts about Board employees and their work.

The vast majority of criticisms about the Board in this thread relate to the toxic work environment. These are legitimate criticisms. You all need to stop focusing on the handful of sarcastic comments from one or two “trolls” and focus more on how to improve the work environment.

No one is "focusing" on the diploma troll, also known as the troll who thinks writing a 5 page SOC is the same as writing a 40 page decision.

Trust me, the Board has always had a challenging work environment due to the nature of production. The answer is to get on with it and be happy you have a secure job or find another place to work.

If you are actively being discriminated against file an EEO complaint or grievance or invest in a private attorney. You are not going to find a ton of sympathy for slowing down the work requirements in an agency that consistently has a backlog in the thousands.

Let’s be real, most BVA decisions are three to five pages long. Few decisions are more than 10 pages long. I’ve never seen a 40 page long BVA decision.

And, improving the toxic work environment at BVA doesn’t mean slowing down the work. Those two goals are not mutually inconsistent.
There’s a reason why BVA is near the bottom of work force quality of life surveys. But, on the bright side, BVA ranks higher than the Bureau of Prisons

You have never seen a 40-page decision? It's actually quite common.

How long did you work at the Board, a few months?

Long decisions are not the norm. Otherwise, it would be impossible to draft three decisions a week.