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eddingtons

Seaman
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About eddingtons

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  • Service Connected Disability
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eddingtons's Achievements

  1. Understand that with PTSD.. getting a job was never the problem.. Keeping the job was.. Not sure what your relationship is with family but it helped my case to have my wife write a letter showing how my mental illness effected all parts of my life such as not able to care for our children when depressed because I can not care for myself. The VA acknowledge that she was not a medical expert but did contribute as a witness to my state of mind. She wrote a letter describing me as my condition on the worst day possible. Too often we want to appear strong and able even though it can hurt us. It helps to have someone work with you who knows you on the best of days and the worst of days who can describe it in detail.
  2. I receive SSDI. I applied for it at the same time as first VA claim and was approved for it two weeks before my 70% VA for Bi-Polar. I know that Bi-Polar is a mental disability as well as PTSD and that 100% is the maximum benefit. I applied immediately for 100% after 70% rating and received it one year later. I am very fortunate that my claims went through quickly. Maybe because I only had one condition and a long history of mental illness with the VA. I was in the nuclear power program in the Navy and had a pretty strict psych eval showing I was normal when I went in but received an honorable discharge for a mental illness. Called it a personality disorder then and put a letter in my service record stating that the Navy took no responsibly for this mental disorder either direct or implied. Kind of hard to say not service connected with that letter in there.. I hated it when I first had to read it but twenty years later it seemed to help expedite things What I wanted to know is should I submit evidence of PTSD to show that this Bi-Polar is not likely to get better as the triggering event and aggravating issue is PTSD as a result of Military Sexual Trauma. I know MST is usually women but there is a psych lady I am working with in Cincinnati who is researching and finding many more male vets who are victims and have never received treatment. I was also told by KDVA to never utilize Voc Rehab as the VA would use that against me to say I was capable of working but I see what you are saying that Voc Rehab can swing both ways. Thanks, Sean
  3. Do I send a letter to Louisville C/O Service Manager or is there an actual peron's name? If it is an actual name how can I find out who the service manager is? Thank you for your help!
  4. I was rated 100% in March of 2010. My disability is Bi-Polar and I was determined to be unemployable but in same ratings letter they stated that I was 100% so unemployability was not necessary. I go to VA for all of my health needs and my children have a medical card through the state of KY but my wife does not have health coverage. Because I am not PT my dependents do not qualify for Champ VA.. I have thought about applying for PT but my rep through Kentucky Dept of Veteran Affairs and others at Louisville regional office all say dont rock the boat. You are 100% but if you draw attention to that you are asking for trouble and may get reduced. Personally I dont see my condition ever improving. Technically it is PTSD due to sexual trauma aboard a ship but I have not applied for compensation for PTSD as I receive compensation for Bi-Polar. Quesion.. can I submit evidence of PTSD without a new claim? Are these service reps correct that asking to be PT to provide health insurance for my family could hurt my family? I really worry about leaving my family if I should die without money. I tried to get additional term life insurance but was turned down flat by many insurance companies because I have had in patient hospital stays related to my mental illness. It seems wrong that my mental illness causes me to be hospitalized at the VA yet if I died tomorrow I could not protect my families support. My wife and children would only receive compensation if I died as a result of my SC disablity..not likely unless I commit suicide or die of a drug related illness.
  5. I am very fortunate that I was awarded 70% SC for Bi-Polar just three months after applying in 2010. I was also very fortunate to have that bumped to 100% just one year later and my wife and most children added without a hitch. It took six months to have two children added as some how their birth certificates were put in the wrong data base and everytime a representative looked at my claim it appeared as if everything was correct when in reality two children were missing. It took a trip to Louisville and someone manually walking a file to a supervisor to have correction made and then all things were great.. Until one of those two children turned 18 in August of 2012. I submitted the paperwork four times saying she was still in high school. Yet every time I called it was not showing until I had my KY dept of Veteran affairs fax it in..now it shows that it was received but I still have not received compensation for her since she fell off after turning 18. I had my claim reviewed for a hospitalization and she was not added back, I also had another child born in 2012 who was added but she was not put back on...why look at one part of a claim but not the other. Now this child is applying to college so I will have to submit more paperwork showing that she is still in school. I have not had her added back for high school yet I have to show proof that she is in college. How can I get her added and stop her from constantly falling off. I understand that there are much more pressing issues than a simple dependent add but shouldn't they have a seperate dept for simple things like dependent addition/subtractions to free up agents to work on "real" claims? It shows on E-benefits as being in the rating phase. This is not a ratings decision..it is merely adding back a child that was already listed on the claim.
  6. I was just recently rated at 100% scheduler and received one year back pay for the difference of 70% to 100%. I would like to be able to buy a house sometime soon but the problem I have is that I have really poor credit. I just finished a bankruptcy in Dec 2010 before I was awarded 100% Prior to that my wife and I with six children had a taxable income of 14,000. A large part of my bad credit were due to my SC disability affecting my ability to work. Now that I have an income from VA and SSDI I can afford a mortgage where I never could before. How can I express to banks that although I was a credit risk before I now have the ability to pay for a home? Is there anyway to have a mortgage lender be able to secure a lower interest rate if poor credit was related to disability? I know that I can eventually get a VA loan but everything I have read seems to suggest that my credit be really good or at least be two years out of bankruptcy.
  7. Not sure about Chap 35. It did mention that unemployabiltiy was moot as schedule had been changed to 100% instead of 70%. Was very excited to realize when I reread with wife this morning on April Fools no less that the start date was Feb 2010 not Feb 2011 and when I checked direct deposit info this morning that was reflected. Thank you everyone on this forum. It makes a vet feel so supported!
  8. Big envelope today! I opened and skimmed.. 100%! I will wait until wife reads the rest, because it is difficult to hear the specifics even if they are about me. So glad, this helps our family so much. We have six kids still at home so money is always needed. It was dated back to Feb 2010. Fastest turnaround time ever!
  9. Claim now shows at notification phase. I will be very surprised to find positive that fast..but still have to hope.
  10. Thanks. I sent in a copy of a letter I had from my last employer when I requested a medical leave of absence but not the actual form from the VA. It was a form filled out by my VA doctor for my employer asking for a leave. I dropped the VA form off to HR but I dont know if they responded to the VA or not. I am hoping that it is going quickly because everything is in order and because I only have one service connected disabiltiy. It should simplify my case that SSDI is for same disabiltiy. The only hold up would be if they decide that I am not better or worse. Now it is just a waiting game.
  11. I filed the form to ask for TDIU on Feb 4. I had a CP beginning of March and my claim already is in the decision phase. I did not submit a letter explaining how my 70% Bi-polar had worsened but it was stated in my form asking for increase. My wife submitted a letter explaining how our lives are effected. My VA psych dr submitted info that my condition had worsened and that I could not work. I submitted a couple of employment forms and requested others but I do not think they responded. They received the records from Social Security showing that I received SSDI for service connected disabilty. I have no idea what the CP doctor put. She could have said I was worse or she could have said nothing derogatory but nothing helpful. The problem I am wondering is that it was difficult to show that my disabilty has gotten worse in the last year because I have been unable to work. I stopped working Dec 2009. I was first awarded Feb 2010. They knew I was not working in Feb when I was first awarded but I had only been out of work 2 months. Will the fact that I have not had a job or even applied for work be enough to show that I have gotten worse. I was in a partial hospital program at the time of CP in 2010 and have not had any further for Depression, however I was hospitalized in Oct 2010 for an ulcer because I stopped eating for a month and my meds ate a hole in my stomach. No direct evidence showing that meds caused it but I dont take ibuprofen so likely lithium etc caused it. I also lost 30 lbs during that month because I could not eat because of depression. So in a round about way I guess I showed that my condition worsened. It is just difficult to list ABC reasons that I am worse than I was last year. I was rated at 70% and am probably still 70% but would like to receive 100% unemployment compensation since my disability prevents me from working. I have had 10 plus jobs in the last 10 years, everything from a computer helpdesk at Procter and Gamble to a ramp guy for an airline. I lost them all for memory issues to I hate to admit it but theft due to impulse issues. I did explain all this in my CP exam. Should I ask for my CP exam at VA hospital or just wait for decision. Ultimately I guess the CP alone does not decide anything but I thought it meant a great deal??
  12. Thanks for all your help in this process. I looked at the form for Employers and in the section 21-4192 the top section says to be completed by the VA. Can I fill this out and send to my former employers myself? What address should I put for them to return the info? Can I put my own and then forward to the VA? I am just trying to be proactive but I dont want to break some rule either. Thanks, Sean
  13. Thank you so much.. I was just thinking is that one year from date of approval or date of letter.. and then lo and behold my answer was posted. My letter is dated June 30 2010. I understand the format for the NOD but I am confused am I appealing the original 70% or am I filing a seperate case for IU? I am supossed to ask that the 70% be increased seperate from asking for TDIU? I have already filed the form 21-8940 asking for increased compensation.. so should I also file a NOD or will that complicate matters? I am going to seek out a new service organization to help me. My last rep told me incorrect information such as IU must be paid back if at a later time it is determined that vet did not qualify for Perm and Total. It was suggested that I seek out Ky Dept of Veteran Affairs.. My only concern is that they are paid by state of KY vs a volunteer organization. Does anyone know if I sign up with a service organization can I still submit supporting documents IE my letter from SSDI showing that I was approved? Also my letter just shows that I receive SSDI not what disabiltiy it is for, even though my only disablity is Bi-Polar and hence I receive SSDI for service connected disablity. Does VA contact SSDI to confirm reason for compensation?
  14. HI. I was awarded 70% for Bi-Polar Feb 2010. I recently submited 21-8940 to increase to TDIU since my bi-polar has effected all my jobs in the past five years and I have not worked since Dec 31 2009. My VA doctor noted in my chart that I was unemployable. Today I visited the Louisville Ky office of to check on the status of two of my children who were not added to my case when the other four were.. vet rep said they were sitting in limbo..well actually the term was filebase but he helped to fix that situation. While I was there I questioned whether my DAV rep was correct in telling me that I could not file for 100 Perm and total and TDIU that I had to choose one or the other. The veteran service rep explained that no I didnt have to choose but that if you qualify for PT you obviously would not need TDIU. That part made sense what did not make sense is that he told me I would not qualify for either since I only have one SC disability. He told me I would have to have at least one more even if it was only 10% before they would even look at me for either TDIU or PT. Strange thing is that when I received my 70% award letter there was a 21-8940 form included. Is it correct that no matter what you have to have two separate SC disabilities?
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