labrat

Penelope, How's it going? Did you apply for Voc Rehab through the VA? Did you apply for TDIU? Since you are at 60% for CFS alone you do meet the scheduler requirements for TDIU. Also, your income is below the poverty level (as you get SSDI) so you meet the income requirements for TDIU. The Unemployability form 21-8940 asks to list your last 5 years of employment -including time lost from illness which would support your claim for IU. You can attach information to the 21-8940 form to explain more such as accommodations. Along with the TDIU form, I included a resignation letter that I had from my last full time position stating I resigned due to my medical condition. I was granted 60% for CFS and TDIU with the help of a veteran's lawyer.

I recently joined the forum though I've been reading it for awhile but was afraid to join before my claim was approved. I got a call from the local VA office the day after Thanksgiving and was told that my claim was done and I'd be getting a large deposit into my bank account. This was from my initial claim from 2009 for CFS which was approved at the BVA. I did hire a lawyer but didn't think I had much chance of even getting service connected due to the length of time I'd been out of service and the issue - CFS related to vaccines I was given for my laboratory research position while in service. I did have a nexus letter from a private doctor and two letters that my VA neurologist wrote (for private disability) that said I could only work 3-4 hours per day due to my cfs. My C and P was very favorable also. The C and P dr had done her homework, reading my files and the statement for TDIU that I'd sent to the lawyer days before the C and P exam. She even did the correct dbq (for CFS) when the paperwork requested the wrong infectious disease dbq. Just wanted to share my story of a successful claim to give others hope for positive outcomes too. Tracy

Yes Vync, according to the disability loan discharge paperwork I got from Nelnet, the IRS does consider student loan discharge as taxable income. I just applied for the student loan discharge due to TDIU, p and t.

I don't know about C and P for TBI, but in my case I never had a C and P exam until after I was awarded service connection by the BVA. I think it was because my medical records documented that I had the claimed condition (CFS) and the VA and VHA medical experts just looked at my record instead of giving me a C and P exam.