BMCS00

Hi All, I am currently rated at 20% for degenerative disk disease, and 10% bilateral radiculopathy. Recently my DDD condition worsened, and I now have siatica, bilaterally, because of the disk degeneration at L4-L5 and L5-S1. It is worse in my left side, with tingling and nerve pain on a daily basis, depending on my level of activity. I have had MRI, and an epidural injection treatment, but that was not the end-all cure-all it was touted to be. Is this a condition I can be rated for, or would it be considered pyramiding, since I am already rated for radiculopathy? At this point the sciatica pain and discomfort is greater than the radiculopathy. DAV couldn't give me a clear answer, and I don't want to be throwing darts in the dark, so to speak. Thanks for all your help. --Jim

18 months for DRO review for EED, 30 months for one other item. --Jim

Like Pete53 said. If you joined the service without tinnitus, and got a diagnosis of tinnitus during your service, then it is what it is. Your hearing test was one persons opinion. I wouldn't worry about it until you get the rating decision letter, and see what your rating is for tinnitus. Best of luck to you, --Jim

Thanks everybody. This kid is really messed up. I know about the 800 number. I don't know enough about him to answer the 40 questions they ask to verify who they are talking to, and I don't want to ask him to do it, he has enough on his plate. Sometimes people that read posts here might have the same condition and might already have the code to share. Maybe I need to get his step-dad to call, he should have enough info to get through. Berta, yes the Dr has already put it in writing but for some reason it's taking a long time for that report to get to the folks working on his claim. I have reviewed some of his SMR's and see enough to convince me, he got a psychiatrist at the VAMC to put it in writing, and the C&P Dr did the same. They both said it's very clear cut. This young man returned to Afghanistan after accompanying the body of his best friend home to his family. When they enlisted they promised each others family that if anything happened to one, the other would bring them home to the family. I think that was part of the enlistment contract. When he got back there were at least 2 or 3 PTSD serious 'stressor' situations, and all well documented. He said people with his mos were called a bullet sponge, for obvious reasons. He did get a sizeable enlistment bonus ($20k). thanks again, --Jim Life is good! :D

Hi All, I am helping a friend who was recently returned from Afghanistan. He did 4 years in the Army, and made it home. That in itself is a miracle. He does have some sc conditions, and I can't find a code for them, as the initial 0 or 10% awarded seems too low for the condition. The first one says "Status post left shoulder pectoralis tendon repair", 10% the other says "Chronic right shoulder strain, status post AC repair", 10% I did a search and found what I needed for GERD and Hypertension. Decisions deferred for PTSD and insomnia, VA is waiting for Dr reports from VAMC. His Dr says he has it, no doubt, and feels he meets the criteria for 100% ... at least initially I suppose. This initial award letter came on the heels of a phone call our senator made to someone involved in the process. Long story, I will spare you all, but this young man needs/needed senatorial intervention ... and it seems to be working for him. Any help with the diagnostic codes is appreciated! --Jim Life is good! :D

Hi Huff, Welcome to hadit, sorry for your poor experience. I can say that, although your experience isn't uncommon, I have had very positive experiences with the VA system at Togus, ME. The important piece is that this persons attitude doesn't sway his observations with you during your appointment. Within a couple of weeks you can get a copy of his transcribed notes from the 'release of information' office at your VA hospital. You have to sign a release form, and put the date of your appointment ... and a mailing address. If you are not close enough to stop by conveniently, you can download the form, fill it out, fax it to the release of information office. You will have to make a phone call to find out the correct fax number though. You can download the form here: VA Form vha-10-5345-fill.pdf- Release of Medical Information. In my experience, I get my copies within a couple weeks of sending my release in. Either way, thank-you for your service, and good luck to you. --Jim Life is good! B)

I have had the same problem for a long time. Its the only forum that displays for me in backwards order. I have switched from standard to linear view and vice versa, with no change. I have gone to the link Carlie just posted, and that forum is the only one that will display posts with the oldest one first, and replies below it. I don't understand. Others I have chatted with say it's a coding thing with the forum board. But I don't know how to explain that to T-bird, so I always just scroll to the bottom and read my way up ... I just don't read as much as I would like here. --Jim

Couple things. Did all the tape come off the cartridge before you put it in? Does your printer have a utility that will align and clean the print head? If you click on Start/All Programs, and look for the brand of your printer, and see what's there. Most come with some sort of maintenance utility. --Jim Life is good! :D

With the VCAA letter, there is a 30 day timeframe to submit additional evidence attached to it. If you have submitted all the evidence, there is no need for additional time, right? I think it's worth a shot. --Jim Life is good! :)

Hi Berta, thank-you for your response. I think you made some valid points. VCAA Letter - I'm not being sarcastic, but how do you see that a VCAA letter is faulty or deficient? Is it that they don't list or address all the items on a vets claim? Time frames? I'm not a VSR, I'm a layman, so please bear with me. I'm just trying to get some ideas flowing. Ignored evidence - I'm trying to think of a way for a VSR to confirm they read all]/b] the medical evidence to a veterans satisfaction. I'm not sure we can. On the other hand, the veteran can use a highlighter and sticky notes on any medical evidence that gets sent in, to point out key information. I think a veteran being proactive in the process is important, and doing the best they can to present the information needed for a favorable decision. I was thinking that each RO should have a process in place for the team whose initial work was overturned by the BVA, to review each remand case, glean some lessons learned and share them with the others involved in the RO process, so they can strive to not make the same mistake twice. Does that make sense? Just a thought. Thanks again Berta, --Jim Life is good!

It's easy enough to complain about how long it takes to get what seems to be a simple claim through the process in a timely fashion. We all know complaining does little good unless the right person hears it. Some of you have worked as a VSR or for the VA in some other capacity in your past, most of us sit around and wait for our claims to be finished to our satisfaction. How about post here some ways to improve the process. I think it takes too long between Comp & Pen exam to rating decision, but I don't know or understand the process in between. I think a timeline should be established for a new claim, from the day it arrives at the VBA to the day a rating decision is made. How long should it take for each step of the process? How many steps to the process are there? Are we really just searching for the holy grail in the world of disability claims processing? I would like to foster some discussion here, and see what we can come up with ... what do you say? Jim Life is good! B)

Not sure, but it sounds like you have some $$ coming your way. Like jerrbilly said ... keep an eye on your bank account and mailbox. --Jim Life is good! :(

It's a good idea to get help from one of the service organizations, such as the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), or the American Legion (AL) ... They are all good at helping a veteran in filling out all those forms, and getting them where they need to go, and helping the vet understand the process. This is especially important if this is your first time through the claims process. Good luck! --Jim Life is good! B)

I think post-determination is the part of the process that does the administrative steps in order to finalize your claim. Your claim is still open because it's not been finalized yet. I don't know what the administrative steps are, I'm sure someone else will chime in. --Jim Life is good! B)