Hey all, I know alot of you have been following my claims for the last 2+years that I have been a member of Hadit. Some background on my claim; I filed for PTSD 3 years ago. I was denied repeatedly 8 times over and over again until finally the VA gave me a C&P. I was approved for 30 percent. I also in this same period was awarded social security or SSD. The lowball rating was unacceptable to me from the VA, so I kept fighting. I let my veteran service officer go, and hired an actual attorney before the new law on attorneys took effect. This lawyer did more for my claim in one week than I or the service officers could do in 2+ years time. I asked for a hearing and then canceled it in liu of just letting the dro review officer look at all my claim information. I had to get an IMO to make sure that nothing was missed. The DRO officer rated my claim last week and I was rated at 70 percent and because of my social security and inability to work I was also granted TDIU which is 100 percent scheduler. The back pay goes back to early 2005 and my dependents also were awarded with educational benefits. I'm really not sure what to do now that I've succeeded so far in this. I know that when the retro check comes I'm going to make a donation to Hadit and continue to hang out here. I think the main thing that helped my claim go through was the fact that all my paperwork was in order, and to the point. I used all the references off this site and stayed up many a night into the wee hours of the morning trying to decipher the 38CFR. In order to succeed vrs the VA you must take an active role in your claim or you will have a difficult time winning. If you cant take an active role you need someone close to you that will help you when you need things done. Do not leave it to service officers and attorneys all the time. I must've called the 800 # sometimes 3 times a day. I would like to thank everyone for helping me with this. I would list names but, to do so, I might forget someone and everyone has helped me at one time or another with their expertise and personal explanations of claims. Thanks again and I'll see you in the forums.
Tower Rat