TexasMarine Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 While I'm not yet approved for 100%, and am living off a SSDI pittance, I am very grateful for the VA for what it will provide me one day. Tis true that no veteran should go without, think for a moment about all of the enemies we've vanquished, or countries where we've retired their fearsome leader(s). Those <insert country here> soldiers don't get a single cent for their disabilities. They're not compensated for limbs lost in battle, nor PTSD (which I'm sure they have), nor any of the ailments we veterans are exposed to during war or otherwise We live in a country where at least there is a VA. Now, do I like the way the VBA treats us? No! Do I like that we have an adversarial relationship with them? No! Do I like hearing about corruption and ineptitude at the VA? No! I am just glad we have a VA. Andyman73 and GARYLINN 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Hillbilly Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 I was service connected in 2003 for the first time with back. That was 21 years + that I coped with my back injury and if I had known that my PTSD was ruining my life I would have filed for that then too. It's took me 25 years to educate myself about my injuries and try to honestly face them. That's along time for something to fester. You dig a big hole. My life is ruined because of this. This board is a good thing. We can identify on what responsibilities we acquire in our VA quests. I'm still amazed at how someone can be service connected for PTSD in 2013 with the stressor events being 20-30-40+ years prior and they get around paying for those years of known disease? I know this is the fault of the service member for not filing but it is right? My damn life is ruined because of something I knew nothing about. I knew I struggled with sleep, tough recovery from physical activity, couldn't tie my own shoes, couldn't reach around and grab something from the backseat of the car without suffering a day or three of muscle spasms, etc etc but I just done the best I could to deal with life and move on. I wanted out of here as fast as possible. Looking back it would have probably been best. Pure hell since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyman73 Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 Joe, None of this is the fault of the Vets for not filing. When we enlist, we are told that we will be taken care of. When we are getting out, many of us are told not one single thing about what we can do, such as filing for VA claims. Or worse yet, we are told by VSOs that we may only get 10-20% if we're lucky, even though we have injuries and SMR evidence that would actually bring us up to 100%. That is why so many of us don't file, or file until years go by. If I knew about the 1 year presumptive rule, I would have filed claims for everything in my SMR. I only found out about that rule last year, 17 years after my EAS! Semper Fi GARYLINN 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berta Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 I hope ADers go to every briefing when they are being discharged. My daughter had a lot of running to do those last days of her service, particularly with the educational dept of the Mil, for the college credits she had earned in service. She was USAF but to save time, she got into the Navy briefing instead ,on the VA claims process and she said they gave a fairly good overview of it...(but of course no one ever told anyone there how it Really is and as daughter of a vet she sure knew ) Still, there was at least one vet rep there who briefly described how they should begin the claims process if applicable to them and how to find a vet rep after their discharge, ( that day after discharge EED can be critical if they don't wait too long to file the claim) But this was about 11 years ago. There was nothing like these briefings after Vietnam and even after the Gulf War as far as I know. Andyman is right. They want us all to be in the dark. Andyman73 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyman73 Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 Berta, The VA rep, from the Philly VARO, who came to the briefing for VA claims, when I was getting out, seemed put off that he had been stuck doing it. Only 4 of us in that class even brought our SMRs to be reviewed. He fanned through mine, came up with a few things that I could claim. I had to point out my knee issues. I told him that I fell down a flight of stairs, and then had to point out the very first treatment record was of that fall. How do you overlook the first page? Especially when it looks like an ER report! All of the younger Vets at my work never even had any transition briefings at all. How interesting that the program designed to care for Vets, doesn't even want to let them know what they can do for them. Semper Fi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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