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CooterBrown

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I am 40% Service Connected Disability from back injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident that occured while on Active Duty in 1994. I have sciatic problems that begin from point of injury and shoot down my legs. I only filed for this issue in 2006 and I got 20% for back and 10% for each leg where the sciatic nerve pain is shooting down.

My question is, during my examination, the doc told me that I have noticable arthiritisin my back that was unusual for a 31 y/o (35 now). He said that it could possibly be from the motor vehicle injury. When I got my decision back, I was rated for the conditions described above but nothing about Arthiritis. Is the arthiritis an eligible condition to claim?

Also, while I was in, I was picked up by the SP's twice for drinking under age. For six months after my accident, I was all but bed ridden and being in relatively remote location (Eielson AFB, AK), we didn't do much but play video games and drink. I've always had a drinking problem since then not to mention other mental health issues! I was very social and well liked in H.S. and while I was a social drinker, I didn't have issues with drinking. I went to mental health counseling while in the military after the two under age incidents. I hated that place with everything in me and was miserable for three years. I was liked enough in my shop that my NCO and 1st Sgt went to bat for me during my hearings and I was lucky enough not to get booted and eventually got myself together enough to finish my enlistment. However, since then, I've been in and out of marriage counseling and psychiatric help before and after I quit drinking because I still have anger issues and depression problems. I did eventually quit drinking which obviously helped my ability to control some of my issues but I still have episodes of anger and depression. I pulled my records for the mental health visits while I was in the air force because I was embarrassed by them. Can I file a claim for depression, anger, alchoholism and submit those records to support my claims? I'm embarrassed and regretful of my actions back then and sometimes today but while I wasn't in a war time situation, I was miserable and depressed constantly while I was up in that frozen hell. I wanted to be a lifer like my father, grandfathers and great grandfather but within a couple of weeks of being in Alaska, I wanted nothing more than to get out.

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I'm sorry.. I've googled and looked in the forums but I don't understand IVDS. Also, what is post fusion and pyramiding?

So under range of motion, if I was already rated under range of motion for my back injury and the Arthiritis is also rated with range of motion, how are both conditions rated?

IVDS is intertabral disk syndrome. Ruptured, bulging or herniated disks.

Fusion is where you have surgury, disk gets removed and replaced by bone so the 2 joints fuse together.

Pyramiding is the separate ratings of the same bodily segement.

Usually the most serious condition is rated, Not both as that would be pyramiding.

J

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John999 quote!

You could be rated for depression as secondary to the back injury. You can't get rated for "anger" or "alcoholism". You were seen by a shrink in the army. What do your SMR's say about your psychiatric care in the service? Did you get a DX of depression?

I was seen by a shrink but never really DX for depression. I read my file the other day and though I remember telling her how much I hated the military and hated my assignment and I thought I was in trouble all the time because there was nothing to do but sit in the dorms and drink, she put that I missed my family! That was about the extent of her observations.

Were you ever checked for TBI?

I was not ever checked for a TBI. In my motor vehicle accident, I was ejected and unconcious. I woke up in a ditch face down and dilirious. Even though I couldn't feel my legs or walk, I wanted to get back in the vehicle and go but bystanders assured me that wasn't going to happen. The local EMS transported me to the Army hospital they basically dressed my wounds, admitted me for 3 days then discharged me eventhough I couldn't walk. Was told to go back to my base and see sick call. It's been 16 yrs but that time frame really was the turning point in my life. Is it too late to be checked for a TBI? According to doctors, all my film look okay on my back but something is not right. I can't sit, stand, or hold any other position for more than a min or two. I think it's bs that because I can bendover and touch my toes, they say my injury isn't that debilitating. In any case, since then, I've been angry, depressed, a drinker, etc... I've seen all the MH professionals and taken drugs. I'm able to work but I have days, weeks and mos sometimes where I don't feel like doing anything and only do enough to get by!

I thought I read somewhere you could apply for disability for alchoholism as a secondary condition but I'm not sure what it meant.

I suppose I could file for PTSD for the assignment, TBI, depression, and see what happens in the next 2 yrs, huh? how should I approach this? Any suggestions?

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John999 quote!

You could be rated for depression as secondary to the back injury. You can't get rated for "anger" or "alcoholism". You were seen by a shrink in the army. What do your SMR's say about your psychiatric care in the service? Did you get a DX of depression?

I was seen by a shrink but never really DX for depression. I read my file the other day and though I remember telling her how much I hated the military and hated my assignment and I thought I was in trouble all the time because there was nothing to do but sit in the dorms and drink, she put that I missed my family! That was about the extent of her observations. I'm sure you can't be rated for being angry but bipolar disorder can be rated.

I was not ever checked for a TBI. In my motor vehicle accident, I was ejected and unconcious. I woke up in a ditch face down and dilirious. Even though I couldn't feel my legs or walk, I wanted to get back in the vehicle and go but bystanders assured me that wasn't going to happen. The local EMS transported me to the Army hospital they basically dressed my wounds, admitted me for 3 days then discharged me eventhough I couldn't walk. Was told to go back to my base and see sick call. It's been 16 yrs but that time frame really was the turning point in my life. Is it too late to be checked for a TBI? According to doctors, all my film look okay on my back but something is not right. I can't sit, stand, or hold any other position for more than a min or two. I think it's bs that because I can bendover and touch my toes, they say my injury isn't that debilitating. In any case, since then, I've been angry, depressed, a drinker, etc... I've seen all the MH professionals and taken drugs. I'm able to work but I have days, weeks and mos sometimes where I don't feel like doing anything and only do enough to get by!

I thought I read somewhere you could apply for disability for alchoholism as a secondary condition but I'm not sure what it meant.

I suppose I could file for PTSD for the assignment, TBI, depression, and see what happens in the next 2 yrs, huh? how should I approach this? Any suggestions?

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Oops. don't see how to edit a post. I didn't mean to quote my own post. I meant to add this to my reply to John999.

I'm sure you can't be rated for being angry but bipolar disorder can be rated.

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