Tbird

his phone number was in his original post, he emailed me to ask me to delete his post, said he'd had 12 crank calls

Link to real audio file http://www.senate.gov/~veterans/public/med...0th_1_24_08.ram Link to page http://www.senate.gov/~veterans/public/ind...04&view=all

secy nichlson floated this awhile back did a search on google using the search ptsd + curable + "veterans affairs" here are the results i sure hope this does not mean there are going to be any more hoops for us to jump through in the future, i believe that they may break ptsd down into a couple of categories one may be curable, but maybe not. for warned is for armed or something to that effect. let's keep on our eyes on it and if need be i will open a separate forum for this.

fixed the problem sorry about that, i am doing maintenance on the board and sometimes things get a bit turned around.

this should be resolved now. i am doing some maintenance on the back end i try to do it between Midnight - 0600 to have the least impact on the board but it went till 0830 or so this morning. didn't they use to call this the dog watch ?

you are right carlie, it's best if you start a new topic if it is a new topic that is the best way to get your questions answered, if you question isn't in the topic, many will never see it and therefore have no answers for you

lu12 could you not attach the picture to more than one post, each image takes space on the server. thanks tbird

fixed it sorry about that, thanks for the heads up!

i have a similar dream all the time without the chantix, the chantix dreams are pretty wild, it's like renting a video, for some reason mine seem to have a sci fi theme, go figure. i didn't do so well with quiting a quit date, so now i am smoking and taking them and i am smoking much less, which is a miracle in itself, very happy about that, and i notice the smokes don't taste so good and i can go longer and longer without them. also when i feel i want a smoke first i try and have a tootsie pop, it's helpful because it gives something to do with my hands.

i have heard rumors to this effect for sometime. i wonder why? honestly, it could just be that there only let you access stuff on an authorized list, i doubt there's a memo floating around out there that says deauthorize hadit.com, pass it on. :) weird though

i was doing some work on the back end yesterday, let me know if this keeps happening.

OUTSTANDING i know you been hanging in there a good while now, and i'm sure glad you plan to stick around and offer support to your brothers and sisters

This post was deleted by the user who posted it, you can tell by the words edited by in the message itself

good one carlie

i believe that, you know back then if you parted your hair in the middle and wore dark glasses you were a doper.

thanks betty that's exactly what i wanted just honest experience, at least if i slip and smoke on these it won't overdose me on a nicotine. i just read the pamphlet again, and i will keep trying, saw my therapist today and she said perhaps so soon after my best friends death, it maybe just a little to much for me, but i will try and if need to try again and again, as long as i'm trying i feel that's a success in itself.

Here's some of my thoughts on this, if i had the resources and it was me doing it 1. I would set up a website to gather veterans stories of their trip through the compensation system. 2. I would have some staff and i would be sure all veterans stories are vetted before being posted. 3. i would contact all the various veterans websites and ask for volunteers to write their stories after they have been vetted. 4. i would probably put the stories up in some sort of database that could be sorted and view in a variety of ways, such as, on appeal, waiting for decision, etc. 5. i would re-contact all the veterans sites and let them know about my site 6. I would spend some money on adwords advertising to get the word out 7. i would hire some pr company to start putting out press releases about what the site is about. 8. i would have each veterans story include their zip code and would send a letter to their congressman and senators something to the effect your constituents are getting the run around. 9. i would also contact each major news source about my new site, what my purpose is and what they can find there. off the top of my head. tbird

today is my 8th day of taking chantix. it is also suppose to be my quit day, but i just dug 3 cigarette butts out of the trash and am about to smoke them. ugh, i just don't know if i ever will be able to quit. anyone with experience with chantix your input would be appreciated.

have you checked out the site http://www.iava.org/ also i would like to get together with the svr folks, i think we could put something on the site with a link to the show and maybe put some archives, or something.

mac/tinchord - ok let’s just forget about the claim for awhile, but man, you gotta get some help, your headed down a path to nowhere but more of the same. try to get a counselor at the vet center if possible, i know you don’t want to talk about it. but, go to that first appointment and tell them you aren’t ready to talk about specifics, but you need some help managing the symptoms nightmares, flashbacks, the desire to self medicate your self with alcohol, and so on. the important thing is just make one appointment and go...this is not something you are going to be able to handle on your own. we can help you with claim advice if you ever decide to try again, but i just can’t stress enough that you need to get some help and the va is it like it or not. you earned it and you deserve it. tbird

Source: The Meridian Star 01/05/2008 http://www.meridianstar.com/local/local_story_004233833.html New Year's resolutions By Bobbye C. Jerone / guest columnist Another year has come and gone. As one year ends and another begins, the news media has a field day talking about the worst of this, and the best of that. The "Man of the Year" "Event of the Year", "Catastrophe of the Year", etc. is chronicled. Most of us look back at the things we could or should have changed, or done differently, and look forward to what we hope to do better in the coming year. And, most of us make resolutions. At this time of reflection, our country is still at war. World events seem to be spiraling out of control. It is a good thing to take stock. Not as many of our young heroes are dying in this war, but more of them are coming home maimed for life. Thanks to the medical advances learned in previous wars, especially Vietnam, we are saving more lives, but have more crippled old-young, who are disabled for life. So to all military service members, and young veterans, as you make your New Year's resolutions, please consider a few things we have covered before in this column: A) Resolve to keep up with your own medical records; and the names of the folks you served with in Iraq, Afghanistan, or one of the other world combat zones. The military is a big organization. Under the best of conditions in a large organization records can get lost. A lot of disability claims of Vietnam veterans are denied by VA because the veteran can't prove when something happened; or who was a witness to an incident. Don't let this happen to you if you get injured, or become ill. And, remember that the burden of proof is on the veteran. A few bad persons who have faked records and filed phony claims have made the VA process even more difficult for everyone. B) Resolve to get organized! Keep your records in chronological order! It is a good idea to make copies and keep them as your 'working copy.' Keep the originals in a safe place so that if something happens to the copies, your claim can still go forward. The more organized your records are, the easier it will be for VA to adjudicate your claim quickly. C) Resolve that if you are offered medical severance pay you will ask questions. Ask a lot of questions. And demand answers. Be polite, but demand answers. Know your options, and get them in writing. If you are offered medical severance pay at the time of your medical separation, and take it, any VA disability compensation awarded will be offset dollar for dollar. Ask your doctor for advice; his/her first priority is you, the patient. When you accept a medical separation, you are waiving any rights to retirement benefits forever. D) Resolve to not put off getting medical help, especially if you can't sleep or feel the world is caving in. Thanks, in large part to what the Vietnam veterans went through, the active duty military now offers Post Traumatic Stress Disorder screening and counseling. The VA healthcare system also now has special staff to address these issues. The 'stigma' of mental and emotional wounds has been lifted to a large degree. So get help quickly. PTSD is a treatable medical condition and there is no reason to let it ruin your life. As 2008 begins, all of us should realize that the world is a very dangerous place, and the finest of our youth are standing between us and even more disaster. We should all make our most serious New Year's resolution to be even more supportive of these heroes. As the New Year begins, please resolve to show a veteran that you care, and appreciate, him or her. Bobbye C. Jerone is an Independent Veterans Advocate, and president of American Legion Auxiliary Unit No. 257. She may be reached at Bvj1101@bellsouth.net or (601) 679-5055. Source: The Meridian Star 01/05/2008 http://www.meridianstar.com/local/local_story_004233833.html

tank glad to see this news, i recieved retro a couple of times the retro pay showed up before the letter one and after another one. call the va 800-827-1000 and ask them for the number to call to check for status of your retro. if you are feeling down, get to the doctor...your health mental and physical is the most important thing

The Congressional Budget Office has prepared an interim paper that describes the incentives for quality that VA has included in its management system and its uses of health information technology. http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf08/nfJAN08/nf010508-4.htm

aye sir, i surely do

oh what a long strange trip it's been brother I am just speeclessly and if I could my back to working right now I'd doing a little victory dance for you. Honest to God Brother I Am Glad To See This tbird