boomer2

DS I am posting a link to M21-1MR that will help you understand the difference and which should apply to you. http://www.benefits.va.gov/WARMS/M21_1MR3.asp scroll down to chapter 5 Military retirement pay. check this link as well, some very good info. http://www.military.com/benefits/content/military-pay/special-pay/combat-related-special-compensation-crsc-faqs.html

I wish 60 minutes would do one of their in depth investigations of the VA and expose them in front of the whole nation. Then we can put some Congress people on the spot. Phillip, the VA figures the mileage for you they don't take your word at least my VAMC does anyway.

From one olddude to another As Broncovet told me, you can wait but, if you file a new claim now the clock starts ticking on that claim and that means you get an ED of now instead of later which will mean a retro check. However, the decision is yours. In my situation and filed a new claim with an appeal already in progress. It's been a year and half on the appeal and 11 months on the claim. I will WIN both of them. Also, I am currently working on another claim or as the VA would say I am in the development stage.

Carlie and Lori Here is a link to M21-1MR, section III, you will have to scroll down and find the subpart, chapter and section http://www.benefits.va.gov/WARMS/M21_1MR3.asp Hope this helps, there are other parts of M21 that pertain to fidicuaries.

see if this works Fort Ord http://www.epa.gov/region9/superfund/fort-ord/ Senaca http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/rods/fulltext/r2006020001440.pdf

You may get the answer you're looking for here: M21-1MR, Part III, Subpart v, Chapter 5, Section A

I am attaching a link that explains in good detail both of these benefits. They are for retirees only and you must be in receipt of retired pay. http://www.military....mpensation.html I had to edit, had the D and R reversed.

I would like to relate a situation I find myself in. I am SC'd for hearing loss 0% and I got an ear infection otitus externa and received a prescription from the VA ENT. I got the precsription and had to have it refilled as well. Well I received a bill for said prescription, I assumed ( I should know better) that since I am SC'd for hearing loss and the infection is a result of the HA's then I did not have to pay for it, so I ignored the bill (mistake). Well I just received a letter from the VA that states that if I don't pay the bill within 30 days they are going to garnish my disability pay for the bill and to top it off they are charging me interest. We should be able to bill them and charge them interest for if they don't give us accurate and timely answers to claims within 30 days.

Forgot to add something. When you filed your claim in 2009 did they give you a hearing test? If your hearing was normal in that ear that may be why they denied the claim. The test should show some hearing loss in the high frequency range. That's why it is important to know if your MOS is on the list for hearing loss. Remember the proof is in the pudding....you need to prove to the VA that your condition and it's effects are the result of what happened to you while on active duty.

Orlando Sharon is right on, get an ENT doc to write the IMO. Carlie is right as well they only give 10%. I would suggest that you also do some research on the infection you had and if indicates that the infection can cause tinnitus print it and send it to the VA as well. What was your MOS? I posted a link that lists all of the MOS's that are subject to hearing loss, this should help as well. Just go to the search feature and type in hearing loss and it will show all of the posts on that subject. Rmember anything sent to the VA has to be return receipt.

I would take anything you get on ebenefits or the 800# with a grain of salt. It could be 3 days or 3 months. When you find it in the mailbox then you know.

What does it reference? Is that the only info you have on it?

CCC We gotta quit meeting like this. Since your husband is already SC'd for some things the VA will have his medical records, you need to go to FOIA office at the VAMC he uses and request a copy. I would also request a copy of his entire C-file. However, You can go to this link and fill out the SF-180 and fax it to St. Louis and request all of his medical records. They do have them. It will take at least 6 to 7 months for both of them. I did this and got medical records that the VA does not have. I think when you file a claim they may request just the medical records that pertain to the issues that are being filed for. Here is the link. http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/standard-form-180.html Oh! by the way if he was in the hospital while on active duty make sure request all of those records as well. If the people in ST. Louis tell you they don't have them you can contact the hospital and ask for them.

CCC If you take the link I gave you from AO legacy and the one Capt Contaminate posted you should be able to cross reference them. I believe it gives the dates when it was sprayed. My hearing is so bad that I can't even hear my cell phone. I have a blue tooth device (VA supplied) that connects my phone to my HA's that's the only way I can hear it.

Should I send in the documentation and ask them to rate him on the hearing loss and the compartment syndrome, and inform them that I am working on the rest of his claim? And that the documentation backing up his AO claims will be coming at a later time? I don't think you can do that they may deny the AO claims because you did not send in the proof. I may be wrong on this, I'm sure others will chime in about it. You can find the link to the SVR shows on the home page on the right hand side near the top. When you say your husband is not rated for hearing loss, does that mean he is at 0% or not rated at all? How long has it been since he had a hearing test? To get compensated for hearing loss you need to be dam near deaf. I would recommend that you look at this link before he takes another hearing test. http://www.nmcphc.med.navy.mil/downloads/occmed/toolbox/va%20audiology%20best%20practices%20&%20procedures.pdf

Here is the docket # for his case 08-11-937, go to the home page and look for the link to the BVA cases and you can find it that way or through his name James Cripps.

CCC Check this site if may give you some help. It is for the children of those that were exposed and passed on some of the diseases from AO. http://agentorangelegacy.com/find-help/superfund-sites-u-s-bases-info/us-army-military-bases-on-epa-superfund-list/

E-4 Ken You can also get a copy of your unit morning reports to verify your being there as well. keep in mind if you were there for 6 months they charge $.50 a copy. You may want to get a few days out of each month. Here is the link http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/morning-reports-and-unit-rosters-access.html

Hate to tell you this but, you have some research to do. I would go to the superfund site and look up all of the bases where he was stationed and cross reference the chemicals that were found on each base to see if any of them were used on all of the bases where he was at. Then you can look up the health effects for each and find out if any of those cause any of the diseases your husband currently has. I know I read a report about AO that was very specific about when it was started and where it was used. I think it was on this site or VAWatchdog.org Unfortunately, it looks like you have some computer work to do. If I find anything on the AO I'll post for you.

ccc Check this link as well, forgot to post it. http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/outside_Vietnam_usa.asp

First thing here is the link to the VA math that is actually on the home page. http://www.hadit.com/service_connected_disabilities_rating_calculator.php Can you tell us what he is currently rated for? Since he had an HA on active duty is that what he is rated for. The biggest problem is being able to prove he was exposed to AO. Does he have all of his personnel file? It will show where and when he was stationed and for how long. You will definitely need this to prove his exposure. Does he stay in contact with any of the people he was stationed with that may have any AO diseases or has been rated with one. You need to prove a link between where he was stationed and when the AO was sprayed. There is also a link on the site for AO, check it also you may find some good info there as well. Hope this helps.GOOD LUCK

Are you a VN vet? If you are I'm pretty sure that hypertension is part of IHD which is presumptive. I don't know if you can do this or not but, I would ask the nurse why she is not putting all three readings in your record. I would then ask her to please put all readings in the file. It is your file why shouldn't you be able to ask them to put readings in there that pertain to your health and your claim. I don't know if what I'm telling you is 100% accurate or not. I'm sure others who have had a claim for that will post something.

Also, when you look at it be sure and get a copy of it as well. Who knows what they will do to it after you have looked at it.

Why is it that when you see politicians being interviewed about the VA they all say it is unacceptable but yet absolutely nothing is done about it?

Like the layout, works great so far. Good job Tbird