Stu Pidasso

Thanks for the replies. I got a call last Thursday from someone at the Winston Salem Regional Office. I was asked to varify a couple of things. The lady on the phone told me that my stuff was all done and that I should be getting paid sometime this week. She could not say on the phone what the dollar ammount was so my guess is as good as yours. I am 100% and they owe me backpay for 24 months for a spouse and 4 children. So I suppose that is a pretty good bit. Now I just wish that the letter would get here. I am very excited about being able to enroll my spouse and my children in the ChampasVA. Having health coverage for them will be a real relief. All in all I did pretty good in this proccess. I wrote my own statement of claim and gathered all my own paperwork. I kept it simple and stuck with things that I had been diagnosed with when I was in the Army and I did not fabricate anything at all. I almost fell in a bear trap when I had a C&P exam done by a civillian and he tried to add a bunch of other conditions to the claim. That would have been a real pitfall for me because I did not have a bunch of paperwork for those things.

No I got the descion letter way back in January of this year. I agree with everything said. For what ever reason they still show my claim as open and that is wrong because all I was doing was adding dependents.

I started my claim 14-Sep-1010 I was completed and rated 17-Jan-2012. I have been rated at 100% and recieving compensation. That is good I am happy about it. When I got my rating my dependents had not been included so I filled the paperwork out and sent it in. During the last 7-8 months I have waited and not heard anything from VA until last month. I talked to a lady on the phone, and she said that the claim I filed 14-Sep-2010 was still pending and that I just needed to be patient. I told her that was not correct and explained to here that I already had been rated and that I had recieved my confirmation letter. She looked in the computer again and said oh ok, so what is the problem? I explained to her that I was trying to ad my dependents and that I had sent in birth certificates and my marriage license. She told me that she would call me back. That was a month ago. Well this morning she called and left a message telling me that my claim that I filed 14-Sep-2010 had been completed as of today. She also said in the message that my claim for dependents would be processed at this time. She then after that said that she did not have an answer for me as to when I would be recieving my compensation because it had to go the approval department/office. I was blown away by all of this. I logged in to E-benefits and sure enough right there plain as day that my claim is pending. I look in my payment history and you can see where I got my back pay and where I get my compensation every month. So what I am now worried about is that they are going to kick my rating back or worse yet my compensation may be interuppted until someone can figure this out. I have been trying to call the lady back so I can find out what the deal is, but the number she called on only offers me a directory I cannot access. If anyone knows what is going on that would be great. All I was trying to do was add my dependents and get them some health care.

As some of you know my claim has been rather interesting. I started it September the 10th 2010, I had all of my C&P exams completed by March 28th 2011. My claim sat inactive for months. Finally in September of 2011 I got approved to expedite the process because of financial hardship. The thing is, when they approved me they also decided to send me to a civillian Dr to do all my C&P exams and X-rays again. This was horrible and I kept getting sent to exams over and over. Everyone said to just go and not question it. I tried to use a VSO they did nothing for me. I realized I was on my own and that this was more important to me than anyone else. So I asked QTC why I was having so many exams. It turned out that the QTC Dr had added 26 new conditions to my claim and VARO (Winston-Salem) was asking for evidence to support all of the things the Dr had added. I told them (QTC) to stop and send my file back to the VARO and that I was all done submitting evidence. I did not need to add to what was there. Well another month passed then 2. I wound up calling VA January 4th 2012 and explained that I am being evicted from my house and how I had already done everything I need to do to get rated. She explained that there were conditions on my claim with no evidence. I told her to remove them and make sure IU (individual unemployability) were removed. Then I made sure that she had the original 6 still there. Well I get a phone call last Wednesday. I have been rated at 100% p&t. I recieved backpay for 16 months at 100% rate. I put my own claim together, I never lied, I never streteched the truth, and I never asked for anything I did not deserve. I was able to accomplish this on my first try. I would like to thank those of you that helped me. This saved my family from homelessness.

I was rated 20% by the Army and VA back in 2005. I had a great job and was able to work and was on a ton of pain meds. I ended up going through a bad divorce and got heavily hooked on drugs. Well I ended up making a new claim September 14 2010. I claimed 6 conditions Bi-Lateral club foot, Herniated Disc, compressed cervical spine, PTSD, Traumatic Brain injury. ALong the way I got sent to QTC for no reason to repeat my C&P's I finally told them I would not be going to anymore C&P exams that I was fine with the evidence I had submitted. I knew I told the whole truth and had the information to back it. Well I got called yesterday I am 100% permenant and total with a lump sum of $43,868. I had them wire the money to my wife's bank account as I do not have one of my own. I am not sure how long it willl take to get the money. By the way the QTC doctor added 26 more conditions to my claim. I had them removed along with individual unemployability because I felt confident in what I was saying being thre truth. I am a first time go at this station. I have been told it is faster to wire the money but I am not sure how fast. We shall see.

I will for sure go, but I really would love to know why this is happening. It does not make any sense at all. I am starting to feel as though they are fishing to try and disprove me. I know that both of my other times I have gone to this C&P (VA in Durham, NC and this same Civillian Practitioner) everything I claimed was supported. It really blows my mind that the same exact Dr will be doing the exam.

I started a claim September 14 2010. I had my C&P exams complete by March 21st of 2011. The VARO Winston Salem NC had all my C&P results and evidence by the 28th March 2011. Since then I have had to apply for and recieved approval to expedite do to financial hardship. VA scheduled a C&P exam with QTC and x-rays. I completed them 27 September 2011. I just got a letter in the mail from QTC saying that they are expecting me to come and do the exam yet again. This will be my second exam in a month for the same conditions and the third one since I initiated the claim. I know that the results from my last QTC C&P examination have not even had time to get to my raitor. I talked to my local VSO last week and he never mentioned any of this. All he said is that my claim was suspended until the 22nd of October because the raitor was waiting on my C&P results. I am at a loss. I know that the day I went to the C&P exam September 27th 2011 I was given two places to go for them at the same time. I was able to get the x-rays done but not the physical exam. The physical exam was rescheduled for the next day. This was not a problem with my QTC case manager as it happens all the time at this location due to the Dr's office and the Radiology clinic sharing a parking lot and address. I DID NOT GET COUNTED AS A NO SHOW. Anyway I had the physical exam done 3 weeks ago as of this Friday and I half expected some things to be getting done by now because I have been approved to have this expedited. I am starting to feel like all that is happening is they are going to keep scheduling me for exams over and over.

Well just when you think that things are alread interesting they get more so. Today I just got a letter in the mail saying that I have yet another exam scheduled by QTC at the exact same clinic as before. This exam is examining all of the exact same things as the last one did. There has been no explanation for any of this by the VA and I can honestly see no reason to do all of this over. As a matter of fact QTC has not even had enough time to get my examination report to my regional office. I am really blown away right now. I have been to talk to my county's American Legion VSO. He does not call me back and acts like there is nothing he can do when I call. I suggested last week that perhaps he could call the AL office located in the same building as my VARO. He said that he guessed he could give it a try. He never mentioned any of this to me and when I call he acts like he does not remember my sittuation. I called him 3 times last week and spoke with him. One time to get him to inquire another time to get information and then the next nobody was there. I really at this point am about to just forget the whole damn thing. I am homeless hungry tired and really about ready to make someone else hurt as much as I do.

The tinitus was put on their by the patient advocate at the OIF/OEF office he said he included it because of my hearing loss. I was wondering about that myself. I actually did report to my C&P exam the thing is two of them were scheduled at the same time. I ended up getting to the other location within the hour I was supposed to be there. I called QTC immediatley and told them what was going on and they said it was fine that due to the location of my exam this sittuation is quite common. It is not like I did not show up at all. I also hitchhiked to get there. I did my very very best, but I cannot be in two places at once. I know how serious it is to report to exams, I remember when I did my first 4 C&P exams for this claim that it was stressed I be there on time. I would also like to note that I called QTC and not only explained my sittuation, but I had another appointment time for them ready to go. They told me on the phone that it was no problem at all and that everything would be fine. I do not think that what I said was completely listened too or understood when I explained this earlier. I suppose someone would have to be there to understand it.

Now that you mention it, how exactly do I get a copy of the QTC exam? I got copies of my C&P exams when VA did them and posted 2 of them on here

The issue is that they scheduled two exams at the same time in two different buildings that are side by side with the same address but different street names. So it was not my fault that I missed one of them. You really do not know the sittuation so I would recommend not passing a judgement with such a sarcastic comment. If you think I do not care about my claim it is obvious you have not followed too much of what I have said nor are you aware of what all I have done to make it happen. *** CONTENT HERE HAS BEEN EDITED OUT BY ADMIN. PLEASE REFER BACK TO THE HOMEPAGE FOR MEMBERSHIP RULES. I have done everything I was supposed to do gathered all my information sent all my letters certified, saved the proof of sending them along with copies, kept a phone log complete with names dates and times. When I arrived at the place to do the xrays I was told I was on time and I checked in and everything was fine. Once I realized that the C&P was not to be done here at the location I was at I called QTC they said not to worry that it happens all the time at this location because, as I said earlier the Address, Suite, and name are all the same just he street is different and the buildings share the same parking lot. I am aware that you do not want to miss exams I have had 5 of them now and made all of them. I was able to reschedule the exam right there on the spot. As a matter of fact I went over to the correct building found out the appointments that were available and called QTC myself and helped them set it up. I really appreciate those of you that have helped me by explaining some things and giving me good advice. I also want to send a big thankyou to Jbasser for explaining how IU works. I hate the thought of not being able to go back to work and be productive. It is hard to accept. I was an Airborne Ranger now I am just well....never mind. Anyway the exam today went great. The doctor said he could see what I was talking about and I feels as though this exam should go along with my others. What I was told is that he is not here to treat or diagnose. He is here to write down what I say and what he sees. I have not blown any smoke screens nor have I insinuated that I wanted something for nothing. Thanks again everyone!!!

Well here this goes, I was not able to get a ride to the c&p but I was able to make it to the appointment for my xrays and my hearing. As I expected I showed hearing loss in the right ear which is my shooting side. I also claimed that a rocket blast landed to the right of me and caused me to loose hearing and be knocked to the ground. So far so good. I helped QTC reschedule my exam I missed and I am going today to have it done. I told the lady on the phone that as far as I knew the second opinion c&p was to evaluate me fo IU I told her that I had written a statement saying I was not persuing IU and I was not interested in waiting to have an exam done and written up. I told her that I had already had all of my exams done and was hoping that the board would go ahead and rate due to the fact I am in a state of financial peril. I told her that a request I sent in to expedite had been accepted and I was expecting to get rated not sent in for more exams. I She said that from what she could tell the board had found evidence in my records that substantiated my disabilities that I am claiming, but wanted a second opinion before awarding IU. Also she said that since I am claiming bilateral knee condition and that it is a newer ailment they wanted to investigate that. When I got my xrays done that day they took x-rays of feet, ankles (both wait baring and non), knees, and spine. I know that my first c&p's which were done by Durham VAMC were very favorable to me and all of the conditions were supported. The other thing that the C&P at the civillian doctor today is supposed to be checking out is ADHD which I was diagnosed with in the Army and got medication for it. My mental health C&P that was done by VA supported my claim of PTSD, TBI, ADHD, and said that I was Axis one for PTSD and something else about anxiety and mood disorder my GAF score was 50 the psychiatirist said that she thought it would be difficult for me to attain education or maintain suitable employment she also said that these things were more likely than not related to military service and my deployment to Iraq. I feel like VA for some reason does not like the fact that my C&P's came out favorable to me the first time and is now trying to railroad me. Please someone tell me what they think. I am going to be going to Wilkins Family Medicine in Raleigh NC.

Well I talked to VA today. I was told I must attend the exams tomorrow. There are three scheduled, and it is very agrivating. I requested and was approved to expedite my claim based on financial hardship and now after all my exams have been completed since Mar 21st of 2011 they are sending me to a civillian doctor to get all the same exams done again. I do not understand why this is happening and I am not the least bit happy.

That is who originally told me to submit my claim. I was already 20% when I got out of the Army in 2005. I appealed and it got smashed back at me denied. I was too busy trying to work and all that fun stuff and did nothing more to persue it. Anyway, I met him by chance and we talked, he was surprised what my rating was and asked me to come see him. I brought all the records that I have and he was amazed to see that I had all the stuff I needed to start my claim and we got to work on it. He said that mine should have been easy to do and for the most part it was. It is just somewhere along the way IU got requested on the 9th of December 2010, nobody paid any attention to it and I have been sitting around waiting on a C&P exam that I had no knowledge and seemingly the VA had no knowledge of needing to be done. I sent in a hardship request and now magically I need a C&P done. The papers I got today that stated the exam time said that I am scheduled for the 29th of September 2011. So that would atleast be soon, but the thing is I am ready to roll now and even though I would most likely qualify for IU I want to go to work.

I went ahead and wrote a statement saying that I was not interested in filing for unemployability and stressed that time was of the essence due to my hardship. The date on my VCAA that came was for 6-Sep-2011 it says on there that I requested IU on the 9th of December. Also in that envelope was a release of information or POA for my county's VSO to be authorised access to my information. The date that I saw my VSO was 6-Dec-2010 the date that I was said to have claimed IU was 9-December-2010. What I think happened was that he requested it and sent that in to my regional office. The day that I saw him I turned in some additional paperwork to him that I was going to mail to VA. I believe that when he mailed in my stuff he also sent in the request. What blows my mind is that all of my other C&P exams and all of my information was said to be complete and was in the hands of my regional office as of the 28-Mar-2011. I called several times and was told that all the information that they needed and the appointments that were requested were complete. Nobody ever mentioned IU or needing another exam for it. So I eventually had to put in a hardship request and when I did 3 days letter I get an envelope in the mail saying that the hold up is my request for IU and that I requested in way back in December of last year. I would understand if just recently that had been put in my file and that was causing a hold up. In my opinion my stuff has been sitting and nothing has been done with it in quite some time and when finally it was looked in too the IU request was found. Today another envelope came in the mail telling me that I had an appointment scheduled and where I need to go to get my exam done. I called the infamous 1-800 number and asked the lady why I was getting this now when I was just told Monday that so long as I sent in a written and signed request to not evaluate for IU that I would be good to go. I already did all of my C&P exams and everything. I have been waiting since the 28th of March. I know that people wait a long time for these things. She said typically the short part is after the C&P exams but that if I was going to persue IU my wait time would expand again. I told her no I did not want it. She said that even though I faxed my vcaa in and told them I did not want to be evaluated for IU it was still too early for that to have worked through the system. I find it awful ironic that the day my appointment for my exam was mailed out happens to be Monday September 12 2011 the exact same day that I called and faxed in my request to not wait for IU to be done. I just hope that my C&P exams that were done before now do not get overlooked.

Ok first and foremost let me say thanks for all of the responses and let me try and answer them as best I can. First of all my VSO is not so great in my county so I bypassed him and decided to use this forum and a patient advocate who works in the OIF/OEF clinicToday I was told to FAX my VCAA with the box checked to go ahead and rate. I was told that VA would need a written statement saying that I wanted to go ahead and rate with the information that they have and not wait on IU. Thanks to everyone here I was already letter in hand ready to FAX it in. I stated on the letter that I do not desire to be evaluated for IU and that I want to go ahead with the rating process. I did make sure to inform them once again, that I am in financial peril and in is imparative that I get this claim resolved as soon as possible (this is not an exact quote). I told them that I need to get this done so that I can get a vehicle so I can get a job, and then I will not have to be homeless, and I will also be able to vocationally rehabilitate myself and fined suitable employment that does not interfere with my disabilities. I will scan a copy of it tomorrow. I made sure that they know I am unemployed, my house is foreclosing (September 3 auction date) and that I will need to participate in Vocational Rehab so I can be gainfully employed. Last week I called the VA and told them about my house being foreclosed and how urgent it is to me that I have the claim resolved and my back pay caught up. After a few minutes on the phone I was told to write down number to put on my hardship letter and my documents proving my house is being foreclosed. I sent them in the VA certified that they had them. So I am hoping like everyone else that my claim gets done soon. I think that since they have all of the information that is needed and they have a financial hardship expedite request along with evidence of said hardship, that it should move along ok. I was told that for a normal claim in the deciscion phase it is taking 52 days on average in my VARO (Winston Salem NC) so maybe just maybe mine will move a little better. The first last and only time that I ever dealt with my VSO was on December 6th of 2010 I submitted to him some paperwork the VA requested as well as another statement to go with my claim. I had talked to him on the phone once before and it was because he was returning a call from a message I had left him the week before. He rubbed me the wrong way by talking to me like I am some ignorant kid and came off with a been there done that I have seen it all and I was here first attitude. That has an effective range of zero meters with me. On December the 9th the VA says that I requested them to evaluate me for IU. I do not know if that is something that he decided to submit with my stuff that was sent in or what. I can understand them saying I asked for it 3 days after I saw him because the mail has to run and the documents have to be delivered to the correct area in the VARO. By the time I had met this man I had already decided what conditions I wanted to be rated for, typed a statement of claim, sent in medical records, dd214, orders taking me to basic training all the way to Iraq and then the orders that allowed me to ETS. I had anything and everything I needed and even had copies of all of it. C&P exams came fast for me. I was always available anytime I was called day time, night time, holiday, weekend you name it, I was willing ready and able to come in and do what ever I was asked to do. So I had all my exams done by March the 21st. One of them took place early on a Saturday morning one of them happened on a Holiday. I was given an exam for TBI which they said was positive and was more likely than not related to military service. I was given a physical exam and x-rays. The Physical Exam was to evaluate flat foot (ples planus) of the left foot due to parachute accident, bilateral knee condition, sprained right ankle that actually has a broken bone in it still, herniated disc in my lumbar spine (L5-S1) two other compressions in my spine (don't ask I got no clue I just know it hurts like a b!tch), left elbow arthritis, and I think that covers it all. My mental health C&P exam was to evaluate me for PTSD and ADD. The results for my exam went well. I was told to get some more x-rays of my spine and my ankles and feet. The xrays confirmed my injuries to my spine and also that I have arthiritis in my spine and degenerative disc disease, all of my injuires were claimed and were said to have more likely than not been because of my military service. My psychological evaluation came back with Axis 1 PTSD and I think some type of modifier for mood disorder. I cannot remember what was on the other Axis's I was given a GAF score of 50. The doctor said that she believes that it will be difficult for me to attain higher education, and maintain a suitable source of employment because of my mental health issues, she also said that my problems are more likely than not because of my military service and caused by my deployment to Iraq. My TBI and PTSD was certified as both making one another worse and it is hard to seperate which one is increasing the problems of the other. So to sum it up I am ready to get this done, I am not requesting IU if I get it then so be it, and all of the conditions I claimed were certified to have been more likely than not because of my military service and some of them were found to be more severe than I know. Since starting this claim I have enrolled in substance abuse program the VA offers because the narcotic pain medication I have been taking for my chronic pain was causing me problems. I have not missed a single substance abuse meeting and I have passed all of my Urine Screens. I did not claim this on my claim, but they may know about it which is fine with me I guess. It is afterall a complication of being injured and having to take lots of medicines with potentially adictive side effects. Tell me what you think thanks again for all the help.

Ok first and foremost let me say thanks for all of the responses and let me try and answer them as best I can. First of all my VSO is not so great in my county so I bypassed him and decided to use this forum and a patient advocate who works in the OIF/OEF clinic. Today I was told to FAX my VCAA with the box checked to go ahead and rate. I was told that VA would need a written statement saying that I wanted to go ahead and rate with the information that they have and not wait on IU. Thanks to everyone here I was already letter in hand ready to FAX it in. I stated on the letter that I do not desire to be evaluated for IU and that I want to go ahead with the rating process. I did make sure to inform them once again, that I am in financial peril and in is imparative that I get this claim resolved as soon as possible (this is not an exact quote). I told them that I need to get this done so that I can get a vehicle so I can get a job, and then I will not have to be homeless, and I will also be able to vocationally rehabilitate myself and fined suitable employment that does not interfere with my disabilities. I will scan a copy of it tomorrow. I made sure that they know I am unemployed, my house is foreclosing (September 3 auction date) and that I will need to participate in Vocational Rehab so I can be gainfully employed. Last week I called the VA and told them about my house being foreclosed and how urgent it is to me that I have the claim resolved and my back pay caught up. After a few minutes on the phone I was told to write down number to put on my hardship letter and my documents proving my house is being foreclosed. I sent them in the VA certified that they had them. So I am hoping like everyone else that my claim gets done soon. I think that since they have all of the information that is needed and they have a financial hardship expedite request along with evidence of said hardship, that it should move along ok. I was told that for a normal claim in the deciscion phase it is taking 52 days on average in my VARO (Winston Salem NC) so maybe just maybe mine will move a little better. The first last and only time that I ever dealt with my VSO was on December 6th of 2010 I submitted to him some paperwork the VA requested as well as another statement to go with my claim. I had talked to him on the phone once before and it was because he was returning a call from a message I had left him the week before. He rubbed me the wrong way by talking to me like I am some ignorant kid and came off with a been there done that I have seen it all and I was here first attitude. That has an effective range of zero meters with me. On December the 9th the VA says that I requested them to evaluate me for IU. I do not know if that is something that he decided to submit with my stuff that was sent in or what. I can understand them saying I asked for it 3 days after I saw him because the mail has to run and the documents have to be delivered to the correct area in the VARO. By the time I had met this man I had already decided what conditions I wanted to be rated for, typed a statement of claim, sent in medical records, dd214, orders taking me to basic training all the way to Iraq and then the orders that allowed me to ETS. I had anything and everything I needed and even had copies of all of it. C&P exams came fast for me. I was always available anytime I was called day time, night time, holiday, weekend you name it, I was willing ready and able to come in and do what ever I was asked to do. So I had all my exams done by March the 21st. One of them took place early on a Saturday morning one of them happened on a Holiday. I was given an exam for TBI which they said was positive and was more likely than not related to military service. I was given a physical exam and x-rays. The Physical Exam was to evaluate flat foot (ples planus) of the left foot due to parachute accident, bilateral knee condition, sprained right ankle that actually has a broken bone in it still, herniated disc in my lumbar spine (L5-S1) two other compressions in my spine (don't ask I got no clue I just know it hurts like a b!tch), left elbow arthritis, and I think that covers it all. My mental health C&P exam was to evaluate me for PTSD and ADD. The results for my exam went well. I was told to get some more x-rays of my spine and my ankles and feet. The xrays confirmed my injuries to my spine and also that I have arthiritis in my spine and degenerative disc disease, all of my injuires were claimed and were said to have more likely than not been because of my military service. My psychological evaluation came back with Axis

I started my new claim September 14 2010. I had all my C&P exams completed as of March 21st 2011. My claim has been waiting to be rated by the Winston Salem Regional Office since the 28th of March2011. Since then my house has been in foreclosure and I have recieved numerous letters saying it will be auctioned. My car was repossesed. I requested to expedite my claim due to financial hardship. I sent in copies of my foreclosure notices and a statement of why I feel I deserve to have my claim expedited. 3 days after I faxed in the afore mentioned information I got an envelope in the mail with a vcaa and an explanation of what the VA has recieved and what they are requesting. Evidently they want to have me do another exam because of a claim of Individual Unemployability. I did not request this and do not know why it is on there. I want to know if I send in the VCAA and say that I have nothing more to add for evidence and do not want them to wait 30 days, will they go ahead and rate my claim for will I have to wait for the next exam? I had a request for IU sent with the other information and VCAA in this envelope. I am thinking I will just send in the VCAA and a statement saying that I do not want to claim IU and I would appreciate if they would just rate my claim based on the information given to them at this time.

Had my C&P done yesterday for my physical stuff. The doctor agreed with everything I had claimed and even said that he could see that things were pretty messed up for me. He had some x-rays done on my spine. It turns out along with the herniated disc I also have some arthritis on my lower spine. So I do not know how all this will work out. I got my mental health c&p exam done and my GAF score was 50. My PTSD was said to be more likely than not caused by my service in Iraq. I am currently 20% and I have suffered through five long years of crap so it will be nice to have some breething room.

I have not worked since last March. I am currently in school trying to change my skill set so I can get a different job. I have some physical issues as well. My C&P exam was done for the physical stuff yesterday. It was discovered from an x-ray yesterday that I have arthritis in my spine. In my claim letter I mentioned a ruptured vertebrae in my cervical spine area. I was not aware of the arthritis. I hated to hear that. My mental health C&P exam was done by a psychologist. She works for the the VA. I did not think that she like me very much and she had me worried. I suppose I made her a bit nervous.

Hello everyone, I have not been on here to post anything in a while, but I have been reading and learning. I had my physical C&P done today and my Mental Health exam done in February. While I was at the VA I figured I would go ahead and stop by the release of information office and get my C&P write up. I would appreciate any insight on what my rating may be, and any guess on when I may get my rating. I know none of us every really knows what the system is going to do, but a little peace of mind goes a long way. Thanks.

I am would appreciate it if some of you guys and girls would be so kind as to read my claim letter I am sending in along with my supporting documents. I recieved a letter saying that VA is aware I have opened a claim and that they recieved some documentation I sent them. I needed to send them some release of information forms as well as sign a few different papers that will tell them I either have no other evidence to submit other than what I am sending at this time or I have more to submit. I also decided to add some things to my claim letter that were not on the first one. I did not type the first one someone that has been helping me did and they failed to support what I am claiming as service connected disabilities, with clear explanation in the body of the letter. So please, if any of you have the time and do not mind reading what I have; take a look at this and tell me what you think. I have not slept in two days. All I have done is read this forum go through papers make copies and type my letter. I really need to get this right. I waited as long as I could and did the best I could to make do. I now am unable to work and I can not ignore the obvious problems any longer. My injuries have been a plauge to me for years. I was originally hurt in 2000 shortly after I went in the Army. I was treated continously while in the Army, and post sepperation I have been taken medication for chronic pain since 2007. I have been to the doctor numerous times at the Durham, NC VA medical center, and the Raleigh VA Primary Care Clinic. I XXXXXX XXXXXX, respectfully request the following: An increase in flat feet condition rating. An increase in tinnitus rating. An increase of herniated nucleus pulpous (lower back condition with left leg pain) claimed as Lumbar injury. Request rating for injured left knee Request rating for injured left and right ankle. Request rating for torn muscle in left hip. Request rating for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Request rating for PTSD. Request rating for Depression. Request rating for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). 　 My request is based on the following: My left foot and ankle is extremely painful and unstable still. I am currently pursuing another career because I am no longer able to work in the career field that requires continuous walking. My foot injury was incurred in the military and was done while in the execution of my official duties. I was treated for my foot injury while on active duty from September 2000 thru July 2005. I was on airborne jump status for at least 4 continuous years; with numerous jumps and infantry obligations that caused me extreme pain then and also now. I participated in The Global War on Terrorism with duty in Kuwait and Iraq October 2003 to April 30, 2004. The claim for the above injuries and conditions were all incurred while on active duty in the United States Army. The treatment for my foot was performed at Womack Army Medical Center Fort Bragg, NC, during the period of 2000 to 2005. Today, I have limited ability to walk and perform normal standing functions. I can no longer work in jobs where is standing is required. My feet ache, they swell often and I am using pain medication daily to offset the discomfort I have to walk. Often I walk using a cane sometimes a crutch, I wear orthotic supports in my shoe and an ankle brace. Also as a result of my military duties. The many jumps from airplanes, and road marches performed carrying heavy loads on my back I have acquired a Lumbar Cervical strain (herniated nucleus pulpous). It has gotten worse and now I am very limited to how much I can bend stoop or lift. The pain medication I am given is also to treat the symptoms of this injury. I have tried to maintain flexibility and muscle tone to help support my back, but I am reaching a point I can do that no more. I experience stiffness and swelling in multiple joints. I experience stiffness in my joints and an inability to bend, flex, rotate, and move my body in a natural way. When I have been still for a short amount of time my elbows, knees, wrists, ankles, and knees pop and snap. Sometimes I wake my wife up in the night because of the sounds my body makes when I move. I have to lay in bed and rotate, move, and adjust myself until my body feels like it will be able to be ambulatory without experiencing extreme pain. Sometimes my ankles and feet feel as though something is out of place. I have to use ice packs, and heating pads on my body after days involving physical activities that would be considered essential for normal life. These activities are not strenuous. I am a former Army unit level weight lifter, I can no longer participate in this physical activity. While in the Army I scored above 300 points in the Army Personal Fitness Test, and was responsible for helping plan my companies physical training regimen. My physical limitations prevent me from living the life I am accustomed too, and this has lead to depression. These same injuries are effecting my work life the same way. I originally injured the left ankle, and foot on a parachute jump. I indicated I was injured, but I was told to keep my mouth shut and drive on. I was looked at as being an example for others soldiers to follow. I forced myself to keep training and eventually ended up being on light duty for periods longer than 7 months multiple times because the injuries became worse. I went to the doctor and got several MRI's done. My left arch had collapsed and my gate was no longer normal while walking. The injured posterior tibia tendon in my left ankle had been ruptured but had healed back incorrectly. I felt numbness in my left leg after standing or walking for extended periods. This would lead to my buttocks going numb as well, thus I would lose my balance sometimes and it was very hard for me to keep up with others even while walking at own pace. My left knee did not bother me too much until about a year ago I was at work I knelt down to put some paper in a fax machine and my knee popped, made grinding noise, and began to hurt immediately. I iced it, took NSAID's, took left over Prednisone and the swelling began to some what improve. I went to the emergency room after 2 days and was given Oxycodone 5mg pills to take for 2 weeks. I did go to the musculoskeletal clinic at the Durham NC Veterans Hospital. I was told that not much could really be done to improve the condition of my knee. I was told that it was, "just kind of worn out." My knee pain is both medial joint line and anterior knee. Some days it hurts to even lay in my bed on my side and when I walk I often use a cane for stability. These conditions are burdensome, embarrassing, and prevent me from living the quality of life I lived before they occurred. I feel worthless, and vulnerable most days. I was already diagnosed by the VA for TBI. I was not counseled to apply for service connected disability and I have tried my best to deal with it alone over the years since returning from deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I did go to several appointments at the VA until I started getting billed for the service so I discontinued my visits. I was not able to afford medical treatment and miss work resulting in me making less money than I need to pay my bills. I am a OEF/OIF Veteran with duty in both Kuwait and Iraq. I am claiming TBI and Depression for the following reasons. I experienced the following events during OIF/OEF Deployment: Blast or Explosion IED (improvised explosive device), RPG (rocket propelled grenade), Land Mine, Grenade, etc. 2. I had the following symptoms immediately afterwards: Being dazed, confused, seeing starts, no memory of the event 3. I began to have balance problems, dizziness, sensitivity to bright light, and constant loud ringing in my ears. 4. Currently I am still suffering from the following symptoms within the last week: Memory lapses, confusion, trouble sleeping, night terrors, sensitivity to bright light, irritability, paranoia, ringing in the ears, and was diagnosed by the Durham VA speech and audio logy lab has having significant hearing loss in right ear, which is the same side that the rocket exploded on. Before deploying to Operation Iraqi Freedom I had suffered head injuries while performing a military parachute jump, and falling off a climbing rope during Physical Training with my unit. In both of these instances I was unaware of head injuries being a real medical condition, and just assumed that my symptoms would improve. I was not made aware of the true cause and effect of my injuries until being screened by the Veterans Administration for TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), and receiving literature relating to the subject. The Tinnitus that I suffer from was caused by sounds, and noises that were both loud and of high intensity. The worst coming from a blast that was created by a Do to my injuries and physical limitations I have experienced difficulty while dealing with depression and frustration. These things have placed strain on my professional life and my personal life. Some days I do not have the ability to be social with anyone and it has cost me one marriage. I did not come back from Iraq the same man that left. The steady increase of the symptoms caused by my injuries has caused my ability to perform and quality of life to decrease. I fail to conduct personal hygiene and do not complete tasks as I once did. I have trouble eating, sleeping, maintaining relationships, and have lost contact with my children. My new wife has actually separated from me multiple times, and I fear that is something does not change I may lose her. I have suffered from bouts of drinking, and was smoking marijuana for a period of time I am doing the best I can to get help and improve myself. I thank you for your time in reading this and your assistance in helping me get the compensation and treatment I deserve.

I have an injury to that effected my left foot and ankle and has caused stress fractures in my Tibia, the injury occured from a parachute jump that did not land so well . Well I also have cervical spine damage. I did not get a percentage for it when I started my first claim in 2005 because I had never complained about the injury while I was in the Army. So VA gave me 0% but gave me 10% for the acquired flat foot which was caused by damage to the ankle. I just figured what ever back pain I was having was do to me not being able to stand correctly or walk normally. I was told after my first C&P exam in 2005 that I definatley had damaged my spine. I was told that I would have to prove that the injury not only occured while in the Army, but that it was caused by a particular event and not just an added complication of the ankle. I do know that it seems no matter what the problem is the more you get treated for it and the more documentation you have for your treatments the better chance you have of getting considered for compensation. Paper trails seem to be the name of the game.