[Just Got My Letter Today! Yeeeeeeehaaaa!]

Thanks for the heads up. I hope I don't fall as far as some. Most of my days are thanking God for seeing the sun, one more time. I've already started some projects, around home, that keep my mind and body busy. Good luck to you and your's.

Papaw and all,

Keep in mind that it is actually very "normal" for many, that after your claims are pretty much finished

and have resolved - even if in your favor - that down the road, it maybe just a day or two, a week or two,

a month or two - - a depression will hit you and you won't be able to explain it and you probably will not understand it.

Especially if the resolve was in your favor, you will begin to wonder - why am I so down and depressed

and I don't want to do a damned thing but curl up and disappear.

All I can say is - know you are not alone in having this emotion, it's the down after the high, the steam has

seeped out and you are alone again with life and not having to continue fighting,waiting and wondering

what is in store regarding your claim issues.

Again, this is a very "normal" happening.

[Just Got My Letter Today! Yeeeeeeehaaaa!]

First of all, thanks to everyone that commented on my post. I felt it in my heart that you all we're sincere in your responses. I'll try to answer as many questions as I can in one or two lines. Yes I receive P&T and s/c 100%. It took all of 30 months to get this. I'll say it again. It still hasn't hit us yet. We keep finding out that we are eligible for this and for that. Which it's all great. I don't have to have anymore check ups or anything. It's all over now. Thank you all again for cheering for my gain. Remember, DON'T GIVE UP, it will come soon. God bless everyone and good luck with your claims. We wouldn't be free today if it wasn't for all the Vets that lost their life's and limbs to serve and protect our freedom. God bless you all.

[Just Got My Letter Today! Yeeeeeeehaaaa!]

Thank you so much guys. It actually feels like winning the lottery.

[Just Got My Letter Today! Yeeeeeeehaaaa!]

Good luck to all

[Ao Payment Update]

I think you hit the nail on the head with this post. I also feel that the people handling these presumptive claims are looking for the "slam dunk" so they might be able to show a large number of claims processed right away. I do know that they are working 6 days a week to help get the work load out. At least that's what they told me. I filed back in Oct. 09 and still don't have it. Good luck with yours.

stillhere, not really knowing the inner workings of the VA I personally don't think they rate claims as first in first out. Some claims may take very little time to develop and be ready for a rater than the more complex claims. Knowing all the new presumptive were to be developed as far as they could and then held in limbo until 30 Oct to begin the actual rating process. I filed in mid Oct. of 09. But I have no clue how long it took to develop it before being placed in the holding pattern and I would think many claims filed after mine made it to the holding area before mine. Simply because theirs' were are slam dunk to develop. I filed in Oct 09 and in July or August I get a letter from the VA asking for dependency info back to 1991. This tells me my claim hadn't been developed fully and wouldn't be until they received that info or their waiting time for it ran out. This also tells me there were a lot of claims filed after mine that went ahead of me. I don't think the VA is cherry picking the easy claims but it would stand to reason that if lets say 5 raters each take a claim in turn and 2 of the five are easy claims the the easy ones will get rated first while the other 3 raters will have to spend more time getting their claims rated and ready for review.

I don't know how SS does it these days but when I filed for SSDI back in 1991 they told me the earliest I would hear from them would be five months. After 5 months I got a check for one month and a few days later I received a 5 month retro check. They also told me after I was approved that they would have me under review in 5 years but that didn't happen until after 10 yrs.

I try to go by the theory or 3's for anything to do with the government. If they say 10 days don't expect anything for 30 days if they 30s day expect 90 days.

Hang in there brother, yours is coming and probably long before mine.

[The Eagle Has Landed]

I'm glad to hear someone is getting some type of compensation for the new presumptive diseases. That means mine should be in the mail any day now. I have the IHD. I have been permanently disabled since Oct. 2002 with four bypasses. And a punctured lunge during the operation. I applied for the disease when it came out in October 2009. I think that's when the new presumptives came out. And then passed into law October 31st I think, of this year. Wish me luck.

[Vietnam Vet]

I am confused too.

"They already deemed me 100% disabled way back in 2003, and I received disability for my Ischemic heart disease, until Social Security Disability took over."

You mean the VA compensated you at 100% - is part or all of that SC% due to a past claim for direct service connection IHD?

None of it was SC, at the time. It wasn't deemed SC until this past November. I hope this clarifies things for you. It does get kinda complicated sometimes.

Papaw

"At that time I had 4 bypasses. Since then, I've had half a dozen stints, also. Has anyone ever heard of anyone getting any type of compensation yet for these new presumptive diseases? This just seems crazy to me."

Yes, there are vets here who have succeeded under the AO IHD regs already.

The VA isnt going to compensate a vet with SC IHD already -for a new SC IHD claim under AO regs.Unless the past rating can be

changed to a higher % with evidence ( a re- open for higher rating)

Or if the new regulations have generated some retro under Nehmer. Since I was receiving 100% in 2003, I think that it should come under the Nehmer policey.

Papaw

Can you clarify this?

[Vietnam Vet]

I dont understand your claim

You filed in 09. These regs werent in effect until last month.

You were compensated for IHD years ago? Was that a Pension, Since SSA took over????

If that is the case, you may be a Nehmer member and the VA also has to back up and pay you to the original claim or at least til the Nehmer decision date.

Please help me to understand this.

Sure John, no problem. I was told when I received disability from the VA in 2003, that it was not service connected at that time and that it was a disability for those in need. I received $1000.00 from them until Social Security took over. The VA said that the disability that they gave me would be stop if SSD was more. Needless to say the SSD was $1600.00 so the VA stopped my disability from them. It didn't become service connected until this past November. Does this help?

Papaw

John

[Vietnam Vet]

I hope that I finally found a forum that focuses on veteran affairs. I applied, for compensation, way back in 2009, when the VA first announced that they were going to compensate veterans that were in Vietnam and had one of their new presumptive diseases with exposure to Agent Orange. I have Ischemic heart disease. My first heart attack was at 47 yrs. old. Back to the point. I submitted my claim again through the new "Fast track" web site, (http://fasttrack.va.gov) everyone was raving about. Unprecedented quickness of claims being processed. Yea, right. Well, I called the fast track group to check on my claim and they told me that the VA has not yet determined what amount they would pay for compensation. What's up with that? Is it going to be another year or two before anyone gets any type of compensation at all? It just seems like another hurry up and wait kind of thing. The feeling I got when I first heard of the new compensation rules was of joy for a better tomorrow for me and my family. Now that bubble has been popped. They already deemed me 100% disabled way back in 2003, and I received disability for my Ischemic heart disease, until Social Security Disability took over. At that time I had 4 bypasses. Since then, I've had half a dozen stints, also. Has anyone ever heard of anyone getting any type of compensation yet for these new presumptive diseases? This just seems crazy to me.