desperatelyseekingsusan

Hello, We applied for Caregiver Support (PCACF) for me to care for my husband 100% VA disabled: PTSD, REM behavior sleep disorder, obstructive sleep apnea, prostate CA Most recent diagnosis is vascular dementia, for which we applied for PCACF. His symptoms are mild at this point as far as he can do his personal cares himself, although I strongly encourage a daily shower and changing out of PJs at some point during the day… The denial letter states that he is able to drive, which he absolutely cannot as reported to his VA doctor by neuro psyche. Also, there is no mention that I manage all his medications: ordering, doling them out, and reminding him to take at the right time (blood thinner). What do you suggest as the next move? Appeal? I’m appreciative of any help.

Thank you for this information. I applied yesterday and got a call last night! Assessment appointments schedule for this morning! FAST response. I messed up my name on application—dang middle/maiden name! I’ll never do that again. The nice lady is going to try to fix it or else I need to haul every single ID document an hour+ away to fix my stupid error. Easy access to documents, so I’m ready. Anyway, thank you. Help is on the way. ~susan

Thank you very much. I didn’t know about aid and attendance. SMC L is the aid and attendance? Again, I’m so appreciative of the help I get from folks here.

Thank you Dot09. I will be working on the application as soon as all the diagnostic testing is completed.

Hello all! I haven’t had the need to post here in a long time, but it sure was helpful then. My husband is 100% PTSD disabled. Now he is diagnosed with a dementia. I read that Vietnam vets are twice as likely to develop dementia, however it is not now on the list of presumptive diseases, as was his prostate cancer… Multi-infarct, vascular dementia is suspected—MRI pending. He also has obstructive sleep apnea and REM sleep disorder related to the PTSD. All pointing to cause of dementia. Can someone tell me about receiving caregiver compensation. He can no longer drive and forgets to do some of his self cares. I have been to the VA caregiver site, but wonder if this sounds like a situation for eligibility. Any feedback is appreciated. Thank you.

Looking at the "claims status" on my husband's eBenefits site, it states that items requested have not been received. Also, my husband continues to receive a form letter that states documents have not been received. However, when the veteran rep looks up the documents received, he says they are all there. EXAMINING the eBenefits status page, "View required evidence" I found in the fine print a link to "unsolicited documents". Here I find ALL of the documents listed as received. Can we say that everything is in order since the documents show up on the unsolicited documents page in eBenefits???? In spite of continued letters to the contrary?? and in spite of the evidence requested page saying documents have not been received??

I have the same question, and I think I may have found the missing link. (?) Looking at the claims status on my husband's eBenefits site, it states that items requested have not been received. Also, my husband continues to receive the form letter that documents have not been received. However when the assisting rep looks up the documents received, he says they are all there. EXAMINING the eBenefits status page, "View required evidence" I found in the fine print a link to "unsolicited documents". Here I find ALL of the documents listed as received. Can we say that everything is in order since the documents show up on the unsolicited documents page in eBenefits???? In spite of continued letters to the contrary?? and in spite of the evidence requested page saying documents have not been received??

I am writing on behalf of my uncle. In the past year he lost everything. He is now on a very tiny SS income. He is in the process of claim for SC disability. Is form 5655 Financial Status Report the correct form for getting his prescription co-pays waived? Also, will this help for getting transportation costs reimbursed? To whom should he file this form? He is living day by day on the grace of friends. Thank you.

I am writing on behalf of my uncle. In the past year he has lost everything. He is now on a very tiny SS income. He is in the process of claim for SC disability. Is form 5655 Financial Status report the correct form for getting his prescription co-pays waived? Also, will this help for getting transportation costs reimbursed? To whom should he file this form? He is living day by day on the grace of friends. Thank you.

Thanks Berta. This helps.

Carlie, I have read the criteria for disability for PTSD. I believe he could qualify for an increased rating. The decision letter was based on VA doctor's opinion of "PTSD and depression, recurrent due to other medical conditions". Gee, "other medical conditions" would be severe REM sleep behavior disorder, hepatitis C and it's grueling treatment (thank you air gun vaccinations), and prostate cancer surgery/recovery (thank you dioxin). yes, he was compensated for the PC. Right now, and the reason I believe he was going to be fired, is the sleep disorder that is disrupting his ability to function well enough for employment. Thank you for all the references to previous cases. I have read them all thoroughly as well as my husband's decision letter. Why do you think opening a claim for the sleep disorder won't be useful? I have searched and found medical literature that connects REM behavior disorder as caused by PTSD. As soon as I think I have figured this stuff out, I get confused all over again.

There's not enough room to type all the info into the PDF form. Can I attach a separate document? Item 9. Dates of doctor visits and treatments-- my husband has seen many doctors and we don't have exact dates of each visit. How exact do we need to be? Thanks.

Hi Berta, I'm back. I just found this old thread and read the decision you linked. I have spent several days considering all of the information I have received. I have dissected all the parts. I have read my husbands 50% decision several times (no mention of sleep disorder). I have read the other decisions that were related to my recent thread. I think the right thing for my husband is to file a claim for SC REM behavior disorder, secondary to PTSD. There is supported in the medical literature for REM behavior disorder being secondary to PTSD. And, I think he can apply for TDIU due to medication side effects and effects of sleep loss on his ability to perform his job. I feel like we may finally have a grasp on the situation and a direction to go. Am I thinking right?

He has not been evaluated by a VA doctor for the sleep disorder. It was most recently evaluated at a nearby university medical center. They were reluctant to go with a diagnosis he had been given in the past of REM behavior disorder by other doctors. The sleep doctors at the university believe without doubt that the sleep disorder is a result of PTSD, along with the periodic limb movement.

Carlie, Thanks for the heads up. I try to watch my vocabulary, but didn't consider it that context. We aren't familiar with all the forms and procedures and appreciate all the knowledge here.

Wow! So much great information is coming our way from you people. Thank you. I just remembered that we investigated SSD a while back, and he is not eligible for disability. He was a teacher and in California they are in the California State Teachers Retirement System. He worked before becoming a teacher but not enough quarters for disability eligibility. He was retired disabled through the State teacher's system when he fell apart. Do you think this documentation will serve in the same way as SSD on the TDIU application? My husband will apply for TDIU today. Not sure what the other form is that was recommended, but I will study up on it after work tomorrow. He went this week to the VA office to meet with a new rep to open a claim for his sleep issues, or however it needs to be presented, but the rep was not going to be there this week. Will try again next week. I am so grateful for the coaching I am receiving here.

the award document says: What We Decided PTSD, major depression, recurrent 50% The initial claim statement was for PTSD only. No mention of sleep impairment. I am beginning to understand it now. The sleep impairment was never included in the initial claim, therefore it could not be evaluated and considered in the final decision. I think he can open a new claim for the sleep impairment. Does this sound right? Also, from the information sent to me in this thread, I believe he might qualify for TDIU. When the rep asked if he could do ANY work, that didn't sound right. He was a teacher with a nice income when he finally broke down. Doing ANY work didn't seem like an appropriate answer. Thanks again for helping.

Thank you to all of you for your help! I am so very grateful for this forum and all the people who so lovingly support each other. Berta, we did not file complaints. Of course we absolutely should have. We were new to this process and the ways of the VA, and at the time felt sufficiently whipped. We had so many issues on our plate that we had to move on to keep going. I regret that we did not file complaints. I knew the push back my husband received was WRONG when he questioned the exclusion of the significant sleep disorder. The other incident was plain traumatizing. We were both wounded at that time and didn't have the fight. But now, we're ready! We will read all the information offered by all of you. From glancing through, it certainly seems he should qualify for TDIU. I feel fortified now! Thank you, thank you.

Berta, My husband went back to the person who helped him through the process (actually, the person who initiated it retired and he had to see someone else through the end) and asked him why the sleep disorder was not even considered since it significantly impacts his ability to perform at work, or anywhere for that matter. The rep said it couldn't be proven SC. I don't know how he came to that conclusion because it was never addressed with the VA. When my husband told him he wanted to appeal, adding the sleep disorder as an obstacle to his employability, the rep said, "you can't work at all? doing anything? and told my husband 50% was all he could get. We believed at the time that the rep may have appointed himself as gatekeeper... just saying. At about the same time, my husband went to the local vet center for possible counseling/support group. He asked the counselor why the sleep issue was being ignored and couldn't he appeal, the counselor told him, "the VA is not a welfare system". At this point we just needed to get on with life. Coping with symptoms AND the filing process AND comments like these is grueling as everyone here knows. If one has to be 70% to be considered for TDIU, then why do you suggest filing for it? We will apply for social security disability as you suggest. And he is going to re-open the PTSD for the sleep disorder. He has been tested, several times. It was in the most recent sleep test that the apnea was diagnosed. Thank you, Berta. ~ Susan

Hi. My husband's PTSD claim was finalized about 18 months ago-- 50%. Throughout the process the VFW officer who helped him did not include any documents/information about my husband's sleep disorder of night terrors. The last 15 or so years the terrors got out of control. My husband now sleeps under a cargo net stretched tightly over his sheets to keep him safely in bed. During the terrors, he leaves his bed while still asleep and has broken bones, gone out the window head first, run into the walls... he has to sleep in a separate room with only a mattress. He takes clonazepam so that he can get some sleep. But the clonazepam leaves him hung over the next day. He has developed sleep apnea, and I think it is the sedating effect of the drugs causing the apnea. He is thin and fit. He also was diagnosed with, and takes medication for, periodic limb movement, which the psych says is most likely due to the apnea. Why would this not be relevant? Is it because it all falls under the umbrella of PTSD? My husband had to retire disabled from his teaching position before they fired him. The medications and lack of good sleep made it very difficult for him to work effectively as a teacher-- poor cognition, slow processing, difficulty concentrating, horrible memory, anxiety.His sleep is poor and it causes all kinds of issues. I cannot imagine anyone employing him for very long. Any feedback would be appreciated as to why this would not be included in the claim.

pr, Thank you! you helped me remember a statement about residuals from the prostate surgery. I bet that accounts for the 60% figure. Thank you for clarifying that the SMC "K" is an additional benefit. My husband will be submitting a TDIU claim ASAP (so many acronyms to keep track of! ) Thanks for the help, Susan

Thank you for the replies! Yes, he had surgery for the prostate cancer. I get the 50% for PTSD and the temporary 100% during the surgery recovery phase. The part that still confuses me after thinking about it over night is the 60%. It's my understanding that the SMC-k compensation is separate from/in addition to the percentage of disability. Where does the 60% come from and what does it mean? Also, he pretty much was going to lose his job due to issues related to the PTSD. He was granted disability retirement as a result of his difficulty at work. Do you think he should/can submit a claim for TDIU?

Thank you to all of you on this board. The support and information has been a great help through this process. My husband received the decision letter today. Yay. We don't understand this: "Your overall or combined rating is 50% effective Aug 11, 2010, increased to 100% effective Nov 9,2010, then decreased to 60% July 1, 2011. We do not add the individual percentages of each condition to determine your combined rating. We use a combined rating table that considers the effect from the most serious to the least serious conditions." ..."We granted entitlement to special monthly compensation effective Nov 9, 2010 because of your loss of use of a creative organ [prostate cancer]. Medical Description: PTSD Percent Assigned: 50% Effective Date: Aug 11, 2010 Do we interpret this to mean there will be 50% compensation, in total? Period? The prostate cancer is ignored, or factored in somehow by the most serious to the least serious condition table? It has us scratching our heads. Any comments would be appriciated. Best wishes to all, Susan

Hi all, and thank you for all the information here. My husband had a Psychiatric C&P exam for PTSD early January. Recently, and surprisingly, he received an appointment for a C&P exam for TBI, which he did not file a claim for. He thought maybe he was referred for the TBI exam since he was asleep in a building that collapsed on him. A couple days later, he received an appointment for ANOTHER Psychiatric exam. Has anyone heard of this? Two exam for the same claim?

Does anyone have experience or information of REM behavior disorder and Vietnam service connection? He recently filed documents for PTSD and the person helping him was not interested in documentaion of his sleep disorder. Does this sound right? Thanks for any info on this disorder that has plagued our life since he returned from Vietnam.