11cvolley

I received a letter from the RO that I need to pick an option. Decision review officer or traditional appeal process. Which one is faster? Is the review officer the one where I'll sit down with someone from my local VSO?

I'm waiting on a in person hearing at my local VA to decide if I got 100%, IU, or stay at 70%. The reason in my denial letter was I play strategy pc games. Most of the time I get out of the house only to help unload the car, lawn care, or help wife with baby. The past five days I only went outside to get my son out of his car seat. Every now and then I'll have a little streak of getting out and going to the store with my wife and son. Even sit on the back patio.

I been in treatment for nearly two years and I am stuck at trauma processing. Today I told my social worker that I don't think I'll ever be ready to talk about my trauma again. She wants me to just sit in on group and listen and see what happens. What should I do if group doesn't help? Do I keep wasting my social worker's time just to keep an up to date record for the RO, or what happens if I just go to get my refills?

I left a voice mail to the lady in charge of the ptsd clinic early yesterday. She has not called be back yet either. At the end of this month I have an appointment with my ptsd doctor. If have not made contact by then I will address it in person.

This is the only appointment I missed with her. The E-mail and w/healthEvet and secure messaging thing I'll have to look into.

late 2011 I got awarded 80% total for ptsd and asthma. (70ptsd / 30asthma) My last appoint I had with my social worker was suppose to be over a month ago but I missed it. Last week and a half I called her extension five times and left voice mails 3 times. I know I haven't been in contact with her for around two months. Did I do something wrong and I can no longer see her because I went so long and missed an appointment? I feel like the VA is conspiring against me to take my rating away. I can't call and complain about her because then I think she or anyone else I see there will try their best to mess with my rating. What should I do?

So I got my denial letter in the mail from the RO... In the letter it states that since I play a PC game called, "Civilization 5" that I am able to work... Because the PC game requires concentration and hours of gameplay..... I never told the moron (CP doc) anything about the game other than it is my "favorite" one. He just assumes that since I play it that I can stay concentrated for hours on end. Oh yeah and his stupid ass test that is answered with a 1 or 2. I have computer smarts and knew I could hit 1 or 2 instead of clicking. It made the test go by fast and since it went by fast. I must be able to do some work...

So I guess I forgot to send in some form so it looks like I will have to file a NOD and send in the papers showing I get SSDI. From 2005 to 2010 they VA had me on a lot of asthma medicine since they thought I had asthma. I don't have asthma since it was a misdiagnoses and they let me keep the 30% for it. Now they're proposing to reduce the 30% to 0.

It is part of me I guess. I make myself go nuts whenever there is something involving me and a time frame. Just like if I had an appointment tomorrow I'd we dwelling on it all night. Mostly things that I don't know the answer to. Like if I start thinking about something and I don't know the answer I'll have to google it before I can go to bed. I hate whwn they say xxx days on average. Not knowing "when" drives me crazy.

My IU claim has been pending approval since 6-1-2012. I haven't worked since mid 2010. I got rated at 80% for ptsd / asthma last year and shortly after getting SC'ed I filed the IU claim. Are there any tricks that I can use to get a person on the 800# to tell me if it is approved or denied?

I would write your stressor report now and hand a copy to your social worker. For some it can be much easier to write what happen down and just give it to your social worker than trying to explain it in several sessions. With how many veterans a SW sees, the time between your appointments, and their lackluster note taking I would not trust them to understand your situation. Write it all out and it will get put into your medical records.

It isn't just VA doctors but all doctors. They're funny on what they call your condition. Some might call it PTSD, anxiety, schizophrenia, or some other condition. Do an online quiz to see if you have PTSD. Take that to your mental health doctor and say, "see this test? I think I have PTSD." You have to remember it is important to get the correct diagnoses. PTSD or not your number one goal should be treatment. Hang in there.

If you're truly suffering from PTSD get treatment asap. Find out what your treating doctors are calling it if not PTSD. Work on your stressor letter and gather evidence. You should start PTSD treatment then file NOD.

At this point my advise would be to get in touch with a VA lawyer. IF you were denied then a VA lawyer can step in and help you.

I get my first SSDI payment in two days. They are back paying me to 1-1-2011. I'm afraid if I turn it in to the RO now it will put my claim at the end of the line for decision phase. If they do approve IU I probably will file a NOD on the date of back pay and submit the SSDI paperwork.

My IU is in the decision phase. The RO has all the evidence they need. The only thing they do not have is my papers from SSDI saying I have been granted SSDI. I just got those and I think I'll will only turn them into the RO if they deny my IU claim. Since I would need new evidence the papers from SSDI will cover that. After getting 70% on the first try for PTSD, doctors supporting my IU claim, and the C&P doctor making my case for IU I don't think they will deny it.

I plan on going in person tomorrow. If this continues I will visit the patient advocacy office has I have done in the past.

Well ever since I got awarded 70% for PTSD, did my exam for IU, and therapy came to a hold because I'm not ready to go further. Now I try to get in contact with my therapist and left a few voice mails. No response. Before I got awarded I had constant contact with her and if anything just talked about how life was going since I can't emotionally stay connect for treatment. It seems like now that I am awarded 70% and waiting on IU that they don't care anymore. IDK how many refills I have left and I haven't been able to make an appointment to see the "pill doctor". I guess on Monday I'll have to go in person to get anything going. I feel like I'm slowly falling back into denial and into my shell.

Trying to keep it hush hush is not helping you or your wife. What is more important? Going back into active duty or your marriage? Seek treatment asap before something happens that you can't take back.

I think the biggest issue is the VA sending you to new doctor. When I had my C&P for IU the doctor said I have some condition (can't remember what it is called) that I see things that arn't really there and I have a grim outlook on everything. He agreed I do have PTSD from the military but claims this condition he labeled me with was pre-existing and was made worse by the trauma in service. He also agreed that I am unable to work. So even though he made my case for IU (which is in decision phase) he also labeled me with a new condition based off of the C&P. One statement he took out of context is that I don't like going to the eye doctor because I don't like people close to my face. So he put in my notes that I don't like wearing glasses because I don't want to see people closer to me. So you have to be very careful with your wording around most VA doctors. I don't think they really care and will put what ever they want into your notes. It pisses me off that they will take minimal notes and wait hours after your exam to write up their report. It is like, "really?" "You have how many patients a day, and you take how long to write my report?" Pisses me off to think my rating is in the hands of some VA doctor that only knows me for as long as the exam is.

They have to prove your condition improved to win. I would venture a guess that the ones who go to the VA every week claiming mental break downs or whatever else to build a file for getting SCed and then stop having mental break downs ect after they win are the ones that the VA will try to decrease. When I tried going back to college I recognized a veteran that was in the ER when I was there. He complained about migraines and how loud noises, stress, soda, sun, heat, ect would set his migraines off. Well here he sat in his car listening to music that you could hear and feel the bass at lease 20 yards away. He was drinking red bull like it was water. It was probably 95f and sunny that day. Of course he stood outside with the sun in his face talking and carrying on about a party he went to that past weekend. So just remember that any story you hear about the VA. Good or bad. Don't take it at face value. Yes IMO the VA is shit; however, for every honest negative opinion there is at lease 10 more from people that failed at scamming the system.

You're right. SSI is offset by VA payments. At 70% I don't qualify for SSI; however, SSDI has no offset by VA comp, spouse's income, or SSI payments. If you had 0 money in then you could get SSI and SSDI payments. My Uncle gets SSI and SSDI due to being 67, can't continue work on railroad, and is considered un-trainable due to age/disability.

Yes, the SSDI payments will not have any effect on or from VA payments; however, SSI payments are offset by VA payments.

So I just got a 1,620.39 deposit from SSI. I think this is from the few months I would have qualified for SSI until I started getting to much from the VA because 1,620.39 doesn't match anything I have been told. Such as 816.00 a month times 2 wouldn't be it.

No you can not unless you have power of attorney. We been down this road when my wife lost her wallet in a lake.