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wm36

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About wm36

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  • Service Connected Disability
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    Running

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  1. The site seems to be down and has been for weeks. I can no longer see my decision from last year or any decisions for that manner. You are not the only one. W
  2. Hello Fog, I am in the same boat with my claim being at the AMC and received the same response that you received to my IRIS inquiry in Jan. It is now mid April and no word. I also called the 800 number a month ago and got a 5 minute speech on what happens once a claim leaves the BVA on remand, I respectfully interrupted the operator by politely saying that after six years I was fully aware of procedure I just wanted to know when and what the last action on my claim was...he could not tell me. I wish I had better news for you but at least you are not alone. I am actually traveling to DC in May to talk to congress (I know it sounds crazy but completely true there is a group of Vets going to address issues.) Trying to figure out if I can actually show up at the AMC and talk to a real person.
  3. Do I believe it? No. The numbers from aspire as of today put claims backlog up to over 870,000 and claims processing times trending up across the board, for example AMC went from a processing time of 400 days (average) up t0 415.5 days. The news is not good, for many of us from those that have been waiting years, to those that are just starting the process. just my two cents.
  4. Good Luck to you Quaymar, also for monday morning reports http://www.vba.va.gov/REPORTS/mmwr/index.asp
  5. Here is the link. Note these are the numbers that the VA is using for "accountability" they show numbers of claims open, how long each RO is taking to adjudicate claims, and what the goals are for # of days claims are taking to get completed. They are not in the majority of cases very encouraging...some of the numbers are down right atrocious. I find it interesting, but do not, AND I mean DO NOT, read these numbers as a way of estimating how long your individual case will be taken care of. If you read other posts, some claims are racing through the system in a matter of months, others (like mine) are moving at a snails ( a snail taking lithium, missing a foot and suffering from dementia) pace and take years. www.hospitalcompare.va.gov/aspire/index.asp MM
  6. Congrats on your awards, As to the meds issue, always keep your provider up to date on the side effects and symptoms you are experiencing. I am not a doctor so take free advice for what it is worth, but i have been on anti-depressants, anxiety meds for years. Drugs for depression are not a cure, and dosing increases can be dangerous, and actually worsen the condition. You are not complaining, or being greedy if you are honest as to how you are feeling. If med increases make you nervous TELL your doctor. How you manage your depression is as much about communication as it is about what and how much of something you are taking, and should not interfere with your rating.My experience with depression is that it can be chronic and you will go through periods when you feel okay, and then periods when you feel like the world is ending. Like others I would never go in to the VA and say "I feel great, I am cured!" because even if I were feeling that may for the moment, I know from experience that those feelings can change on dime, and the VA will seek to deny benefits for statements like that. I will advise you to take inventory on how you are feeling over time and bring those feelings to the VA docs and if condition worsens not to just take the increased meds because a little book tells your doc it is what you should do, but to make sure your symptoms are what is driving what goes into your examination record (these are used for future ratings) regardless of what you choose (and it is your choice) to take and not. Congrats again Molly Marine
  7. Thanks all for the replies and advice. Special thanks to Carlie. You are right I don't care what the diagnosis is, as long as I get a fair rating for it and the ability to get treated at my VA without having to go through an overloaded Women's clinic and paying close to 70 dollars a month for my prescriptions. Hartford RO is the RO of original jurisdiction, so I was thinking that the sensible thing for the BVA to do would be to send the claim back to Hartford if it had any interest in closing the claim in a timely manner--I am also a lurker of the ASPIRE and Monday Morning Reports (not entirely helpful to many, but I find the numbers interesting). But what makes sense is not always what happens. Special shout out to all who have posted to teach valuable lessons in the craziness of VA But if I am stuck with the AMC, it is what it is. So thanks for the info. To others, My Service records did find their way to my C-file after I sent them in so no worries there, and I also receive SSDI, however the amount is very small as my work history for the last several years is very spotty. I went through the cycle of blaming myself for my troubles, taking jobs that would stress me to the point of hospitalization, getting emergency treatment, and then blaming myself for my troubles, taking jobs that would stress me out...you get the picture. So like a good Marine i will hurry up and wait and hope that the news gets better for us vets. Molly Marine feels better for finally posting...
  8. Thanks for responding Carlie, I am service connected 20% for Addison's disease, and 10% for hearing loss. I had to dust off my c-file to answer your questions. I filed originally in 2004. Got a denial because the VA linked my depressive disorder to my Addison's. I being naive and depressed never looked into the original denial and the claim became final. I was more proactive the second time around as I was actively seeking treatment at my VA hospital for my depression and PTSD.I submitted a second claim in 2006, claiming that my depressive disorder and PTSD were not secondary to Addison's and that while my Addisons is regulated with medication, my mental disorders were not improving and were worsening and should be considered separate issues so my 2006 claim is for: MDD and PTSD. The first denial came from the VARO, they cited that there was no medical evidence that I was treated for any psychiatric disorder prior to being discharged from the service and that my claim was due to a stressor which occurred after service. This was in january 2007. When I received the decision i promptly dug up my medical records and went to my VARO (next day 90 mile drive.) I was told by my VSO that it was too late to submit new evidence and that my file was shipped to washington. ---when I checked my c-file I saw that my ssoc and form 9 sat at the regional office a full year after I brought my evidence in. He then promised to forward the evidence to the BVA. What he actually did was nothing. I did request a copy of my C-file and gathered my medical records a second time and sent in a waiver for RO consideration. So the evidence that I sent in is of record with the BVA as of the day I received the remand On appeal from the Nov 2011. I think all of my ducks are where they should be. The decision (to paraphrase) acknowledges that I was treated for depression while in service and that I continued to receive treatment up until current date. So Remand instructions were to: 1. Ro or AMC to update treatment records from West Haven VA 2. Vet should be afforded a VA examination "the examiner should provide an opinion with respect to each acquired psychiatric disorder currently present or present during any time during the tendency of the claim as to whether there is a 50 percent or better possibility that the disorder originated during service or is otherwise etiologically related to service." 3. The RO or AMC should undertake any other development if determined to be warranted. 4. Then RO or AMC should readjudicate..... I had my C&P in dec. I received what I think is a favorable opinion. I have a copy of the exam and her conclusions. " The claim condition was as likely as not (50 percent or greater possibility) incurred in or caused by the claimed in service injury, event, or illness.)" She wrote detailed notes and it looks like I had a fair and complete exam. So we are now in March and I have no clue what is happening with my claim. Ebennie does not give info for AMC adjudicated claims. It is with the AMC which I have learned is the black hole for claims. My question is (sorry for extra- long post.) 1. I there a way to get the AMC to send my case to Hartford RO?They seem to move quicker on claims. Or am I stuck waiting an additional year in the dark about this claim? 2. Can the dependency claim that I ranted about earlier hold things up? It has been closed as of Feb 28. 3. My claim seems pretty straight forward and I have not so much a sneezed any additional paperwork to anyone for years. I have been very patient and I try not to get too worked up, however like many I am in dire circumstances financially and I'm not prepared to wait another 2 years to get this decision, so If anyone has any advice on how I can get away from the AMC please please please answer this. Thank you all for your support.
  9. Hi All, First thanks to all, especially the elders for all of the valuable information posted here. It has helped me a great deal. I have read a number of posts and used the info for my benefit. I was a Marine from 1998-2003. I suffer from Major Depression and PTSD. I filed a claim for benefits shortly after service--2004 and got denied and gave up. I was in such a bad place that I didn't have the will or energy to fight the decision. After several hospitalizations and getting so depressed and anxious that I was no longer working at one point gave up on ever leaving my house and upon advice from the Women's clinic at my Va (West Haven, Connecticut) I refiled in 2006. After an unfavorable decision at the RO level, I appealed to BVA, waited there for three years, and final got a remand in Nov 2011. I've made several mistakes: like not having m C-file: upon receiving it I realized that My medical records were incomplete. It was as if someone took the last year of my service and erased it from the record. Literally, the last notation was for june 2002, not to give into conspiracy thoughts I hope that this was a clerical error of some sort (however there is a part of me that truly believes they were removed or disappeared on purpose because I was perfectly fit until the last year of my problems when I was diagnosed with Addison's, and depression and these notations were all included in the copy I had.) I then let the file leave the RO without giving them the copies I had of the records noting that my depression started and was treated while I was in service. I listened to my DAV service officer who claimed that my file went straight to Washington and there was nothing he could do. NOTE: my file never left the RO for a year and I was within my time limit to submit new evidence. I never had a hearing and was never sent for a C&P examination during this odyssey. Fast forward to the present. I have plenty of questions on what happens now. I got a remand in Nov and now am waiting for the AMC-- which according to all the posts is going to be another ridiculously long wait. But this post was to introduce myself. Thanks in advance for helping me with my host of forthcoming questions and I am so glad this site exists for info, to celebrate vicariously those that win, to state my hobby has become reading the posts, to laugh at the rants--I have a few in me like HOW is it that when I informed the VA that I was divorced they were able to open the claim for dependency, get a notification to me that I owed them money, resolve my second dependent paperwork for my daughter, close the claim and start collection in 18 days and my claim for benefits has been languishing for 6 years, I understand it is more complex to decide and rate disability claims but is it 597 times (rough calculation in how long Ive been waiting) more complex? Mollymarine in limbo...
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