kkp

I can certainly appreciate this thread. Its hard to admit you have ptsd for most of us. After leaving the service, I have found myself in a leadership position most of my working years. But at night while sleeping, it seemed the dead just wouldn't stay dead. After an accident forced me to cease working, It got much worse. In all the years I had never discussed my dreams, but after becoming idle they start happening in the day time also. A friend who I grew up with and was in the service the same years I was talked me into going to the vet center. On my first visit I was diagnosed with ptsd. This was my first association with this word. I went home and punched ptsd up on my computer. I didn't read much until I knew it was a wrong diagnosis. I continued to go to the center weekly for a couple of months. on what I decided would be my last visit, I sat down with my counselor and told him I wouldn't be coming back. I told him the things that had happened to me in the service had nothing to do with my problems. He said I would like to tell you about an observation I made of you today. I said ok, tell me. He said while I was in the lobby to get my appointment ahead of you ,I notice you opened the door for a fellow vet. He ask me why did I do that. I told him the man was in a wheel chair. Both legs were amputated above the knees, and I was just being courteous. He said was it because of his disability, and I said yes. His response has me weeping as I write this,. He said the only difference between him and you is you can see his disability, but you can't see yours. I have always been the macho type, but I busted out in tears, and orally wept for at least half an hour. Our session lasted an hour and a half. Before I left He filled out a disability form for Ptsd. I suppose He thought I wouldn't take it to a vet rep so he called a friend of his who worked for the American legion who worked near by. They filled out my claim for me on the spot and filed it. In less than three months I was granted 50% on ptsd. What he didn't know, but probably sense was I never plan to see another sun set. God bless all those young faces returning from todays war.

In the early 60s the 101st had there jump school at Ft. Campbell, and the 82nd had their's at at Bragg' Not long after I finished jump school I came home on leave. My best friend was in the Marines, but we always tried to coordinate our leaves. We live in a small town of about 5000 people. We were both in our civvies walking down the street. We seen a Paratrooper coming towards us. as he got closer I noticed his all American shoulder patch, and then as he got even closer I couldn't believe my eyes. He had buck sergeant stripes on his sleeve, and Major leaves on his collar. My friend and I just stared at each other not believing what we were looking at. I vaguely knew this guy and knew we joined around the same time. My buddy grinned at me and said thank God, hes not a Marine so hes all yours. Well he was out of uniform so it was every soldiers duty to correct it. I ask him what the hell he thought he was doing dressed like that. The dummy looked me right in the eyes and told me he was a Sargent Major. Its really funny looking back. I told him He was out of uniform and correct his dress or I would. If you can believe this, he pulled out a Tom Mix pocket knife. That's right a Tom Mix pocket knife, Which I promptly took from him and set on his chest and cut off his strips and then removed his Major cluster. By this time he was filthy so that made him still out of uniform, so I took his shirt and tie and boots. By then he looked exactly like what he was, a big dumb hillbilly. Just as I was finishing up the chief of Polic drove up and wanted to know what was going on. I told him, and he ask if he could have his cloths. The kid ask him if he could have his close back. ( I'll never forget what the chief's reply was) Hell no , You are just lucky these nice gentleman got to you before I did. I found out later He was retired army. True as God as my witness kkp

Thanks for the advice Guys In the material that was sent to me is His discharge from the Department of the Army and air force National Guard Bureau REPORT OF SEPERATION AND RECORD OF SERVICE IN THE ARMY NATIONAL GAURD OF WV AND AS A RESERVE OF THE ARMY. TYPE OF DISCARGE HONORABLE On line 23 Military qualifications NONE THIS PERIOD LINE 30servive schools attended and dates NONE LINE 31 reason and authority for discharge FAILURE TO CMOPLETE BASIC TRAINING Line 32 remarks NGB FORM 55 MAILED TO EM AT LATT KNOWN ADDRESS LINE 33 signature of person being discharged (FULL NAME) em not available for signature He entered the guard on 17 Dec. 1976-- date of discharge 14 april 1976 He was sent to Fort Dix for basic. He was there for four weeks three of which s spent in a mental hospital. I have no records from the Hospital but will attempt to attain. All I have is 30 pages of treatment records from the Dublin va mhc. The starting paragraph states ------- ------is a 31 year old white male vet admitted to 7/15/ last Friday. the date on this is 11/26 90 The patient admitted to visual and auditory hallucinations and ideas of references. He was hospitalized once at csh milledgeville 3 or four years ago ater violent behavior. Patient ha his first psychotic break in 1977 after one month of basic training and diagnosed schsyopherenia paranoid type. Diagnostic impression schizophrenia, paranoid type, chronic This is only the first paragraph of thirty pages of treatment in 1990. Berta it seems the va tried every way possible to aide him in his claim, and yes he received everything you mentioned in your reply. My Nephew has no mental facilities at all. He thought all the letters he received were good news. And his Family who seen the paper work doesnt seem to have a clue. I am sorry to say, but I think is rep is in the same boat. He file he claim and received a letter to assist within two weeks. He received a letter advising him that a claim had been filed in 1990 and had been denied for lack of evidence, and new evidence would be required to re open the case. I am in the dark as to what new evidence was sent, but the case was reopened. No other evidence was sent so his claim was denied. His rep did then send an nod in feb.07. The new evidence he sent was a copy of their own rules for the disease. I have in my possession a letter from the va saying the case would be turned over to a dro. And to make matters worse the rep checked the box no further evidence. I think you get the picture. I have until Nov. 07 to send in new evidence. Here's My plan 1. try to get his hospital records from Ft. Dix,as know one has to this point. 2. the hospital in Dublin referred to him being admitted to another place in Georgia. I will try to get those records also. 3. I talked to my Sister last evening and she also said he was admitted to a mental hospital while they lived in Indiana in the late 70's., I will attempt to get those. 4. The rep only got the records from the va hospital in Dublin for the year 1990.,He has been treated there to date, so I will get those. 5.After I get all this together I will make him an appointment with a board certified shrink, and attempt to get an IMO creating a nexus to his break down in the Military. That is My plan. please advise if I am leaving anything out as I will only have one shot at this before it would go to the BVA. I may have my dates a little off but I am certain I only have until Nov. 07 to have this filed. I have been lurking, not knowing enough to advise, but reading everything. Thanks to all who have responded and those who will respond, as I know you Guys love a teaser. thanks kkp

I have a difficult question concerning my nephew. To start with I have known him all of his life. and can verify he seemed perfectly normal growing up. He Joined the national guard in wv and was sent to Fort Dix for basic training, This was in 1978. After four weeks he had a break down. Most of us have witnessed this,and I know many of you didn't hold these kind of type of trainees in very high regards, as I myself didn't until recently. To the best of my knowledge he has only had one job since his discharge. He received counseling continuously since getting out and been admitted on several different occupations through the years. By being in the national guard I didn't know if he would qualify for help from the va. Some one took him to the va in Dublin Georgia in 1990.Appearntly He qualified for medical help, And has been receiving medical treatment through the va since. I will add he has been admitted in their mental ward on several occasions. He still lives with his Mother who is getting old and can't last much longer. I have tried to get him to file a claim for disability for five years, and he always promises me he will. I live in wv and it is when I am visiting my sister that he tells me this. two years ago I realized He didn't have the ability to do this on his own so I took him to a s.o. for the American legion. Naturally he didn't think it would do any good to file a claim, but when I showed him his va medical card, an the fact he had been receiving care through the va for the last fifteen years he agreed he should file a claim. As it turned out he had filed a claim in 1990, and his claim was denied. It is really pitiful what happened. He dose not have the mind to do anything on his own,and his family is not very well educated, so they were no help, and his rep is in la la land. I finally ask his sister to fax me everything he had on his case. He had his denial from 1990. and what the va need to proceed with his case. (he doesnt remember filing a claim, nor did he have a rep) When we filed the knew claim the va told him since the claim had been denied he needed new evidence to reopen his claim. The va also sent him a letter in Feb. and April 2007 telling him what he need to send them. I don't know what his rep did with all this info but there's no record of any action on his part. My nephew had neatly stack every piece of paper he had received from the va in a drawer, but didn't have the least idea what they were. I know this is a long post and it still may not make a lot of since, but boy does he need some help. With what I have posted My question is would he qualify for using a Lawyer. I want to help but don't know where to begin. The va wants proof of treatment from his discharge to date. Of course He was treated by the va MHC since 1990. These records are easily attainable. He was institutionalized several times through state run organizations from the date of his discharge to 1990. Its clear to me that his rep is not going to help, and his family is inept, and I am to far away.( by the way My nephew told me recently he would be going to IRAN soon) Like I said earlier, This Vet.(and I mean vet in every since of the word needs help) needs help. any advice would be appreciate, thanks KKP

Berta, Ricky, Pete 53, and others. I talked to my po today. I was given a number to call at the va. suggested I deal directly with the to save time. After going through a lot of recordings I end up at the local ro. I never did claim him as a dependent. At that particular time I was in pretty bad shape. I only recently found out about chapter 35. Keep in mind that I am only 50% but am quite sure of a hundred in the not to distant future. I was told at the ro to go ahead and proceed with the adoption, And as soon as I have anything legal in writing to send it to them and then they would send me directions on how to proceed from their. I then called my lawyer and have an appointment tomorrow. He said we could have something legal from the court within a week to send to the ro. He also said since the adoption was uncontested it should be final before his 18th birth day. He also said in West Virginia adoptions could be done after the age of eighteen. My Grand Son is only a junior so that will give us a year and a half to work my claim. He's a smart kid, and will probably be offered a scholarship in basketball, but the extra help would sure come in handy. Ricky the way the person talked to me at the ro, I am under the impression that the adoption would not have to be final, but in the process. The man I spoke to ask his supervisor before he told me to send anything that proved it was in the process. I can only hope. Thanks to all, as I said I learned about chapter 35 here on Hadit, so please don't quit answering those repiticious questions. Its not old stuff to us news, and remember we are not thinking straight at the start of the va maze. kkp

Here is my Situation. I am not 100% pt at present. Hopefully I will be before to long. I have a seventeen year old Grand son, who I have Legal custody of and have had since he was two years old. I know I would have to legally adult him for him to be qualified for chapter 35 benefits. Here's the situation now . He is a junior in high school now, but he will be 18 years old this July (2007). Must I adult him before he is 18 years old even though he still has another year of high school. I would sure hate to lose out over being stupid. Thanks kkp

Don't expect a HAT HANGER, but IT DOSE WORK

Sorry I was in the process of editing and accidentally post twice

Berta I have been reading about your gripes With your poA for quite a while. At first they were totally FRENCE TO THIS HILLBILLY. The longer I read, the more I learn. I have recently been in the trenches with my American Legion POA. In my case I recently had a secretary making major decisions on what evidence should or should not be sent to the ro in support of my case. I to am very upset, and did not take it setting down. I took it all the way to the top. Ironiclly I ended up saving her , Her job. I am now being represented by the rep who's office is in the ro. Only today I was reading the AMERICAN LEGION POST SERVICE OFFICERS GUIDE 2006 EDITION. I am quite sure you are fully aware of there regs. I also know there are many who don't. I personally find it disgraceful that the vet. has to know all of the Va's Regulations, in addition now to also knowing the poa,s rules that they work under. I have read many times on this sight of the frustrations that people like Vike 17 has stated. ( If the evidence was sent in on the original claim that was won on appeal) the system would not be so clogged up. He is right you know, But is this the vets fault, IN MOST CASES NO. In to many case its PoA-s who are untrained or just simply dont care. As we all know when we file a claim we don't know diddly. We trust the road to handle it for us. Its only after our claims have been botched that we have to start learning why. AGAIN I WILL QUOTE OTHERS WHO WORK AT RO'S- IT'S A VERY SMALL PERCENT OF THE CASES THAT HAVE TO BE APPEALED, WHICH MEANS MOST POA'S ARE DOING IT RIGHT. I WOULD VENTURE TO SAY THAT MOST HEAR ON HADIT FALL IN THE LATTER. Following I will paste one paragraph from manual mentioned above That gives Berta every right to pursue her case and perhaps some day set a standard in the courts for us all. Hopefully it will get that far. CLAIM FORMS, DOCUMENTATION AND CORRESPONDENCE Post Service Officers should not hold such material. To avoid delays and potentially lost benefits, all claims or correspondence submitted to the PSO should be immediately directed to the DSO at the VA regional office having jurisdiction over the geographic area where the claimant lives. It is also important that no material or evidence ever be submitted directly to VA. Should a benefit claim be denied, the PSO should advise claimants to contact the DSO right away, before initiating an appeal or taking further action on their claim.

Berta I have been reading about your gripes With your poA for quite a while. At first they were totally FRENCE TO THIS HILLBILLY. The longer I read, the more I learn. I have recently been in the trenches with my American Legion POA. In my case I recently had a secretary making major decisions on what evidence should or should not be sent to the ro in support of my case. I to am very upset, and did not take it setting down. I took it all the way to the top. Ironiclly I ended up saving her , Her job. I am now being represented by the rep who's office is in the ro. Only today I was reading the AMERICAN LEGION POST SERVICE OFFICERS GUIDE 2006 EDITION. I am quite sure you are fully aware of there regs. I also know there are many who don't. I personally find it disgraceful that the vet. has to know all of the Va's Regulations, in addition now to also knowing the poa,s rules that they work under. I have read many times on this sight of the frustrations that people like Vike 17 has stated. ( If the evidence was sent in on the original claim that was won on appeal) the system would not be so clogged up. He is right you know, But is this the vets fault, IN MOST CASES NO. In to many case its PoA-s who are untrained or just simply dont care. As we all know when we file a claim we don't know diddly. We trust the road to handle it for us. Its only after our claims have been botched that we have to start learning why. AGAIN I WILL QUOTE OTHERS WHO WORK AT RO'S- IT'S A VERY SMALL PERCENT OF THE CASES THAT HAVE TO BE APPEALED, WHICH MEANS MOST POA'S ARE DOING IT RIGHT. I WOULD VENTURE TO SAY THAT MOST HEAR ON HADIT FALL IN THE LATTER. Following I will paste one paragraph from manual mentioned above That gives Berta every right to pursue her case and perhaps some day set a standard in the courts for us all. Hopefully it will get that far. CLAIM FORMS, DOCUMENTATION AND CORRESPONDENCE Post Service Officers should not hold such material. To avoid delays and potentially lost benefits, all claims or correspondence submitted to the PSO should be immediately directed to the DSO at the VA regional office having jurisdiction over the geographic area where the claimant lives. It is also important that no material or evidence ever be submitted directly to VA. Should a benefit claim be denied, the PSO should advise claimants to contact the DSO right away, before initiating an appeal or taking further action on their claim.

I have a friend who is retired from the sea-bees. He has no sc disabilities, and he didn't sign up for va benefits in time to qualify for any va benefits. I thought I read somewhere that someone in his position could still get eye exams and glasses from the va. Perhaps someone could tell me one way or the other. thanks kkp

Larry did you file a new claim on your knee and hip, I am assuming you did. If so I think you should file a nod on your original claim. If you do you can point out all the things the original rater did not rate. A dro could correct this right away especially if your ssdi is based solely on your sc condition. kkp

Larry j After rereading your decision, I believe you should get an nod in immediately. and request a De NOVO review. You say you received ssdi soley on th sc condition. It seems to me that the rater concentrated entirely on your c&p, and probably under rated it. It doesnt appear to me they even considered the other evidence. In my cover letter I would point out In line items the evidence that was not mentioned in your rating. I think you had the evidence before the rater and he didn't' consider it. This would not get by a good dro especially if you pointed it out. I agree with cavemen, go for 100% and send in a iu form with it. You will get all kind of flax from your poa on the IU, But fill it out and send it in yourself if you have to. I would hate to see you get caught up in this mess of asking for 20% here and 30% there, with each decision taking a couple of years, and then finally asking for IU and five years of your life gone. That's exactly what happened to me and others on this board. I say go for the whole ball of wax now. Hey you can always appeal anything less, But who knows, you could get lucky the first time. kkp

Congratulations Larry You have your foot through the door now. That was the big battle. You will get some good advice on how to handle it from a lot of knowledgeable people here. I would offer some advice in a couple of areas. If you have a poa,don't let him rush you. You have time to get your case in order. If I am wrong someone will correct me, But file your nod as soon as possible,and ask for 100%. Go for the whole ball of wax now. At worse you will establish a start date for back pay. Now you have plenty of time to gather your evidence. If I understood you right, you said you got ssdi solely on this service connected injury. If so you want to get a copy of there decision. You can get it quicker than the ro will. Get imo's from every dr. you can and be sure they show a connection to your sc injury. Don't be in a hurry, you have lots of time. The important thing is to get it all together the first time. It will take several months for your nod to work its way to a dro. I'll shut up now and let people that know what they are talking about advise you I am just excited for you good luck. kkp

I fully agree with TBIRD concerning Vike 17. I posed many questions on this board, and Vike17 responded to many of them. I didn't always get the answer i wanted to hear, however I did get answers based on VA law. Maybe his bedside manner was a work in progress, But answers to my Questions were always right on. While browsing another board, I found a post by vike17. He was concerned that a answer he gave on this board might have been in error. He got a response from someone he felt had more experience in this particular field than he did. As it turned out he had been right. He politely thanked him and that was it PERSONALLY I WISH HE WOULD COME BACK ON BOARD. I WOULD VENTURE TO SAY MORE PEOPLE VALUED HIS OPINION THAN HE REALIZED. I MUST SAY THAT I FIND MYSELF IN FULL AGREEMENT WITH THE OPINION OF A PATICULAR ARTHOR ON ONE SUBJECT AND TOTAL DISAGREEMENT ON THE NEXT. Does that make me right or wrong? I say no only human. kkp

Ptsd and the way we were My first question is, how were we. Where I come from in the late 1950’s to the early sixties life was calm, serene, and peaceful.. I ‘ve heard it said threes three things we all have to do. Be born, pay taxes and die. Well in my generation there were four things you had to do. That fourth thing was serve your country. You could either join or wait to be drafted. There was no lottery. If you didn’t join, unless you were rich the odds were that you were going to be drafted. Upon joining the Army, I excelled in basic training, a. i. t… At that time we had our jump school at Fort Campbell, which I graduated from. I took courses in the army at night and got my high school diploma. I went to Recondo School, which was a must before going to ranger school. As things were happening in other parts of the world that I became involved in, I never went to ranger school . At this time I was embarrassed to shave in front of the other men because all I had was peach fuss, but I dare not go to morning formation unshaven as we had a platoon sergeant that could spot fuss a mile away. That was my pre PTSD life. I will soon be sixty four years old, so the other forty six years have been a challenge, to say the least I managed to find an understanding wife and we raised four wonderful children who are all successful adults. I know she must have thought I had completely lost my mind at times, and perhaps I did temporarily. How many times has she come out in the yard in the middle of the night, and relieve me from guard duty and take me back to bed? Or when we lived on a farm, I would use the hay loft for an observation post. Or come to the edge of a field where I had set up a perimeter, and take me back to bed. Usually the next morning we would laugh about it, but we both knew it wasn’t natural. I could go on and on but most of you know. I look at my Grand son today; he will soon be eighteen years old, a good boy, a good athlete, and a good student. When I was his age plus six months, I had blood on my hands and after a few years of college He may be working at some RO Making decisions that right or wrong on DISABLED VETERANS disability eligibility, when the worst combat he has seen was on a football field. How could these young men and women possibly know? Don’t Get me wrong, I know many who work at these ro’s may have gone through things much worst than I have, and are reminded of their own experiences daily. I was reading on another site a few days ago of a retired Dro who taught a class to future raters. I’ll paraphrase, He said at the beginning of every new class he carried a file in and asked the class if they knew what it was. Most assumed it was a Veterans file. But after a while someone would get it right. (It was a Veteran or his families life He held in his hand). So I guess the way we were (We were very young adults, with only a few guilt free years) Verses a life time of guilt. Thanks for your time. I know that most of you could have written this by only changing a few things here and there, and like me there really isn’t anyone one you can talk to about it. kkp

Josephine I knew from your posts that you suffered from this also. They say cows in west Virginia has to legs shorter than the other two ,from grazing on the mountain sides. Maybe we do to. ha I first experienced this in 1980. I sit up in bed one night and just kept on going.tne next thing I knew I was on my right side. That was just the start. I was a lineman at the time, boy you ought to have an spell at the top of a 70 foot pole. All I could do was push my self back against my safety and hang on. Let me tell every one its not fun. I kid my wife all the time, that there are people on the street that have lost every thing they own trying to get the high that I get for free. I might add I would gladly give everything I own to give it to them. I had an appointment with my family doctor today and he did write on a prescription for me to carry with me a note explaining why I stagger. I also have been to the place in Bluefield and every other place imaginal in the surrounding states. It only gets worse. We have a motor home and I told my Wife we had best hit the road pretty soon, as I know I only have a couple of years left that I will be able to drive. And don't even think about my wife driving. Its 40 foot long and she gets lost going from one end to the other, and its all she can do to keep her Monte Carlo on the road. I kid her that she is the most perfect person I ever met, but can't figure why the good lord left her GPS out of he brain. Maybe because he knew she would marry me some day.Now we bot stay lost. Oh well its good we can laugh about it because it isn't going away. I hope you fair well with yours as I know the misery you are in. Know matter how bad mine gets it still amuses me at the silly things I do. Most of the time I don't know if I will laugh or cry at my next event, which I know is only hours away as we are going out to dinner in a bit. My wife holds on to me pretty tight while we are out. I don't dare make her mad because she has the hole card, she can always leave me alone. She Hasn't used it yet. Take care and GOD bless kkp

This may not be the place to ask this. I know some people on this sight have the same problem. My problem is this. This year at the stated fair I was walking with my Wife in a crowd. I saw a state policeman coming toward me, I looked his way and I stumbled into him. I just smiled and said vertigo, He just smiled back and gave me a thumbs up. This happens often, but when it's in public and it happens every time I go out, Its inbarrasing. I know its just a matter of time before I'm arrested. My question is this. Is there a card or something that a doctor could give someone like myself, explaining this condition (The condition is called bilateral hypo vestibular function.) I know Josephine suffers from this as she has opined. Perhaps if you see this you'll have the answer thanks as always kkp

Berta Your Husband is a good example of what a wrong diagnosis can do. Its a a shame it took his life. I have my own motto for the va.( Trust but verify) They do have some ( how be it few) good dr's at the va.,but they are so over worked they can miss a lot. We all know our own bodies and need to follow our gut feelings when getting treatment. I know some of the clinics hate to see me coming, but thats life. thanks kkp

Berta I've learned theres no such thing laughable question when dealing with the ro. The imo is from a audiologist (M.A.,CCC-A). She did c&p,s for the local va before they got their own audiology department. She also does evaluations for the state rehab, which my wife works for, dealing with the hearing impaired The ENT specialist that I see at The Va is one of the best in this area. He does contract work for the Va one day a week. Please advise me if I should get more qualified opinions. As everyone I would like a favorable decision the first go round. Also I am being treated by the best ent clinic in this area. Over the last five years they have run every test and done every procedure, including mri's cat scans ect. I sent all of there records whit my claim. thanks so much kkp

I had a lenthy thread on 3 feb 2007 on this subject with all my evidence. Here is a copy of the imo I sent with my claim. Please go back and read the whole artical.I had nine hearing grafs starting in 1985 ( give or take) Plus one from my final military physcal which showed a lot loss from my intry exam. , MA --------- HEARING CENTER Dec. 22, 2006 RE:--------------------- !mr. ----------------- has hearing loss, tinnitus and vertigo. Fact: MR.----------------- complained of healing loss while actively serving in the military as evidenced by his records in may, 1964, Fact: mr Persinger first cornplained of dizziness after 1 year in the military during an exam 20 September 1963. Fact: mr------ exhibited hearing loss at his separation examination. Fact: mr------------ was exposed to noise while in the Army at levels that could cause hearing loss. Fact: mr---------- was diagnosed with Meniere's disease with symptoms dating back to the Army. Fact: :Mr. ---------'S hearing has continued to decrease as evidenced by his audiograms which is consistent with Meniere's disease . . - It is highly probable to this daim of the nexus between service and his current medical condition. In my opinion, the currently existing medical conditions of hearing loss, vertigo, tinnitus and diagnosed meniere's disease are related to an injury, disease or event occurring during the veteran's military service. -------------------- m.A.,CCC-A

I have a question. I filed a claim for hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo, and Menieres Disease. This was all documented by a ENT specialist at the VA Hospital. From the way I read the disability chart for this documented disease, I think I already qualify for 100%. I am going to copy and paste a report I picked up from records at the VA Hospital today. My question is "do you think it would help or hinder my claim?" On one of the reports I sent with my claim specifically identified all of the above including menieres disease. In this report it specifically says "definite bilateral hypo vestibular function". From reading on the Internet this seems to be also caused by Menieres. So should I send it or not? Progress Note Printed On Mar 19, 2007 LOCAL TITLE: CLINIC PROGRESS NOTE STANDARD TITLE: PHYSICIAN OUTPATIENT NOTE DICT DATE: MAR 09, 2007@10:21 ENTRY DATE: MAR 09, 2007@15:12:56 DICTATED BY: Dr._____ EXP COSIGNER: URGENCY: priority STATUS: COMPLETED REASON FOR VISIT: The patient comes in today in follow-up for his middle ear disease and vertigo. HISTORY: The patient has self discontinued his hydrochlorothiazide. It just felt that it messed up his libido and energy and did not help with any dizziness. The patient has also taken my advice and seen Dr. Patel, orthopedic surgeon, twice and will be consulting with a Charleston group for pain management and possibly injection of the neck. PHYSICAL EXAMINATION: Today's clinical examination, after reviewing his nurse's notes, his vital signs were stable today. As far as notes, it seemed like he was doing okay. There were no changes there. We discontinued his hydrochlorothiazide and renewed his mec1izine. He is still very exquisitely tender in the neck on both sides. Visually, when he follows my finger he is definitely looking unsteady, so he has a definite bilateral hypo vestibular function. His ear canals are clear. IMPRESSION: 1. Vertigo. 2. Dizziness. 3. Cervical spine disease. LABORATORY TEST: PLAN: Follow up in one year, continue meclizine as needed, and follow with the spine and the Charleston group for pain management. JOB# 686914 DB DO: 03/09/07@1021 DT: 03/09/07@1056 800806/AP /es/ Signed: 03/16/2007 15:36 PATIENT NAME AND ADDRESS (Mechanical imprinting, if available) I VISTA Electronic Medical Documentation Printed at VAMC Page 1

Cavman I couldn't agree more. and don't mention anything about a fire fight while sitting on that bar stool, or they will want to know where the weiner roast is. It was truly a different world we lived and fought in. I feel sorry for those coming back from war zones today. But it was different when we came back. kkp

Berta I have learned a lot from reading your post. I thank you for the name and e-mail address. boy did the tone change when I mentioned it. I would like to have been a fly on the wall when your Rep got his copy of the letter you sent to the Governor' It very well could have been a coincidence that your claim started moving (NOT) after the letter. An old Master Sargent once told me that the difference between a coward and a hero was a tenth of a second. You react to a crisis one way or another. I think today you are a hero but don't let it go to your head.ha.

Josephine You are right I do work through the Huntington ro I work with Mike Lions also. Hes a nice helpful fellow. As a matter of fact he sent me all the forms that the ding-bat in ------ destroyed. I filled them all out and faxed them back n h promie they would find my c-file today. I also called th--- office and talked to the new rep. I told him what he had done.( throwing my 21-4192 form in the trash. He said he was new and she had been there thirty years and knew much more than he did. Then she got on the phone as nice as could be and told me she had sent in everything that needed to be sent in. I politely told her she didn't and asked if she would get off the phone. The new rep looked in my file and discovered I was right. Then she denied it being sent with my letter so I read the portion of the letter that told what forms had been sent, of course the 21-4192 being one of the three. She was talking in the back ground saying they had that form there and could send me one. At that point I told him I had Paul A Morin's e-mail address but was going to try to work it out with them first. He said what can we do. I said send her to another room so we could talk. It happened quickly as I heard the door close. I told him what she had done was out of pure spite because she didn't want me to file in the first place. I wont bore you with the rest, only to say if I ever have any more dealings with the office, he said It would be behind closed doors whit only the two of us. And I reminded him who was the rep and who was the secretary. I am a quite spoken man ,but have been told I can be very persuasive when need be. thanks again for letting me vent kkp