CCC

Thanks, Bronco. I will read the letter in a bit. My eyes are still not all the way awake yet. Up to put the turkey in but still sleepy.

Thanks, StreetWalker. He actually was approved for IU.

OK thanks Bronco. The way I read the VA website, it was that if one was filing a claim for IU and had a 60% disabling condition, it was automatic. I'll look into it more.

Thanks, Bronco. Take a look at what I posted to John. They are saying his effective date for TDIU is when the doctor saw him a second time, a year later, and bumped him up to 100% on his heart. But he was found 60% in August. If it only takes 60% on one disabling condition, would he not be considered TDIU back then? Because that's the guideline regarding TDIU that the VA had on their website - one service connected condition at 60%. He had that in August of 2011. Thanks, y'all, by the way. This is confusing.

I'm sorry - I didn't realize I hadn't posted this. He was already approved for TDIU based on his heart. What's confusing is this -- we had an open claim. We opened the claim on August 29, 2011. They immediately increased his heart from 30% to 60%. However, we added on to the claim, not having realized that he had already been approved for his heart. Because we added on to the claim, it delayed the decision (and the pay) because the claim had been extended. I found this information regarding TDIU at the VA website: One service-connected disability ratable at 60 percent or more, OR Two or more service-connected disabilities, at least one disability ratable at 40 percent or more with a combined rating of 70 percent or more. He was found at 60% back in August of 2011, so would that not put him at TDIU then? Because he was at 60% for one disability (his heart)?

OK my husband was found 60% service connected on his heart, which was increased from 30%. From what I read, a 60% single condition SC rating qualifies one for IU. Would we have had to have requested that? He was found 60% SC in August of 2011. We requested IU but it was a separate claim from the one where he was found 60%. We are wondering about his back pay. The VA won't tell us anything. Not trying to put the cart before the horse, but they admitted he was due back pay, and we have kind of struggled for a while. After re-reading my post, I'm not sure if it makes perfect sense LOL. If not, please let me know how I can make my question more clear. Thanks, y'all, in advance.

Thanks, Phillip.

Thanks, CC. :D

Thanks, Phillip. I actually did click on the link, but it made less sense to me than quantum physics. I will search a little and see if I can figure out how to read it.

I don't have his original award letter. It was from 1992. maybe it was rated at 60%, paid at 50% because they counted his knees as one disability. I just don't understand the rest. It doesn't make sense to me. I'm sorry - just can't wrap my head around it. The only thing that changed was his rating for his heart. The knees stayed the same, the tinnitus stayed the same. The heart increased from 30% to 60%. I just don't understand how it didn't change that much.

Thanks, Pete, and you couldn't be more right. Hadit.com is where I learned to force those guys to do their jobs. I just always expected them to do the stand-up guy thing. *chuckling* Silly me.

OK I'm a little confused, Phillip. Before, he was 30 for his heart, 10 for left knee, 10 for right knee and 10 for tinnitus. He was rated at 60, paid at 50. So if they upped his heart to 60, why would it not be rated at 90, paid at 80? Obviously I'm still new at this, but if everything stayed the same except his percentage for his heart, why would that not raise across the board?

Thanks - helps alot. So with him being, effective August 2011, 60% cardiac, 10% left knee, 10% right knee and 10% tinnitus, he should be eligible for 100% because he's 60 singular (cardiac) and 90 total. Is that right?

Thanks, everyone, for the inforrmation. They actually found him TDIU as a result of this claim, as it was one of the claims we were working for. The reason I was asking about the automatic 'bump' is this -- Up until recently, he was rated at 30% for his heart, 10% for each knee and 10% for tinnitus, and he was paid at 50%. In August of 2011, he was increased to 60% for his heart, but we didn't know this until yesterday, because we had added to his claim, which added the additional time on the claim. That's why I was wondering about the back pay on that - since he was increased to 60%, that would put him at 90% disabled, paid at 80%. I was just wondering if that would have been eligible for 100% back to August of 2011. Dean, he has been out of work since 2001, unable to work, so he probably has that part covered . Cap'n, see above. He has been unable to work since 2001. He went out on disability then, and filed for SSDI. We had a terrible lawyer, and it took us 7 years and a new lawyer, but he was found 100% social security disabled in 2008.

Just a quick note here to say thank you for all of the help you guys have given us here. We got our 100% approval letter today! We worked for a long time for this, and you guys, as usual, were a wealth of information, and I swear, I don't think we could have done it without you. I don't want to sound ungrateful, but I'm not finished. They rated him, and are only paying him backpay for a very short time. That, to me, is in dispute, and will be appealled. For this, I have a question. Hubs told me that there's a certain percentage point that, once you get there, they automatically bump you up to 100% as unemployable. Does anyone know what that is? He thought it was 75 or 80% but wasn't sure.