USMC5811

I have no personal experience in reference to having a C&P exam for MS but there is a disability benefits questionnaire (DBQ) for MS that might help answer some of your questions that can be found here: http://www.vba.va.go...0960C-9-ARE.pdf DBQ's give you a very good idea about what the C&P exam will consist of as far as questions asked and testing done. To find DBQ's for other contentions or for more information about them you can click here: http://benefits.va.gov/disabilityexams/

Congrats Rick! Saying a prayer that you get well soon. Thanks for your service to our country!

This is just my two cents ........I personally think telling the truth is always a good thing, even if it just might not be beneficial compensation wise . Personally I have always believed that others can take a lot of things away from me (material things etc) but they can't take away my integrity...only I can give that up by not being truthful.....my integrity is just not something I'm willing to give up or lose for anything period. With that said.....Anything you reveal can be written down somewhere in your records and then becomes a permanent part of those records. Will there be a time when certain information may be used used against you in regards to claims = VA stating that your condition began prior to service....maybe.....but that does not stop a Vet from stating that their "pre-service condition" was made worse by their military service. Like I said this is just my personal opinion - hopefully others with give their viewpoint.

Congrats to your buddy and thank you for encouraging him to file a claim. Sorry to read about your other buddy in Idaho.

the below link is for the United States Court of Appeal for Veterans Claims http://www.uscourts.cavc.gov/ Scroll down to Case Information on the Menu Bar once on their site Then click on Decisions and Opinions.....another page will come up that will read "search the ISYS system for decisions and opinions....click on that. this will allow you to search by typing in "perforated eardrums" or "perforated tympanic membrane" and cases related to this will come up. Example: http://www.va.gov/vetapp03/Files/0327593.txt Welcome to hadit.com steaksplace! Thanks for your service to our country!

I feel your pain....I'm back in Gathering Evidence from Review of Evidence for about two weeks now. If yours stays in ROE for more then a couple of days....expect a letter from VA explaining what info they are now seeking.....I got one about 5 days after it went back to Gathering of Evidence. Sometimes it goes back in the completion phase one day and then the next your at a rater and it moves quickly...I hope this is the case for you.

Also I went to the prosthetics department in May 2012, with my appliances and clothing and the even date stamp my first letter and gave me a copy and now at the end of August they are trying to start the process from the beginning. Sorry for the extra aggravation and frustrations - I wonder if there is anyway you could fax the proof you have to the prosthetics department before they send their "we don't have any records" to the VBA. Of course I would also follow-up with mailing a copy with receipt signature requested so that you can have proof. It really is a darn shame that vets have to constantly unscrew VA's record keeping.....good on you for having them date stamp your first letter.

Took a few days to find this but I think this might be what your looking for: First click on this link: http://www.vfwilserv...om/VA-Trng.html then scroll down to: Training Letter 11-05 PTSD-MST There are two .doc under the above heading - one has the cover sheet (2 pages). The other has the rest of the info. Hope this helps you.... Welcome to hadit.com!

435.00 is 30% with a spouse. Congrats! http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/rates/comp01.htm

If I'm understanding you correctly - You contacted a Congressman in regards to your claim. A congressional aide that works for that congressman contacted VA to inquire about your claim. VA sent a response to the congressional aide in regards to your claim. You disagree with what the VA responded to the congressional aide in regards to why your claim is still being processed after 695 days? I would suggest if you are adamant about contacting someone and have proof that whatever the response was from the VA to the congressional aide is incorrect - then I would send that proof to the congressional aide. Maybe the congressional aide will send another inquiry to the VA with your proof and ask for clarification from the VA. From my understanding concerning "appeal is possible" on ebenefits - it's an auto entry when something has been responded to or "closed" by the VA. Example: I requested a copy of my C&P files....on ebenefits it shows this along with the date they sent the copies and then "appeal is possible" also appears after the entry. What would I appeal concerning receiving copies of the files? I really think that the "appeal is possible" is just a computer generated entry whenever something is placed in the closed section on ebenefits. I think if you sent correspondence or a NOD to the VA in reference to the Congressional Inquiry it just might backfire on you in regards to holding up your actual claim. Now if it specifically had to do with your claim, after receiving a written notice of VA's decision on your claim - then yes....an appeal (1st step is filing a Notice of Disagreement) would be appropriate. The above is just my opinion, hopefully someone else will respond and provide suggestions. After reading numerous posts on hadit.com and other forums in regards to Congressional Inquiries....very rarely have I actually seen someone post that it accomplished anything.

I'm a little confused by what your wanting to do .....my understanding of a Notice of Disagreement is: After an adverse VA decision denying a claim in whole or in part, the initial step in the appeal process is to file a Notice of Disagreement (NOD).38CFR 20.201 Did you receive notice concerning your claim = a decision?

From what I read, and I will add the link here: http://www.va.gov/oi...48-31.pdf from from the VA Office of Inspector General Report.....it is not JUST the dollar amount that may require extra signatures (which will of course will take extra time - how long I have no clue) it states that any amount OVER 25,000.00 and/or any claim retroactive for more then 2 years will require extra signatures. If you click on the link provided and then scroll down to the bottom of page 7/top of page 8 you will be able to read what the OIG said in regards to signatures required. Congrats on the movement at least.....any movement is nice to see. I hope because we are nearing the end of the month...that they move quickly on your claim.

Thanks jvretiredvet for explaining how it is computed (especially the bilateral factor)....I was trying to figure it out myself.

I feel for you billygoat21....we've been waiting on our claim (husbands and my own) completion but have only been waiting just 400 and some days. I know there are members of this forum that have been waiting a heck of a lot more then both of us put together. It's frustrating.... but you should not quit....then they win. It's a PIA BUT look at this way.....if you quit now you know you won't receive any compensation for your service and the damage that service has caused to you. Those 660 days would have been for naught. If you continue...there is hope that you just may receive just compensation. I hope they have your completion date right this time.......and you'll be hearing news soon.

Just commenting from my own experience.....I had problems getting in contact with my VA therapist by phone and then remembered that I had her business card in my files from our very first session. I ended up contacting her by email and she replied back and I was rescheduled for an appointment. I personally like a "paper trail" when I'm having problems contacting people...to prove that I made every effort etc.. Is there a main office number that you could call or email?

Dates of Period of War for VA pension: http://www.vba.va.go...ion/wartime.htm Eligibility criteria for Improved Pension, see 38 CFR §§3.3

Until someone with more experience jumps into the thread - I found this on hadit.com that might answer your question - the full thread can be found here The benefit to your claim status being in the stage of "Preparation for Decision" is that it should be in a Rater's hands relatively soon, as I have heard word that all VA Regional Offices are scrabbling to find claims to make a decision on and meet monthly quotas. The bad news is that you are just stuck waiting because it is unknown how long that will exactly take. It may take less than 5 days or it may take more than 30. E-benefits will not provide you with this information because the system doesn't know. It can give you a national average waiting time, but that may not be the average for your particular state's Regional Office. My advice to you would be that if it takes over 30 days and your claim hasn't moved to the next phase of "Pending Decision Approval", try and contact your Power of Attorney (POA) to find out why your state's Regional Office has not made a decision yet, and if that doesn't work, use an IRIS inquiry at www.iris.va.gov and click on the link "Ask a Question" and submit you question concerning your claim status there. You are supposed to receive an answer from the VA within 5 business days of submitting an IRIS request and best of all, it's in writing. It may even help to move your case into a rater's hands the day VA receives your inquiry. When your claim moves to the "Preparation for Notification" phase, that will even better news to you because the VA has made a decision on your claim and is getting ready to mail it to you. It should only take 3.5 days to get the decision from a rater to a VSR to type of the notification letter and mail the decision to you because if it takes longer, then the station can be written up for holding on to your decision to long. Hope this helps... As you stated, the "VA can jump us all over the board" - it's true....sometimes you'll move forward in the claim completion process and sometimes you move back and stay there, others times you move back and then move forward at a descent speed:

Glad that your at home and resting now....I hope it will be long time (hopefully never) before you have another attack. Just had a friend go into the hospital last night because of chest pains...they ended up giving her 3 nitro's in the ER and kept her overnight...still waiting to hear how she's doing today.

Not sure but this might help you - and this by Berta goes more in-depth:

Sometimes ebenefits can be frustrating and actually a source of stress more often then not. I don't think anyone can honestly say if it is a good sign or bad BUT after reading several of the posts here on hadit.com it is not uncommon for claims to go backwards in the decision making process and then sometimes quickly go to the completion phase after going backwards and other times not .

Where can I find info on the definition of functional loss as required by the VA? The provisions of 38 C.F.R. § 4.40 state that a disability affecting the musculoskeletal system is primarily the inability, due to damage or inflammation in parts of the system, to perform normal working movements of the body with normal excursion, strength, speed, coordination and endurance. Functional loss may also be due to the absence of part, or all, of the necessary bones, joints and muscles, or associated structures. It may also be due to pain supported by adequate pathology and evidenced by visible behavior of the claimant undertaking the motion. See 38 C.F.R. § 4.40. This is an interesting read in regards to functional loss and how the VA rater is suppose to determine: www.tnvso.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/evaluatingknees.ppt

Congrats Sergent Emmons! Thank you for your service to our country. Congrats also on your new baby boy!

Hedgey I don't think "dangerous ground" was meant for you at all . Note that someone elses post was quoted and "I believe you are on dangerous grounds here" was posted in reference to that post. Your right in trying not to be anxious or overreact to an early diagnosis. Your have every right to be concerned though, but your best course of action is to have your concerns answered by a professional in this matter = Doctor. Your NOT an idiot at all - I honestly don't think one vet on this board would not be concerned if they were told what you were told at your last optometrist visit....

Yup Jbasser is correct - I missed the "paywise" part of your question. Sorry:(

I think this previous thread explains it best: