StreetWalker

You can apply for a OPM disability while you are still working.

Nothing.

Outlook.com is the Microsoft email site. Used to be Hotmail. Works like a champ. Web based, just use your browser.

Went and got my ID card today. Wife forgot the marriage license that I had been telling her she needed all weekend. We'll have to make another trip to get her card. Still waiting on the envelope and the retro pay. Should have one of those if not both by the end of the week.

I'm in the same boat right now. Just rated at 90%, TDIU P&T. Going to get my wife covered under ChampVA and find a decent supplement. I'm receiving a OPM disability retirement and have Kaiser insurance. However we're moving to Texas next month and will need to switch. Trying to figure out if I should cancel the OPM insurance or keep it for now. I'll be covered under Medicare in about a year. Wife won't have it for almost three years. Currently paying just over $300 a month for the Kaiser and another $90 for dental. That's coming out of a $980 disability retirement.

The stress is still there due to getting ready for the move. Sleep is always elusive. But I have things to do next week. Get ID cards and cancel my FEHB plan. Canceling that plan will put almost $400 extra in my pocket each month.

Claim finally closed today. All the letters are there, amounts are correct. Life is good.

    Google.

Been two days in Prep for Notification and still no update on my letters. I noticed that the description of PFN has changed. It's now about having another approval of the decision.

So my claim sat in pending decision approval for a solid week. Went to prep for notification today. Still no change in my letters available on eBenefits.

Not yet. Just started collecting SS this year. Has a few years before Medicare. I'll actually be on it long before she is.

    Never did. I'm a west coast Marine.

We looked at a nice house on Lake Fork and one on Tawakoni. While living on the lake would have been nice it also has some drawbacks.

Which lake? We're buying a 2600 sq foot house in Kaufman on 2.43 acres. Three car garage, and will be having a shed/workshop built big enough for my upcoming boat. As we all know with the VA it takes no money down, reduced closing costs and I will have that wonderful $0 property tax. We'll have to go fishing once I get the new boat Navy04

Nope. I joined in 1978.

A week ago Monday my TDIU reconsideration went to Prep for Decision. Yesterday it went to Pending Decision Approval. Called my VSO today and unofficially my TDIU has been granted with a effective date of 7-26-2012, which is my filing date. I'm also P&T according to my VSO. This is a great relief to my wife and I. We're moving to Texas the end of March and this means no property taxes among other things. The difference in my pay rate more than covers the new house payment. I will no longer have to pay over $400 a month for health care for my wife through FEHB. It's been a long battle. I was rated 20% for my lower back in 1980. Worked retail till 1992. Went to work for the USPS as a letter carrier on walking routes till July 23 2012. Along the way I picked up 10% for tinnitus. In 2011 my back was getting pretty bad. I filed and was awarded 70% total in July of 2012. I had a major flareup of my back in June of 2012 that I have still not recovered from. Took three weeks off work and went back to work in July of 2012. Worked three whole days and four partial day between the 9th and the 23. The morning of the 23rd I went to work. Within a hour I could not stand up straight and could hardly breath due to the pain in my lower back and legs. I left the Post Office never to return to work. Filed for OPM disability retirement, SSDI and TDIU. SSDI was granted in three weeks with no exams and solely based on my service connected lower back. TDIU was denied in January of 2013, OPM was granted in May of 2012. My journey is through the system is now complete. I may or may not appeal the denial of my OSA. There is a golden lining to the denial of my TDIU in January of 2012. Due to the denial I went to my non-VA doctor who noted that I had not had a PSA test in their system in over three years. I have had regular PSA tests since age 45 since my father died of the aggressive form of prostate cancer. It had been 16 months since I had had a PSA at the VA. My PSA had gone from a 2 to a 6 in 16 months. I had a biopsy in February 2012 and it was positive for cancer. Had a bone scan due to a worry that it may have metastasized. Bone scan was negative. I had my prostate removed May 14th 2012. The final pathology of the prostate was a Gleason score of 9. The cancer had spread to the seminal vesicles but the 19 lymph nodes taken were clean. Because the cancer had spread outside the capsule of the prostate and I had positive surgical margins it was recommended that I have 35 radiation treatments to clean up any remaining cancer. I started treatment in December and finished this last Monday. Only side effects from the radiation treatments has been some fatigue and my surgical scar itches. My recovery from the surgery has gone quite well. I have a very minor amount of stress leakage once in a great while. Due to the nature of the surgery I have lost the ability to have an erection. I'll trade that for my life. The cancer is not service connected and I was only 52 when diagnosed. I wish everyone luck with their claims and in life. My God bless each and every one of you. I'll still be around but may not be as active.

If three doctor's have said that your PTSD prevents you from working you should be good to go. I'd guess that the C&P is to see if you can be rating 100% for the PTSD which would make the TDIU moot.

Congratulations. I just talked to my VSO and the unofficial word is that my TDIU P&T has been granted effective July 26, 2012

Posting the story more than once is not going to get you a faster answer. It takes what it takes. If anyone here knew a way to speed things up they could get rich selling the method.

Thanks.

    My reconsideration has moved to "pending decision approval" as of today.

Went to the RO yesterday to check on the letter. Turns out there was no letter. As of today my claim is "pending decision approval".

They already have the employer letter.

Still no letter. Never had to wait this long for something coming from the RO before.

You're wrong.