kkarlson

Hi Bluevet, I am actually good to go. I received my rating last Friday (after a two year and two week wait) but they propsed incompetence. However, I checked the bank account this morning and for whatever reason, the retro was released! I have 4 letters to support my competence, so I will send these off to the VA and hopefully it won't interrupt monthly payments. My entire claim went very well and I am satisfied with the outcome. I have read so many horror stories so I feel fortunate that I had a very fair C&P exam. I thought I was rated Total and Permenent, but it says that there will be a future examination made... this isn't a condition that goes away, so I am a bit perplexed by that (hoping they don't try to lower my rating a year or two down the road!!!)

Award letter came today and Rick, you were right on. Fortunately, that December 2012 date was only the "Cost of Living Adjustment" and not the effective date as I had initially feared it was. I spoke with my VSO today and he told me the quickest way to handle this "proposed incompetent" claim would be to send off a statement of support by myself, my wife and my parents which I did today. I am hoping in the next 60-90 days I get a resolution to that. I will post once this ordeal is over with in hopes that somebody reading this in the future with the same issues can sleep better at night having the info and timeframe I dealt with. Kris

I think I'm going to have a freaking panic attack now... I just went to check the eBenefits status again and now there has been a new claim opened as of today... the same day my one and only claim closed. The status shows as "predetermination" and I don't know what the hell is going on. I was found to be incompetent per the VARO, but I am lost and not feeling as good about things anymore... I hate this process :( Does anyone have any idea what is going on? Not speculation, I'm hoping for personal experience. I don't think this is rare, but then again I really have no idea.

John, You make a very valid point; the only aspect I would appeal would be the incompetent part. Full disclosure, I would feel dirty if I was to be rated at 100%. I've seen 100% disabled before and it would not be fair to claim I am as bad off as others deserving of that rating. I feel 70% is a very fair rating and I will be meeting with my VFW rep to discuss my options in erraticating the incompetency ruling. I only hope this doesn't hold up the disbursement of the retro too much. I read some horror stories.

Thanks, Rick. I guess that is what I am afraid of... are they saying I will only get back pay to December 2012 or will it be back to the date of my application (June of 2011)?

MY CLAIM IS COMPLETE AND I AM VERY HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS!!! I was rated at 70% TPD per my A8P Aware Verification Letter (haven't received the packet in the mail just yet,) but I was caught off guard by something I am hoping someone can shed some light on. It said I am rated 70% with an effective date of December 2012. The problem is that I initiated my claim back in June of 2011... I am missing something here? Either way, I could not be more excited. My wife and I have a third child on the way in November and now this baby will come into this world without mom and dad having tons of credit card debt . This site has been a tremendous and valuable source of information. Being able to share each others stories and lend advise has been such a great thing to have during such trying times. I thank each and every one of you that contributed to this thread. Hopefully this 14 month conversation can help put someone's mind at ease in the future.

John, I certainly don't want to get my hopes up to that level. I don't know if "incompetency" always dicates a 100% rating or not. I would be more than OK with my wife as the fiduciary, but will she need to provide expense reports on a periodic basis? If that is the case, I would probably push back on the determination. As always, I am hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst case scenario. Thanks for you input, sir. Kris

Got a call yesterday and I was told that I am "Incompetent" which, after doing some research on this, sounds like the kiss of death. My wife, however, is has a finance degree from a very good business school as well as a very good credit history. What will the ramifications for such a designation be? I am totally screwed? If my wife is the fiduciary, I am totally OK with that. Does this indicate any kind of rating (I still don't know what it will be)?

Just checked eBenefits this morning and my status has once again changed; only this time going from "Preparation for Notification" back to "Pending Decision Approval." Not the status I was hoping to see. I am hoping that it is because I have two contentions and not because something was wrong, OR if it required additional signatures for retro pay being over $10,000. Either way, I will continue to update this thread in hopes that it can ease someone else's mind in the future if they are to encounter some of the same things. Does anyone know if you can see your rating online once it goes to "Complete"?

Second status update of the day! My status is now in the "Preparation for Notification" phase. I expected things to move quickly after the C&P exam, but certainly not this fast. WOW

The VA is FLYING through the decision process! As of Monday, my claim was under the "Gathering Evidence" phase, waiting for the C&P examiner to send results to the Regional Office. Yesterday it was "Pending Decision" and today it changed to "Pending Decision Approval." Not too sure how long that step takes, but I am hoping it is quick. Anyone who knows; will I be able to see the results on the eBenefits site once they are available or will I have to wait for the results to come in the mail?

I don't believe they do (someone correct me if I'm wrong) because ADD/ADHD is rarely diagnosed in adulthood, therefore making it a personality disorder which the VA doesn't service connect. I am by no means an expert in this area, but when I was in my C&P exam, the examiner told me that I wasn't ADHD since that would have been identified during my childhood. She said that I was bipolar and that those symptoms often relate to those of ADHD. I am hoping that statement from her is in my favor since they DO service connect bipolar.

Well, I had my bipolar C&P examination this past Friday and today was my C&P examination for degenerative disk disease and overall I feel they both went quite well. The exam for bipolar was about 1 hour 15 minutes, the psychologist was very sympathetic to all of my "symptoms" and at the end; she went through and checked off a majority of the rating symptoms that she was presented with... I am not sure if that is the end-all-be-all in this case or not. I feel it will only get stronger with the written evidence that I provided when I filed my claim back in June of 2011. The exam for the DDD today was FAR less subjective. The examiner didn't ask how symptoms affected my quality of life of anything like that. I gave her the records I was provided by a chiropractor I had been seeing for about 4 months but could no longer afford, she did a reflex and range of motion test, then ordered an x-ray. I was out in about 1 hour! I recently sought representation by a VFW rep that I was referred to by a family friend and he was a big help in explaining the process. I would recommend to anyone who is currently in the process of a disability claim, or thinking about initiating one, to seek the assistance of a VFW representative. Many of them worked for the VA at one point and they can be a wealth of information to you! He told me that all claimants who filed their claims PRIOR to July of 2011 will have their claims processed by July 1st of 2013, so that was obviously GREAT news to me since I just met the cut off. Also, he informed me that since I was service connected prior to discharge and I received severance pay that will immediately come off the top of any award received by the VA. That was a bit of an unexpected (and disappointing) bit of news I would have known two years ago had I been represented by the VFW sooner. Lessoned learned! My fingers are crossed for a favorable outcome since I don't want to have to go back have to file an appeal. The advice that I would give those who recently filed, or are waiting for their C&P exam would be to BE PATIENT! I can tell the VA is working their butts off to go through as many cases as possible, with as much accuracy as possible and this type of thing takes time. Don't check the status every day; you will drive yourself crazy. Calling the VA call center will NOT expedite your claim in any way, shape or form. Expect your claim will take upwards of two years or more... it may be less, but remember that if you are given a disability rating, you have essentially had savings bonds you were waiting for to mature before you can use them... you will get that retro pay which can be significant. I will check back in over the next few weeks to share the results.

John, Thanks for the reply. Truly appreciate it. I have never been hospitalized but I am very confident that the symptoms I suffer from are closely related to bipolar disorder. I say closely because I have never been diagnosed by a private physician; I was diagnosed while in the service and discharged medically for it. I did see a phychiatrist for about a year who prescribed me several different types of medication, trying to find the right balance. Since he is not a psychologist, he didn't give any "medical opinion." At the very least, the VA will be able to see my attempts at finding a proper medication through this doctor which can't hurt.

Well, after nearly two years, I FINALLY received communication from the VA requesting two appointments (one on the 31st of May for my Bipolar claim and the other on June 4th for my Degenerative Disk Disease.) I am excited that things are finally moving along, but terrified at the same time that the examiner manipulates my exam to the benefit of the VA to deny my claim. If anyone has experienced a bipolar VA medical exam (with understanding that they are all going to be very different) and can shed some light on what I can expect, I would greatly appreicate it. Any advise, or knowledge on the types of questions they will ask etc.? Would it be strange for me to bring in a list of problems that I have so that I don't forget any of them? Thanks in advance!

Well, Hoppy, it looks as though I may have underestimated the potential of the scenario of me getting absoutely nothing out of this actually happening. Is it fair to say that my claim being processed properly comes down to the "luck of the draw" depending on the VA examiner, instead of cold hard facts? If that's the case, I better prepare myself for the possibility I may have to fight for what is right for a long time. For an agency that is supposed to assist those who served, and do what is best for the veteran by compensating disabilities that occurred in the line of duty, they sure do have a funny way of fullfilling their objectives. Sheesh!

Hoppy, To answer your question; I was given a rating by an MEB back in January of 2007. To be perfectly honest, it all happened so fast that I had no idea what it all meant at the time, no one took the time to explain what it all meant, nor did anyone give any advise as to what I needed to do or what I may be entitled to. When I was in Texas for the MEB, I was given 30% but then it subtracted 20% for an aggregrated total of 10%?? No idea what that meant, but it is in my medical review paperwork. The main point is that I was medically separated under honorable conditions as being axis 1 bipolar II with axis 2 as the personality disorder, having been found "Not existing prior to service" and "Permanently aggrevated by military service." Nothing was ever reported in my past prior to the military because there was honestly nothing wrong! To Donna's point, I can see how the VA examiner may try to pry a false diagnosis out of me by asking trigger questions and manipulating them to fit their maniacle agenda.

Hoppy, Donna, and John999, Thank you all for your input. I sincerly appreciate it! Great advise here. I'm not overly concerned about "saying the wrong thing" because I know for a fact that I have what I was diagnosed with, and even if the VA wants to try and manipulate my claim into something its not, I will continue to fight for what is right no matter how long it may take. I am confident in my ability to accurately relay the signs/symptoms/evidence of my condition to a VA examiner, regardless of if they happen to have a bad day the day that I eventually go in :) I will heed all advise and will certainly take into consideration "who" exactly it is that I am dealing with when the time comes. Thanks for the support!

Ha!! I figured as much. The guy was a bit of a clown in all honesty. Oh well. I will continue to sit back and wait because I do believe it will be worth it in the end. Thanks, all!

John, Great advise, and to be perfectly honest with you, that would NOT be an embellishment, whatsoever. The funny thing is, they could dig all they want into my past prior to the military and they wouldn't find anything because there is nothing to find! I feel better about the situation because I am not lying or trying to cheat the system, so to me that is a good thing.

So I called the VA's 800 number yesterday and I spoke with a representative regarding my compensation claim which is currently in the "review of evidence" stage at the Chicago Regional Office. I wanted to know if there was any update because I haven't heard anything in a long time (submitted claim June 10th of last year) and he told me "your file here is showing that it is under it's second review." I didn't even think about asking what that meant until it was too late and I had already ended the call. My question is this: Does anyone here know what exactly that means? It sounds like a "good" thing, maybe progress is being made to get me closer to a C&P Exam?... Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

Thanks for the reply/advise Donna68, To answer your question about the Adderall - It is a very fragile situation for me because the Adderall is the only medication that I found that benefits me the most. I have my wife helping monitor any potential overuse, but luckily I do have strong willpower and the ability to recognize when I am not right. I wish I knew of an alternative because I don't LIKE Adderall in the slightest. It makes me very irritable, short-tempered and impatient. Neither of those qualities are normal for me. I have done hours of research into alternatives, and I have tried to approach treatment from different directions. What it came down to, between my doctor, my family and I, was the creation of a prioritized list of symptoms that are most harmful to me and my family and the medication that resolved more of the most concerning traits just happened to be a stimulant. With that being said, I have tried several other medications with little to no effect: - Depakote - Geodon - Lithium - Prozac - Wellbutrin - Dexadrine (same darn thing as Adderall, basically.) I love reading these types of forums (not this one in particular) about people's successes with various medications. It is just too bad that not everyone has the same reaction to the same medications. It is that unpredictability which has deterred me from trying anything else in the meantime.

Thanks for the reply, Berta. To answer your question: Yes, my primary contention is the Axis 1 Bipolar Disorder. I assumed that I would need to have a physical exam to evaluate the current condition, which since separation has become significantly worse, and I now have far more evidence to support my claim (e.g. years of various medications all with unique deleterious symptoms.) I have my fingers crossed that I will receive an appointment for an exam so I can explain my situation to an actual person who will have an impact on the eventual outcome! I did find the bipolar rating criteria, but to be perfectly honest, I am effected by more of the criteria under a 70% rating than I am a 50% which doesn't make too much sense. Regardless, thank you for the reply. Take care!

Hi everyone, I have been reading through several posts from people with similar issues. I have a few specific questions that I would love to get feedback on, though I also know that each and every claim is unique and there is no such thing as time frames or standards associated with a VA Disability Claim. However, any advise or personal experience you can share would go a very long way! Background on my story: I was medically separated from the US Air Force after a little over three years, honorably, after being found to be Axis 1 bipolar 2, Axis 2 personality disorder, self-defeating traits, and ADHD by a medical review board at Lackland Air Force Base in 2007. My separation paperwork clearly states that my condition was found to be NOT EXISTING PRIOR TO SERVICE and/or PERMANENTLY AGGITATED BY MILITARY SERVICE. This, I know, is in my favor. I didn't file a claim right away because I was unsure of how to go about it, then later found out that it can be done online, so that is what I did. I opened my claim for bipolar 2/ADHD along with degenerative disk disease (also diagnosed during service,) back in June of 2011 with the Chicago, IL Regional Office. We are coming up on a full year now and I have supplied more than sufficient documentation (including medical records during service, medical records for current treatment, letters of support from family and friends etc.,) and the VA has had it on file now since my claim entered "Review of Evidence" status on October 24, 2011, yet I have had ZERO correspondance from the VA. I have called on several occassions inquiring on the status to no avail. I continue to receive notifications stating that "We continue to review your claim and it will be processed as quickly as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience." I understand that the VA is very far behind due to being under-staffed, and the explosion of claims coming in from soldiers returning home from overseas (God bless them all.) I am not complaining about how long it has taken to this point, but I would like to know if there is a light at the end of this tunnell. Anyone shared in a similar claim that has any insight as to where it will go from here would be fantastic (i.e. will I need to have a C&P Exam since I was diagnosed while in the military and it was found to be not existing prior to service? How much longer might this go? What kind of rating can I expect? etc.) I believe I am at least 50% disabled due to this condition. I am writing this long post because I am going through yet another manic episode, shaking from the Adderall I have to take daily just to remain focused on my job and family. This condition has caused me to distance myself from those who care about me, contributed to several episodes of infidelity with my previous wife (obviously we divorced,) a loss of employment (working again, but was laid off due to work related issues,) extreme mood swings, sleep deprivation, mild memory loss, panic attacks, impussive spending, alcohol abuse, increase in narcasistic tendencies, eating disorders, drug abuse (not illicit drugs, but stimulants,) severe depression and self loathing, self-defeating traits etc. It has been terrible to deal with, needless to say. Not only for me, but for my family as well. I had a really rough experience while in the Air Force and I was both physically and verbally abused quite often, starting in basic training and all the way through my three + years. I began to lash out and fight back which made matters much worse. To this day, while I have fewer stressors, I continue to battle tendencies caused by this disease. I have documented all of these issues for the VA so that is all part of my claim. If you have read my entire rant and haven't run for the hills yet, I applaud you and sincerely appreciate you hearing me out. Like I said earlier, if anyone has any first-hand knowledge as to what I can expect moving forward, it would be wonderful. Here are the questions I would like to get some "best guesses" on: 1. Considering the evidence I have mentioned above, what would be a "reasonable" rating percentage in your best opinion? 2. How much longer can I expect to wait to hear about a C&P Exam, or my claim entering the prep for decision phase (considering the thoroughness of my claim and assuming they have everything they need to make a decision, of course.)? Once again, thank you in advance for any help you may be able to offer. Best Regards.