thurston511

lot's of info, thx. there was no determination, 1 year ago, during a med check, the psychiatrist who used to be a C&P examiner before he was a VA staff doctor, told me he saw my condition as under rated at 50% and said I was more like 70%. But he backed off after I asked about what he just said, as it was an unexpected thing to hear. Since he wouldn't say anything more, I got immediately discouraged by his change in attitude, and didn't know what to do. So I just went back to routine of doing nothing. I've been rated 50% since 1999. there is no private medical information. ss sends everyone a yearly statement, whether one works or not. even after my last 8 month job in 2008, there were not enough work credits for ssdi What is a DBQ and DBW form? I don't have a relationship with the doc, as I realized I only get called in twice a year for a 15 min time slot. Then he renews the prescriptions..The current doctor is a nice guy, not very old. I'm not complaining, the care has been adequate over the years. I wonder if my 1 yr of ch.31 benefits completed in 2007 would affect anything. the FL ch 31 rep told me I should never have been approved for that field of study, as it was mainly for law enforcement, and there are hardly any openings in that field. That was interesting to find out after the fact. I was approved and completed that study in new england. btw, I'm too old to become a cop.

thks john, but I was looking about going from 50% to 70%, after a former ratings doctor mentioned it to me. it appears tdiu is for 70% rating, and rarely on rule (b) I'm at 50% for 11 years. out of work for 4 years. I haven't dealt with ratings stuff in 9 yrs, so I'm out of the loop. ssi shuts out people who haven't earned enough work credits over the last 10 years. btw, I'm over in pinellas county. the big vamc is down in bay pines. do i need to go down there to find a vso? i'm dav life member

Hi, I appreciate all the good information shared here. I have a couple of questions that I hope are simple. I'm confused. SC Bipolar Disorder 1999, rated 50%, after a re diagnosis from depression, 10% (VA's idea, I didn't ask) have been enrolled in VA health care system regularly since 2002, so there must be a huge medical file. (I've never seen it nor requested it.) Been on different medications, but mainly lithium and wellbutrin for last 5 years. Ambien for sleeping. Anyway, my condition has worsened since 2005, and even one of the psychiatrists I saw for quarterly med checks told me he used to be a C&P ratings examiner, and said he thought I was a 70% rating, but he never went further than that, or to suggest I go that route, or how to. (That was in 2011) Perhaps it is a conflict with his position as a VA employed doctor, I don't know. That's all he said about it, and became evasive when I showed an interest in his comment. Then they moved him one county over, so I don't know how to contact him, or if I should even contact him to ask for some kind of note in my file. Maybe he wrote something in there at the time, idk. A cynic might say he said that looking for a reaction, but that would be pretty low. I have not worked in 4 years time and have turned into a recluse. My employment record is pretty bad since 2002. My question is: 1. To apply for a rating increase, how do I begin? I just saw the post regarding the new form 21-5268. Thanks. I saved it. -there is a VA medical clinic closeby, and the VAMC is 30 miles away. The front desk at the clinic isn't always that friendly. I assume the service officers are located at the VARO, 30miles away. 2. Is contacting that doctor something I should do? I think he is still connected to the same VAMC as this county, in a different clinic 100 miles away, but I never know how to contact VA doctors, they're busy every minute of the day. 3. Should I request my medical record and see what's in there? I don't want to, it's mostly psych stuff, and I'm ashamed of this problem. I don't know my GAF or Axis stuff. How often does a former ratings doctor tell a veteran he was rated too low?. Now he's gone.