Ricky

DM is associated with hypertension. However, in reality the medical community is split on the type of association, the medical reasons for the association and which one came first - DM or the hypertension. If your doc is in the half that believes you get DM first then it is more ofter than not followed by hypertension then you will be ok. However, if you get one or have one who believes that you got hypertension first then it is more often than not followed by DM, then look out - for you are in for a ride when you ask him for a nexua statement!!!!

Yes one deposit. The CRDP simply replaces your the amount of retirement your recive under this program. If you will go to MyPsy and look at your retiree pay statement you will see this. You will ge your retirement pay minus the VA waiver plus the CRDP which is added back to your retirement all in one deposit. Don't know whey they had to come up with such a complicated system. Guess it was employment security for some hahhahahaha. They could of have simply said under they new law you are to get back x amount of your VA waiver which will be added back to your retirement pay - and then SIMPLY ADDED IT BACK TO YOUR RETIREMENT. Then you would get your retirement pay minus the reduced VA waiver. They have been paying retirement pay minus the VA waiver since Moses was in the army. But no, they had to develop this complicated, drawn out, unrealistic program to implement the law. Now they know that such an action has resulted in thousands upon thousands of veterans being underpaid. So what did they do. the did the governmet thing. set up a committe, study the issue, and then created an entire new seceion within DFAS which will require more funding and more manpower to be wasted. Sorry for ranting - back to your question-just one payment will be deposited into your accout.

I provided in another post that the VA is Protecting the taxpayers and the Government. They are not there to insure that you get your compenstation. Yes if you have a valid claim for SC they must and will eventually give it to you. However, remember VA compensation is paid for and looked at as self insurance for the Governement. When you file a claim for VA benefits you are FILING A CLAIM AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT!!! You can forget that stuff about we are here to help you - it is an non-adverseral system etc...... all bull crap. Your claim is a claim against the government. It is the same as Workmens comp or filing an insurance claim agains Walmart or sears. Same o same o. All though it is a very lucarative system for the veteran it is nothing more than a form of self insurance for the government in which it, the system will fight you to the end. Now it is different from most insurance companies in that once you beat them then they tend to leave you alone. This is due to the massive amount of claims filed. You can betcha your booty that if the 800000 claims were not in a back log status they would be searching the computer files (runnign searches based upon specific criteria) for claims to look at again. Its as simple as that. Not saying anthing bad about the VA system for as I stated it is a very lucrative one in that it covers almost anything and offers an extensive list of beenfits, however, it is nothing more than an insurance company for the government. Keep that in mind and it will help you understand why they do things the way they do sometimes. If it was this big we love our vets type thing then you betcha people would fry over violations of law and some of the mistakes they make. Without doubt the congress would yank a knot in their butts quickly if it was really there because this country really felt dedicated to taking care of its wounded and sick veterans. The claims process would be about a 6 month system in which wounded and sick vets could have a place to go if they needed health care (regardless of SC) and be seen on an immediate basis (not at the ER but the clinics). Funding would never be a problem except for at the end of the year as it is with all government agencies etc....... You would simply see a complete change of attitude. ALWAYS REMEMBER: IF YOU FILE A CLAIM FOR VA BENEFITS YOU ARE FILING A CLAIM AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT. IN THIS SITUATION YOU ARE NOT IN A NON-ADVERSERIAL SYSTEM. YOU ARE SAYING THAT THE GOVERNMENT HARMED YOU OR MADE YOU SICK IN SOME WAY OR THE OTHER. THEY ARE NOT GOING TO FREELY ADMIT TO SUCH AN ACT........."CLAIM AGINST THE GOVERNMENT" JUST SOME KEY WORDS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN YOU ARE DEALING WITH THE VA!!!!! ;)

Earned income does not come into play with VA disability UNLESS; (1) you apply for and receive a 100 percent disability based upon unemployability cause this rating provides that you are not employable. (1) Also a 100 percent based upon a mental rating will not allow you to work. in ALL OTHER CASES you can make a million dollars a year and still draw your VA disability.

What were the reasons for denial? Boots on ground should not matter for CRSC. As indicated below if on a carrier I do not know what the problem is.

Is Vike still around?

If a vet is diagnosed with insomia and sleep apnea and the exam provides that both are at least likely as not due to his service is the insomia a part of the award for sleep apnea or should each receive its own rating? If so what are the rating codes for each? Thanks

something is not right if I read your post right. If you had 80 percent then received and additional 30 percent your rating should have went to 90 percent. Its all VA math. 80 percent leaves you 20 percent non-disabled then you get 30 percent. You will get 30 percent of the remaining 20 percent. 20 x.30 -------- = 6 Now you add this 6 percent to the 80 percent which gives you 86 percent disability. Since the VA rounds up and down this 86 percent would be rounded up to 90 percent. hope this makes sense.

Don't they normally indicate this in the axis? Most that I have seen indicate in axis one - mood disorder/anxiety NOS due to general medical condition Then in axis four (I think it is four) they list your general medical conditions ie back problem, chronic pain, hypertension, etc...... I do not really know for sure but like I said the mental evals that I have seen look something like the above. Now to me that would indicate that mental condition is due to the conditions listed in axis four. However, if some of them are NSC I guess the rater might question what amount each contributes to the mental diagnosis. This is really a question in answer to the original question I guess. Sorry maybe Bob or one of the others can clarify my confusing post hahshahaha......

Spike: Some times we put those we love in a situation whichs drives them to their breaking point. Their normal reaction is to lash out at the one they know loves them the most for they know that no matter what we will be there in the end with our undying love. Trust me been there. Now I can't run the ole devil off with a stick. Heck I am afraid that if I tried she would take the stick away from me and give me a good whopping, tie me to the recliner and super glue the remote to my hand hahahahaha. The best course of action for you would be to insure that you yourself get all the help necessary to make you well. After that all of the apples will fall close to the tree which makes for a happy ending. Hang in there, get well and keep calling on us. If they don't take away our comp at age 65 most of us will still be here sitting at the computer banging away trying to help all of our fellow veterans and their spouses. PS: emabrassing? Needing help and true life experience are never embrassing. If you want embrassing look up my post about my meds making me fall off the pot one morning and knock a hole in the bathroom wall with my head. The old woman came a running and when she saw the terrible situation she thought I was constipated which made me go mad and try to commit suicide . NOW THAT IS EMBARRASSING - JUST A LITTLE HUMOR TO MAKE YOU LAUGH MY FELLOW VETERAN!!!!!!!!!!

Uhaul is pretty cheap or he could do like they do drive to Texas get out and run like hell across the border - nah just kidding. He should not have any problem. However, I would never put my money in a foreign bank. Use a US bank, one close to the border. His check card will be accepted at any foreign ATM and about 90 percent of the business folk in Mexico accept Visa (check cards). With fambly there he should be able to live like a king on the generous amount of funds provided by the Veterans Administration. Tell him to look out though - if Bush or the communist duo, Dole/Shaalaaaaaaa get their way no telling what may happen. Knowing them they will try to make this stoppage of VA funds at age 65 retroactive all the way back to the civil war with a clause that if the vet has passed his estate which has been passed down thru the generations will be responsible for the back payment hahahahahaha. PS tell him good luck. I am truly sorry that he feels he has to leave such a wonderful country that he fought for without any second thoughts. Tell him it is not the country - its these damn bathroom sexual hound dogs and drunk driving lady killers that call themselves the elite class. I pray every night that somehow, someway about 98 percent of them will be removed from office so we can start all over again. That is the only way this country is going to be fixed!!!!! The founding fathers of this great nation turn in their graves nightly due to the antics of these drunken, cheating, criminal self proclaim elites who have taken their place. One of these days when the muslims are raping their wives and grandchildren or the mexican criminals they have allowed to come into this country begin killing their loved ones they will come to their senses and see what they, yes THEY have done to this great nation.

to write the VA and contest the date of award in order for the date to be adjusted in accordance with the court decision. Did they mean submit an appeal or something like and appeal? I do not think that was the courts intention. The court ruling should prompt the payment of benefits. Sledge - Good point: Never count VA dollars until they hit the bank and then hide them in a buried jar. As soon as my monthly payments or any back pay hits the bank the other half is waiting for the removal action. I have her take them and put them into her account as quick as possible. Don't know if this will stop anything but sure as hell makes me feel better hahahahahaha. Hmmmmmmm - never though about what if she has a hidden boyfriend on the side, you know some 18 year old with muscles that has some strength left in them- nah we can not run each other off with sticks. Been together too long (38 years). Heck we would not know what to do if we could not spend the day picking at each other hahahaha

Bob - Glad to see you back. This report completed by Dole and his side kick Shaala really bothers me. It is purported to be the best for the veteran and takes into account him, his family etc..... However,this stop the main portion of VA disability at 65 is just pure bull crap. Did they ever consider that during his younger years he would not be able to work and build a retirement fund for him and his family? No they did not they simply had government savings in their sights. When a soldier gets out after 5,6 or seven years he goes to work. In today's times it is not uncommon for these bright stars to get a job makeing 100 grand or above with excellent retirement bennies. He turns 65 and he has SS and his built up retirement fund - life on easy street. Now these two come along and say we are here to help the veteran. we want to insure that he gets his just benefits. So we want to change the system - we not only want to give him 2600.00 per month for life but we also want to give him another 500.00 just becasue we are good guys. Boy the vet is really rolling in the dough now. That about 36 grand a year is really comparable to his counter part who was not disabled so he should be able to raise his family of 4 really well along with really, really saving for his future retirement. Therefore, since we allowed him the opportunity to live like a king all these years, and build billions of dollars into a retirement fund, we do not feel obligated to pay him past the age of 65 for loss of earnings. Jesus Christ people we gave him 36 grand a year, he should have made his kids go to school naked and saved for retirement. What a bunch of communist idiots these two are. If congress can not see through such a plan then it is time for me to depart this ole place that I love so much. Now if they wanted to give the vet 36 grand a year along with a matching 36 grand in a 401 type retirement fund then we could talk. As it is now their only intention was to save money..............sumbit)(*&^^. May all of their children and grand children suffer from a rare disease that beholds them to the welfare system for their natural lives. Sorry but that is just the way I feel. I deleted the descriptions Sen Dole and Donna Shalaha. Ricky please keep the personal remarks out of your posts

Thanks Josephine - I did not think they would nor do I really care cause they gonna get shoved down their throats since the RO continues to like like idiots and ignor my medical evidence.

Hey guys the lump sum thing and the firing up of my own commission was a joke!!!! hahahahahahaha - I do not think this thing is going to fly unless they somehow convince the congress idiots that it will also make more and new money available for their pork projects - which is how they keep their power. Pork is how they maintain their power and control over us pork eaters. Bess go see your village idiot the next time he is in town. Just mention that such a move would be seen as unfair by the welfare crowd and he/she will surely can it. Face it, there are a lot more within the welfare crowd than us ole vets and widow/widowers.

You have to remember that the VARO "sometimes" (hahahaha) makes mistakes. I have received award letters in which the grammar made it look like the letter was written by a 5 year old. I have also received some that contained the same paragraph twice in which I was awarded 10 percent in the first paragraph and 29 percent in the second one. Yep 29 percent. If you have champ, education benefits etc...... it is P/T. The oversight and quality control at the VA is crap. If I were the service center manager, since his signature is on all the letters, I would surely do quite a bit or quality control and crack the ole whip. I mean if my name is on such a valuable document as a VA rating I would want to insure that it was proper and in accordance with the law. The problem is they have idiots performing quality control functions over idiots. The bottom line is we all seem to get hung up on the "P/T with no future exams scheduled" statement. All this means is that they do not require any future exams at this time so none have been scheduled. Keep in mind that the VA by law has the authority to re-examine you at any time in order to insure that your disability has not gotten better or worse. So the statement "with no future exams SCHEDULED" means just that none have been scheduled at this time, however, just because they have not SCHEDULED any does not mean they can not perform one later on.

Simple patience is the key here. SS is another wild animal let loose without the ability to control it. Get a good attorney and sit back and relax. I am sure that this will resolve in your favor. Good Luck

Great post Berta and good advice. I am kinda at this stage with my claim. The NOD was filed in August 2005. SOC issued Jan 06; VA 9 filed in Mar 06; Although they just ignored my request for a DRO hearing I continued to scream like a baby about it. Finally in Apr 07 they conducted a DRO hearing. During the hearing I provided my arguments plus submitted new doctor statements. No action by VA as of this date. However, I fully expect to be sent to the BVA. When the file goes although I do not have a SO I intend to write such a letter myself. It will summarize the claim and list all evidence submitted in support of the claim. I intend to attach a copy of the evidence also and provide a waiver statement just in case some of it is not in the file. In my form 9 I provided the laws/regulations that I felt VA had failed to apply to my case along with my arguments and references to my evidence. I also told them what level of rating I wanted and that I wanted BVA to take all actions necessary on the claim without a remand. Can the BVA issue a rating decision and assign a level of disability without remanding to the RO for such an action? OR will they simply look at my request and think that I am stupid? Regardless I will do a summary letter once the file is transferred to the BVA - hope they do not mind.

SS is an insurance policy in which you have to pay inorder to receive. I would gladly accept a lump sum payment of the money that I have paid into this system instead of monthly payments. Hmmmmmm VA disability and a lump sum reimbursment of my SS payments - thats a good ideal. I think I will start my own commission called the "Ricky Commission" and demand manatory enactment of my recommendations.

I wrote my today. I called my congress idiot's office and set up an appointment for next week. I want to go face to face with someone.

You better write your congress and senate idiots NOW. This is just a simple sneak attack to cut benefits. This administration has a dozen of them in the fire hoping that one of them will flame up. Write now and let them know that if they support any action on the Dole-Shalala Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors it will be their last action.

If you displayed no signs of SA during service or symptoms that can be associated with it such as sleep difficulities then it will take a very strong IMO to accomplish this. SA is associated with DMII, hypertension, stroke etc...... the problem is that the medical community is divided on which causes which. Since overweight is the most common cause/association with SA it is very hard to get a sleep doc to opine of the exact date of onset or that it may be realted to your service. As suggested below a good service officer is your best bet along with hanging out on Hadit. Good luck and let us know how your claim develops so we can help you where we can.

I assume that you are speaking of a decision by the RO. The answer to your question would be that any change made by them would be effective the date of the claim. Please keep in mind that you have 12 months from the date of the decision letter to file an appeal. Eventhough you have asked them to reconsider their decision the appeals clock continues to tick. So if you have not heard anything on a requested reconsideration at about the 10 months time frame you better get your NOD in or you risk the possibility that you could lose your appeal rights which would mean that you would have to refile the claim and provide new and material evidence along with losing your original effective date.

Hard to say. Yep they all should be dead. One of them molested my 8 year old granddaughter who now lives we me. We could only get him 20 years of which he only has to serve 7. However, this country provides protection to all citizens and I guess we have to abide by the law. Maybe in 7 years from now I will be close enough to death to impose a new sentence on him when he gets out. He sure messed up my little angel's mind and life.

John the rater that your file/claim is assigned to may determine that you need a C/P exam. It is hard to speak of a time line as all of the RO's are different. Just hang on and it will come.