john999

I would be thinking about my appeal if the claim is not rated decently. You really have enough for 70%-100% but you may end up with 30%-50%. The VBM is like an insurance company. If they can low ball you they will. If they do low ball you I would go get a IMO/IME and ask them to reconsider.

Did you ever come under fire from mortars or rockets while in Iraq? That is a possible explanation for metal fragment in your head.

Who wants to sit around some airport waiting for space available for hours if you are 100% disabled vet with mobility problems? If I were 25 years old and not traveling with a wife maybe it would not be so bad.

71M10 In S. Tampa where I live in a modest 64 year old house the neighborhoods that have stood for 75 years around the Tampa Bay will become suddenly unsellable and unaffordable for anyone with a mortgage. I was using this as an example of how inadequate a 1.5% COLA for anyone depending on a federal pension and SSA or a disabled vet. My SSA and 30 year federal pension is less than my VA compensation. I depend on COLA to stay somewhat current with cost of living. If I did not have investments built over 35 years I think my wife and I would be hurting one day. The federal pension is my disability pension since I have not worked in 12 years. When I was a postal worker I got COLA plus contractual raises and very cheap insurance. Because I worked double Sundays and had 40 hours of night pay I was making almost 50 grand in 2001. All I kept was my base pay plus COLA'S. This equals a crummy $1200 a month pension. I think I would need at least 5-6% cola a year just to keep up. John

Federal flood insurance in my area is set to increase 1000% over the next few years. I don't think 1.5% increase in COLA will help much. If you live in a flood plain or near the water you probably know this. I live in Tampa Bay area and it is killing real estate sales in most expensive areas where people really want to live.

I think the House will back down before the Nov. 1st payday. I don't think they will go through with not increasing the debt ceiling either. It is suicide for financial markets where Koch brothers and real bosses of the Grand Old Party have their money. However, since republicans are being destroyed in polls the longer this goes on I can see why Obama might drive a hard bargain and cut it close. I have Mad Money just for such an event if I am wrong. John

Hollis Yes, I think a C&P will be in your future if you asked for an increase. Try and get more positive evidence to help your claim. Your VA doctor won't be much help I think.

Cymbalta will cause ED, and kills libido in men and women. It can also inhibit the orgasm response in both men and woman. This type of drug was once used to treat premature ejaculation. I know clonazepam and oxycodone can cause ED. The thing is if you have severe pain you are not in great shape for sex anyway.

If you have filed a NOD on your denial of IBS you can hire a VA lawyer. The lawyer will probably tell you to get independent medical opinion. He even many know someone in medical field. I, too, had a job paying good money and lost it 12 years ago. I got TDIU via IMO's and Hadit. I filed for TDIU when I was 30%. You divorce lawyer told you that you are not a doctor and you are not a VA lawyer either, but you can hire one. They take 20% of your retro.

A Marine or Army Airborne would be in real trouble if they took on Berta when she is fired up! Seahawkfan you need the diagnosis of PTSD from VA mental health. Is there a vet center close to you? You get the PTSD DX and I think you will get a SC rating.

Hollis Your increase will depend more on the C&P exam and then your VA doctor's notes along with any IMO's/IME's you have. I don't think you will be reduced given your rating. Without a strong C&P and an IMO you might just be confirmed at 50%. This is a guess from my own experience. I did have a couple of C&P exams that were down right hostile and my rating was only confirmed. I also wonder how in the world a shrink can truly do useful therapy by seeing you once every four months? Do you get any therapy besides drugs? Do you go to vet center? I built a case at the local vet center. Therapist wrote me a letter saying I had chronic, severe PTSD with poor prognosis. That may have helped me go from 30% to 70% back in 2002. I had poor c&p exam, but powerful IME's. I would say that taking meds is a sign you are compliant patient and not negative. I take maximum dose of Cymbalta. I would be more worried if I did not take meds. John

I had a lawyer at my BVA hearing. My lawyer presented a 41 page brief. The judge did not seem to know what to do with it. He did glance at how my lawyer worded my CUE to see if he could dismiss it right away. It sat with this judge for about 6 months and was denied, so off to CAVC. CAVC instantly (6 months) discovered flaw in BVA denial. I think vets should take advantage of legal representation early on if their claim is complicated. John

VA made my DMII award effective same day as my C&P exam. This was BS, but since it did not affect my compensation level I let it slide. I soon filed two more claims as secondary to DMII and even got SMC "S" due to secondary conditions. If your effective date means money then I would fight for it. I got ED for TDIU about 6 months earlier based on hospital admission and SSD award.

If disabled vets don't get paid November 1st it will be time for "Sons of Liberty" to get pitchforks and descend on VARO, Congress and Senate.

I was fired from USPS at age 51. They really thought they were screwing me but they threw Bro Rabbit into the briar patch. I also make twice what I did when I worked as a rehab clerk for USPS. I applied for OPM, SSD, TDIU, Worker's Compensation and I had a disability insurance policy. At first I got SSD and Worker's Compensation. Then I was approved for OPM but deferred in lieu of workers compensation. When I got TDIU I had to choose between the WC and TDIU. I chose TDIU. I even got two schedule awards for permanent injuries to my shoulder and hand from WC. Now I survive on SSD, VA, OPM and my disability insurance (private). They should not have fired me because I still get treatment from OWCP 12 years after retirement. StreetWalker I have no doubt you will get you 100% or TDIU. Good luck with the prostate cancer. Inthewind I am very sure you can get OPM disability. If you don't get SSD right away it just means you get more OPM. SSD only effects your OPM. When you hit 62 the OPM/SSD offset goes away. I am FERS and I get about $1200 a month minus health insurance which you may or may not need. The FERS annuity is really just grocery money after insurance and taxes. I think with you military retirement pay and VA, SSD and OPM you should do quite well. Does your spouse work? Do you have kids in college?

Ebenefits is really not anything besides an update board. It does not make your claim go faster or the result any better.

Cut the negative deadwood from your life and don't loan anyone any money! You have enough to keep yourself out of the gutter if you have to change your name and move to another state. Just be sure the VA knows what you are up to.

A friend of mine has abandoned attempt to get NSC pension for Parkinson's. He is going for service connection. He did not serve in RVN. His Parkinson's did not show up until well after active service. His wife talked to someone at the VA who told them they could not meet requirement for NSC pension due to $1400 a month him and his wife received from SSD. Is there any hope for this guy? I am through with them after waiting months for them to actually make a move. He claims he was exposed to AO in Okinawa, but I don't think he has proof except statement from an officer that they dug up AO drums. John

80% plus your salary might be a good deal. At least you have something to do. When you get TDIU working is a no, no. 100% from the VA is not a big deal unless you have many dependents and significant SMC. Of course, when you file for TDIU you also file for SSD and that is enough to live on unless you live in NYC, LA or some other place with very high cost of living.

You can always have a rating lowered unless you have had it for 20 years. However, you should not depend on a VA doctor only when asking for an increase. If your symptoms are worse enough to justify an increase I would get an IMO/IME. Positive feedback from you to the VA doctor does not really help with an increase. Just think about it. Start complaining next time you see him. Be subtle but get negative if you want an increase. If doctor thinks you are just trying to sound worse just to get an increase he may say so and then you are dead with that doctor. I give my VA doctor pretty honest feedback but I am not trying for an increase and I try and add something negative like the cherry on top. The doctor asks about suicidal thoughts and I say "yes, sometimes I think about it when pain is bad and I feel there is nothing to live for" but I stop short of discussing a plan. I do think that getting help from the VA can be a two edged sword. You can cut yourself by mistake.

Are you able to work? If you are working then 50% is usually the maximum amount they will award for mental issues. Are you not working since July due to SC conditions or SC PTSD? This is the key to getting a higher rating I think.

Who did the exam? Did the VA do it or did QTC do it? If the VA did it you can get it through your hospital records release. If a contractor did it you have to send a request to your VARO. Ask them for a copy of your C&P.

Why not just get your private doctor to do it. You may have to pay him. You want it done right and not some half ass job. Doctors need to use the magic words in SSD reports. They must say you are disabled from all work for at least a year. They can't speculate. They need to advocate for you.

You could ask for Cymbalta or Lyrica but since 3200 of Gabapentin is not working I wonder if your pain is nerve pain? I take maximum dose of Cymbalta and it helps me not to ruminate on my pain.

I think 10% is way too low for what you suffered. . You should get a private opinion on the condition of your heel and ankle. I would try and get my current rating bumped up before I went after a CUE. These CUE claims are tricky and often take many years to win. After you get maximum current rating go for the CUE. You could consult with a VA lawyer on chasing it. It could be worth it in a big way. You have much more going on than arthritis.