john999

Bronco Well, that is good new because if I win the VA is going to owe me a lot of money.. John

Even if it seems your claim is going down the toilet don't blow your cool. You never know what will happen with these appeals. I had a DRO agree with everything my lawyer said and then turn around and give us a flat denial. He got the word from those above him. "You, Mr. DRO, are not going to give this vet 30 years of retro at this VARO!" John

If you sign a contract for 20% of retro then you have to cough it up, but it is worth it if you get an effective date 20 years earlier than your current date. I am asking for a date of 1971 instead of 2001 for my TDIU/100%. I will pay for professional guidance. When we file claims with the VA there is a learning curve. If you hire a lawyer there should not be a 3-5 year learning curve. To me that is worth paying the lawyer 20%. With SSD almost everyone hires a lawyer. Seems to me the VA is ten times worse than SSD. John

CG you did a great job for yourself. I would apply for SMC "S" if I were you. Did the VA consider you for Housebound? You are very close to the 100%+ 60% anyway. Are you housebound? What are secondary effects of gland diseases? You probably have state benefits as well. John

What about penalty for delayed receipt of Part B? I know when you are eligible for medicare if you don't take Part B right away and then take it later there is a penalty. I would sure take Part B anyway as soon as opportunity exits.

Did you have a lawyer?

That is interesting. I was wondering just how many OIF/OEF vets are filing for compensation these days. This is just one reason the government is thinking about revising the COLA. The main reason is SSA. Federal pensions, VA compensation, and all other federal earned benefits are small potatoes compared to COLA for SSA. Medicare,medicade and SSA are the huge drivers of deficits in the entitlement area. However, we all earned our SSA/SSD and medicare. I am glad Senators Sanders is where he is on the Vet's committee. John

If you have a CUE and your asking for 40 years of retro are you going to hire a lawyer, or use the local DAV guy who rolls his eyes when you mention "CUE"? If the lawyer takes your case he/she thinks they can win. The DAV guy takes the claim regardless. I did have a VSO roll their eyes when I mentioned I had a CUE claim. The VSO looks scared and bewildered when I brought up "CUE". I think I have mentioned it before but a VSO from VFW did argue that I had a personality disorder and that is why I was disabled. John

At this point given what you just said I would hold off on the TDIU. I think you should get 70%-100% based on the C&P exam you had in January. I filed for TDIU when I was 30% but that was early in my claim for an increase. As soon as I lost my job I filed for TDIU. John

Nothing is too good for a veteran, so nothing is what he/she gets. I have noticed that all federal retirement/disability claims are in a backlog including civil service and SSA. SSA seems to have the most on the ball. I retired from civil service. I can't even get them on the phone and they refuse to even tell my senator how they computed my retirement annuity. You retire from the post office, for instance, and it takes months to get a full retirement check. My wife sent in her paperwork for SSA and she wont get her first check for six weeks after she turns 62. Now Post Office wants to opt out of federal health care benefit system for current and retirees. We vets and federal retirees need to get busy and stay active about our benefits. The government on both sides is looking to cut us via the redefined cola or some other scam.

I got a check a few weeks ago. I have direct deposit for my VA compensation. Do I need to set up another direct deposit to get travel pay and how do I do it? I use Haley VA hospital as well. I get $5.40 which almost pays for the gas. John

What the public knows about Vietnam vets today is represented by Uncle Si on Duck Dynesty....crazy old guys who like to blow up things quack, quack. We have gone from villians to comical figures in the American imagination.

Why wait to adjudicate TDIU? The sooner you file the sooner your effective date.

Go to the exam! The shrink may ask you a lot of questions about your childhood, teenage years, home life, drug use or trouble with the law. What to keep in mind is that you were fine until the military and now you are disabled. Don't let them go on a fishing trip through your life before the military. If they ask you if you feel depressed tell the truth. Don't hold back negative feelings. Just dress and behave like you normally do. Don't try to make yourself worse or better than you are. John

I had Pain Management doctors at the VA refuse to prescribe effective pain meds because my shrink has me on clonazepam. They believe that every patient that uses this type of drug will abuse it or kill themselves. What they don't emphasize enough is process of withdrawal is very tricky even worse than opiates. Yes, and SSRI's do have withdrawal symptoms as well. I take Cymbalta and it helps me some. It is not a wonder pain med. The only wonder pain med are opium derivatives.

The VSO's should be leading the charge not kissing up to VA officials. They are just a bunch of horse traders. You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours. The vet gets left with the fleas.

Well, is this proof the VSO's and VA are in bed together? Congress has the power to make it happen not some bums at the VA. Considering there may be war with Iran the VA had better get its act together as had DOD. All the VSO's should be screaming bloody murder about the backlog and not making excuses for VA officials. To make an omlett you have to break a few heads.

You have a long,long road to 100% from 90%. Do you work? I was at 80% and got an extra 60% and it only moved me to 90%. This is why I got TDIU 11 years ago.

The other 70% get anti-depressants. The really crazy ones get anti-psychotic drugs.

Fill out the TDIU form and send it to the VA. The sooner the better if you are not working.

Even if you declare bankrupcy you will not get out of student loans. 100% vets are about the only ones who can get out of it except maybe those on SSD. I owed the VA $250 for G.I. Bill back in the 70's and they hounded me for that money for years. I appealed because they overpaid me and I was broke except for 28 bucks a month I got for 10% disablity.

Alan Simpson is a cheap jerk who represents a group of people in the US political system that believes everyone who gets a check from the government is a scam artist except for himself. He lived off the taxpayers for years as a senator. Now him and his kind want to take it away from war widows, children and totally disabled vets who depend on the SSD/SSA and VA benefits to survive. Yet, vets often vote for these people who openly declare their intentions to cut benefits for vets. Means testing may sound good to some but everyone should get their "earned benefits" be that SSA, Medicare, federal pensions or VA. John

If the DAV did win for you throw them 20 bucks. That is the amount of time they probably spent on your claim. Your evidence is what won your claim. John

This is the place to let the demons out and in your therapist office.

I have had VSO's warn me not to ask for an increase etc. It is a common fear. There is a possiblity that the VA might review the entire award and propose a reduction. However, I have filed many claims since I got rated 70% including TDIU,P&T and 6 other claims related to DmII. My attitude is once I have it nobody is going to take it away from me. If your DH is over 55 there is only a small chance his claim would be reduced. The VA has a massive backlog looking at them. They don't have time to review every claimant that puts in for an increase. If you have a "S" claim that is based on a statute then even less reason to review.