john999

Your reconsideration for HB is not a new claim. It is an appeal of the old denial so your effective date should be the date you first claimed HB if you win. The VA may be playing games.

If the VA knew you were unemployable due to PTSD when they granted you 70% they should have inferred TDIU. When did they grant the 70%? Unless they specifically denied TDIU I don't see why you need to go to the BVA or some Board you are talking about. You just have to fill out the paperwork for TDIU form 21-8940 and send it to the VBA. I know I don't have the whole picture.

I am on what is called the "opioid program" which means I gets refills every month without having to see the pain clinic. The pain clinic doctors changed my scripts every month. Some said opiates were terrible and some thought they were a useful alternative. It was a fight every month. Now I am "stable" I just get the same amount every month. I found out you must use less that what they prescribe or the dope will stop working. If I have a good day I use less and if I have a bad day I use more. The way to get what you want is to go to all your appointments and try whatever they suggest. Pretty soon they write you off as a person with incurable chronic pain.

I would just wait for the decision. on my claim. The VA often gets details wrong. I don't know how they do it, but they do it. You say a dead body male/female and their is no dispute about that as far as I know. You were with graves registration. That is enough right there.

What was your MOS in Vietnam and did you have any combat medals or badges?

Dependency is not that much for the VA to think about unless there is a question about age of the kids or who takes care of them. You are entitled to it sort of like SMC. All you have to prove it that you have kids who are eligible.

What it is is that the VA does not believe an attorney could be IU. They want to believe you are trying to con them. Why would a lawyer settle for VA compensation unless they really were disabled is my question? I have a degree in psychology. The VA accused me of trying to fake a DX due to my limited knowledge of psychology.

I would craft the IMO to correct anything in the C&P exam you don't like before it goes to the DRO. These doctors ask for so much money because they think they can get it. It costs them very little to do the IMO. They do the exam and look though your records and get a few quotes. See what you C&P says. You may not need the IMO. John

It's a gift!

Wow, with the 50 grand you got a while ago are you going to know what to do with all this money? Maybe it is time to trade in the old car and get a new one. Let's see, where is a nice place to go in November. You are already in Florida. Next summer you can go some place cool for about a month while we are dying down here in Tampa bay.

What is the word on Lariam?

When you were dropped down to 0% were you given an exam or did the military just propose the reduction and give you time to appeal it. You got screwed no doubt. You probably should have been on 100% SC for the last 15 years. Maybe the VA will fix this mistake, but I worry about effective date. I might wait for the decision and if effective date is July 2011 get a lawyer and appeal this.

I think your best bet would be to ask for secondary depression/pain disorder based on your SC back condition to get you to TDIU. You do this with an IMO as Hoppy said. After almost 40 years this is probably the only way to get it. What Chapter was your discharge? Was it for a PD or result of courts martial? Did you get an honorable discharge? You can have a PD diagnosis and have depression or even a psychotic or neurotic disorder superimposed on it. Start with what you already have in the bag and expand from there.

Ask for a personal hearing with a DRO on your claim.

Have you been on total military disability since 1995? How long were you in the AF?

You don't need to overcome a PD discharge to get VA compensation. I did it. You need medical facts to show that you had compensable mental health issue in the military or within one year of discharge.

MMPI has a lot of scales but I don't know if there is one for PTSD. It matches your answers to other people with known DX for a variety of conditions.

1-800 is a waste of time.

That GAF of 50 could help you get 70% so I don't think it was a waste of your time.

When is the last time you paid into SSA? I think you need 40 quarters to be eligible for SSD. If you are without money you could get SSI maybe.

I think it is good to work as long as you are able. If you do get fired you have enough of a rating to file for TDIU and SSD. It is good to know. I would start my disability savings account now. You have to plan for these things.

What is Citalpram? Is it an SSRI or anti-depressant? Is it related to xanax or that family of drug? You may not have any effects until or unless you stopped taking it suddenly.

Yes, but perhaps if you filed an increase for the MDD it would help. Are you 100% or TDIU as of now? Here you are a vet with major physical problems, MDD, inability to sleep, chronic pain so how can you work and how can you even take care of yourself?

In the wider world of psychiatry and pain management there is just no debate about chronic pain and depression. Only in the minds of cheap VA raters. They prescribe anti-depressants if you have chronic pain. Your doctor must say that your depression is secondary to your service connected disabilites. Maybe you could post a cleaned-up version of your decision.

See if any VA shrinks or clinical psychogists in your area have quite the VA to go into private practice. I used a doctor like that for one of my IMO's. She wrote a great IMO and it cost me almost nothing because my insurance paid for it. I don't know if she is still in business but she nailed it. The VA just incorporated her IMO into my decision. The main things are that the doctor review your SMR's and current records so they can justify an increase or a nexus for SC. They they must be firm in their statement about what caused your problem. No speculation. I will send you some details. I think I paid a few hundred dollars back in 2002.