john999

I sure would ask for the hearing. Maybe get yourself a lawyer to go there with you. I am sure the VA has made some errors in this whole mess.

We sure do need the money. My food bill is going up every time I go to the store.

If you can identify exactly what records you want it might help.

If you claim is not final you can file an appeal if you are turned down for Chapter 35 benefits. I did this as soon as I got TDIU. Within one year I had P&T. I would not wait at all if I were 63 years old and 100%. Are you on SSD?

I had a claim at the BVA and I filed another claim for HB. It only took about a month to get the HB since there was no development involved. I do wonder about temporary files and we are constantly warned by VSO's not to file extra claims because it will slow down appeals. I don't know what is true. I think if you have a good claim that will net you some money file it regardless.

Pete Your post gives me hope. I asked them for a guitar and some lessons years ago. They made it into a federal case. I just told them to shove it and went and bought it myself. They wanted me to prove by medical evidence the quitar and lessons would benefit my disabilies. I thought it would be obvious since I was P&T.

I guess Phil's comment about once a stressor is accepted by the VA can an IMO be used to determine the current severity of the PTSD? If the C&P doctor says "yes, vet has PTSD and I believe it is a mild case" then the vet must get an IMO to contradict that doctor's exam to ask for greater than "mild" disability. Since our VA doctors won't help us we must turn to IMO's or our private doctors. I keep two private doctors on the payroll for just such an event.

Being a VA cop is an easy job. They risk little. They may have to spray and thump a veteran every once in a while, but that is light duty compared to a real cop working high crime districts in Tampa. If there was a serious event at my VAMC it would all be over by the time the VA cops got there. Most trouble starts over vets waiting for drugs or missed appointments. Most of the vets I see are so beaten down that they really could not cause much trouble. They are the sickest and poorest people I have ever seen.

SP4 You can claim your SSD over the phone to get the ball rolling. Call SSA and tell them you want to claim SSD. They will send forms and set up an appointment at your SSA office.

Since of new regulations about PTSD is there any point in getting IMO to show how bad his condition is now? With most disability ratings getting a good IMO is the gold standard. Back ten years ago my IMO's were all that got me my TDIU. The VA was sticking with a 30% rating.

MacDill AFB which is about three miles from where I live is a toxic waste dump. God knows how much jet fuel and other chemicals have been dumped there in the last 60 years. The land around the base and the base itself is very valuable land. If the base every closes the real estate people will descend on it like vultures if the clean-up can be done. Since the real estate collapse in Florida not much is going on, but there is no need for MacDill AFB. It is the home of Central Command but it is just a shell since that command is forwardly based somewhere near the middle east. If we have a big hurricane MacDill will go under 10 feet of water. These toxins at military bases is a scandal. The water table around here is about 6 feet deep.

When you send in your completed claim it goes into a black hole. You don't really have much of a clue until you get that letter saying "approved" or "denied". It drives us all crazy not to be able to track the progress of our claims. The VA set it up that way. The thing the VA really fears is accountability.

He can get 100% for anxiety/depression just as easy as PTSD as long as it is service connected. Since C&P exam said these conditions were more likely than not service connected I think you will get a significant rating. Nobody has each and every symptom of PTSD. This is a game the VA is playing. I think they must be obeying orders to limit the number of these PTSD diagnosis.

That website says only 9/11 vets can get compensated caregiver benefit. I can read English.

My lawyer gets excited if I contact the BVA with questions. He told me not to do it.

How do you check on a claim remanded to the BVA from CAVC?

Cognitive organic disorder is different from PTSD so you could get two separate ratings I think. Do you have TBI? Your cognitive disorder seems more severe than the PTSD according to the VA exam with a GAF of 55 which is in the 50-70 percent range. How did the cognitive disorder come about in service?

The VA bills my private insurance for everything even though I have been P&T for almost ten years now. That is a slap in the face. I resent it. I vote for a VA/medicare card. The VA hospital should be for homeless and bedridden vets. 90% of VA employees should probably be fired since they duplicate what could be provided better by doctors who accept medicare or champVA. No matter what happens vets will be cheated in some way.

I don't know exactly where to send the form, but I do know that it is very important to get it in within one year and send it certified mail/return receipt. If you can drive to the VARO and get date stamed copies of your disability claim that is even better. Send all evidence by certified mail/return receipt. The one year time frame is very important to show that your chronic disease "DMII" is service connected. Do you have high glucose readings in service. I bet you do.

If he was in Vietnam he does not have to prove AO exposure.

Have you applied for SSD?

You need to file your NOD. Don't let that one year deadline go by based on anyone's word.

I don't understand why vets previous to 9/11 don't rate a paid caregiver. If any vets will be needing caregivers it will be the RVN era vets in the next few years. We Vietnam era vets are dead to the world as far as our fellow citizens and government are concerned.

As long as your claim is not final it can't be a CUE. You don't want it to be a CUE if you can help it.

I would call ahead and make an appointment to see the file. If you only want some limited information they may do some copies for you. If you are just starting the claims process now is the time to get the copies.