john999

In my lower back I guess around L-5. I know some of the discs are getting thinner. Lately, it has not been so bad. I can't account for this except to say I started new exercises. I did quite a bit of bending a few days ago and had a minor relapse. I have been able to come off the oxycodone to a great extent. Most of this is due to fear of the VA making rash decision to just eliminate my narcotic pain killers. I don't want to be there when that happens, so I have detoxed myself. I don't have really horrible looking spine, but just pain which is aggravated by sitting and bending. I notice if I get too relaxed my back will hurt after a while.

If the courts get involved it is another thing. There used to be these vast state institutions where crazy people went for long periods or forever. Now they cut them lose in a week or two and tell them to take their meds. The result a large mentally ill homeless population. In the state of Florida it is the Baker Act where you are adjudged to be a danger to yourself or others and put on ice for a while.

How many other drugs are we taking that are harming us? You find out years later when some rats die or a study finds people are dying from this junk.

Well, you could have the tingling in feet and hands because of pinched nerve in the neck I think. You can have anxiety for all sorts of reasons. You can have chronic pain syndrome which is akin to depression. If you have a SC condition the trick is to get doctors who are willing to provide evidence and statements that there is a link between your anxiety and the SC condition. The VA will not connect the dots. You must serve it up to them completely digested. Ask yourself how has your chronic neck pain changed your life? This could be the key to the anxiety attacks.

They are not the same but most depressed people are anxious and anxious people get depressed. As long as he says it is service connected that is what you want to hear. You can file for both but will only be rated for the worst one. The idea that anxiety is giving you tingling in your hands and feet is odd. I know anxiety can mimic a heart attack.

I agree with Carlie that the statement "In all likelihood" may be viewed by the VA as speculation. They have their special language they like to use.

If you could show that the back pain has evolved into Chronic Pain Syndrome which is psychological as well as physical you might get something. People with chronic back pain often develope depression secondary to the back pain. If you can't sleep at night and you worry all the time about throwing your back out it takes the fun out of life.

I feel really bad that a lazy bum is representing vets. These sorts of lazy and incompetent bums cost me years of compensation.

Did the VA consider you for Housebound SMC? Does your rating say anything about agoraphobia or social phobia? Does it say you have fear of leaving your house or safe zone? This could be basis of housebound. You are close to the actual percentage anyway. I mention this because the VA is supposed to consider vets like you for housebound. They don't have to award it but they should consider it. It should say they considered it and why they did not grant it. This is what the VBM says. As far as I know the VA never considers HB unless you are 160% and/or you claim it.

File an appeal. The VA has cheated about a million vets on effective dates.

Are you schedular 100%? If you are then the VA should have considered you for housebound if there was any evidence to support it.

When you apply for SSD you get a self-inventory that asks you a bunch of questions about your abilites and disabilies. That is almost always used against you. If you say you don't need help taking care of yourself that is one big strike against you. You want to present yourself as being almost helpless. You can't drive. Someone else cooks, cleans and maintains your home for you. You can almost wipe your own butt. This is what they want to see. I got mine in 3 months. I knew a person who worked with me who was so depressed she was really psychotic. The SSD said she could work. It blew my mind. She was truly ill. Maybe I was just lucky.

That is the problem with most VSO's is that they don't lay out a plan for a vet to get the highest benefit. They just deal with what you give them. When I was awarded 70% the DAV discouraged me from appealing the denial of TDIU. I don't understand that except they wanted a clean win. I stopped using them after that. If you do a good job of laying out the evidence and pointing the RO in the right direction you can win. I got a really good IMO and the VA liked it so much they just incorporated it into the decision word for word. They did not question one premise of the IMO because it looked good. You want to present a good argument backed up by strong evidence.

I think I would hire an IMO because you can screen every word that is going into the record. If you talk to your VA shrink you can be sure what they are writing in your permanent record. You may go from the frying pan into the fire. You have to undo the damage you have done by telling them about the stabbing. That means you must find an alternative reason for your depression and have your shrink make the case for it.

Yes, I believe given what you say the award should be effective to the date you file the claim. I would get to the bottom of this by visiting the VARO and seeing a counselor if possible. Why did it take six years to win this claim?

I had a BVA hearing. It lasted 15 minutes. It did not influence my decision at all. I would not waste my time with such a hearing. I had a lawyer and he submitted a brief and it made no difference. The whole process takes too long as it is for the result you get which is often a remand.

I think it goes into your C-file, but one of mine did get into my medical file.

I checked today and my CUE is on the docket for the CAVA. It is moving in a slow, but orderly process. My lawyer is having some kind of telephone conference in February with the judge from what I can tell. It seems the train is on the track, but I don't know how long the track is going to be.

The exam makes no sense. If you can't take care of yourself and handle your finances how can you be able to work full time? This exam contradicts itself. The thing is that if you can work you can't expect a high rating on a mental health disability. Usually 50% is about all you can hope for if you are able to work full time. GAF of 60 means a moderate impairment which tilts towards a 30% rating, but who knows. With such a screwy exam anything can happen. You need more evidence of your own. You just can't depend on the VA for evidence.

You need to get a private doctor to say you are unemployable due solely to your SC conditions. He needs to review your SMR's.

If the VA is prescribing those drugs to you they have to check you out and do blood and urine work on you. That is their responsibility. If they give you narcotics they WILL check you. That is basic. As far as your private history I don't think that is their responsibility.

There is nothing like a nice long visit at the VAMC to make you feel better. You look around and see people on death's door and feel lucky to just be violently ill.

Berta I think you are looking at it the right way. The VA is looking at it the way to save money. I have TDIU plus 60% now. If I got 100% schedular for the same combination of ratings I might lose "S".

I got a 0% rating before I appealed and then I got 60%. Due to the 60% I got SMC "S" so in that sense there is some money involved. I have to see what my effective date was for the 60% to see if the VA cheated me. Is it in any way better to have a stand alone IHD AO claim rather than a secondary claim?

The main thing you need is a DX of PTSD from a VA shrink.