john999

If you took all the guys who claim they fought as Green Berets in Vietnam you could fill up Yankee Stadium five times over. I have met so many people who claim to have been seals, rangers, LRRP's and CIA agents that I often wonder how I avoided these opportunties. Get the bastards to show their DD214's and you find out they never left the states or they don't even have a DD214. The jerks never just claim they were in Vietnam. They always overdo it. They claim three tours in Vietnam, 5 PH's, 3 Silver Stars and they they were POW's. You look at them and they usually look like broken down drunks, or make their living as house painters.

Did you ever see a doctor in the Navy about your back? You need a nexus between your service and the back problems. Since it has been over 20 years since discharge the VA may say that this is a result of aging process unless you have some evidence of accident or treatment in service. What appears obvious to us is not obvious to the VA. All those grunts with 80 pounds on their backs who years later have knee problems get short shrift from the VA unless they complained about knee pain in the service. They will blame it on your civilian job, you age, your genes and anything else besides your service.

Chu Lai I just want you to be ready for the worst. The VA can dish it out for sure. The trick is to never give up or give in on a compensation claim. You just have to be in it for the long haul. I am waiting three years on my CUE claim and I have a lawyer.

Allan Well said, ha, ha. It is the truth. They might as well spit in your face as well. There is a big sign at my VAMC saying "Assulting VA Staff is a Federal Crime". They need that sign because there are many vets who feel like assulting some of these people. It is great when some foreign doctor tells you you are faking.

Allan That is funny but that is still how the public that even remembers Vietnam thinks about us. Drug addicts, killers and psychos is how we are featured in the media history. 99% of those who run the media, corporations and government avoided serving during Vietnam. Vietnam is a dirty word in today's military.

You have not yet begun to fight!

When I look at my VAMC it is obvious that the VA has made a decision to care for the current group of OIF/OEF vets at the expense of older vets. They are building massive polytrauma units at my VAMC. These are not for Vietnam era vets. I see active duty being treated at my VAMC. I cannot even get timely appointments in psychiatry, pain clinics or dental clinics. I see the "Welcome Home OIF/OEF Vets" signs hanging all over the parking lot. I get it! They should be using bulldozers to tear down the VAMC and give us some kind of insurance cards so we can go elsewhere. My VAMC is not fit for a dog. I wish it would sink into the ground directly to hell.

Do not miss that appointment whatever you do. I think you got lucky.

The standards you have to meet for a CUE are so great any other available option is better. If your only option is a CUE then that is what you use, but only then.

You will be able to get medicare also. This is a big help when the VA tells you that you have to wait a year to see a back surgeon.

I would say get ready for a long wait. This way you will be prepared for the worst. The worst would be the VA denies your IU and other claims for some BS reason. It happens all the time. It happened to me. You have to wait them out and produce more evidence if you get denied. Once you start on the IU road it is one way. You can't go back to work and start over. How are you fixed for money to last until you win? This is how the VA wears down the vet. They starve them out. With older vets they try and wait until they die.

What did your regular treating psychiatrist say in his notes about you? Did he say you were getting better, worse, or staying the same?

What it would take is for every vet to write a letter to his senator and congressman and tell them the VA as it is now sucks. It has sucked for 40 years and probably much longer although I think the WWII vets had it better.

You do need your own doctor that you pay to write you a medical opinion. I would dump the VSO and google VA Lawyers Atlanta GA. What you need to win a higher rating is medical evidence that you are worse. You get you own doctors for that. You can't depend on the VA for that. If you get a good VA lawyer he should be able to recommend a doctor who knows how to write a report for you. There has got to be some decent VA lawyers in the Atlanta area. You could call your local Bar Association for some names. Any lawyer who is certified to represent vets can represent you. They don't have to be from Atlanta. All your NOD has to say to get the ball rolling is "I disagree with the VA decision dated ?/?/????. Just say this is a NOD and mail or carry this to the VARO. Then you can hire a lawyer. You have to file the NOD first.

I think the VA considers phobias as a sort of anxiety disorder. If you have PTSD and also have agoraphobia they pick the worst condition and make all your other mental health conditions secondary to it. I think many with PTSD develope agoraphobia. It feeds on itself and can become a major disability on its own. Many with PTSD also suffer depression and insomnia but it all goes under the PTSD DX.

I think the VA wants to get out of the pain care business. They now have a prejudice against treating chronic pain with anything besides these anti-seizure meds like neurontin or Topomax. These drugs work for certain types of pain only. If you have PN they work sometimes, otherwise they don't work.

I have had a lot of trouble getting my narcotic refills as well in Tampa. Since I got on fentanyl it is a problem each and every month. I hate the pain clinic. They are at war with the pharmacy.

You know this exam should set the baseline for your treatment at the VA for the rest of your days. For instance, if they find your fasting glucose is 115 and next exam it is 120 they will begin to discuss being pre-diabetic with you. Same with your blood pressure since the VA is going to follow you for the rest of your life. They say boldly that they want to "own" your medical care. I say let them own it and pay for it and compensate you if possible. I had the AO exam about 10 years ago. My glucose was high. Eventually, I wised up and filed for DMII. Then there are secondary conditions that show up over time. The good thing is that all your records will be stored online and will be available to you ten years from now.

I wonder what kind of marks you get on your record now if you ask to see a psychiatrist in the modern army? In my day you were considered a shitbird and a psycho all at the same time. It was just unheard of to ask to for help unless you were trying to avoid a courts martial or something.

Check the vcaa letter. If everything you have claimed is not mentioned in the letter I would make sure the VA has that information. The vcaa letter is supposed to be a roadmap to winning your claims. If they don't mention a claimed disability the ball has been dropped somewhere. Berta says most vcaa letters are not up to the standards.

Good reason to have spouse drive you to the VA. The VA also notes if you have someone with you when you come for treatments. I am not sure why.

I recommend not drinking alcohol or taking any illegal drug for at least a week before going for the exam. They do a screen on you for these things when you pee in the bottle. It is so easy for the VA to document that you are drug user and it hangs around your neck forever. If you ever file for any emotional type illness they will not fail to mention dirty drug screen.

My question is if a vet is TDIU for one disability and has over 60% for other disabilites then what kind of claim does he make for SMC housebound? He should not have to have a C&P exam because this is a statutory benefit according to Bradley v Peake. The VA should infer housebound SMC for me without me having to go through claims process. Do I just request Housebound and remind them of Bradley v Peake. If I know the St. Petersburg VARO I will get a denial in a hurry or they will fit me up for a C&P exam. I am not going for any more mental C&P exams.

Your TDIU claim moved at light speed for the VA. Hold onto your P&T and never risk losing it. In the years to come that rating will be solid gold. We may be the only ones with a steady income unless the US Treasury fails.

If you are having the secondary conditions stay in treatment. Even if you are denied this time it may become obvious as times passes that the knee is causing the other conditions and they may get worse. So if you stay in treatment you can show time line of your conditions getting worse and work to link it back to the knee. What you don't want to do is stop treatments and 20 years down the road try and get the secondary conditions SC'ed because so many other things may have happened the VA will say it is due to age or other accidents with no record of ongoing treatment since SC for knee. You have to prove with medical reports or statements that there is a nexus between the knee and secondary conditons. The VA will not connect obvious dots. Stay after them until you get everything service connected and then you can work on percentages.