john999

Ranger Go to the follow-up and talk about your problems. That is why you go to mental health. If they want you to take tests then take tests. The doctor or whoever sees you is going to ask how you feel. They will ask about the drugs you take. Just go along with the program. If you feel bad tell them. If this is just a mental health follow-up to your being in the hospital they want to know if you are going to be safe. They don't want to read in the local newspaper that veterans who was discharged from hospital offed himself a week later. If you are having any symptoms be sure and tell them. What you want is a regular visit with a VA shrink and this will probably lead to that.

I think you should hire a lawyer. First, consult with an Vet lawyer. I don't think you are in shape you be arguing your claim. If you are suffering from schizophrenia you need help putting the logical parts of your claim together. I thought you were discharged and then developed a psychosis within one year of discharge. That one is easy. If you served a regular hitch and got discharged and developed psychosis within one year of discharge it is presumptive. If you got in and out of active duty and then got kicked out on LTH discharge it gets so much more complicated. How long you were on active duty becomes a big factor. If you have schizophrenia and the army knew it I bet they worked hard to try and find a way to kick you out without admitting liability thus the LTH discharge.

Hey, we goyum resent that!

I tried to get a quitar from ILP. They wanted my VA shrink to write a detailed reason why this would benefit me. I told them to forget it and bought it myself. I felt the game was designed to discourage me. I was asking for so little.

Hedgey Did you work for the federal government? If a year has not passed you could still file for disability retirement if you did. You mentioned LWOP that is why I suspect you worked for the feds.

You fought for it and you got it! Way to go!

I say too that if your VCAA letter does not mention all your claims the ones they don't mention may have fallen through the cracks. You should still appeal them if you get any decision that does not address them. The VCAA letter is supposed to be your specific roadmap to winning all your claims. The implicity denial regulation is just a cheap trick by the VA. If you file ten claims and the VA does not grant all ten consider the ones that are not mentioned as denied and file a NOD on all the conditions you claimed.

StillHere If it was me I would get a letter from a doctor who will say exactly what Jbasser said about you being disabled for at least one year. That is the format they like to see. I did that and got my SSD in about 4 months. They will also send you a form to fill out that has a self-inventory about what you can and can't do. If you are wise you will say you need help wiping your @#$. You can't drive. You can't prepare food. You need help doing basic chores of life. SSD wants you really disabled. Generally speaking, getting IU or 100% from the VA is a much lower standard than the SSD. The VA is just so much more messed up than SSD. With SSD you should get an answer back in a few months Yea or Nay. Your SSD file does not look like your C-file with moths flying out of it. The SSD expects you will hire a lawyer if you are denied.

When you read about yourself as this person that is so disabled that they can no longer support themselves it is a blow to your self esteem. I did not recognize the person the VA was talking about in my decision for IU. I thought to myself "Man, am I this bad off?". You get over that since the alternative is to be that bad off and have no money.

I believe that psychosis (schizophrenia) is considered presumptive if you file for it within one year. File your claims and get the evidence later. Your SMR's contain the evidence. When you file these claims if they are original claims be sure you have proof you filed on a date before one year from discharge date.

Practially speaking, I think they work the easiest first. If you file three claims chances are one will get approved, one denied and one deferred.

If you are DX'ed in your medical records for schizophrenia and those other problems I would file for all of them. You are getting very close to one year since discharge. Schizophrenia is a type of psychosis. I would file for these problems yesterday.

Did you file your notice of disagreement yet?

Usually, there is some deficiency in conduct or work performance that ends in a discharge for a personality disorder. Did she get in trouble? Was she failing her AIT class? You need to get her military records and medical records. Was she treated by a psychiatrist while in the service? For someone to be discharged out of AIT often means that there was a major malfunction especially in time of conflict where every body can plug a hole somewhere in the combat zone. What does she say as to the reason she was discharged? They don't just pull out of line one day and discharge you for a PD.

The exam doctor will give you the pinprick test. He/she will gently prick your feet and legs to see if you feel anything. The test is pretty subjective. I got 10% in each limb for PN based mainly on the pinprick test done by a neurologist.

I would call back and say your foot is hurting like hell and you need to see the PCP ASAP. Tell them you have severe pain and you will go to the VA ER if you can't see your PCP. That might speed them up. Other than emergency 7 weeks is not long to see PCP for anything non emergency.

If you get connected for chronic pain I don't see how they can deny you for depression as secondary to all those other issues. If would file for all those things and when you file NOD go get a lawyer or get Larry. Just because they deny you does not mean you can't get connected eventually. I got denied for an increase about five times before I finally got wise. I got me some good doctors and got help here on Hadit and I got my increase.

Landsend Step number one: Get the VA to make a determination on your eligibility for benefits. Apply for VA benefits. If you are denied then you will need to try and get the BCMR to change your discharge to "under honorable conditions".

Yes, and gastric by-pass surgery is not like having a wisdom tooth removed. Your plumbing is sensitive to being sliced and diced. If they slip-up you get peritonitus and die a miserable and painful death. I would want someone to do it that has done it a thousand times with no deaths.

I think a psychiatrist who is experienced with PTSD knows it when he sees it. Someone who comes back to the world with a thousand yard stare may not have every classic symptom of PTSD. This is the guy who kills himself and the military and family wonder why. A really good shrink can tell if there is something wrong with a person very quickly. If they know the person's history they don't need a chart.

Still Here The meds for depression and PTSD are the problem. They will produce weight gain. Read you bottle of pills. It should say that weight gain is a possible side effect. Which ones do you take? The SSRI's are notorious for weight gain.

They may want verification of E's last day at work so they can pay retro. They need something in writing. I had this problem myself. They did not bother to call but just left it twisting in the wind until I found out why my TDIU was stalled. I sent them my SSD award letter and official form 50 from the post office where I worked showing last day of work. Take the stuff to them yourself. Don't wait for them to request it.

Landsend was discharged with a LTH discharge but he can still get VA benefits. He needs to apply for benefits and let the VA decide if they will grant the benefit. That is step one to force the VA to make a determination about his right to benefits. To go through process of officially getting his discharge reviewed by BCMR is a hell of a process. After 40 years they have to make a determination as to if it will advance justice to make an exception and disregard the 15 year rule. Then a bunch of lifers will review his discharge. What do you think the outcome will be? They did not do this in my case and I was asking for a change in my discharge from honorable to medical. They took my appeal and kicked it so far it has not landed yet and I was a war veteran who was also a disabled veteran. They laughed at me because I did not have a lawyer. If I win my CUE I will have a lawyer next time.

What you AIC is saying with a score of 6.2 is that you are at very high risk of DMII. If you have PN don't mention it to the VA until you have official DX of DMII. If you think there is a lot of difference between an AIC of 6.4 and 6.5 your body does not know the difference. Your heart and arteries don't know the difference. Most doctors outside the VA would probably say you have DMII. Because the VA is focused on compensation they have an arbitrary cut off for compensating DMII.Doctors ourside the VA might even put you on meds to reduce your blood sugar. You are probably going to develope DMII to the level of what the VA compensates. I would go to a doctor outside the VA and see what he/she says about your health. Forget a claim for compensation. Your health is what is at stake. I am just a little more diabetic than you and I get 10%. I also get 10% for the PN as secondary.

I am sure you have to meet some criteria to get the by-pass. I see a hell of a lot of very obese people at the VAMC.