john999

Not being able to stand up straight sounds like an appendicitus attack. That is one way they diagnose it.

Purple Since you are having this severe pain get yourself to a real doctor who has time to look you over. Don't depend on the VA until someone throws dirt on you. My wife had an attack of diverticulitus. If the doctors had not caught it the intestine would have ruptured and she would have soon been on death's door. You have to get treatment for these things because you don't know what it could be. I can imagine the VA sending her home with heartburn meds, but she was hollering too loudly for me to sleep.

Pete These back to back deployments are probably resulting in many divorces and spouse abuse. In some cases both parents are in the military and both are deployed at the same time. The kids don't even know their parents. What stress! I picture these poor grunts walking up and down the hills and mountains in Afghanistan with 80lbs on their backs. Now that is torment in 110 degree heat. The USA supplied Stinger missles to the Afhans during the USSR occpation. I bet a lot of our choppers are going to also get shot down when they are flying around those mountains looking for Taliban. I see the USA walking into "The Big Muddy" step by step just like in Vietnam. 40,000 troops won't do, so we send 40,000 more and so on and so on. Even Alexandar the Great left Afghanistan in frustration as did the British and Russians. I hope Obama is not that dumb.

Duckworth probably thinks that if she behaves herself she can be VA Secretary one day. Next she can do like Cleland and run for office successfully. She is trying to skin the cat a different way. Notice that she was an officer, and not a PFC who got their legs blown off. The notion is, of course, that officers are better human beings like enlisted. VA Secretary is an Ex-General Officer. Then of course we had a DAV commander who sold out immediately.

How do you like the Tampa VAMC? Have you ever found a parking place? I have Dr. Hodges as my PCP and Dr. Lowery as my shrink. Both are pretty good. Lowery is the best shrink they have.

Hoppy My complaint is that the military discharged Rock because of the acute psychotic disorder. They must have thought he was too sick to serve. Then the VA just examines him, and he is not psychotic according to them, and they say PD and that slams the door. I was discharged for a PD. The VA shrink said schizophrenia, so I got 10%. My private doctor said chronic schizophrenia and unable to work. The VA disregarded that report. I think Rock had a better case than I did. I was pretty crazy in those early days, and I filed a claim within one year of discharge. The VA doctor said residual schizophrenia. I understand what you are saying about a single acute psychotic episode, and I agree the VA should have examined him more than once. They should have treated him, but they just wanted to save compensation money. I did a lot of appealing in the early days including the type discharge I got. Both me,you and Rock were discharged back in the bad old days when the VA could get away with anything. How long did it take you and me to get a decent rating....25 years? If Rock had one piece of evidence from his original rating to say he was schizophrenic I think he would have something. Unfortunately he does not have this. In my claim the VA relied on a hospital visit and my SMR's. I never got a C&P exam. They gave great weight to the SMR's, but mostly to their VA doctor that did an exam when I was an in-patient. The guy did not like me at all because I had long hair. He more or less said so. How prejudiced and arbitrary.

In Vietnam the VC and NVA were hard core fighters who had a shared goal which was to liberate and reunite Vietnam. We fought in jungle and swamps and rice paddies. Afghanistan is much larger than Vietnam. We have few soldiers trying to fight an enemy that is spread over a vast area. We cannot defeat Taliban and hold all that territory. We fight and then pull out or leave a small group of soldiers to try and keep an eye on the Taliban. We had 500,000 troops in S. Vietnam. We have less than 100,000 in Afghanistan. I see this as a loser. Karzi is just a corrupt puppet who the USA wants to replace with someone who won't complain when we kill civilians. It is a mess. It is going to cost us and when it gets too hot the terroists like Bin Laden will just move to Somolia.

Rockhound Keep working your claim. You are getting closer. The notes about acute schizophrenic episode with you being catatonic for 2 days makes the PD diagnosis absurd in my mind. Just because you did not show symptoms of schizophrenia does not mean you don't have schizophrenic residuals. How in the world did they explain away the acute episode? I never had a MMPI from the VA. They gave me the ink blot test in 1972. I think they did not want to spend the money on the MMPI and that it would have shown objective evidence that I was a lot worse off than 10%. The ink blots are so subjective. As I see it now it was all just at attempt by the VA to minimize my problems so they could low ball me. That is the crime that they committed against thousands of Vietnam era vets. The VBA really is a criminal organization.

If the VA knows you are on SSD for a SC condition that should be an inferred claim for IU. The VBM says that even if a VA social worker has something in the record about a SC claim that might preclude employment that is an inferred claim for IU. The VBM mentioned a vet with a foot problem where his feet have a bad smell. The VBM says that is enough to be an inferred claim for IU since it would make employers not want to hire him. I think the actual regulations are much more in favor of the vet but the VA just ignores those parts and invents the rest to suit themselves. I think the VA has one overriding concern and that is to keep compensation costs low. This is their dirty business they will never admit to doing.

3 Years Yes, I have posted on Postalmag forum. Do you still have three years to retire from that hell hole the USPS?

I saw a short film about some of our soldiers that are stationed at small, isolated firebases in Afghanistan. During the period that the journalist had contact with the soldiers at this base almost all had been wounded ,and most had been sent home. A whole knew batch had been rotated in as replacements. These guys are under almost constant fire. They are bait. This is going to be a hell of a war for the troops who are chasing the Taliban in that forsaken waste of desert and heat. The price will be high for decades to come. I think of Vietnam and I think these people have learned nothing.

Phil I have a lawyer doing my CUE back to 1971. Would I be violating our contract if I file anothe CUE for EED for my 2001 70%/IU back to 1997 on my own? Maybe I should inform him of my intent to file the CUE for the EED back to 1997. This is getting complicated and I don't want to get crossway with my lawyer.

You might have gotten the Nod on this because I got SSDI without an exam based on my doctor's reports and on my self report of disability. Their is some state agency that actually does the disability evaluation for SSA. It sounds hopeful to me.

The question will the VA look through your SMR's and do the work. Knowing them they will uncover zip unless you stick their noses into it. Too bad you can't take your SMR's to a doctor and get him to look them over and point to any issues you might list. I was in the hospital twice in the Army. One time for a severe flu like disease and the other for a mental health issue. The VA never looked at anything until I filed a claim and then only at what I claimed.

I was rated 30% in 1997 and appealed the rating based on a faulty C&P exam. Eventually I got a new exam but still was awarded only 30%. I continued my appeal but provided new evidence. I got 70% in 2002 but the effective date was based on the date the VA got the new evidence even though my claim had been under constant appeal since 1997. Did I get screwed on the effective date. I got a CUE going back to 1971 so this whole thing may be subsumbed under that CUE if I win. However, I feel I did get screwed on the 2002 decision on the effective date. What do you think.

If you don't meet the schedular requirement % for IU, but a doctor says that you are unemployable due to your SC disability isn't that also an inferred claim for IU? In the bad old days in order to get high rating for a mental health claim you had to be psychotic or suffering from the kind of PTSD like from old films of soldiers with shell shock.

I can't believe the VA moved that fast considering the amount of money involved. Your claim makes perfect sense to me. Do they understand that they will owe over 100,000 bucks for her college? It does not matter because they have to pay. I filed a CUE all the way back to 1971 asking for IU to that date instead of the date I got which was 2001. If I even get 50% instead of the lousy 10% they rated me at that will be a nice pile. My claim is on the way to the BVA now. I have a lawyer and hope he knows what he is doing. He says the cue is obvious and that the VARO where the mistake was made is just too chicken to award it. I hope that is the case. I was unemployable and my doctor said it due to my SC condition and the VA just ignored or never considered that evidence. They only considered their doctor's evidence which said schizophrenia and gave me 10%. They used my in-patient hospital records to make the rating. A person who is sitting in the nuthouse gets 10%. The 10% for schizophrenia is just unbelievable in itself. You are psychotic but only 10% worth. The decisin became final because I was too sick to appeal it. I did not know I could appeal because the decision did not come with appeal rights. If you get a pile you might buy a immediate annuity. This way you get income for life from the money and are not likely to just case it in to buy a boat.

Allan Keep it up and you will join me on the NO FLY list. Just joking, heh, heh, but for some reason I was on the list or something like it at my airport. They would not just check my bags. I had to stand in line no matter how long to show I.D. I got that changed, but it took a congressman to do it, and lots of documentation. It seems my name was similar to some rabid terrorist....John King. Does that sound like the name of a mass killer or bomber. I guess John Smith has trouble as well. I yelled at the pharmacist and the pain management people at the VA. They say I have an anger issue. Maybe I have the red flag. That makes me want to kill. Hey, I just want to sing Kumbaya and have a love-in with VA pain clinic people. My schizophrenia is showing again.

Hmmmmm....I could use an aide if my feet continue to get worse. Now I have to often use the go cart at the stor to get around to shop because my feet hurt so bad. I have PN and other issues it seems. Pete, did you get the aide because you are HB? That is whay I miss about being only IU instead of 100% schedular. Maybe I will get the nerve to file for HB since I have agoraphobia according to my last MH rating.

I live just a few miles from McDill AFB. I wish I could use their medical facility instead of having to take an hour to get to the VA hospital including the shuttle ride because their is no parking. I see active military at the VAMC, but we can't use the base for routine stuff. I see that as unfair. I asked about the VA opening a clinic in South Tampa but was told to mind my own business via my congressman. The VA has everything well in hand, and I don't see the big picture. Those arrogant bastards.

Your being a young vet the VA is praying they can somehow get you back to work and off the rolls. More than likely they will schedule you for a review in a few years. At that point they may decide that you are permanently disabled. Old farts like us Vietnam vets they just give P&T to because they figure we are used up anyway. Young guys have to be careful to go to all shrink appointments and never say one good word about you, or your condition. Never mention the word "work". Never say you feel better. If you decide to do something try and fly under the radar. Perhaps you will get better in time, but don't let them know. There are no jobs out there anyway.

Pete If I did not know the VA I would say you were cynical. They do use us as lab rats, and training dummies for future doctors who will one day throw us out of their office because we don't have the right kind of insurance. Big VAMC's are often next to teaching hospitals like mine. Coincidence, I think not. At my VAMC they got in trouble for gutting too many old vets in the 80's and doing heart by-pass surgery on these really sick old men. Everyone smoked and drank a fifth a day probably, but cut them open anyway just for practice. So what if they kick the bucket.

Lumbar spondylosis is probably caused by arthritus in your spine (DDD), but I am no expert. The knee problem probably aggravates it, and vice versa. I have the same kind of pain in my back and I was diagosed with spondylosis. Does it hurt in the morning when you first get up and when you sit for long periods. Mine does, and I have SC problems with my feet. My foot problems came first and then the back started to hurt. You probably don't have numbness running down your leg unless a disc is really going bad and pushing on the spinal cord. If they tell you that you need a spinal fusion think about that for a long time.

Rich I just got back from my MRI, and man does my back hurt. About the EED and the knees if there is money involved then wait for the decision and file an NOD on the issues that will pay you. Once you get P&T you still should file for any condition that might threaten your life. Also, if SMC is concerned I would file. I filed for five conditions after I got P&T because they were all related to agent orange DMII. You get so used to fighting these bastards it is hard to give up, but some things are worth fighting for after P&T. Now you can look into what your state has to offer you in terms of benefits. Flordia is pretty good to P&T vets. You get property tax exemption and DVA tags. John

The powers that be must like the current system because they perpetuate it. I would like to know the number of claims that are made, and the number that are granted. Every claim that is denied saves the government money, and that is all they are concerned with as long as they have other youngsters to sign the papers to get them sent off Iraq or Afghanistan or the 100 other posts all over the world where they may get hurt or killed by accident or on purpose.