john999

Bronco What you say about the VA's pain management policy sounds like my case. This is a nationwide VA policy to get all vets with chronic pain off narcotic pain meds so they can wash their hands of us and not be blamed if we OD by accident one day or commit suicide from dealing with pain all the time. Over 14 years ago VA prescribed me Morphine and 250 Oxycodone a month. Since that did seem to work the VA has been trying to cut me down to zero pills and pain meds just because some vets abuse their meds and some OD. I also have been accused of being a drug abuser with no proof to back this up except the VA's bias that all vets who take pain meds are by definition drug addicts and abusers. Now although pain and disability is worse I get 150 pain pills a month and must have six exams and blood and urine tests a year to prove I am not cheating on my drug intake. There are things my wife can do for me and things I can do for my wife. I tried to get help beyond HouseBound and was rejected because VA told me I was still able to feed myself and could wipe my own azz. I had all four limbs thus no help. Since my wife still is able to cook but unable to drive me to the VA for help she is not disabled enough to get help. Pretty soon neither one of us will be able to get to appointments so I guess by VA logic we will be cured. I expect as my wife and I both get older we will both will more disabled. I am glad I saved and invested my money because we will need it to get help that the VA won't pay for or help us with. Maybe I can get welfare or food stamps like other beggars and sell the stamps for extra cash to get help to take us to the store or to the VA for treatments. I am really fortunate to be a vet because people are always thanking me for my service.

I think I would try and work the chronic pain and depression side of the case. I knew a woman letter carrier and the USAF tried to fix her TMJ surgically and made such a mess she lived with chronic pain for years. Due to the pain she became addicted to pain killers and she was not shy about letting the old horse doctor at our medical unit know about it. She went out on disability retirement I think, and then got the VA to cough up 100%. If I had to face her in a room without an armed guard I would have just granted her 100% and sent her on her way. When she took her pain pills and got riled up she just let it all hang out. She did not have to get physical. Her mouth was all she needed to bring down the house. No matter what the VA says they cannot measure pain nor can they measure PTSD or depression. It is usually best to try and not get them to actually hate you since all the doctors, judges and claims examiners will lie and cheat to ruin you. Many of these medical types have zero integrity and half of those working at the VA come from cultures that hate us anyway.

I had a lawyer work on a claim of mine for about 7 years. I lost every step of the way and lost at the Court of Vet Appeals. I don't know if my lawyer ever got paid but I did not pay him. I would have gladly if he had won my case all or in part. I am sure that when your lawyer told the other lawyers that you stopped her from getting paid that was the kiss of death among that group of kind hearted folk. Lawyers and VA reps never helped me much and actually hurt one of my claims. Did you ever get any sort of award through her representation for anything? My feeling about most of them is if they can't make a quick buck they are not interested.

I am P&T plus HB. However, my wife is not in such good shape herself. She has a problem with one of her eyes. Something called fourth nerve root palsy. What it means for her is that her eyes do not work together and she has double vision. This has caused her much grief and really hurt her self esteem and self confidence. When she drives she must have special glasses and even these do not help on the freeway or where traffic is heavy and she much change lanes. The thing is that she is supposed to be helping to drive me to the VA and to doctor's appointments etc. I wonder if I could get help for her. I could not get help for myself even though I have taken bad falls in the last three weeks due to the pills I take. I remember when I asked the VA what they could do for me if my wife had to check into a nursing home at some point. I was told to get a room next door to her. You know I have private long term care for her but I don't want to use it up until I have to do that since I only get five years. I have it for myself as well and when that run out the VA is most definitely on the hook for that service. I would rather just check out than use that service. You know even with 100%, HB and a couple of SMC awards the amount I get is so low it is more of an insult than anything else. My wife and I could not possibly live on my VA money alone. The money I get from the VA has allowed me to set aside considerable money to invest and buy me and the wife a couple of annuities and other private investment options, so we don't have to beg in the streets when times get tough. That is really the key to learn about investing and estate planning so regardless of what Uncle S*&T plans for us we will really be able to take care of ourselves. Planning is key and if you don't have a plan for your spouse and yourself then the state has a plan for you, but you won't like their plan.

I agree with what Buck is saying about filing even if you are 100% or TDIU. I got an extra 60% after I was TDIU and then got HB which meant another $300 a month. It is really not chicken feed since it is tax free money. I now make about as much in tax free money as I did when I retired from the USPS with a taxable income.

I was diagnosed by the VA with high blood at least five years ago and DMII due to AO about ten years ago. Now my HBP is not SC'ed, but the DMII is as well as the CAD as secondary to the AO DMII. I would like the HBP to get SC'ed just for the fact that HBP can lead to stroke, heart failure, and kidney disease as well. I just want to make double sure my spouse gets DIC by hook or by crook. I am going to DMII specialist since the VA only recommends I lose weight and take pills. Same for the CAD. The VA is supposed to be the experts on AO related disease. You must be kidding me.

If a vet has SC heart condition is there any doubt that HBP has some serious interaction with existing heart problems. I go 60% for AO heart condition and I take meds for HBP. Which came first I do not know. How in the world can VA separate out AO effects for vet with heart and blood pressure problems? Where you have one you usually have the other because factors causing HBP also cause heart disease/heart failure. How can VA treat or rate vets for AO conditions as if person were living in outer space and all conditions impact each other?

If the VA was aware you were getting SSDI for a solely service connected condition I think you have case for TDIU EED. I asked for EED when I got TDIU and I used SSDI effective date as the reason. The VA did not deal with that issue but granted the same date for EED based on hospital admission. I think they di d not want to deal with the SSDI issue. They were aware of my SSDI award date. I think SSDI dates are a minefield for the VA and many vets have this potential issue. Thus they blow smoke to avoid granting such claims on first go round. I think your SSDI date and TDIU date should be the same on logical and moral grounds. VA usually scoffs at those concepts and sticks to warped letter of the law. It is worth pursuing.

I think spouse of post 9/11 vets can get VA care taker money. If you or your wife were in nursing home you could get extra money. You might be able to get A&A money for your spouse depending on how totally disabled she is and if she can do basic functions of self-care such as washing herself, feeding herself etc. From what I understand you or your spouse must be most severely disabled and almost bed ridden to get care taker pay. I would apply for whatever is available. I am housebound and I was turned down for the program where they make major adjustments to my house to make living easier. The VA said since I was not bed ridden and had all four limbs I did not qualify. This is what you are dealing with, but I do remember that a vet can get money if spouse is in nursing home under certain conditions. It is really worth checking into with the VA. I am throwing out things I heard or read in the past. My aunt got extra money for nursing home care but she had DIC. It did help to pay for her care outside VA facility. She was not entitled to VA nursing home or assisted living care. Is your wife getting SSDI or SSA?

What matters with life insurance is your age and if you have immediate severe health concerns such as a terminal condition or likely to become terminal soon. When I was 50 years old I was able to get $250,000 in term insurance for small money. By the time reached 60 years the premium had hit the roof. I used a company/broker that listed many insurance companies and I got 250K for about $700 a year, but I was 50 and in decent health except for non-life threatening disability. The life insurance guys use your average life expectancy chart and then add in for severe conditions that might cause them a premature pay-out. Can I ask how old you are and do you have a condition that might kill you soon? Not too personal, but I don't sell life insurance or anything else. I have about every kind of insurance you can get so I have that kind of experience. I had long term care insurance long before I became eligible for VA care.

In summer in Florida I usually wear cargo shorts and tee shirt due to incredible heat and humidity. Very little place to conceal a larger firearm. I do have .380 pistol and .45. The .45 Model 1911 is much easier to shoot than the smaller piece, but impossible for me to conceal in this climate. The action on the .380 requires major pressure to fire. You really have to squeeze.

I filed for TDIU when I had 30% because I was in active pursuit of the TDIU rating. When I finally got granted TDIU (70%) the VA did make it retro to the date I filed for it. Then I got an even earlier date because I claimed it due to a hospitalization that occurred about 6 months earlier. File the TDIU and maybe you will get 100% and not even need it but it is a good fall back.

I get SSA in a greater amount than my wife. When and if I die first she can get the full amount of my SSA as a survivor benefit. I get 100% from VA and my wife must apply for DIC and she can get about $1400. She also is entitled to half my tiny federal pension. This money will not support her. We all must find some other source of income for our spouses besides SSA and DIC. I have an annuity and she has an annuity. I hope this will be enough and I think it will. I saved and invested for 30 years, so if that isn't enough then goodbye American Dream. In my neighborhood a person needs between 4K and 5K a month just to keep it going. Unless you live in the bad lands of N. Dakota SSA and DIC will probably not support you these days.

You know the VA prescribed two high blood pressure meds for me and yet when I go for physical exams they say my BP is just slightly high and I should keep a log to prove I have High Blood. My pressure is not too high since I just had an increase from VA in my High Blood meds. It seems they are saying I don't have high blood because I am taking high blood meds. I already have AO presumptive heart condition (60%) and DMII (20%), yet the VA fights admitting I have high blood pressure even though I have not claimed it. If it becomes AO presumptive for high blood you can bet I will claim it because even though it is just 10% maybe high blood can lead to stroke and heart failure over time. High blood can also ruin your kidneys. All these conditions interact with each other and the result is you die. I understand the VA wants to treat us as if we were an assembly of parts but any idiot knows when one system fails they all fail. VA is using the "Four Corners" defense to stall until all AO vets are safely dead and in their graves.

I thought there was evidence of a relationship between high blood pressure and AO. I know they don't want to open that can of worms because high blood leads to strokes and strokes lead to disability and death. That leads to the VA having to pay out sums of cash and we know this is their real function which is to discourage payouts to sick vets and spouses who might get DIC.

When you get a decision questioned as in proposal to reduce etc. it is really essential to have an IMO doctor who will go to bat for you. I would never trust a VA C&P doctor's opinion alone if the VA does propose to reduce you. If the VA just wants to see if your disability is still 30% disabling I would wait until I got the exam and decision and then get the IMO and file my appeal. I agree with Buck.

Did you have a reading on your fasting glucose levels? The VA won't DX you with DMII unless you file a claim even if your glucose levels are high. They just won't do it because they know it means money. I could never get them to actually DX me with DMII until I filed a claim for it. I had what they called impaired glucose functioning or something like that but it was DMII all along they would just not name it. DMII can cause nerve damage especially in your feet. Next thing you know you have an ulcer on your heel and they are chopping off your leg. It happened to a guy who worked with me at the USPS. John

Buck What was your last A1c reading and what was fasting glucose results. Some of what you describe sounds like neuropathy which is a common secondary condition to DMII which is related to AO. I have had PN for years and got rated for it as secondary to DMII (A0). If blood glucose level is above (125) that is indication you have DMII. If you are above about 110 that is impaired glucose which is just a hop, skip and jump from DMII DX. DMII DX covers so many secondary conditions it would fill a page. Having DMII I looked at a page in VBM and it indicated all the secondary conditions for DMII. I used this to make a claim of secondary PAD which soon evolved into CAD and another 60% rating and "S". All this was due to the VA doing a CT scan on a bump I had on my left leg. They found calcification of veins and arteries in my leg and extrapolated to my heart and brain. This is why I will file for HBP when and if VA adds it to presumptives for AO. I don't think I will wake up the old pit bull unless I need to because I have three years to go for 20 years at P&T. I am a little bit worried because after big unpaid tax cut the government may put VA benefits, Medicare, Medicade and SSA and all social programs back under the microscope for cuts. This is what many in congress have wished to do for decades. They have admitted this so it not a hot political call to arms. We vets need protection for our benefits.

Ham You are right. I went before ABCMR twice and lost both times. The lawyer wanted $10,000 to represent me and even so he said I had a bout 5% chance of winning because I was asking for my honorable to be changed to medical with a pension. My VA disability became effective the day after I was discharged. How can Army claim I suddenly became ill the day after discharge and was perfectly fine until then. It is more complicated than that I know and the Army and BCMR blow tons of smoke at you when you appeal discharges. When I was in Vietnam the army became giving urine drug tests and if you came up positive you got LTH discharge. I don't know if they were doing the same policy to vets in combat units who were actually fighting the war. I bet a lot of them would have considered any sort of discharge a good deal when they did not expect to live long enough to DEROS back to the states. I would not discourage any vet from trying to get discharge upgrade but the facts should be known before wasting time unless the case is iron clad. There was a vet here who did get his discharge changed to a medical and he richly deserved it and had much proof the army screwed up. He also had 100% from the VA. The BCMR says that even if you were discharged as bogus character disorder and had PTSD instead the rating you should have got from the Army medical board should have been at least 30% in order to even get a pension. The pension just gives you Tricare and I think is deducted from your VA compensation. On this I could be wrong. Now I am thinking the only reason to make VA claims or go to BCMR is if money is involved. The morale argument is just not worth the aggravation.

MF6 Probably when you accepted the general under honorable discharge the military will claim they did a physical on you to include mental status update. They will say that you were not suffering from any mental illness that made it impossible for you to serve, but that some character disorder was the reason you were discharged. You may have signed something you are not aware of today that agreed with the conditions of your discharge. This is all smoke and BS they cook up to justify what they do to vets who are suffering from some mental health issues the military does not want to pay for in form of medical discharge. The BCMR will kick you appeal around for a while and probably deny it with a half-azz review of the "fact". This is why I say you probably need a lawyer to does these cases. How long has it been since you were discharged? You can sort of assume that the Army and BCMR will be lying about almost everything.

I don't think those DX's are directly AO related, but with a DX of PTSD many things including heart disease can be secondary. That is like DMII which is AO presumptive. Many other disorders can be secondary to DMII. I wonder about the anemia. Megaloblastic anemia should be investigated because I don't even know what it means, but all sorts of leukemia are AO presumptive. My brother has a form of leukemia that is present but not active. They only way you can tell is bloodwork which shows too many white blood cells. Anemia usually means blood cells are not acting right or too many white cells and not enough red cells etc. That is suspicious to me. I am not a doctor but I would get a second opinion on the anemia from a real doctor.

It depends on where you live because no one in my neighborhood could live off $2000 a month or $4500 a month. My wife and I live off about $6600 a month but this includes a disability insurance payment, small OPM pension, TDIU plus SMC "S" and both our SSA pensions. If you live in Iowa or Kansas in a small town where you can buy a house for $100,000 maybe you can live on $4500 a month if you don't over eat. The wife and I just went to the store and came back with some bags of groceries and it was $160. I only owe on a car and have no debts, but $6600 a month does not make me feel rich. If I need a new roof that will be $7000. New plumbing, God knows, or if a hurricane destroys my house the first $10,000 comes out of my pocket. Who here has $100,000 in savings? This is what you are supposed to have at your finger tips which is about two years income.

Buck I think I will do as you say. I don't know if the VA will connect HBP to AO but I might as well file because it will take months if not years to be denied or approved. By that time it may be SC'ed for HBP. This may by our last shot at new AO conditions according to Berta.