john999

No doubt in my mind that the VA recognizes evidence it does not like and then often times will either lose it, ignore it or misinterpret it to suit themselves. It is not an accident, and all three events have happened to me over the years. The thing is why not? They suffer no consequences for these tactics. If they can delay long enough you die. I like the idea of a lawyer when you have a claim that has complex legal issues involved. When it is a matter of just filing out forms and sending in evidence I don't worry about that.

Every piece of paper I send to my VARO gets lost. That means I have to drive 30 miles and get a date stamped copy of the document to be sure that I have proof the VA got the paper. This is a royal pain in the ass, but it is the only way that I have found to be sure you can prove they got your evidence. I wonder if an Iris request would do better since I think the stuff gets to the VA but then is never put into the computer.

I was getting my narcotic meds by mail and it was pretty good for a while. Then the VA pain clinic began messing with my dose of percoset. They said I was getting too much. This started them making me come to the VAMC to get a scrip and waiting around. Exactly the opposite of Pete's problem but no less aggravating. I complained once about the morphine side effects and now I am on the shit list. Depending on these nerds for anything is awful.

Present your POA with a CUE claim and watch their reaction. They will probably tell you it is hopeless without even looking at it. Unless you claim is the original Slam/dunk I would hire a lawyer. We have that opportunity now, but who knows for how long?

Teac I got SSDI first and within a month I got OPM disability retirement. The VA rated me 70%, but denied TDIU. My OPM, SSDI were both for SC connected condition. When I applied for TDIU the VA found half a sentence in one of my doctor's reports mentioning another condition I had that was not SC. The VA then said that even though I was 70% for SC condition the reason I could not work was for the NSC condition. It took another appeal to fix that. When you get OPM you can still work and make up to 80% of your federal salary before the OPM reduces your disabiilty retirement. When I filed for TDIU I was only 30%. They did bump me up to 70%, but still denied me at first.

Pete If you don't get some kind of decent answer you know where we stand. How do you write the Secretary of the VA? I wonder if such a letter would ever get to him. I got my pills today, but I am still mad at the VAMC for giving me the runaround. I have not met anyone who was happy with the VA's pain clinic. My VA shrink says they are useless.

Just be sure the doctor does not have both hands on your shoulders when he does it. It sounds like it hurts to me. Do they knock you out for that or just give you a bullet to bite on while they ream you.

Mike and Boats I got the facet joint blocks. They are epidural injections of a steroid near the spine. I am sore today. I know that they work for some, and not for others. Surgery works for some, and not for others regarding pain reduction. You can have a perfect outcome of a surgery, and then be in more pain than before. I am going to go back to PT and try again because I do have DDD, but the MRI just does not look that bad, but man it hurts me. I hurt when I sit for long periods especially driving any distance. When I stand up straight my back does not hurt, and when I walk my back does not hurt. I tend to stiffen up after activity and then my back gives me a fit. Surgery seems to be more for those who have lost ROM or who have pain running down the legs from the back. My pain is right in my lower back especially increasing stiffness and soreness as the day wears on.

If the VA is going to grant TDIU they will bump you up to at least 60%. The thing is just because you can't do your federal job does not mean you cannot do any gainful employment. I went through this with OPM. I got SSDI which means you can't do any work. That seals the deal. I would apply for SSDI even if it means only 100 bucks a month.

Wings The VA post office looks like hell in a very small place. My VARO gets 10,000 letters a day. Imagine if you can one of those medieval paintings of the souls of the damned. That is the VA postal department.

I got nerve blocks in my lower back today from a private pain doctor. It is quit painful now, and I had to take a number of pain killers. I am hoping this will help. I am going to start a new PT program for my back. I am just willing to try almost anything short of surgery.

I would submit the award letter from SSDI that gives a date of your disability. The award letter says when you became totally disabled according to SSA rules. Like Yoggie says you don't want anything in the SSA information you send the VA that is not service connected. They will latch onto the NSC information and say that is why you cannot work. They did it to me.

Purple If you were that dizzy after the test I wonder how normal your test was then? You can get the chemical stress test done to confirm the findings. It is a lot less painful and less risky.

Wolf Sue on behalf of all us chronic pain suffers who are treated like dope fiends just because we ask for the help we deserve. It is said chronic pain is the most undertreated illness in America.

My problem have been fixed and I am getting my refill, but I think I would rather suffer the pain than be a slave to a drug where doctors and hospitals can jerk me around like this. I am most definitely going to taper off these drugs and be damn with it. I will just suffer the pain and try to avoid aggravating my injuries. When you get into a rage or panic because your meds are late you know you are becoming a slave and I just hate that feeling. I don't feel like having to beg to get meds once the VA or private doctors have helped me become dependent. It is humiliating to say the least. The private doctors who prescribe pain meds in my state are all scared to death of the DEA. You go for severe pain and get darvocet. Skunk If the VA knows you are getting narcotics from another source they will cut you off. That is the rule.

If you use narcotic pain meds at the VA you will get tagged as potential if not actual drug abuser. That is their mindset. All vets who get pain meds are probably drug abusers, or are selling their drugs. That is why you get urine test. This is how they think. I don't care what they think because they are supposed to take care of our pain. If you have severe non-cancer pain you will get little help at the VA. You are going to have to raise cain to get it.

Pete I am thinking that if you, or I have been taking any narcotic for a period of time and then run out and have to wait three days for a refill that is going to be a long three days. That is unacceptable. That means you go into withdrawl even if you have taken the pills exactly like the VA said to take them. The VA pain clinic is OK as long as you don't go there for pain relief. The only way to do it is to have someone on the outside just in case. This violates the VA rules but what are you to do when they violate us. I use the VA for pain meds because I am SC for chronic pain. Tankerjoe If you have private insurance I would use it to get a good pain doctor. The VA is just unpredictable and unreliable. They don't give a damn if you suffer for days while they worry about rule #10098888.

Bob I went along for about a year getting my meds via mail on time, and then I made the awful mistake of complaining about some of the side effects. This launched an ordeal with the pain clinic. Their first reaction was to just cut me off my pain meds. I raised hell about that, and they threw me back to my PCP. My PCP now writes my script every month and I have to make a trip to the VAMC to get the pills. I want back on the opiate program so I can get this stuff mailed to me via certified mail, but because the VA said I was getting too much percoset I can't get back on the opiate program for five months while they continue to adjust my meds. Every time they adjust the meds they kick me back five months to wait to get on the opiate program again. It has been one year since I complained. My VAMC is filled with snowbirds so it is so crowded parking is out of the question. I have to take a shuttle bus to get to the hospital. There were so many vets waiting for the bus I could just squeeze on along with employees. I have called my congressman to complain about this mess and I got a letter back saying that if I wanted help with my claim I needed to fill out a form? Now they tell us thousands more OIF/OEF vets will be flooding into the system. I give up! Who is going to fix this mess?

I talked to five people on the phone this morning trying to get a refill on my percoset perscription. The people at scheduling told me my doctor was on leave the rest of the month, and transferred me to some nurse. The nurse told me my doctor was not on leave and she transferred me to another person who told me I had the wrong number, and then transferred me to the pharmacy tech. The tech told me she would email my doctor to refill my script. I still don't know if my doctor is even in town. I got transferred back to scheduling and got a appointment for March 4,. I was supposed to have my script filled on Feb. 10th. Next time I go I will take a pad with me and write down the name of everyone I talk to so I can use their names when I complain. I was not prepared for this Chinese firedrill yesterday, but I will be in the future. No wonder vets blow their top when they need their meds, and the system just tells them to keep on going round and round. I may have it fixed now, but all this is because of some rule change at the VA that says I can't get my percoset by mail every month because they adjusted the number of pills I get. What if I live 2-3 hours away? Supplying meds is the biggest function of the VAMC and they can't get it right. I got the pharmacy tech's name this time. I am going to be a pain in their asses from now on. Does anyone know how to get in touch with the new VA secretary? Eveytime they &^^% me I am going to write him with names.

Good ideas fellow vets. One thing I have noticed about private pain doctors in my state of Florida is that they are scared to death of the DEA. They dole out the pain meds with a teaspoon. Chronic pain is probably the most undertreated disease among young and old in this country.

Get the IMO. You want to just destroy them with your evidence. You don't want to depend on benefit of doubt because you won't get it.

Ruby The pharmacist would not help me, and the ER take hours and hours of waiting. I was too mad to sit their and get the runaround. I have a pain doctor on the side just for such bs situations. I am not even sure the ER people would have helped me after they kept me waiting for hours.

Danang I do think it is getting worse. They are more busy and it was like a chinese firedrill. I mean they have no backup if your doctor calls in dead. No one will write you a script especially for a narcotic. It was so crowded I felt like a head of cattle.

Bob You are right in that if you are NSC VA is a lot better than dying. If you are SC it is like a kick in the balls. They treat us like scum and expect us to be grateful. If you really need care and you can afford it go to a private provider. VAMC is just good for cheap pills if you can get them and documenting your treatment records. For instance they don't even call vets to let you know your doctor called in sick. You make an hour journey and they tell too bad. If a doctor in private practice did that to me I would never go back. John

Are you able to work? The VA may be waiting for the offical form for you to fill out for IU.