john999

Regarding the inability to exercise the VA is probably going to say that the DMII is due to unknown causes. We are talking about making a jump from being unable to exercise to a dieases that is systemtic in nature and effects your entire body. In my opinion you need much more of a nexus to service related conditions or service itself. They deny vets with HBP, Heart disease and other conditions just because they had these conditions before they were officially diagnosed with DMII. I think this is a bridge too far. There are people who are overweight and people who do not excercise and they do not have DMII. You can be sure the VA will point this out. I think you should be realistic.

Dave That is about what my test for PN consisted of was pin pricks on my hands and feet. I did have EMG but that was ignored.

If you get 100% schedular for depression I don't see how you can work. Have you read the GAF for 100% for a mental disorder? 100% and voc rehab are incompatible.

I think you are going to have to go for the PTSD if you can verify your stressors. If there is nothing in your records about psychiatric and it is has been over 10 years since you were discharged I don't think the bi-polar will fly. If you can link depression to physical injuries that would fly. Depokote is for bi-polar disorder. You can have panic, bi-polar and PTSD at the same time.

Since the disease affects different body parts you should be able to get individual ratings depending on the level of disability. I got individual ratings on hands and feet due to PN. 10% for each foot and hand.

I had a bi-polar diagnosis. There is bi-polar 1 and bi-polar 11. What kinds of meds do you take? Some with bi-polar are depressed most of the time and some are manic most of the time, and some go from one extream to the other. It is really a new term for manic-depressive. If there is nothing in your SMR's about being bi-polar then it is harder to get that diagnosis, and if you have the diagnosis the VA is more likely to try and say it was pre-existing. If you have PTSD or depression due to injuries and disabilities then that is easier to connect to service. Depression due to disabilities would be the easiest I think. PTSD you need verifiable stressors.

The Patriot Act is a cage to keep Americans under control. I say let the terrorists come here to fight us. We Americans have them outgunned. Every little old lady in my neighborhood has a gun, and McCaine's VP is a pistol packin' mama.

SSA gives you a self-report sort of work sheet. It asks what you can do and what you can't do. It behooves you to say you can't do much of anything unaided. This is something they are going to use agaist you if you say that you can mow your yard or wash your car. Think basketcase! I would say that my spouse takes care of everything for me since I can't even wash the dishes.

Usually, with diabetes you want to get the DMII SC'ed first. Then all the other conditions can be claimed as secondary. If you had HBP before DMII the VA will try and say they are not connected. If you have DMII then it would be pretty easy to get HBP, PN, Heart Problems SC'ed as secondary.

What the Veterans Benefits Manual says is that for a secondary condition you almost always need a medical opinion saying your secondary condition is related to your primary condition. The medical opinion needs to spell it out for the VA. You need to show the nexus and the how,why and when. Even for conditions that are very obviously secondary to DMII you need a medical opinion to back it up. You have to go to the mat with everything. That is how the VA discourages vets from pursuing their secondary claim.

Tom The only way you could do it was to have a doctor say you lack of activity had contributed to the DMII. Are you very much overweight due to lack of activity? That is one way to go.

Tim If you feel that your work is aggravating your conditions apply for workers compensation. I did that when I got fired. They thought they were just going to get rid of me and ended up having me on WC for two years until I got my house in order.

I don't think that a DMII claim based on a bad back in going to fly. If you had developed DMII during service or had been in Vietnam you would have a good claim.

you can get the VA to print the actual names of your drugs but you have to go in person to the VAMC and verify your identity. There is a form you fill out and bring I.D. I use MyHeathyvet for drug refills. I still had to get on the phone to the VA pharmacy to get my refills renewed because my nurse and primary care dropped the ball. Until you can get your actual medical records off the VA website I don't think they are that great.

That should be 100% schedular or at the very least TDIU.

I have never relied on the VA for any kind of consistent care. I don't know anyone who has really gotten well or changed their lives using the VA. If I had any way to pay for it I would find a private professional. There is a reason people work at the VA. It is usually because they cannot hack it on the outside. They can treat their patients like crap and there is always a supply of new victims. I have seen the same clinical psychogist for the last 36 years.

I don't know....dead veterans are cheaper than live ones so what is the incentive for the VA to keep us alive? The VA will be the first ones to set up a euthanasia clinic.

Berta I think it is even worse than we think or know. Most vets just want their money and pills and they are happy. They don't look into the blackhole of the VA.

You might consult with a lawyer who does LTD cases. Some of these policies do say that if you get certain things like SSD or VA they will reduce the annuity from the LTD. Was the LTD through a company or was it private. The private policies if they are good don't offset you if you get other compensation. No one can understand everything in the policies except the lawyers.

Instead of just talking to these VA clowns you need to put all your appeals in writing. They just wanted to close down your claim. Nothing they say verbally should be believed. They are notorious liars.

Do you pay for VA life insurance out of your compensation?

I won my claims at the ST. Petersburg VARO. You have to have the evidence to just ram it down their throats. The VARO's are all the same in my book. Screw the vet and keep the money.

That is exactly what the VA will do if they think a "heavy" decison is going to make a precedent. They settle with the vet before it gets to the Vet's Court. This is what my lawyer told me about my CUE. If they think it is a winner they offer something. Since it is a hell of a crapshoot most take the money.

Do you have any combat awards? That would be stong stressor for PTSD. If not you are going to have to demonstrate your stressor with proof.

I guess too many vets were getting their VA doctors to write letters for them with nexus statements. I guess the VA doctor should ignore the secondary conditions to DMII and just pretend there is no connection between them. I mentioned my cataracts to the optomologist at the VA and she denied there could be any connection between them and DMII. That is just malpractice in my opinion. The VA training letter says cataracts and DMII are very likely related. We know this directive comes from the top and is just about money. It does corrupt the doctor/patient relationship when they cannot make an opinion about a nexus that is obvious to a medical student. The right way, the VA way or the highway.