john999

The VA sure is not following the guidelines for DMII. I think the VA rule is just ignore the problem until the vet files a claim or dies.

Jim S What happened to you could have happened to any of us. VA doctors changing a diagnosis happens and it happened to me more than once.

Testvet That is what they did to me but they tacked on 10% for a nervous condition and that saved me in the end.

Jim S I don't understand how you got a medical discharge but were denied SC. I know they sneaked in that personality disorder thing. That was a dirty deal.

That is good news because in the future medicare may get a really decent drug benefit and we might benefit from it. I am not holding my breath but the part D plan as it is stinks. No one understands it not even lawyers.

If you have a good SSA lawyer he will send you to certain doctors to bolster your case if there is anything lacking. The good SSA lawyers practice in front of the same judges all the time. Probably if your lawyer thinks you will win then it is a done deal. I don't think SSA lawyers take cases they know they won't win. I think it is a bit of a racket but what isnt'?

Bull What I might do is go to a private doctor who is expert in treating DMII and its complications and find out what is really going on with you. You can use this when you go for the C&P exam. My DMII c&p only lasted 15 minutes. I got a very basic exam. I wish I had known more about potential complications. The C&P doctor should ask about all possible complications but often they don't do this. I had to bring up the complications I did have to get an exam and a rating.

Pete I thought Berta said they added the 1151 rating to your check?

Tower Rat Don't let anyone cut on your feet saying they will cure your flat feet. Foot surgeries often fail. They fix one thing and damage something else. Go to heelspurs.com. There are podiatrists who will talk to you about your feet on the message boards for free.

Red If I asked for the bilateral factor would that be a new claim, or would I be reopening the old existing claim?

If I have PN of both the upper and lower extremites should the bilateral factor been considered?

The VA is wrong. You do get money for your spouse. I get about 200 extra dollars a month for my spouse and she is not disabled.

Mike If you were under FERS you will get 60% of your High three minus your SSDI benefits. After one year you will get 40% of your high three minus a percentage of your SSDI. I get about 600 bucks from OPM and 1300 bucks from SSDI. When you get your TDIU you will be doing OK. Your Form 50 is your final separation papers. After my insurance and survivor benefit is taken out of my OPM I get 350$ so it is a small amount of money. When you hit 62 the SSDI offset goes away and you get the full OPM as if you had worked until your regular retirement.

I got TDIU and asked for P&T. One year later it was granted since I had not improved over that period. I think you did the right thing by asking for P&T. You will probably get it and then you won't be scheduled for more exams. If you need to get an independent medical opinion to back it up get it. It can't hurt.

They are probably going to ask if you are working. They may ask about flashbacks, nightmares, fear of crowds, and recurrent thoughts about combat experiences. They may ask about what kinds of experiences you had in service. Be specific and tell them all the gory details and how those experiences affect you now. Bring you wife or get her to make a statement about how your ptsd affects your marriage and daily living.

Prostate cancer is an Agent Oragne presumptive disease. If I get it you bet I am going to file a claim.

Rocky The most important thing in winning a claim is persistence. Whatever it takes to win the claim is what you must do. Just believe that you are not going to accept "NO" for an answer. If you get a statement of the case that statement will contain the clues you need to win. I think that just about everyone on Hadit who has persisted has won their claim eventually. We have had some very nervous people here but they won and I think you will win as well.

Mike If your disability retirement has been approved it should only take a few weeks to start getting a paycheck from OPM. What they do is give you an interim payment until they do the final calculation. Have you been separated yet via Form 50? You can call OPM to find out what is going on with your retirement.

Rocky I don't think there is any real time frame for getting a decision when your claim is at the rating board. Just keep calling every few weeks to check on the status.

Mike You initiate your OPM retirement while still employed because as soon as you are approved by OPM you will be separated from the USPS. I got OPM, SSDI and TDIU. It comes in stages . OPM is the easiest to get by far.

Frosty You might try for housebound SMC since you are 100% and have agoraphobia. It worked for a friend of mine.

Gary If you want out of the Post Office on disability retirement it is not that hard. The medical is what counts and not anything management has to say. If you doctor does the medical the right way you will get your retirement. It usually takes 3-6 months from beginning to end.

A doctor at the VA asked me if I had recovered from my stroke. I never had a stroke. Some other vet's records were mixed in with mine. This has happened before and will probably happen again.

82 Start taking sick leave but be sure it is protected by FMLA.

Jim I think you should try and link your depression and anxiety with residuals of acute schizophrenic episode. If you can get the VA to service connect the schizophrenia then the depression etc. could be viewed as a chronic residual. You know you got to have the disease and it must be service-connected and you must still be suffering from it when you file. You have to link all these things together. I know you know this already. If you can get that schizophrenia SC'ed it will open the door for all the rest. The thing is that schizophrenia is not the same thing as depression or anxiety but these can be symptoms of schizophrenia, especially chronic schizophrenia.