Trigirl13

okay thank you!!

So I called the local clinic today and found out they are not accepting new patients in their clinic.

Yeah, there is no generic for it, it is called Enbrel and is considered a biologic, it suppresses my immune system( I have to take an auto-injected shot once a week). I will make an appointment. I pretty much have tried everything on the market, found out I was allergic to a few and some flat out do not work. I have to stop taking anti inflammatory medication because after 4 years taking a high dose every day, my stomach lining is damaged. I have been through the trial and error phase with this illness and it has sucked, on medication put me in the hospital because I had such a bad reaction to it, I really hope I don't have to go through that again. This medication has been a God send for me, because I feel like it gives me back my life and I am able to be an active mother again.

Just wanted to post on here and let you all know where I am at with my claim now. I currently was awarded 100% for hypothyroidism/bradycardia and 50% for depression. I was denied joint pain, which really is ridiculous, since half of my service medical record states chronic joint pain in it. So I have a lawyer helping with all this. My biggest concern is getting the medication that I need for my condition, out of pocket costs range from $2500 to $3000, and I just don't have the money to pay for that. I am currently getting samples from the my local doc office ( I have an amazing none VA doc.) and have put in a request through the company to receive assistance with the cost, so I will be covered for at least a year. I will be happy when all this is done, but understand that it is a long waiting game at this point. Thank you for all the support I have received so far and will receive in the future.

My favorite treatment for my back is an epson salt bath. Unfortunately the results don't last too long, but just to have that relief has been huge for me. Also, I find that if I can maintain some sort of movement, walking, swimming, etc and keep it very moderate the stiffness and pain are reduced. My problem for my back is slightly different from yours, I suffer from Ankylosing Spondylitis ( I have fused vertebrae in my spine, and my lumbar spine is straight instead of curved), but I wanted to give you the things that I do to help. Some days nothing works and I just have to move slow and hope the next day will be easier. Have you discussed other medication options? I take a biologic medication called Enbrel, it has made a huge difference for me. I know that there are many options for the different types of arthritis out there, If your doc. isn't willing to do the research, you should and then print your options out and take the ones you are considering into your next appointment so you can discuss them with him/her. It took me 6 years to get diagnosed and then another 3 before I found a medication that worked for me, so hang in there!!

Yeah, a lot of the hobbies I love to do I am not really able to do anymore or I do very minimal of. I have an autoimmune disorder that has caused some of the vertebrae in my spine to fuse together, so physical activity isn't as enjoyable as it used to be. Swimming is really the only thing I am still able to do without pain. Thanks for the advice though, I figure just because I can't do it anymore doesn't mean I don't love it! :)

Congrats on your win!!

Yeah, I teach for 1 hour on Wed. So I only get one hour a week, and I work for trade, so I don't get paid. :)

Thanks, I am very relieved right now. I think it will take a couple days for it all to kick in and feel like reality. :)

So I got an email from my lawyer today! He got the letter before me and scanned it to send to me, it says "we determine that you are competent for VA purposes.""The previously held payments are released". So happy right now. After the 20% goes to lawyer (which was worth every penny!) I get 65k. Yeah, we will be able to finally be serious about getting a house. Now I just have to go through the tedious process of appealing a few things, and getting Total and Permanent, and I will feel complete!! :)

Thank you for all your advice. I wish I would have found you guys before I even filed. I didn't know about representatives or anything like that until I got my decision in the mail. So now I am doing appeals and playing the waiting game. I will keep you all posted about what happens. I think the waiting game can be the hardest one played. :)

Yeah, it does suck having to wait for a decision from the VA. I think the thing that worried me about this new status, was that I sent a request for a hearing, and another examination, and have not had either. I hope that it all works out in my favor, luckily I have a great rep. who really knows his stuff.

Just got an email from my lawyer and he thinks the VA is surrendering!! I should find out next week. :)

Just checked benefits to see if anything had changed on my proposed incompetency claim, and it said pending decision approval. I am a little confused since the 60 days for turning evidence in isn't until the 19th of August. I did turned in the statements from my husband, Primary Care Doctor, and Mental health provider, all stating I am competent. Hoping that it is a decision in my favor, especially since they haven't waited the full 60 days.

So excited for you!! I can relate to your feelings of not having to worry about food being on the table!! :)

meghp0405, thank you so much for your response. I am kind of glad that this process takes time, because I feel that it gives me a better opportunity to get my evidence together and build my case. Luckily, I have an amazing support group (husband, family, rep., you guys, etc.) to talk things through before I make any decisions. I know that I really do not want a fiduciary, I am a mother of two children ages 7 and 5 that I have to care for. It worries me that by having a third party managing my finances, I fear my children would suffer the most and I do not find that acceptable, they are my whole world and I would fight just for them. Again, thank you for your comments, they have helped ease my mind.

I have a new Representative for my case now and feel very confident about my case after discussing things with him. Thank you for all your advice so far. Right now I am at the point where I just have to wait for my hearing date and then wait some more. Feeling a lot better about the whole situation and feeling so grateful for the internet, it is a great research tool, and I have always felt that knowledge is power. I will post an updates when needed.

What would the Field Investigation consist of? I just recently got a phone call from my therapist office say that my letter of competence was reading to pick up so I am going to get that this afternoon and send it in. Like I already mentioned before I have a letter from my Primary Care Physician and husband and now therapist all stating I am confident to handle my VA benefits. Does anyone know how long the process can take to get this cleared? To be honest, as long as I keep receiving my monthly checks I could care less about the retro. It will just be a nice deposit into my savings when I do get it. Thank you for all your advice. The attorneys where are they based out of? I am in Utah.

Thank you for responding to my post broncovet. Yesterday I actually found someone new to represent me and I feel a lot more confident about my case having gone over things with him.

Sorry I posted twice. I didn't know if the first one worked.

Hello all, I am new here and want to get advice on my process for appealing a proposal to rate me as incompetent. I filed a claim in April 2011 and just now, June 2013, received my rating decision. I was rated at 100% for hypothyroidism with bradycardia and 50 % for depression with a GAF score of 65. With my packet to explain my rating decision came a letter proposing to rate me as incompetent for VA purposes. I currently have sent the VA a letter that states my Notice of disagreement (NOD), that my medical examination was inadequate to rate me as incompetent and I request another examination, that I request a hearing and that I am competent to handle my VA benefits. With this letter I sent a letter from my spouse and Primary care physician stating that I am competent to handle my VA benefits. I am in the process of getting a letter from the therapist that I have seen in the past. What my questions are: Is there anything else that you would recommend I do? What are the hearings like and what should I do to prepare for the hearing? I had a veterans rep. but after emailing him twice, I fear he is ignoring me, would it be worthwhile to find a new rep. and would there be one that would even be able to help me? Does anyone have and of the legal criteria the VA is required to follow when determining the competence of a veteran and what avenues must be exhausted when before they can make a decision of incompetence? I really want to make sure I have all my avenues covered! I am going to fight this until it ends in my favor, I am not incompetent and feel this proposal is ludicrous. Thank you in advance for any advice and support!! I love this site!!!

Hello all, I am new here and have already found some great advice. I just wanted to see if I could get any further advice. First of all I filed a claim in April of 2011, and just now, june 2013, I finally received my rating decision. I was rated for a 100% for hypothyroidism with Bradycardia and 50% for depression. Because of the "depression" diagnosis they want to claim me as incompetent for VA purposes. I received this letter from them with my rating decision a week ago, within the week I have put together a letter stating my Notice of Disagreement (NOD), I request a hearing, that my examination was inadequate to determine competence and I request another examination and that I am competent to handle my VA benefits. My spouse has written a letter stating that I am competent to handle my VA benefits and I have a letter from my Primary Care Doctor stating that I am competent to handle my VA benefits. I am also going to get my records from the mental health provider I saw about a year ago so I can get the page that says that my care is transferred to my Primary Care Doctor, which states that my mental health problems are under control and that I no longer require their services. Today I sent the letter from myself, my spouse and my Doctor. I sent it certified so I can see they received the letters and have proof ( I had to send three medical records twice after they claimed they didn't receive them). Okay, my questions are;1.) Is there anything anyone else would suggest I do? 2.) Also, my rep. that I had is ignoring my emails so would it be worthwhile to find a new one or will no one help me? 3.) What can I expect from a hearing and what should I plan for? 4.) I have separated my account from my family account to avoid any holds on the account by the VA, should I do anything else? I just want to make sure I have every angle covered. I am going to fight this to the end as well, I am 31 with two children ages 7 and 5 and my husband who works full time, I refuse to be labeled incompetent, I am not and find that the proposal of this is ridiculous. Thank you for all your help in advance. Also, if anyone knows any of the legal processes that would help a lot, I am trying to find criteria surrounding the steps they are required by law to take to determine someone incompetent and what avenues they must exhaust before they can make a final decision on the matter of competency. Love this site!!!!