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Thanks for the comments guys. Berta, my packet didn't say much. it just said that retroactive pay would start from the date I reopened my claim. I'm still trying to search if they should have gone back to the original claim in 2007.

Thank you all for the comments and great information regarding the added benefits. I truly appreciate it! I will now start gathering my medical bills for wife and kids and go about getting reimburse for them. Great news indeed!

Jeff, thanks! I'm assuming I got 70% for my pTSD and I still work. (haven't received my package yet) Sometimes I don't want to be here, but I can manage it though, so I'll keep working as I'm 37 and have little ones. I'll be heading to the tax office on Monday to file my tax exemption. :)

Guys, I checked my ebenefits two days ago and found out I finally got 100% with P&T. I've been 90% since I separated in 2007 and was denied for several things amongst one of them PTSD. I appealed twice, but nothing! I was overseas at the time and didn't really know how things worked. Fast forward to 2013, I got back from being overseas and reopened my PTSD case in June 2013 and had been waiting for a rating up until two days ago. I'm very happy that after nearly 8 years I was finally rated for something I should have been rated for right after I separated. The retro only goes back to 2013, which I find suspect....I thought it would go back to when I originally claimed. Aside from the retro misconception, I just can't stop smiling because you'll know how stressful it can be having to deal with the VA throughout this process. I also want to thank hadit.com and its members for the wealth of knowledge shared on here. Because of this site and a few others, I've been able to help multiple veterans achieve favorable ratings on their claims, which in turn make me very happy to know these veterans got what they deserved. Like I tell all my vet friends, never give up and keep on fighting until you get what you deserve! Have a bless day!

I've been waiting for my C-File since last July, still nothing!! I too would like to see my C&P exam for PTSD, which was denied due to the C&P not providing the results in time for the decision to be made.!!

It looks like your initial claim right out of the military. It takes an avarage of 6-12 months for them to adjudicate initial claims. Mine took 6 months. They do put priority on the OIF/OEF folks, which I'm sure you are coded as such. This only applies to the first year of you retiring/separating...after that, good luck!!

Congrats man and thanks for sharing!

The VA should have a copy, you need to send in a request. You can also call the 1800# and request a copy of your C-file that should include that C&P exam. Good luck!

I called the VA about this as I too, showed that a third party information was overdue, kind of like a C&P exam. They lady on the phone said that this was the VA requesting information from hospitals, but I wonder which hospital cause I submitted everything they needed. Either way, I beleive that if they indeed requested third party information it can take up to 180 days to get it, which is why it maybe showing overdue. Just call them and see what informaiton they are exactly waiting for. Good luck!

The first time I went in for a C&P for my back, the doctor asked me to bend down (I guess till I could touch my toes). I leaned forward about 15 degrees and I said "it hurts"!. I've learned that even though we're in pain, we will continue to do what we have to do to live our lives. Like know, my wrist are hurting from typing this message, but hey, I'm not complaing for the world to know, but you better beleive that when I go into that C&P room I tell them my wrist hurts by just moving my fingers. The moral of the story is that we all have good days and bad days and I'll be damn if the day I see the C&P doctor I'm having a good day!! The VA likes to play games and the only way to beat them at their own game is by knowing the laws and regulations that govern them (38 CFR) and know how to apply them to your benefit. Good luck!

I work for the AF as a contracting officer and I know for a fact that whenever we get a FOIA request on a particular contract it needs to be done within a few weeks. In the 16 years I've been in the career field I've never seen the government charge a dime to the contractors that request the information.

Congrats and enjoy it with the family.

Great awesome news!!! I claimed this in y original claim back in 2007 and was denied. I'm looking to reopen my case, but working on getting a nexus. Where did you see the news? I'd like to print it. Thanks for sharing the news again.

Hi Berta, Thanks for chiming in. The doctor that saw me is American. I never got the denial letter for PTSD, OSA and migraine head aches. I was overseas when all these denials happened and found out officially this year that they were denied. I was pretty bummed as I called and sent a few letters asking for my status, but nothing. "I wonder if a copy of the C & P is in your C file? Overseas doctors.... could it have been a language problem I wonder......" I wondered too, so about two weeks ago I requested my C-File and hopefully I get it soon. As for my PTSD I was diagnosed in 2009 by a civ doctor in an army hospital in Germany. However, in my military records I noticed in my last post deployment questionnaire I answered some questions that would raise the PTSD flag, but I guess that wasn't enough for the VA to connect the dots. I put in for it again and hopefully I get a rating this time.

Congratulations on the sleep apnea. Was wondering if you'd be willing to share your nexus letter. It would help a lot of veterans on here. Good luck with your PTSD.

Spoke to the physician and he recommended I see a neurologist for my migraine situation. An ear and throat specialist for my OSA as I told him my tonsils have enlarged over time, he checked and agreed with me. So, hopefully these guys can help me, if not it'll have to be Dr. Bash writing my letters. Again, glad I found this site and happy to share it with others at my job, who are also veterans.

Harleyman, THANK YOU for sharing this information to Us veterans. You're posts have helped me gain some valuable insight--insight I'll need to re-open my sleep apnea claim. Again, thank you!! In regards to the below, will NEXUS letters be treated the same as IMO's? And if the VA is paying less attention to said letters, how can a veteran prove service connectivity successfully? for example, I complained about feeling fatigued or tired after a full night sleep which is a symptom of sleep apnea. However, never got diagnosed in the service cause I didn't know what I had, plus I snored very loud and woken up multiple times by my wife cause she couldn't sleep. I also deployed to places where the air was full of dust which is said to limit breathing and cause "sleep disturbances". I believe I can get a NEXUS letter from someone like Dr. Bash, but if the VA is going to not pay attention to it or ignore it, how can one go about reopening a case without much hassle from the VA? "Unfortunately, with the new Corporate mandates, and changes in VA claims processes, I do not see how IMO’s are going maintain the strength they used to carry when Raters actually read all the evidence and weighed the evidence and made a rating decision. The decision process for raters is gradually being replaced by computer programs. The human element is even being taken away from the doctors in exchange for faster exam processing by use of DBQ. This is truly resulting in top-sheeting claims files. Your suspicions are correct in that regard, as this topic has been addressed in training."

Thanks for the comments guys. Today I'm going to talk to my physician about my Nexus letter for OSA and Migraine Headaches. Hopefully he doesn't shy away when I show him my SMR.

Hello everyone, my name is Adan. I'm 90% service connected and wish I had found handit 2-4 years ago and probably be 100% by now, but it's never too late to continue to pursue what's right. I'm currently preparing to reopen a claim for OSA and Migraine headaches that were denied as not service connected. I filed for them when I got out in 2007, got denied, I appealed it, but since I was overseas I had no advice on how to go about doing the whole thing and I screwed it up. Needless to say I kind of gave up and figure I take care of it when I got back to the US, so now I'm wanting to re-engage and get this over with. I was also denied for PTSD, which I don't understand why as I'm an OIF veteran and went through a traumatic event while there. While overseas, the VA sent me to a C&P for PTSD, but I never knew the outcome of that. It took almost a whole day at this doctor's house answering questions and filling out questionnaires. To this day I still get upset that I spent almost a day in that house for nothing. Well, last week I went to see a VFW rep with some new PTSD information from when I was overseas and she was gracious enough to file the claim for me. I also claimed for Plantar Fasciitis as it was in my service record, but never claimed--I happened to come across it while looking for things to link my migraine headaches and OSA to my active duty days. Unfortunately I did not get diagnosed for either one, but did find that I complained about "headaches" several times when filling out PHA's. I also complained about feeling tired even after a full night sleep, which is a sign of sleep apnea. Not to mention the multiple times I took muscle relaxers and pain killers for all my pains and aches. I did some research and found that taking these types of pills could lead to sleep problems. I should have listened to my wife when she kept complaining about me snoring...she kept telling me to go get checked, but of course, I disregarded her cause I though snoring wasn't a problem...was I wrong!!!! Well, sorry for such a long intro regarding where i'm at in the whole VA process, I like to spill the beans sooner rather than later, don't like holding back. ;) Oh, about reopening the aforementioned claims, my M.D. agreed to write me a Nexus letter, but this will be his first, so I'll be doing lots of writing and research before I let him take a crack at it. I think it'll be good for him if he does this for me as I can recommend other vets to him from the surrounding areas. I've read about Dr. Bash, but I'd like to give my doc a shot first and see what happens. If all fails, I'll probably be seeking Dr. Bashe's services. Ok, I'm done and look forward to helping out others any way I can. Regards, Adan