bronxdevil

On this forum and others you will not find a definite conclusive answer in regards to working while on TDIU, I understand that some have the desire to do some work but you do it at your own risk, From what I've read each RO is different, some betters than others but again its a crapshoot if you decide to give it a try. Heres a thought and will try to get some answers regarding this unless someone here has an answer but I have been looking into the jobs available to veterans at the VA hospital, theres the Compensated Work Therapy Program (CWT) that I am aware of, which is geared more towards homeless veterans but if may be possible to be hired as a disabled veteran and this might be considered shelter work, I was a federal employee before I stopped working and would still like to continue contributing to my TSP account but I have to work to do that. If I learn any new information I will post it on here.

I've been staying away from going online cause the madness of checking ebenefits was stressful enough but I was awarded 100% P&T today, was also awarded social security disability 2 days ago, all in all I'm very thankful and grateful for the quick turnaround considering that many are still waiting, thank you to the Hadit community for your responses and support, this forum is very helpful for veterans seeking information, bravo zulu and god bless

3 months is fast, My HR is telling me that on average FERS takes about 12 months or more to process, I have no prob with that though and plus the back pay will be nice, I've applied for SSDI on 06/12/18 and thats moving fast due to the Wounded Warriors expedited service SSA has for disabled veterans, already saw the contracted doctor SSA hires for their version of a C & P exam, I only need to have my doctor fill out a RFC (Residual Functional Capacity) Form, which is SSA's equivalent of a DBQ and I should be good to go, I regret not buying back my military time when I first became a GS employee but my HR is awaiting to see what the amount is I need to pay so I can buy it back before they let me go.

Does anyone here on the forum have any experience with FERS disability retirement? Im well verse with SSA since that was my last job as a claims specialist but FERS is different, I know that the criteria they look for is different from SSA, for SSA you have to be completely unemployable including sedentary work, FERS on the on the other hand looks to see why the disabled individual is not able to complete their duties at the position they hold and what accommodations were made if any, would like to know if any other veteran here has had experience with FERS disability retirement

No decision yet, Received letter from the VA, my PTSD rating will stay the same at 70% and my IU claim was deferred for development, spoke with a VSR buddy of mines at the regional office and everything looks good for a favorable decision just gotta wait a little longer, I have already submitted VA form 21-4192 filled out by my employer via Benefits. Also filed for FERS retirement disability and social security disability.

No decision yet, my IU claim was sent back to the gathering of evidence stage, spoke with a VSR buddy of mines who works on disability claims, he was able to take a look at my claim and tell me that even thought I timely submitted form 21-8940 for IU the initial VSR working my claim did not reviewed it and my IU was deferred, there's another form 21-4192 that the VA needs from my previous employer, the form basically is requesting info on how much time you have missed from work due to your illness, what accommodations were set in place if any and your last day of work, to move thing along a little faster (rather than wait for the VA to mail it to them) I email my HR department the form to fill out and will be receiving it back by mail later this week, I'll be uploading it to my claim on Ebenefits once I receive it and that should take care of everything they need to make a decision. My rating for PTSD was already at 70% and my friend told me that was decided to stay the same, said that from reviewing the info on my claim everything looks good for approval but it will just be a lil bit more waiting time. Best of luck bud, I'll keep you posted.

I'm in a similar situation awaiting the VBA's decision on my IU claim, my estimated completion date is also 2 weeks past due, stuck in the pending decision approval stage, check out this link I came across, its an SOP for IU claims, goes into details and the steps the VA uses to determine IU awards, not sure if its outdated but has useful info none the less. www.benefits.va.gov/warms/docs/admin21/m21_1/.../m21-1mriv_ii_2_secf.docx I added a PDF file in case the link above does not work m21-1mriv_ii_2_secf.pdf

Gastone - My original award date is 06/10 for PTSD, I've used chapter 31 to received a bachelors in 2016, not sure if at this point I should go back to receive a denial letter or if they would give me one considering. The C and P exam and the DBQ my VA psychiatrist filled state I'm unable to return to work due to PTSD, permanent or not I would be happy to receive IU since I am not working and if I can get better in the near future I would gladly go back to work, even if granted IU I won't be making anything near what my salary was.

Update - Still waiting, on Ebenefits my claim status is: pending decision approval, has not changed in 3 weeks and has gone past the estimated completion date, (originally it was 05/05/18 than a few days later it changed to 05/06/18), in the mean while I had my therapist complete a PTSD DBQ, she checked off - Occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood and wrote in the remarks section " Due to the exacerbation of the intensity and severity of veteran's symptoms, it is my opinion that he is currently and for the foreseeable future, unable to maintain sustained gainful employment." She signed it and I submitted it via benefits on 04/26/18, before the estimated completion date.

Thanks for your replies Ms. Berta and Broncovet, I definitely will apply for SSDI soon as I get my decision from the VA, I know they have a wounded warriors program for veterans with 100% PT and 100% TDIU in which SSA expedites the claims. I thought that my FMLA would come into conflict and you seem to think the same, the VSR I spoke with did say she would need to contact my employer to determine how much sick leave I have taken, I've used 30 days of sick leave and am currently on leave without pay. I also sent over my FMLA forms via ebenefits, I know I should have not done that but only did it because it states that I am not able to work due to my PTSD. Not sure what the outcome is going to be but I think I might have to file a NOD, hope I don't have to but looks likely, I'll keep the forum updated on what happens.

Good Morning Hadit members, I have been reading the forum for a while now and would like to thank all the members for helping out with the many questions and concerns veterans have when it comes to disability claims, I recently put in a claim for an increase in my PTSD rating on 03/14/18 (Currently rated 80% combined - 70% PTSD, 10% tinnitus, 10% lower back, 10% GERD) due to the severity of my PTSD symptoms and how it is keeping me from maintaining substantial gainful employment. I left my job on 03/12/18 and was put on FMLA leave by my employer, on the FMLA form filled out by my VA psychiatrist it states that my condition is ongoing and that I am unable to work due to my symptoms, My employer requested a return date was needed for the FMLA leave to be approved and my psychiatrist wrote a second letter stating I will return to work on 06/15/18 pending improvement in my mental health condition. I completed a C & P exam on 04/20/18, checked ebenefits the following day and the status to my claim was updated to preparation for decision. On 04/23/18 I receive a call from the VA regional office from the VSR or rater working on my claim, she asked me if I am going to return back to work and I tell her no because I cant due to my PTSD, she tells me that my C & P results do not meet a 100% increase but that she will grant me individual unemployability as soon as I submit VA-form 21-8940. I filled out and submitted the form yesterday and my claims status has been updated to pending decision approval with an estimated completion date of 04/19/18 - 05/05/18. Im fairly surprised by how fast my claim has moved and hope that every other veteran is experiencing the same quickness with their claims, I was more surprised by the phone call from the regional office, at this point it sounds like I will be granted a 100% IU or TDIU rating but I'm still skeptical until I received my letter, I receive my bachelors in psychology in 2016 while enrolled in the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment program and earn over the SGA level but my symptoms for PTSD have gotten more severe causing me to not be able to work. I appreciate anyones input and thank you for taking time to read my post.