seminoles

I am going to message you, I am about to have a heart attack!

I sent mine in for my son turning 18 in March in Feb. got it all approved and all is fine until he graduates in June. Now we know where he is going to college and will submit another form to cover us until college starts and he starts receiving his Chapter 35.

Buck moved back to preparation for decision, never heard of a claim moving backward from that point honestly..........never can tell,.

armorer, I suggest you do your homework, those dental plans have an annual cap and the average dental implant that includes bone graft properly done with an oral surgeon, prosethedontist etc. can cost over 7k each, so not including your copay one implant has already exceeded the annual cap on the best plan that you can purchase and your are paying out of pocket at least 3-4k for ONE tooth. Of course not all dentists are equal, va or otherwise. I happen to have fantastic va dentists and I also have the dental plan as a 100% rated vet with a family when I purchase it for them, it includes me. Educating yourself on how dental plans work, what percentage they pay for what care and what their annual and lifetime caps are is very important. I do use my insurance for extra cleanings but still get cleanings at the VA as well, mostly to have another set of eyes on my dental care as I have dental sc issues as well and another set of eyes are always a good thing. Our family dentist is great about letting me know his opinion of what needs to be taken care of and understanding that the cost for that very extensive work is high even with insurance and is always there for me for the little stuff and emergencies.

The va urologist has the pads and briefs sent to me, that are soo expensive. I need the briefs for night and when I have migraines, the women's pads are poise ones and some are better than others honestly. Tell your wife to try the different fits/absorbancy ones. Brand matters for sure, I get generic briefs and they suck but do the job and I am at home when I use them so I don't complain.

Mike I already receive the pads from the VA and the va urologist's notes not only stated it started after the birth of my first child (which was during active duty) but it is in my ad records which I submitted as well. The cp examiner was a twit I will say twit because I can't say worse.......she filled out the entire exam giving me 60% saying it would even prevent me from working then said less likely than not due to ad service and due to having babies bwahaha......it doesn't get better than that. I can add additional evidence later if need be, but the fact that it is so far I dont' think I can do much now. I am sure it will close in the next day or so honestly. I did a very good statement of claim with evidence from ad, my va urologist etc. so hopefully that is enough ;) 60% rating is HUGE

I never saw anything between gathing of evidence and prep for notification, it was strange, a couple new things I claimed I didn't recieve cp exams for either, so this is truly a strange thing. I didn't do a FDC either, I guess we shall see, this is for housebound/aid and attendance as well. My pcp filled out all the proper paperwork so ugh, at this point the VA has scared me to death about reduction and so has every VSO on the planet. lol I will let you know when I get the update, hopefully I don't have to fight anymore and all is done!

Well, crap Buck I have an appointment later this week to have a letter to upload to ebenefits and my claim moved from gathering evidence last Friday to preparation for notification yesterday. I doubt that I can change anything fast enough. I also had a very good request already uploaded citing case law for a new mh exam. I don't think I have ever heard of a claim moving backward from this point before, so wish me luck! I can always deal with new evidence but hoping the terds don't try to reduce me at all in the mean time and all is good news in the end. How long do you think it will take for ebennies to update my current claims information? Typically this stage moves pretty fast right?

I just finished up having this done. I had two failed root canals that cracked to the roots, were pulled, bone grafts, implants and my crowns were just done on Monday. If it is done correctly it is not a quick process and my VA dental in Gainesville (which is a 3 hour each way trip) did the entire thing and did a fantastic job. I would not do it out in town if you can avoid it, it would be extremely expensive to have done on the insurance unless VA choiced you or fee basised you out. The VA will pay to have it done or do it if they find you are a good candidate for the procedure. I know not all VA dentals are created equal, I thankfully have a great general dentist. He send me to Gainesville to have the big stuff done or sends me to fee basis for other crap. I do have teh insurance for emergencies but haven't had to use it. Two implants done correctly with bone grafts is going to be a lot of money even with the insurance if they va isn't footing the bill. Push for the VA to pay for it, they do ;)

I am prescribed by the VA for stress incontinence 5 pads per day and 2 briefs, I am not even going to bother adding that the other things make it worse at this point, it seems that too much information confuses them. Seriously. I use the Poise #6 during the day and the briefs they send me kinda suck honeslty but I use those when i am bedridden with a migraine and at night so I am not going to bitch about them, they work but not nearly as well as the depends brand. Yes, laughing, sneezing or simply lifting something causes leaking. I am not getting the surgery either, at this point I have lived with it for over 20 years and I am not going under general for something that isn't going to kill me, I have entirely too many health problems to do a surgery that isn't medically necessary or even guaranteed to work or not cause other problems ;)

I am wondering if it can be a gp? the person who did the cp exam was not a urologist or a gyn so I am hoping that my NP who I know will fill it out correctly and in my favor will be enough along with the VA urologist. My constant vomiting from my sc migraines alone with my constipation issues from my meds def. worsen this as well. The vomiting causes such violent incontinence that pads dont work I have to wear freaking diapers.

I recently had a cp exam for two things. One, I have a note of in service complaint of the issue, complaining of the same issue at the VA and current diagnosis of the problem. The examiner said less likely than not service connected and due to having babies.......yep, started in service after birth of second child. Two, I have note of in service and never had another problem with ever again. I never went to the doctor for it once in 20 years plus since getting out, she service connected me for it.......only thing I can figure is that One is rated at 60% and Two is 10 or 20%. I was rated for my mental health for one note, one visit, no diagnosis in service. I am not sure why this is any different? I was shamed when I brought it up by the corpsman and the doctor at my annual and told to suck it up and wear a pad (bladder stress incontinence) and I was 22. I was embarrassed as hell, I had circled it in the questionnaire and told them and they blew me off. I didn't bring it up again until 10 years later at the VA and the gyn told me to lose 10 lbs and it would go away (wasn't overweight then or ever). Finally, last year I brought it up to my pcp because let's face it those damn pads are expensive and I am now 45 and between the stress incontinence itself and the fact that I puke regularly from my migraines (sc) he sent me to a urologist who said it has nothing to do with my weight and most definitely did start in service (in my va notes, not that it matters) but how can this quack cp nurse say it isn't sc because I waited 21 years and it is from having babies in one breath.........then say my sinus infections are sc but I don't even have them anymore? Seriously, I do not understand their rationale on this at all.

I completely and totally agree with every word........as much as I am scared as hell because I have a claim in right now and I am IU 100% PT, I know A. I have not improved B. all of my ratings are 5 years old or older and C. I have all the documentation in my records to back up those ratings. I try not to let my emotions get the best of me. There are reasons to file for IU PT, or for other sc issues but only you can decide what is right for you. Me, I am not going to worry that my secondary issues kill me and my family doesn't get DIC, etc. I am filing. I am also going to file for aid and attendance because my husband has to care for me, more than he should have to when I am in my 40's.

pre 9/11 veterans and post 9/11 veterans is the main difference, the amount of $$ which is actually quite large (housebound is around 350 and aid and attendance $700 I believe depending on L or L 1/2) while caregiver can be to level a couple grand tax free paid to the caregiver not the veteran, tax free with other benefits like support, caregiver respite etc. and the caregiver program is supposed to be temporary. Most veterans when awarded aid and attendance or housebound rarely have that removed after awarded. I am 99% positive a veteran cannot receive aid and attendance while they have a caregiver being paid. Pretty sure there was a vet in here trying to receive both not long ago and the VA say not a chance.

In Florida I have to send back a card the county sends me every year saying I still qualify for the exemption, in Florida there is no income cap or home value cap but you have to be 100% PT to qualify or IU PT also qualifies for a total exemption of your property taxes, we only pay for trash or something and it is $200 a year. I would contact your local property tax folks to find out how it works where you live.

ebenefits is totally screwed up right now i would just wait, mine has the same crap, can't even pull up my dependents, payment history, my claims, disabilities etc. It is the system not just you. I would give it a day and log back on honestly. Oh and my claim was in gathering evidence (which it has been since August ;) ) so it most definitely didn't get decided since Friday lol.

I think this is wonderful news, the crappy thing is (at least where I am) that getting mh care is BAD. I waited 8 months after my psychiatrist transferred to get a new one and she is terrible and I only get seen once every 4 months. PTSD therapy is group only and if you are lucky you can get individual therapy once a month and I am 100% sc. Oh, and the doctor they assigned me, she is leaving before my next appointment so I will be without a psychiatrist again. At some point they need to hire more providers.

I agree with Gastone, I used my no longer eligible for voc. rehab. and disenrollment from the program because the severity of my sc disabilities had made me not able to work or even finish my college program any longer. That along with my award from SSDI based only upon my SC disabilities I was awarded IU PT.

Yep, the VA such a wonderful place............absolutely ridiculous!! Today is a day that I honestly have not one good word to say about the VA. Good luck and hope it happens faster, me I would be sending freaking emails and writing letters to every dang representative I have, there is no reasonable reason that should take 2 years, ZERO.

Thank you!

I had 2 children while on AD both before this started, I had 3 more after and while on AD I had chronic UTI's so bad that I was on preventative medication to prevent them. The fact of the matter is that it started on AD, whether it worsened because of age, what actually caused it doesn't even matter. It is like saying that someone diagnosed with high blood pressure on ad doesn't get SC because they smoke.......and kept smoking so they don't get the correct rating? I call bullshit on this one. ;) I will definitely bring my service medical records with me so my urologist can note that properly and upload it with my claim.

I had already submitted the annual medical intake form from my medical records along with a statement of claim and my urologist reports as well as my current va prescriptions, diagnosis before my cp exam. I will schedule an appointment with my urologist to have him fill out the dbq, he is quite nice honestly.

She says link to military service not proven, yet I have (and gave her) the sheet where I even told them during my annual the year before I got out.

The cp examiner filled out all the dbq with enough to give me 60% I have the dbq and the cp results.........she even stated it impacted my ability to work. Then she said less likely than not service connected but I have the military treatement record showing I complained about it. So, do i just submit that along with a rebuttal?

I thought the rule for service connection was note of the condition in service as well as current diagnosis? So, here is my situation. While on active duty I had bladder incontinence, I was young. It was embarassing. I finally brought it up during my annual physical because it was one of the questions asked. I circled yes to leaking urine when laughing, sneezing, etc. When the corpsman read over my form, he and the doctor both laughed and told me to wear a sanitary pad and that was that. I was on a ship and quite frankly we all knew better than to let medical things that could be embarrassing get spread around. I dealt with it for many years and finally had the courage to bring it up again with my VA gyn about 10 years later, she suggested oh, lose 10 lbs and it will go away. (I wasn't nor have I ever been overweight). Discouraged and again humiliated I let it go and continued to wear pads. Last year I got the courage up to ask my primary care physician to order my incontinence items for me because they are quite expensive and I am rated high enough that I have no copays for prescriptions. He immediately sent me to urology. The urologist not only ordered me the pads/briefs but also noted that it started after the birth of my second child while I was on AD. I also found the note in my AD service records. I never put in a claim for this. I finally put in a claim and had my cp exam. The examiner was a NP and she never examined me but went off only what I said and my records. She did check all the boxes that if she had service connected it would rate me at 60% easily for this condition. She noted that it had been 21 years since I had gotten out, not sure why that would be relevant? What does that have to do with anything? If I have note of the condition in service, another from approximately 8 years ago at the VA and still currently from a urologist why would she then say less likely than not service connected? She is saying it is from child birth.........I gave birth to children during active duty. I even submitted that page of my medical record to her. I would love advice on how to fight this claim before it is decided if possible. This would be a 60% rating.