seminoles

yes, my older children have Tricare until age 21 (their absent father is active duty and provides zero support) so they are then no longer eligible for Tricare but so far with the older two I have had to get DEERS involved to force him to take them off his DEERS in order to enroll them in Champva until they are 23 (they have been full time college students) .........absolute pain in the butt!!

You can make appointments at many Rapids ID locations now, so NO WAIT I also highly recommend going to a place like a National Guard Armory that makes ID cards instead of a large base if you have a choice. I choose not to set foot on another military base as long as I breathe.

That is not a risk I am willing to take and I know ever single time it is mentioned there is no talk of grandfathering anyone in, so yeah, trust the VA, helll nah. I have learned the VA will screw me over any chance they get, within the rules or not so protect myself and my family I will........others can choose to do as they wish. Last time there was talk about dropping IU at retirement age I cannot tell you how many IU veterans were talking about suicide to ensure their family's financial well being because they would be entitled to DIC, THAT is truly screwed up. Maybe not in this forum, but among many veterans groups it is a reality that the difference between IU and 70% income is enough to survive or not.........that is reality. Many IU veterans do not receive SSDI, many older veterans were never told that you could even file for both etc. and there is a ticking time clock.........sad really.

perfect example of why to keep filing!

If you are service connected for mental health and you commit suicide it is definitely service connected.

Every other year or so IU being dropped at retirement age gets brought up by the congressional budget office as a way to save money, do I think it will happen. I truly hope not, as I truly believe that IU veterans are some of our most vulnerable veterans. Do I trust the government to NOT implement that plan at some point? NO. I had some service connected issues I hadn't applied for service connection for previously as well as some secondary so I went ahead and filed.

I am and will do the same, I don't trust the VA one bit to award DIC even if it is warranted to just like I didnt' trust them to continue my IU PT until my death I sure as hell am not trusting them to honor DIC after my death so I will continue to fight for secondaries and every single thing they denied service connection for. I take it in baby steps as I am able to physically and mentally because mentally they can wear me down and piss me off.

I was denied a basic hobby of photography even after my psychiatrist and g.p. wrote letters that it was a perfect hobby for someone with my disabilities, their reason.......I hadn't actively been participating in the hobby in the 6 months prior to applying for voc. rehab. I had been so sick I hadn't been able to do anything more than keep myself alive honestly. My ILP has been a joke, no one ever came to do an in home assessment, I have to beg for anything, they don't assist me with any of my healthcare needs, nothing. Every item I have requested, they find the cheapest item to replace the item I request, my neuro put in for noise canceling blue tooth headphones because of my severe migraines and my need for audio books so double duty, they sent me the cheapest skull candy in ear head phones lol......my 10 year old has better headphones. My counselor has no idea what she is doing and I don't even know how to fight them anymore. I guess by their reasoning, a person who just spend 2 years in the hospital can't receive anything for a hobby because they just spend too much time trying to get well and rehabilitate to actually have a hobby?? Pathetic really. Just another way the VA can screw over the most disabled of us veterans. Deny and deny.

I was sent for this testing by my neuro because I began having seizures which we thought were neurological and after the testing, which I had a seizure during the testing (they also make you hyperventilate like you kinda would during a panic attack) and I was diagnosed with dissacociative seizures which are psychiatric, I had no idea such I thing existed!! They are related to my severe PTSD, anxiety, depression which are service connected. This testing was very important in diagnosing what was going on with me, I do have brain issues as well so it was key in diagnosing.

I am not saying this to be man or callous but to kind of let you know that this is reality and children need to be financially supported by BOTH parents in life and death.........just because one parent remarries or dies doesn't mean that stops. Children deserve the BEST resources from BOTH of their biological parents unless their rights have been terminated in some way.

That child was HIS child and is also entitled to HIS benefits after his death, also that child was his FIRST child and in many States that child's financial needs come before any subsequent children (which often is the case for child support purposes, also not relevant in the situation). It matters not whether the child's father was active in his life. That child had no choice in the matter. The child should also be receiving part of his social security benefits and I hope the child's mother has also applied for them as well. You said you have children (plural) but one child with your spouse who was killed while serving. You either have children from a previous relationship or subsequent children, do you not think their father should support them in life and death? This isn't about you, this is about the child.

well if they haven't done anything to the guy who was on quest for Kona, is the president of a non profit, runs triathalons and gives leadership and motivational speeches and has been deemed incompetent by SS and his wife is being paid at the top tier of caregiver by the VA , I highly doubt the rest of us have anything to worry about unless you are bsing the system.

The crappy VA mh CLINIC? Tallahassee, I had an amazing psychiatrist here for almost a decade and then horrible care. Now, I have a psychologist who is in Pittsburgh, she is amazing. I have no psychiatrist right now, I have been renewing my meds by having my outside provider write my prescriptions until I figure out what to do. I just won't go into the Tallahassee mh clinic period. I had provider after provider dismiss me, treat me like crap and even tell me that MST doesn't happen. Once I even told my psychiatrist I needed my meds adjusted that I wasn't doing okay, and her response was, well are you suicidal? okay, no? then knock on wood, literally she knocked on her desk and said see you in 3 months and changed nothing........I was in horrible shape. The clinical pharmacist was the ONLY person I trusted in that clinic at she no longer works there. So, I have a choice now, be drive 6 hours round trip to another VA or nothing. Right now, I have nothing. Even though I had fee basis care and was recommeded for telehealth when that provider closed and they couldn't find another provider who would accept VA payment. I was even given non va primary care..........when I live 25 miles from the VA which was processed and there is an authorization in the system but I never received a letter for, since October. MY VA system SUCKS. I know why veterans kill themselves in VA parking lots. Not that I would, give them the satisfaction. They want us to kill ourselves so they don't have to pay us anymore.

Yes, I get klonopin from the VA I have been on some sort of benzo for over a decade, the martazapine you should talk to your psychiatrist about a very low dose like 7.5 mg or 15 mg at bedtime, low doses of it help with sleep and don't impact you so much on the other side. I have pretty complex mh issues and multiple diagnosis including PTSD, severe anxiety disorder, panic disorder with agoraphobia and bipolar II all which are service connected. Makes meds VERY difficult

I take klonopin and a small dose of martazapine, I still don't sleep well. Without them, I would be up more than twice what I am now. I have taken ambien and have an outside provider (i pay cash) who will prescribe it if I want. I have serious sleep issues coupled with mh issues so it is what it is....as far as the libido part. Ha, tell the VA that that all those drugs impact your libido, guess for guys it may be easier cuz there is a blue pill solution but for women they just ignore us.

I had a clerk playing a game on her phone while I stood there with my walker for over 10 minutes, I finally walked across the building to another clerk and asked him to check me in and told him why. He has been working there forever and remembers me and he just shook his head and said he took care of me. I told my clinical pharmacist about it later and she said they have been giving that guy a hard time lately. The best clerk they have, he always treats every veteran with kindness and they give HIM a hard time? disgraceful.

I think many of us would choose to go elsewhere (I know I would and gladly pay a copay) if I had insurance, I can't even get anyone to see me here other than one walk in clinic for cash and that is only because I know the NP who sees me.

This is exactly how I feel about this, I live 24 miles from my local clinic, it takes more than 30 minutes to get there but if you google it drive time always says 29 minutes or something a bit less so they will use that or some crap similar to deny veterans like me the 30 minute rule for that one........I definitely will take advantage of the 60 minute one because I get sent 5-6 hour round trips for all of my specialty care. They wanted me to go to gait and balance once a week 3 hours away, I can't drive more than 30 minutes on a good day, can't take the van and as a pre 9/11 veteran my spouse sure as heck can't afford to be taking time off work every week to bring to to that many appointments so often I go without care. I also find it hysterical that MH is not a specialist??? Well played, well played. I sure as heck hope they start giving caregiver stipends to the first round of those they are supposed to roll into the program, I will be the last to be included but that is fine with me.........older veterans getting screwed over and over is absolutely beyond reproach. I was trying to work with adaptive sports, they referred me to all these organizations that receive grants from the VA, so I contacted the only one in Florida that helps with what I needed, guess what? They only help post 9/11 veterans. Seriously? So, the Va is giving them grants but not all veterans can get help??? This has to stop.

I took note of the word PROPOSED in the beginning of this..won't believe any of it until it is more than a proposal. The 6 hours round trip for specialty care, honestly I go without care often because of that burden!

yes they are and it varies from RO to RO and even from rater to rater!

I had to fight HARD to get my SMC added after my TDIU rating I held for years and then added separate sc one at 60%, I did get it finally.........but with a HUGE fight.

not unless you got a very generous rater

question....if you are denied sc and can submit new evidence does that still give you the same date of claim as a s CUE?

I am just trying to make sure I understand you correctly, IF a veteran is already IU PT and then receives an additional single rating of 60% then the rater is supposed to infer the SMC housebound? If that is true, can you show me exactly where I can cite that?

The only reason my children are ineligible for Tricare at that age is because they do not meet ALL the criteria, their father (the sponsor) provides ZERO support and part of the criteria of receiving tricare after 21 is that the sponsor is providing at over 50% of their support. I have no idea how that would pan out with two married parents, one tricare eligible and one champva eligible. I will say it is a huge pain for my kids. I have to have someone at a Rapids ID site send something to his command prompting him to remove that child from his DEERS after their 21st birthday (because lord forbid he do so on his own, hasn't done a single thing even when court ordered without another fight typically since 2003......grrr and he is a CW04!!) Yeah, nice guy.