eagle1012004

Congratulations!!!

Congratulations!!!! Yes...it will absolutely help with your SSDI hearing in December!! It's certainly not a guarantee of what they will decide, but it will be hard for them to ignore the VA decision. Now enjoy the moment...relax and totally focus on you!! Be sure and check out your state benefits for your 100% rating. Again....congratulations!! All the best to you and your family!! Greg

Congratulations!! You did the proper leg work and gave them everything they needed to make a decision. That's the way to do it!! Thank you for your service!! All the best to you!!

Congratulations!!!

Congratulations Wes 1...All the best to you and your family!! Thank you for your service... Also Wes1...be sure and check your state benefits..

Congratulations!!! All the best to you and your family!!!

Outstanding!! You have everything you need!! I wish you all the best!! Greg

Congratulations!!! I second what broncovet said about sending in the" I did not work" form each year. That is very important, because if you do not send it in they will send you a "proposal to reduce" letter. In which case get that form in and they would not reduce. Just don't give them the reason to do that...it will just cause you a lot of unnecessary stress!! All the best to you and your family!! Greg The form is Employment Questionnaire, 21-4140-1

You could be absolutely right. Having been unemployed for that long...to my way of thinking you shouldn't need it, but I'm not absolutely sure on that. I would check with your rep on that just to be sure...but I would guess you will not need it. As I am sure you will do....make that point clear when you file your claims!! Since you have not been employed since 1998, I would also include an earnings printout for all of the years you have or have not worked. You can get this from the Social Security website. This statement will show your yearly earnings for your entire working life and this statement will reflect no earnings from 1998 to the present. That will be hard to overlook on their part. Since you haven't been employed since 1998...do you receive Social Security Disability? If you do be absolutely sure you include that information in your claim. Anyway...I hope this helps!! I wish you all the best!! Greg

For me I was advised and followed the advice to Submit a claim for an increase on my PTSD, from 70% to 100% and at the same time File for IU. This was done just as my rep suggested. I had been awarded a 70% PTSD rating on March 11, 2014. We filed for an increase/IU around the 3rd week of that same month. The 24th I believe. In my case since I just went through a C&P on Feb 18, 2014 for the PTSD, they did not require another C&P. My rep figured they would deny the PTSD increase but I had a good chance for the IU. In April of 2014 they denied the increase, but awarded the IU and also made it P&T...so TDIU So in my opinion yes it is a good idea to file them together. A piece of advice though....the reason mine was decided so quick was because we sent all of the past employer forms with the claim. I don't remember the number of the form, but for IU they want the form from at least your last employer. Its just a one page form and if you are still on talking terms with your last employer you can take it in to the owner or personnel office and they should be able to fill it out on the spot. Find the form online or through your rep and if you can send that with your claim. That will generally help speed things up. Plus of course you can not be currently working. By sending the form with my claim, it was awarded in under 30 days. I obviously can't promise they will do that in your case, but always give them everything they need to make a decision. If they have to send the form out it will take a lot longer. Just food for thought on what worked for me. This a great forum and there are some great Vets on this site that give great advice with their wealth of knoledge. All the best to you!! Happy New Year!! Thank you for your service!! Greg

Yes they can request a C&P for ED. However in my case they did an ACE because the VA already had the ED diagnosis in my records and I had been receiving treatment for the two years prior to my claim. So it may just depend if Your Urologist or PA gave you an ED diagnosis and you have been receiving any kind of treatment or that blue pill. I'm sure you already know this but an ACE C&P is when the examiner does not need you to actually be there, but they base their decision on whats in your VA Medical records. Just be sure you include past appointments you have had with the Urologist and when they started treating you and they may just do an ACE C&P or they could want the regular C&P. Also in my case they based my retro pay on when I was diagnosed and started receiving treatment or the blue pill which was two years prior to my ED claim. Hope this helps!! All the best and Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! Thank you for your service!! Greg

Congratulations!! Take a deep breath and relax as much as you can!! I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! Greg

Congratulations!!! Be sure and check into your state benefits now that you are P&T... Thank you for your service!! Now just focus on you and your well being!! Enjoy yourself!! All the best to you and your family!! Greg

Buck.... Great Information!!! I am going to print this and give to a friend who is 100%PTSD, with a combined 80% for medical issues. He did a claim in the last 6 months for "Housebound", SMC-S and it was denied. I will show this to him so he can do a NOD. Just one question, could his denial be a CUE? I have never done a CUE so I am not sure how to advise him. Do you file a CUE the same way as a regular claim or do you do something else. I would almost advise sending this OIG article with the CUE. Any thoughts? Thank you again for the information and all the best to you and your family!! Greg We are in the Boston Area....so the Boston RO.

Congratulations!!!! All the best to you and your family!! Do you know if you were granted P&T along with the IU? Be sure and check out all of your state benefits!! Again, Congratulations on your new rating and your upcoming Graduation!! Greg

If you are 80% rated, but are receiving 100% because you are IU or TDIU, then your records will reflect you with a 80% rating, but you are receiving 100% benefit, because your service connected disabilities make you unemployable. You will get all the benefits of 100%, but your records will still indicate a 80% rating. Now if they did an actual increase in your service connected disabilities and they total an actual 100% rating, then all of your records will reflect a rating of 100%. Congratulations and Thank you for your service!!

Congratulations!!! Now, as best you can, relax and enjoy!! All the best to you and your family and Thank You for your service!! Be sure and check into your state benefits as well.

The only thing I can say is....I was told by a rep that when you apply for TDIU it is also a claim for an increase. According to the rep if they can't justify the increase in rating, that is when they can award the TDIU. If they granted increase in the PTSD, then it is not TDIU. In my case, I am rated 70%PTSD, 30%IHD, 10% tinitus, 0%hearing and an SMC-K for a combined 80%. my rep put a claim in for a Increase/TDIU. They denied the increase but granted the TDIU. On my records it still shows my rating as 80%, but receiving 100% based on TDIU. So it seems to me they granted the increase of your PTSD to 100% which makes TDIU moot. That's why ebenefits shows your PTSD as 100%. JMHO...I could have missed something, but you will know when you get your BBE. All the best and Thank You for your service!! Congratulations!!! Greg

Congratulations!!!! All the best to you and your family!! Thank you for your service.

Congratulations!!! Be sure and check into any state benefits you are eligible for. All the best!!

Congratulations!!! I agree with broncovet....you should get SMC S as well. All the best to you and your family, and if possible take a deep breath, relax and take care of yourself!! Thank you for your service!!

I am TDIU..... and yes you must be unemployed to receive TDIU. I will defer to smarter members than me for an answer to your second question.. Congratulations on your increase!! All the best to yo and your family.

Congratulations!!!!

Congratulations!!!! All the best to you and your family!!

Congratulations!!! All the best to you and your family!!