Wayne TX

Vetquest......I told the truth and my medical evidence strongly supports my Appeal with two DBQ's and two IMO's . John......I never brought up TDIU or made any claim for it to the examiner or anyone else. Buck........in hindsight I should have given a better answer instead of "I've been retired for 7 years" but my lower back pain is not s/c (the reason) and my actual s/c disabilities would not carry enough backbone to explain why I've been fully retired for 7 years. What amazed me is that she did not ask why I've been retired for 7 years. Why would VA ask that kind of a question unless your filing for TDIU? I personally know a Vet well who is scheduler rated under 100% (60%) who works a full-time job earning 2x more income than his VA disability income. He told me it does not matter - if you can work you can still work - because a schedular rating is not TDUI. I find it a bit hard to believe that a 100% schedular-rated Vet can work a full-time job and still draw a full disability check as well. Can anyone chime in on that as being correct? I am considering going to my RO to view my C&P exam results as they won't be show up in the VA system anytime soon. How long does it take usually for VES or QTS to get their C & P reports sent to claimants' C-File? I am in RAMP under HLR. How long do they normally take to reach a decision once the C&P Exam has been done? They're (ebenefits/myVethealth) saying an estimated completion date could be up to July 30.......6 months?? That sounds excessive considering C&P is now done.

I was asked the question at my C&P Exam last week if I can "work".....I responded to Examiner that "I have been retired since 2011." I can't do any kind of standing more than 30 minutes or any physical work anymore (age 70) due to a non s/c condition of low back pain (lumbar/muscle degeneration, and arthritis all diagnosed - all well documented with VA for years.........it is the reason I had to retire 8 years ago but again not a s/c disability as it did not occur during active duty. I am s/c for other disabilities totaling 50%. but unrelated to lower back pain. Does the VA Rater take that into consideration when you say "retired since 2011? The reason I ask is because the Examiner never asked another question about can you "work" after I said been retired since 2011. I was not asked why have I been retired for the past 8 years....she went right into another totally unrelated question. Has anyone answered this question with a NO, and then not be asked any more followup questions???? Just curious?

That's pretty fast......I opt May 10 - RAMP HLR......been at PDA since Aug. 10......no movement since. Just waiting but looks close.

I'm actually expecting something to pop this week as my estimated dates still show Aug. 23- Sept. 9. Good luck to ALL!

I suspect Pending Decision Approval means someone has rated it and is now waiting for a higher-up Rater to sign-off to advance into Preparation for Notification. HLR....butstill no Informal Phone Conference has taken place as requested. .

bpweryz........about in the same boat with ya........been at Pending Decision Approval since Aug. 10......... 111 days now in HLR..........estimated dates....Aug. 23-Sept. 9. Getting close.....asked for Informal Phone Conference but that has not happened yet.

Hi Buck........I have been sitting on Pending Decision Approval (PDA) since August 10......it went straight from Claim Received to PDA on EBenefits.......still no Informal Phone Conference yet.......estimated dates Aug. 23 - Sept. 9........yep getting close. Thank God it was worked out of Winston-Salem, NC instead of Waco. Fingers crossed.

Great points....exactly why I opt in RAMP as my claims go back to 2015 and have not even been certified by the Legacy Board. None of us are getting any younger so RAMP was an alternate worth the risk of being in a pilot program.

MY two cents....why not try RAMP? I had personally been stuck in the Legacy waiting game nearly 2 years with no signs when I'd even be seeing a docket number.......too frustrating! I decided to opt out of Legacy and opt into RAMP........I opted on May 10.....today is August 15, and I am at Pending Decision Approval and it should pop over the next 3 weeks as estimated completion dates keep shrinking almost weekly now.

I got to 50% on my own (starting back in 2009) doing all the work myself and then just handing it over to a VSO to electronically file for me....usually at VAMC.....to insure VA got it! But once I got to 50% the games started with ultra stupid denial reasons and I knew I'm heading to a VideoConference Judge if upcoming RAMP results are not as anticipated. I have been fighting VA over OSA since 2015, and all they can say despite mounds of evidence, CPAP, two positive tests, and IMO's citing secondary SC connections has been this lame...."active duty records are silent for sleep complaints." They fight everyone seeking a 50% disability rating....not an easy one to win anymore even with a winning hand.

Bronco.....I agree with so much you say. Attorneys are not about hand holding and very short in their email replies if any given at all......phone calls.......hmmm lucky to get one every 6 months. I elected to opt into RAMP. I did not even ask my attorney his opinion because I already knew I was better off giving RAMP a whirl than waiting several more years for my time to come around in Legacy. I have no idea how my 4 Appeals will measure out, but I can say this one positive about RAMP......... I opt in May 10......94 days later (today) I am sitting at Pending Decision Approval, which means something should shake down within the next 30 days. That was never going to happen sitting in my spot in line in Legacy. I was looking at a minimum two more years, and now I should see a decision forthcoming within months. HUGE!

I agree 2 weeks tops.....best of luck. Estimated Completion: 08/27/2018 - 09/17/2018........yesterday it was showing 8-27 to 11-11.

Today Day 92 since I opted into RAMP. eBenefits went from Claim Received silence straight to Pending Decision Approval. These Appeals are all HLR with requested Informal TeleConference, which has still yet to take place. Asking if anyone else here has got to this point and an Informal TeleConference either happened after this notice given or it never happened? I am happy to see this kind of movement inside 100 days but this may still drag out to the full 125 or longer. Status of Your Claim: Estimated Completion: 08/27/2018 - 09/17/2018

Today marks Day 92 since I opted into RAMP and today eBenefits went from Claim Received status straight to Pending Decision Approval. These Appeals are all HLR with requested Informal TeleConference, which has still yet to take place. I am just wondering if anyone else has got to this point and an Informal TeleConference either happened after this notice was given or never happened at all? I said I would let everyone know when I knew something. Status of Your Claim PENDING DECISION APPROVAL Submitted: 05/10/2018 (Appeal) Estimated Completion: 08/27/2018 - 09/17/2018

Your moving along at a nice clip......good luck.