Buck52

georgiapapa, Is 100% correct , Since VA Policies are Governed by law, changes to programs or if changes to your eligibility may occur. if that happens the VA will send you updates that reflect these changes..if you have any question's call 1-877-222 vets (8387)

John, I think your wife can file SS on her ex and draw on his SS ... not sure about the VA bennies. I know my mother in law got her ex SS After he died matter fact his current wife got his SS also so there were actually 2 wifes getting SS on the same man......unless the SS slipped up? Also I read with the VA with the DIC benefits states in regulation's special monthly rates apply some where?.. that a spouse can draw half of the veterans benefits along with the regular DIC claim of 1150 monthly..so what ever you get she can file a claim for half that amount plus her other dic benefits...and draw your SS.

Hi,everyone My Question is Can a veteran ask for increase if he/she has other evidence that has come up after his/her first claim was awarded? Example = he/she is Rated 90% SC but he/she getting paid at 100% TDIU P&T & had this award for the past 14 years & veterans age is 62 Will it have an effect on the veterans first claim? to file for an increase?...= to get at least a 20/30%increase in rating to get the rating to at least 100% or higher & would this be consider a FDC? or does the veteran face possibly reduction in rating? Another question? with the above said ....Say a veteran has a 90% in rating but being paid at 100% TDIU P&T age 62, Should this veteran just leave well enough alone? Thank you all in Advance.

I'm in priority group 1 and I have to wait my turn to be seen just like all the rest and I'm fine with it. This priority groups is basicly a benefits schedule, it did confuse a lot of veterans so now the VA has published a Veterans health care handbook for each individual veteran , it has the veterans information as to what his/her benefits are and what the veterans rating is and places the veteran in his/her correct group number. (When you received this HandBook (safe guard it) Its at the veterans finger tips if he/she has any questions about his/her benefits??....and his/her rating decision! I just received my handbook in the mail November 17th 2014

Roger Phillips, Are you saying this veteran (greenironfist) should have got A/A automatic? back in 2001? He filed his first claim back in 2001 and was awarded 100% P&T Service Connected, and then filed for AA back in 2011...does the VA the have the ''duty to assist? and he should have been awarded the SMC A/A back in2001? If this is correct he should be reto back to 2001 with smc? For some reason or another I always thought the Veteran had to file a claim for each disability?

I have a Samsung 4 so I might try this. btw did any of you guys get a '' Veterans Health Benefits HandBook'' in the mail? I got mine today it has your rating decision and mostly all your health benefits in it & elgibility! and personal information like the veterans rating decision This personalized handbook is for each veteran it even had the if you disagree with the healthcare provided in the handbook they sent a VA Form4107VHA This was just published November 15 2014 in my letter today anyway. Every Veteran should be getting one. I was somewhat surprise to get it.

usaf1970, you may want to go get copies of your medical records or wait until after the c&p ... if you don't need to be there then I recommend you go get the copies! & read what they said? jmo

Well we just keep on going some how...its not eazy but We both think about how others are in worse shape than we are...maybe someday she will find a Dr that can help ...that's about all the hope we have, We do ok on my VA compensation and retirement and her job is not to hard . she said when she can't get to where she can't work/do her job she will apply for SSDI one Dr said she would help her get it..I ask my spouse if she wanted to stop working she said no not right now so I could demand she stop working but I let that be her decision. She can be pretty stubborn ,,,and yeah she is very tough & strong will Thank you georgiapapa

Just my opinion, That's called ''noise induced hearing loss'' you lose your hearing over time and its not from getting older its from the loud noise from military days we never had ear protection either in nam and really never had time to plug our ears.

georgiapapa so sorry to hear that ...with so many bones in your leg/ankle broken and put back together with screws and plates...its a mericle you can walk and use a cane...I hope you have a electric mobile chair? I hope they can come up with something for you other than surgery but like you said that's about your only option ..I wish you the best with it. My wife started having problems with her back after she had Heart surgery and has just gone down hill ever since...she use to take long walks with a friend about 2 or 3 miles or so and she would lose her balance and fall....she did fall one time walking and broke her arm catching herself from the fall and she fell off a bike just turning around she slip off the pedal and lost her balance broke her other arm at the rist..one time. We were fishing one time and on the bank sit the tackle box it was caught by the wind and she jump up to catch it from going into the water and slip over the tackle box broke her right leg...with all her broke bones ect,,ect,, we found out she had osteoroprosis real Bad ..so with neurology and the pain clinic were hoping they can get that osteroprosis control or by strengthen her bones by increasing her Vitimin D & doing an I-Vdrip of some sort? Zometa ?..I forgot what they called she has to have 3 of them one a year she goes for her second drip sometime in Feb & Exercise but she has trouble exercising b/c of the pain she has other illments also with neurology from a sesizure she had about two years ago Her Back is what bothers her the most. she also sees an econodiologist <ms... this all has been going on for years We are going to seek a private Dr after we get some secondary insurance. I wish you the best with your medical issue's were about to give up and just let God Help...were both beginning to think there's not much any Dr can do for her. I pray that you don't have to have an amputation my friend. you take care

I wish you the best georgiapapa, They told my spouse there was not anything else the VA can do for her that her spine was like mush. We are getting second opinions She has falling also broke a leg and Arms last year she sees a neurologist....she had a sesizure and they can't tell her why? other than maybe some of the medications she was taking like Tremadol the Dr said that medication has been known to cause sesizures but good luck to ya buddy I certainly hope you get some pain releif soon sounds lie you have had pretty rough my friend...my spouse mention the same thing you just did She hope to manage her Hyrdo through out the holiday's and come first of the Year we need to find a Dr that can help! Just becareful with them Dr's that want to do surgery let that be your last resort.

My spouse has degenerative bone/'joint desease of the spine scoliosis & osteoporosis and compression fracture's of the spine! when she raises her arms to cut up lettus /salad she has bad back pain (lives on a heating pad) she also has had the injections and epidural injections from VA pain clinic ...which only helped a few weeks, They (VA pain clnic) put her in physical theraphy (swimming exercise) they never helped...then they did a surgical procedure called ''KYPHOPOASTY'' They went into her upper back Thorasic T6- T7 T-8 T-9 They went in with a micro needle type procedure and actually raised the area that was causing her pain with a balloon the bones was hitting nerves. So they injected some type of cement as the cement dried they let the air out of the balloon and that was suppose to stop her pain (raised the bones up off the nerves) but it didn't stop the pain she still has the pain maybe not quite as bad but its still there...she told me it felt like they were driving nails into her spine & was painful even with sadiation. This has be ongoing for over ten years now...She live in severe pain daily! This may not be the same as ''stenosis'' I'm not sure? Don't Area's of the Back have two classes upper back is Thorasic and lower Back would be the Lumbar L-4 L-5.......T-6 T-7 ect,,ect,,?? To the orginal poster sorry got off topic here ''Fat'' Just my opinion & I 'm not a Dr or anything close but in my opinion its most likely from wear tear on the body '' heavy lifting is most likely cause''...and I believe it could be a presumptive condition from old injurys acquired while in the military! Most likely to as not from Heavy lifting while on active military service''

aggie 54 It don't seem right to me either . Wait until you receive your brown envelope explaining your benefits Congratulations btw & with ( P/T They have great bennies), just read the letters and see how they paid. from what year and how much....I Think they should retro you back to Sept 2010 Date!!!

Anybody know about or presently using ''ARMA'' ChampVA Supplemental Insurance? and If you do are you happy with them?

yes she has consider ssdi the young Dr told her she would help her write a letter stating her health condition's,but in the last month or so the young Dr is not at the VAMC she left! eh! my spouse still works and has a eazy job caregiver for an elder lady she just fixes her stuff to eat make sure she takes baths this elderly lady has 2 stage Alz but still gets around pretty good my spouse loves that job nice family and they do take taxes out of her check...so she wants to hang on to this job little longer or as long as she can the only time my spouse starts hurting is if she over does it or at the end of the day so this job she can just do things as she pleases and take her time she can go lay down rst ect,,ect,, its like she is just staying at her grandma house Yes we know about the Medicare when she turns 65 but that's 5 years from now Thanks tho for that info! She told me tonight she going to start looking for a private healthcare Dr that will take ChampVA And hope she gets a good understanding Dr that can help her with her Back& different medical problems or if not help with her pain she has already been in the VA Pain clinic they don't know what else to do for her? so were kinda at a stand still you might say she falls a lot already broke her leg, fell off a bicycle broke her arm..VAMC helped her with all that too! All we know to do is keep looking for the right Dr and hope they tale ChampVA.

No when she uses the VAMC she has no co pay...if she uses a private Dr outside the VA ChampVA pays all but 25% We have to pay that but that's fine! We're have problems with private Dr's that will accept ChampVA if they do we don't have a secondary... we can pay the 25% difference unless the Bill is run up into the thousands and medical cost can get expensive. She had a seizure one time, I called ambulance they took her to the VAMC...we were not billed for that VA paid it all 800.00...one time she had another one and I called Amblaunce this was from another location but still in the same city the Ambulance would no take her to the VAMC As I requested They ended up taking her to a private Hospital Champ VA paid but only 250.00 of the Ambulance which they charge 1200.00 that time...?... & same thing with the private Dr's ChampVA Paid them but didn't pay all that was billed the DR'S & ER was about 5.000.00 Champ VA Paid about 800.00 same with the Dr's that read the MRI'S...ChampVA Paid but only like 20% of what they billed..we went back and forth over this one for two years or so finally she called Champ VA & told them what was happening and I guess ChampVA got it straighten out...never hard from them private Dr's anymore they (private r & Hospital) they even got a Bill collector after us...my spouse always told them to file it with Champ VA...Which is what ChampVA told her to tell them..and not be stressing out about it...my spouse stress out over this medical stuff pretty bad. Thank You georgiapapa & Right Back at you and yours buddy!

georgiapapa , Yes my spouse pays 50 deduct with VA....she uses the VAMC for meds basicly /no co pay. In 2005 she was seeing PCP at VAMC she complain to the Dr she Was having Severe pain in her back around the bra strap area, VA Dr just told her to lose weight, he wouldn't even do Xrays or MRI''s to find the problem she got no pain meds... just watch lefting things and get good night sleep ect,,ect,,take some Ibuprofen you be ok ect,,ect,, That particular Dr had a attitude or something? she didn't like him. So we ask if she could change Dr ..& VA Amin said Yes she can, so she ask for another Dr, this was a female Dr young Dr 30's We thought lordy mercy If she young that means trial and error (no experience) I eat crow on that statement... However she turn out to be the one that actually saved my spouse life that young Dr listen to her and check her out pretty good with exam...come to find out she had super hi blood pressure so the Dr order a nucular stress test same day' labs...they did the stress test she failed it badly they order another Dr in the cardio dept to do a groin catherther and they looked in her vains/heart area she had 3 stoppages main arorta was 90% blocked and two other atries was 95% blocked this was all the same day.. Since then she has had 4 or 5 MRI'S countless Xrays...ect,,ectt, with the VAMC Checking her Back and pain be to rehab swimming ect,,ect, that didn't help actually made it worse she has bone degeneration or something like that her spine is like mush the Dr said., After they found the blockages she was admitted to the Hospital and 3 days later had triple by pass heart surgery...so she feels committed to the VAMC for saving her life and she has just went there ever since but the young Dr is no longer there she is looking to find a private Dr that will accept champVA. She has Osteoporosis very bad and the VA is ''trying to treat her for that but so for ain't help her to much She checks on Private Back clinics but most won't take ChampVA without a secondary Insurance which we don't have! My spouse just turn 60 back in Sept anyway she called around and found one Back Clinic they told her they accept ChampVA & they (back clinic) told her to go to the VA and get copies of her MRI'S and Xray's so she would not be charge for them They could look at them so we did we got hard copies on a CD from the VA. Well we went and gave them to the private Back clinic ,,,appointment for a dx was set up...The private Back clinic called back and said if we don't have a secondary Insurance they can't see her...So we don't know what else to do other than her use the VAMC. Sorry this is so long but my spouse sure would like to find a private Dr that will see her and take Champ VA....We can't afford insurance premium's She has lost weight and is around 145 lbs at present she had gastic by pass surgery so her meds are limited actually she needs a specialist that knows about Bad Backs and what she can take she does take 10MG Hydro and other blood pressure meds and seizures medications from the VA. She takes quite a lot of meds Im not sure what all but its a lot!

We can't afford other healthcare Insure....VA healthcareless is all we have..so no choice here, some of the employess are rude and some Dr 's are also but what does one do? don't do any good to complain if you do they just make it harder on you...we just wait until were seen and get our meds. basicly that's it .

when was your hubby discharged? a he is a Vietnam Veteran?

Just hang in there kate7772, Hadit members can truly help you guys it may take some time but you guys will win, try not to stress to much its hard I realize but things will get better I see your hubby getting IU. Things will work out!

My spouse gets champ VA & uses VAMC...She has to hassle with them too if she had a choice or afford it she would prefer private care but this is all we have. so can't complain but other than the way the whole VA system is but can't do anything about it..if they thow us beans we just have to catch them and go on! (put up with there BS)

Yes sir she is good too! but there is a lot of elder hadit members as well! carlie specialize in CUE give her a shout! Good Luck with your claim!

O have my 2 cents. I don't have a choice card I think anything that helps a veteran should appy/pertain to all veterans no matter if they live 1 mile or 100 miles if it helps a veteran out! I live about 24 miles from my VAMC I don't qualify.

I think I'd not use a VSO to help me just my opinion from my experience with them however there are some good ones out there finding one is the problem. Hadit .com is much much better help!

Oh my! that's so sad!