Ask Your VA Claims Questions | Read Current Posts
Read VA Disability Claims Articles
Search | View All Forums | Donate | Blogs | New Users | Rules
Andyman73
-
Posts
1,802 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
18
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
VA Disability, benefits, news and more.
VA Benefits News
Store
Posts posted by Andyman73
-
-
All,
Not sure what the deal is, other then telling me that this was in process, he doesn't want to talk to me about it. So to avoid what happened last year when I tried to get him to talk, I only asked one question. Right away he got a look in his eye, and that was that.
I don't know what gives. I have never tried to compare myself to him, or any combat Vet for that matter, any time we ever talk shop. I avoid it at all costs, as I have no combat experience, and do not want to make that unforgivable faux pa. Especially with my own father.
But the insider word is less than kind to me. Insider just informed me that Dad is not feeling the warm fuzzies for his first born. But she won't tell me what or why. I guess when you're married to someone who is gifted with the magic touch that gets folks to own up and tell her what's in their hearts, you get the bad with the good.
I should have seen this coming, I seem to have a nack for not quite getting it right. He was never hard or demanding of me, not that I recall. But definitely disappointed more often than not.
-
CC,
I had my first chiropractic session yesterday, for my SI joints. Doc checked me out too to bottom. Was a real nice dude. He was rather surprised when I gave him the basic run down. Said he's amazed I still work. Told him I don't have a choice, and besides I haven't had a pain free day in 24 years.
He bent and cracked me pretty good, said he fixed my unequal leg length, we'll see. He barely touched my neck, was very concerned with my nerve issues, and didn't want to risk making it worse.
I asked him how much does my feet and knee problems effect my back and neck. He said they definitely play a big part. He cautioned me not to expect full relief since this is a decades long issue, and my lower extremities will be a constant negative force against my back and neck.
Yep, I agree with that. What relief I felt was gone by this morning. I only went because the VA sent me. You know, to keep playing the game. I think I'll get some permanent relief once they grant SC, if you know what I mean.
But still...I really don't like the way all this VA stonewalling bs makes me feel. My shrink seems to focus on how I feel and think. None of that matters because the pain and sleep apnea will always be with me. Maybe I'm doing it wrong, but I mostly bs my sessions. I just get a vibe that he won't really go to the past, where everything began.
-
Not sure, I think it only goes back to Jan '13, when it was started. So, other than your C-file....possibly try the Release of Info office, they may be able to print out your past exams from way back....maybe.
-
CC,
MOP in the dark...no wonder you missed that step down. Whew!
Hmm...started out with physical therapy, which was stopped after 3 sessions, no relief was found there. Next was shots in both SI joints, which worked for a week. Next is chiropractic bend and snap. Go for that tomorrow, m first time ever. Waiting to hear back from the acupuncturist to set up an appointment with her.
They showed me on film where my arthritic facet joints are and narrowed nerve openings and degenerate discs, too.
Most of the time the pain is like fire here and there, with occaisional lightning bolts, mixed with deep dull pain that feels like yesterday's mule kick.
-
22 hours ago, 63Charlie said:
If you believe in yourself strong enough, you will find the will to carry on.
Nothing good that I've ever gotten out of this life has ever come easy.
Yeah, if I did, I wouldn't have such MH issues, I suppose.
-
19 hours ago, Berta said:
Good on the CRDP or maybe it is CRSC
...and he does not have to prove AO exposure at all.
In country- Vietnam is all he needs. He probably does not want to talk about that 122 M hit he took. That would give anyone PTSD in addition to major physical disability..
His DD-214 shows boots on the ground.
The only thing I can point to, as far as PTSD, is that he told me, way back, that he had nightmares for at least 10-15 years. And he would find himself diving to the floor, during overnight thunderstorms. That's all he would tell me.
-
Crabcake,
I find it quite interesting, reading your thread here, I fell down a flight of stairs on day 5 of boot camp, Nov '92, had close to 100lbs of gear on my person, most of it was in my sea/duffle bag. It was flight not tumble down the stairs. And now I am going through various treatments at my VAMC for SI joint pain issues. Not too far different than your fall, as far as falling while carrying a heavy load, and the end results.
I wish I had some words of advice or encouragement for you but...I don't even have those words for me. Buck here won't steer you wrong, tho, and the others too, will give you good intel.
Andy
-
I finally opened the packet from the NOVA lawyer, it had my C-file and SMR docs that I had dropped off with them. On the top of the pile was a letter from them saying that they will not being helping me with this as per phone conversation...which was to say same, they won't be helping me. Beyond that, no other info as to why. When I had talked to her on the phone I got the distinct feeling that no one there had actually looked through my info, beyond a cursory glance, so when i asked why not, she couldn't give me a real answer. That sure makes one feel good.
I asked my wife about contacting Dr Ellis's clinic. Boy that was a bad idea...she sank that "Battleship" faster than you can say "B-4"! Went full on Nuclear on that boat! Then she told me that I was ___(insert favorite negative descriptor here) unintelligent to even think or have such a nerve to ask something like that. Whew barely escaped intact from that!
So back to the mine with my teaspoon to keep digging...
-
Berta,
He had told me previously, that he had spoken with the VA about AO, shortly after he retired in 1992. I don't know much about what he has or has not claimed since this is a very sore subject with him, as you may recall I mentioned in the past.
Don't know if he is a Nehmer Vet. I think maybe he just wanted to tell me, since I had talked to him previously, about my spina bifida claim.
He was on a twin engine bulldozer, in Vietnam, when it took a direct hit from a VC 122 mm rocket. He spent 4 weeks in the hospital, then got sent back out to finish his tour. After returning stateside, to Ft. Lost in the Woods(Leanardwood) MO, they put him in their hospital for 4 months or so. So yeah, he's got that one documented in spades...might be what his 60% rating is for.
He has it documented in his service record for the 3 times he was in the direct fallout zone of an AO application...well, the 3 times that he knows of.
If the CSRC is that concurrent receipt of retirement and VA disability comp, yes he does get that. I remember when he was to start getting that, he was happy about that.
-
Got some good news to share. Some of you may know, or recall, that I had written elsewhere on here, that my Dad(Nam combat, 24 yr career retired, 60% SCD) and I don't exactly communicate very well. The grapevine tells me that it's my own lack of communication skills are the problem. Anyway, while updating my folks after yesterday's 6 month foster child case review court session, Dad went off topic to let me know that the VA has opened an AO claim for/on him. Said they initiated it(???)and that he has a bunch of appointments scheduled over the next few months. I was quite surprised that he wanted to tell me about that...since I'm usually the last to know, and my wife is usually the one telling me.
So...is there anything I should tell him to tell them? I don't know too much about his overall health, beyond his Nam related back injury. Thanks.
Andy
-
It's a good thing you have your SMR, that's one thing you won't have to try to get. But a full copy is included on your C-file. Probably should try the FOIA way first. The first time I did it, went to my VAMC benefits counselor and he wrote it up and I signed it. He then date/time stamped it, officially receiving my request and scanned it into the system.
I ended up with 2 copies because they sent the first one to another Vet. But still took 6 months or more. I've since requested another one that covers the 16 months after the end date of the first one. I have been waiting even longer for this one. And it's much harder waiting since it will have my MDD secondary to chronic pain and SA denials on it.
Good luck on getting yours.
-
Crabcake....Welcome to this here oasis in the midst of the VA claim desert!
Hmmm...low back strain...I feel your pain, okay not really, feel my own low back pain, tho. I was initially lowballed at 10% for my back in 11/98. Tried to increase a time or two in the first few years after that. Didn't know i was hurting myself during the C&P exams...because I was bending and flexing way past the point of pain, which is a MAJOR NO NO!!! I found this site, learned some good stuff. Filed for increase again on my back, in early '15. At the exam I stopped all motions at the point of initial pain or tightness. Result was a bump to 40%. Now I am dealing with a lot of painful ROM at my S I joints and illiac crest region, bilaterally. So back into the grind I go.
Yes, it does sound like you got hit up by the "whoa there new person" delay.
IF you haven't already, you may as well take a fine tooth comb and go through your service medical record for any and all issues that you could possibly claim. Most of us learned the hard way that our records were full of claimable issues.
Also, request your C-file(claims file) ASAP! This will take a while to get(months and months). It will show all the ins and outs of your original claims, you can see where you were lowballed or outright screwed over, and see what you can claim for increase or refile for new.
Again, welcome to the family.
Semper Fi
Andyman
-
Welcome Marine!
What is the Purple Heart for? That may well be a good starting point for your PTSD claim. Same goes for the MVA in country. As for the Tinnitus, that should be a fairly easy one, since a majority of the tinnitus claims are solely awarded/granted based on your MOS. Being a 03hump-a-lot and 3 tours in the sand would certainly have exposed you to enough gun fire and various loud combat noises to damage your hearing. There is no test for it, since it is internal nerve damage, basically only you can hear it in your head. They may do a hearing test to see if you have hearing loss, which can easily be checked by comparing to your hearing tests from boot camp or the MEPS exams, which should be in your SMR.
Semper Fi
Andy
-
I'll do that this evening after work. Thanks for the address.
-
Buck,
I was reading some of the past threads about Dr. Ellis, seems to be pretty squared away. Not sure if his clinic does MH and SA work. Maybe I just missed it on his website.
I still have some $ left from my EED to cover the costs of the IMOs, but if I have to travel there....no way I'll be able to swing that with my boss(wife).
I will have to open that package from the NOVA lawyer, it has a copy of my C-file and some radiology images on discs. We'll see if there is a letter in there. And if not, who do I contact in regards to reporting a NOVA lawyer for turning me away?
-
ArNG11,
But when is slow too slow? Or maybe OTIS...Old Tired Intolerably Slow is the acronym of the day?
Maybe this Dr. Ellis(and friends) can see the light in my SMR and write the right nexus.
Buck,
Ellis clinic charges $500 for the first 4 and $100 for each additional...according to his website.
It's not that I want to throw in the towel, just want to let someone else hang on to it for a while.
As for why the NOVA lawyer decided my case wasn't worth her time...don't know, I couldn't open the packet that she mailed my file back in. So I don't know if she wrote saying why she decided that. Maybe I will look at it this weekend.
Andy
-
-
Dang it, wrote a nice reply, Buck, then clicked submit, and it went away.
-
Buck,
Yeah, got denied for the sleep apnea and MDD as well. I appealed both, and will know something more in 3-5 years, I guess.
I spoke to a NOVA lawyer not too long ago...and got turned away, 4th time wasn't the charm for me.
My VA MH doctor told me that he can't help me as per the law and regulations(help with my claims, not the therapy itself), as far as which way to go and such. And as per same regs can't even write an IMO.
The P.A. who my sleep apnea file is assigned to, at my private sleep clinic, doesn't believe that pain can disrupt sleep enough to be a factor in SA.
I previously contacted Mr. Attig's office, was turned down by him, and the firm they recommended, and H&P as well.
It's hard enough just trying to live, to do my job well, to keep the wife happy(no success there), be a good daddy, and son, without having to fight the VA. It's no surprise that the results of my neurological exam(at the VA)showed marked memory loss issues.
Yes I've had a few wins with claims, but they're the small ones, the big ones elude me. Every denial adds more "weight" to my load, at this point I just want to dump that load off my back. I don't even want to think of asking for help anymore, because I know I can't get turned away if I don't ask.
-
EODCMC
That's great news. I have no hopes for my own SA claim, tho. Other than a few notations on health surveys in my SMR, and one note of sleep troubles during a dr visit, I have no real documentation to support me. I was hoping to tie it in with my MH claim...but that too, seems to be stuck at the outer marker. So I will be enjoying the 3-5 yr appeals process on those...if I can
-
Dfinn,
Welcome to Hadit. It takes at least 3 days for your exam results to be available on the blue button download feature of myhealthyvet...if it was a inhouse exam at the VA. Otherwise you may be SOL.
On here there is a link that takes you to the rating chart, you would have to look on there to see what your rating for your feet would be. For me, I have a 30% rating for pes cavus w/plantar fasciitis bilateral. As you well know, your feet issues aggravate everything that goes up from there...however, that being said, does not mean the VA will grant or recognize any secondary issues due to the pes cavus...without a 9 round fight.
According to my VA Podiatrist, bunions are not caused by anything more than your genes...which is to say...hereditary. He cited a recent study that showed an equal occurance rate of bunions among shoe wearing and non-shoe wearing people groups. Said study showed that native peoples of Asia and Africa had a near identical rate of bunions per person as do the shoe wearing populace of the more modern areas of the world. Here's the caveat...that means bunions would be a secondary SCD due to the simple fact of that rule being caused by(not bunions) OR aggravated by(bunions)a SCDs...which in my case, and hopefully yours will be the SC pes cavus w/plantar fasciitis. I only recently found this out, in the past month, so I have not filed that claim yet.
It may well be that since your VA podiatrist has already DXd you with these issues, the examiner didn't need to go indepth with the exam. Hope that's the case for you. My C&P exam for my feet was done by a VA Podiatrist, but not one that I have seen in my VAMC Podiatry clinic. He hemmed and hawed while having me walk around the exam room, and he checked my feet and wiggled my toes, but didn't really give anything away. But when I saw his notes and he cited an entry in my SMR, making the SC link, I knew I was in.
Semper Fi
Andy
-
I used the little nose mask(the one that goes over your nose only) when my psi was set at 11. I couldn't tighten it too much, the pressure against my face around my nose, while not that great in reality, actually was pressing against my sinus cavities and some how was restricting the airflow through my nasal passages??? I can push on my face with my fingers to simulate it, so I don't know about that. But recently I was retested, new cpap pressure is 14, and I now use the nasal cushions(?) that go in the end of your nostrils, only has 2 straps, and do have to use that chin strap. Seems to be working okay, I discovered that it all works better with my humidity set on 4, instead of 3.
But when you got a cold or sinus infection going on, and your nasal passages are congested...boy that adds a whole new layer of fun to Cpap use!
-
Geo,
You can always file a claim for increase of your current SCDs. If your cervical spine has deteriorated as much as you say, new x-rays and MRI images will show the change from before to now. Some of the ratings are based on range of motion (ROM), so for example, you filed for increase for your neck, and the ROM has changed/worsened, that can get your rating bumped.
According to my VA MH therapist, pain is well known to influence change in MH and sleep status. Both are very common causes of depression, or worsening depression that already exists. But getting it proved and granted for SC is a big challenge with the VA.
-
12 hours ago, mrmark1999 said:
on the fast letter they didn't even have my MOS listed USMC 2542 Communications center Operator now what how do i find out weather its hi mod or low
Did you make any complaint of ringing in your ears at all, while in? Or did you serve in any location where you would have been exposed to gunfire, or arty, or explosions? If so, that may be a way to link your tinnitus to service.
AO good news
in Agent Orange
Posted
Buck,
Not sure, but this idea just came to me, perhaps it has more to do with other things. For example education, him with 8 + years of college, me with a few college credits. Career, him 24 years including combat in Vietnam, me-6 years of mostly peace time service. And perhaps that I am not one of his peers, so I can't possibly understand.
I do know that he belongs to a men's group at his church, and is pretty active in that. Maybe that is where he talks about stuff. I can't even begin to understand what his life was like. Going from haves to have not at age 6, but still visiting some family that still "had".
Maybe it's family history thing, as I am 5th generation Vet in his bloodline. Perhaps the long term effects of Military service and combat have come home to roost.
it may be that he doesn't want my help , so I won't know the depths of his pain and or suffering, so it won't add to my own burden.