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Andyman73
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Posts posted by Andyman73
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I wonder if this applies to a C&P exam I had back in early 2006 that went undecided, even though the examiner said "at least as likely as not"? This is something I was granted 30% just this past summer, on a new claim, 9 years later.
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Oh my goodness, ADodge, my heart breaks for you!!! I had a foster baby go back after 14 months, and we felt like he died. But I cant imagine your hurt and pain of having your baby stolen from you by misdirection of your employer and spouse!
I will pray for you for complete restoration and healing between you and your kids.
Semper Fi.
Andyman
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Even grizzlies need a snack. I catch myself clenching all the time, cuz I feel my teeth being pushed into their sockets. On really stressful days it feels like I powered my way through a 2 pound package of beef jerky! As for driving, I'm usually ok, but tailgaters really get to me. But not like you might think...it's their lack of respect for others. I dont give them an inch, and usually slow down gadually by reducing my cruise control setting one mph at a time. They usually pass me once I have them 10 mph or slower from where we started from. Oh, I should say that this is on the interstate, where they can legally pass when ever they want.
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In one of my recent exams, I saw the examiner questioned my claim for increase for my ankle, since I apparently walked to his office with no problem. But he didnt watch me walk the eighth mile to the waiting room, or the ensuing 45 minute wait. Which is plenty of time to relax and recuperate from the walk.
As for using devices, I always use my prosthetic inserts when I have anything but MH appointments. I keep them in my work shoes or else I will lose them. And I have ankle support that I cant wear because it hurts after a few hours. But I wear it for appointments.
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Oops, I incorrectly assumed you new. Sorry. Ok, STR is your service treatment record. And here are a few others
AD = active duty
SCD = service connected disability
SA and OSA = sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea
Ran out of brain power just now, sorry, side effect of my service.
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Ok, then, no cue. That was my main question. I was thinking maybe EED, since it was written at least as likely as not. Any advice for me on filing my NOD for this? Thanks
Semper Fi
Andyman
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ADodge,
Welcome to Hadit, and thank you for your service. You came to the right place for help. There is more knowledge here than at the VA. Also, if you dont have it, request a copy of your STR, that way way you can begin reviewing it for your other claims. Also request your C-file, which is super important, especially since you've already been denied SC for contentions that occured while you were serving.
Semper Fi.
Andyman
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You probably do Andy! I clench as well. I have a habit of calling it grinding, but that is another thing. I clench. There are these permanent seams inside my cheeks from it, and one of my molars broke from the pressure.
Seams??? I have what feels like a faint ridge down the insides of my cheeks, like right where my teeth meet. I do have wear on my teeth that dentists have tried to blame on grinding, however that is one thing I've never been accused of doing. At least, not at night in my sleep. Not once in my 16 years of marriage has my wife ever said that I grind my teeth. Lots of other stuff but not that. I do rub my teeth together gently, it's something I have caught myself doing, subconciously.
On the other hand, though, I catch myself clenching all the time. I can recall doing it in the service, too. I remember doing it on my drive home from work, holding my breath and clenching, as if I was waiting for something painful to happen. And just this past spring my wife said that my kids saw me clenching and unclenching, while mowing the grass. Apparently I was doing it with every step in time with the pain in my body.
As for camping....yah, you'll feed the bears, alright! Lol!
Semper Fi.
Andyman
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Bunch of lookers, but no takers, eh? No one wants to go first? Give it to Mikey, he'll try anything! No? Ok
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I had well documented jaw pain for nearly 5 of my 6 years, and I was looked at by both medical and dental pros. It was so bad that I would massage my jaw between bites when eating. But I was not grinding my teeth, but clenching my jaw.
Hey, did I just come up with another claim?
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Pumibel, if they want to blame everything on your MH DX, perhaps you should claim them as secondary to your MH? I only recently filed for my first MH claim, so I'm really anxious for that. Mine is for depression secondary to chronic pain. This where having your STR comes into play. You can show where you were treated for various issues while on AD, and they can be primary SC claims, or secondary if they showed up after your service.
Semper Fi.
Andyman
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I posted my info on another thread without remembering this one. It's under cue or need for old foot exam. So please check it out and let me know what you think. Thanks,
Andyman
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slick, pwrslm,
That is how I am planning the hot LZ of OSA, as secondary, but I am curious, I recently filed for depression secondary to chronic pain, how would I tie in the SA to that?
Maybe the Vet in question just hadn't filed for the SA, so the VA sure wasn't going to give it to him, even though they rated him based on chronic sleep impairment(but not the aspect of the sleep impairment).
Semper Fi.
Andyman
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Pumibel,
I went throught that as well. Except I was between visits over 5 years. I didn't think I would be dropped from the rolls. My monthly VA check kept coming, so I thought nothing of it. I got back in at my local clinic, about 8-10 miles from home, instead of 18 country miles. I had gone to a VA hospital about 40 miles from home, but 10 miles from where I was working at the time.
I make sure to stay current, but my PCP makes it easy, since he's monitoring my hypertension and cholesterol. So I go every 9 months, and get scheduled for the next one before I leave from the current appointment.
All these issues you wrote about here, I hope you do plan on speaking with your new PCP about them. Tell them how you felt that the other one didn't seem concerned enough with your health to keep on top of your bloodwork and such. And starting over is better than not at all.
Semper Fi.
Andyman
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Ok, I got it posted, last night, on my own thread "CUE or EED for undecided foot exam".
Guess why it wasn't pasting??? Anyone??? Actually it was, but it was pasting the font in white!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So white on white equals white!!! I kept seeing faint red and green lines, so I checked the font color box and it showed white. So I clicked and dragged and highlighted big black boxes. Clicked font color to black and all the words popped up. Man was I so relieved, after spending 6-7 hours this past week trying to get it to go.
So pop over to that new thread, give 'er a look see and let know your thoughts.
Semper Fi.
Andyman
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I didn't even realize that a C-file only gets formed once you make a claim!
Not sure if that pill poppin party from way back when will have too much effect. Like pete992 said, avoid it like the plague!!! When my MH therapist asked about mine, I said it was pretty good, we were kinda poor, food stamp poor...with my Dad a career Army type. Fun times...
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Sounds like you're on the ball, having already requested your STR. Make sure to request your C-file, also. It's very important to have that. It's where most of us have found various mistakes, or even C&P exams that should have caused a contention to be SC, but was not.
Maybe you can stop off at Camp Lejeuene hospital and pick up my radiology reports? ok maybe not.
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It is sad to hear you say that, and I definitely feel for you my friend. It is really hard to say, it depends on the Rater in most cases. All the experts on here can tell you that the CFR Ratings specifically states this or that, but in the end the RO, C&P Docs, and VA will do what they want whether we agree with it or not. That is why the Appeals Back Log is so long. Good luck, God Bless and always feel that you have somewhere to talk.
Thank you, I appreciate that. Sometimes I feel like I'm standing in a tiny brick room, every way I turn is another blank wall...kinda like a mime, but no one sees me.
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SemperAye,
Perhaps the DDO is going to look at it, since the mouth is his/her specialty. This may be a good thing for you.
Semper Fi.
Andyman
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Buck,
Just to add on what USMC_Vet was saying, make sure you send a hard copy package to the claims intake center in Janesville, even if you submit them electronically on ebenefits. That way you are double covered, and they can't say they didn't get them. Also with the mail, send certified with signature receipt green card, that gets torn off and mailed back to you. While it doesn't get signed by a human, it does get a time/date stamp which then is the proof of when it was received.
May God bless you with complete success with your claim, my friend!
Semper Fi.
Andyman
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Even using my CPAP with the humidifier in it, doesn't make any difference with the frequency or severity of my sinusitis episodes. So many times I put some Vicks on my nose just so I can even breathe a little easier while wearing the cpap.
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desertshield,
Welcome to Hadit, thank you for your service. And thank you for taking a serious interest in your friend's case. I think so many of us might be better off if we had friends like you who are just as interested in our VA claims as their own.
OSA w/or w/out CPAP is a fairly new arena in the VA claim universe. And recent medical studies have tied OSA and PTSD together. As for other MH issues, I'm sure depression would be certainly tied to it as well.
I just filed a claim for depression secondary to chronic pain. I have had sleep issues starting within the first year or so, of my AD time. I plan to bring up my sleep impairment during the C&P, once I have it. I was DXd about 2 years ago, by my private dr. with OSA, and was prescribed a CPAP.
Since your friend is already SC for MH w/chronic sleep impairment, that does already lend a "connecting" hand to what ever the causes or effects of the sleep impairment...such as OSA. I'm surprised that it wasn't included with the chronic sleep impairment...or maybe I'm not surprised, really, considering we are talking about the VA. Have your friend check his rating/decision letter to see if it's worded "at least as likely" specifically regarding the chronic sleep impairment connection. That will be very crucial to bringing the OSA into the picture.
Semper Fi.
Andyman
CUE or EED for undecided foot exam
in CUE Clear and Unmistakable Error
Posted
Broncovet,
I know I wrote a letter, asking for a C&P exam for my foot/feet since the pain and suffering were getting worse, in February of 2006. This exam was 2 months later, in April. When I went through my initial exams, a few months before my EAS, they did examine my L ankle, and gave me 10%, dated the month of my EAS...11/98. The exam took place less than a year after I developed the plantar fasciitis. And in fact the recent examiner SC the contention based on treatment records from early in 1998!!!
When I went through the exam posted above, they also did exams on my ankle, lower back and knees. Even though I had not included them in my foot request letter. The VA took it upon itself to do so.
As for CUE, I just wanted someone with knowledge and experience to say yay or nay, and both you and pete992 said no way, go the NOD way. I didn't know which way was best, and now I do.
As for before that, I only have exams for my knees dating back to 2000, when I was was going round and round before getting lowballed at 10% for them. My C-file does not contain the exam reports from 1998 that I went through while still on AD.
It's already making me physically ill thinking of how my life could have been different if this had been adjucated back in '06. My wife wanted a 3rd baby, but $ was so tight we couldn't afford it. Now we can, but after several years of trying, no baby. The stress from that has nearly driven me to suicide( I started MH treatment at my VAMC this past summer for it). And the amount of $ this possibly represents would have been life changing back then. All the personal sacrifices I've made so my wife had $ to care for our 2 kids, I've been mowing lawns for some of my elderly neighbors just to earn gas $, for the past 6 years. I gave up all my hobbies, too, which did nothing to relieve my stress, and have worked as much overtime I physically could handle, which I'm paying for now.
And because of that, I have no friends, due to lack of time to develope any outside of casual work buddies. On top of that, I think of how much NSAIDs I have taken over the past 23 years, even more so in the past 10 years, how it has effected my health, just so I could do just a little bit more. I've been driving hand me downs from my wife, cuz we couldn't afford to replace 2 cars, so we dumped my old ones, and got her newer ones(updated safety features for her and kids), and I took hers.
I'm sure lots of folks may think what am I complaining about, cuz I have what I have...it's the knowledge that it could have been different, but the VA screwed me royally all those years ago. And while the $ will make my wife happy, it won't give her the baby she's wanted for 8 years now...that I can't give her anymore, either.
I appreciate your advice and guidance, I will bust out the NOD, ASAP!
Semper Fi.
Andyman