bassrunnin1

I just went through the same process, the VA letter stating that I was TDUI, they just looked at it and it had a huge bearing on their decision, they didn't even ask any questions other than when was I granted the TDUI. Since I hadn't worked since 11/14 and started VA claim 8/24/14. Well because I had been out of work since Nov 2013, they back paid me from then (minus the whole 6 month waiting period) So really the only questions they will have is when you stopped working and why. If you just plainly state that it was due to blah, blah, and military sees me as TDUI and you stopped working blah blah blah. Like I said, the TDUI wins you the case, the judge decides the back pay.

Ditto to what everyone else is saying. They are right on the money. I would like to add that there are some days that you think maybe i could go back to work, but then look at the long picture. Could you maintain that job without losing it, could you get even worse by going back to work when you should not. Like these guys say, your 100% for a reason...and you have to think hard and long to say whether you can go back to work. If you can, then I think that means that you are doing better and I envy you. Then you shouldn't be 100%. I am 100% PTSD and sometimes I have a day where I think that i could go back to work, and then the next hour hits or day, and I realize why I am rated 100%. I could see why I'm rated 100% and there are people on here that have been fighting for years to try to get 100% and rightfully deserve so. If you can go back to work I wish the best of luck. But you can't have it both ways. So you need to do a lot of soul searching.

Make sure that you submit the VA letter stating you are 80% disabled when it gets to the gather medical evidence phase. I can't express that enough. Took SSDI about 6 months to complete. Not sure about VA tdui...

I don't know if this helps or not, but I filed my SC and then later filed for SSDI. When I got my SC 70% I faxed that over to the SSDI rep who was working my case. He tried to say that it didn't matter, but I totally think that it did. After about a month I got my SSDI approved. Once my SSDI approved I uploaded the approval letter to Ebennies and the next thing I know it goes to Gathering Evidence to get info from SSDI. took about a week and then a week later got the TDUI approved. It's almost as if you have to use the one to get the other to make it easier process...it's like playing one against the other to get what you want....jmo

Don't talk about your childhood or anything that happened before the military. Don't talk about alcohol or drug abuse. If you have been in car crashes or situations that might cause ptsd after service just don't bring it up at all. You were fine before the military and now you are messed up due to you military service and only your military service. This is the safe way. If you bring up other stuff to the VA it will come back and bite you. If you were molested as a child don't talk about it. If you were robbed and beaten after service don't talk about it. They will use it against you when you go for that MH rating.
If you were ever suspended from school or arrested don't talk about it or mention it. If they cannot prove it then to the VA it is just your mouth that will sink you.


John

I will have to disagree with BroncoVet (sorry), but even though your rating shows only one mental disability, they can piggy back onto each other. Also, where you have quoted I don't see where only one mental health condition has to be evaluated unless I am reading something wrong. In my case I filed for PTSD related to MST. I also was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder when I was admitted to the VA hospital. When I looked into MY BLUE Button, it was interesting to see the RO talking to the C&P examiners. The RO wanted to know if the Bipolar could have been attributed to the PTSD or caused the Bipolar. The C&p examiner stated that more likely than not the bipolar was at least exasberated (awful spelling) by the MSt. Because of that I believe my rating was higher than would have been with the PTSD alone. I probably would have gotten 50% if PTSD was looked at. But because of the BIpolar I was awarded 70%. I guess if your Bipolar was made worse due to PTSD then there maybe a rating change. However, MST comes in many forms, I would believe it would probably be denied based on the info that you have given us so far. THeir maybe more...but the Bipolar must have been made worse due to the PTSD and that is a hard argument to make after all these years. I have Bipolar and understand what you are going through. I went through a very manic episode when my PTSD starting affecting me since often times episodes are triggered by stress. But you would also have to prove that your episodes are caused or made worse by the PTSD and that will be a hard argument to win based on how the military sees bipolar.

In actuality, they often use previous abuse against MST survivors stating that their was a preexisting condition to the PTSD/MST and that the MST is null and void because of that. I guess when you think about it I was rated 50% PTSD, 30% Bipolar and 10% PCL to give me the rating of 70%...Not 100% sure about that though.

I never had Voc Rehab write a letter for me. I just pulled up my blue button and looked for the discharge remark in the records, I downloaded that section and then uploaded to ebennies under the Other DOCUMENTS SECTION. I think that helped me alot. Sometimes you just got to take the ball into your own hands. If you were taken out then their has to be a comment in the blue button records.