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ReallyAngry

Third Class Petty Officers
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About ReallyAngry

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  1. Okay, thanks. Yeah, my mind is boggled as to the necessity. They didn't really need to see me. The information requested was all in my medical records at the VA. He said something about making sure all of the data was forwarded to the VARO, but don't they already have access to all of it? Really makes me nervous however. I just don't like it. Thanks for answering. When the board remanded, the explanation given was that they needed to review the records available to make a determination. He didn't ask me anything that wasn't in those same records. I guess I should have lied and claimed not to remember it? These people have unbelievable power over our lives and no accountability.
  2. Just what the title says. Made me uneasy, but I felt like I couldn't say no. I changed the password once I got home, but given my history of examiners sometimes feeling like they can make stuff up or say whatever, I really don't feel comfortable that this guy now has access to everything in the VA online as if he was me, including communications, appeals, etc. I'm pretty sure all of it is linked and he can pretty much screw with anything he'd like. What can or should I do?
  3. Please let me make this clear--when I say they were joking about a vet, they were laughing loudly, the way someone laughs at a bar when they hear a funny story. They disgust me.
  4. Thanks, Broncovet. I intend to file that after surgery. GBArmy, no sweat man. I'm 70% for major depressive disorder, 100% TDIU since 2010 and 100% permanent and total since 2019, for a long list of things. I've been to the BVA twice. Both times, they slammed the VARO in Atlanta. FWIW, while sitting in the cafeteria at the VARO in Atlanta, waiting for my hearing with the judge, I got a chance to listen to two employees seated not twenty feet from me joking loud enough about a vet to overhear everything about how this guy wasn't getting another dime because he'd already received a big handout. So, I guess it's not about law, but about their personal opinions. One big handout to a customer folks. Who cares how the VA may have screwed up or they might actually have a meritorious claim was their attitude. As for CCK, I see they have a poor rating on Yelp, but it's because a lot of folks don't like that they wouldn't take their claim/appeal. I don't expect something for nothing. What I do expect is that if someone wants to show up to help me at the end of the day, after I've lifted the bulk of the burden, they better bring something good to the table if they want a piece of this action. In this case, I guess I have nothing to lose. I wasn't going to go to CAVC anyway, so nothing ventured, nothing gained. They contacted me, so maybe they'll take it. Maybe they won't, but I wasn't looking for their help to begin with. I'll take the advice I received here from names I recognize from over the years. I'll give them a call and see what they say. Thanks again. Only thing is the number they give me to call doesn't appear on the web. I'm nervous this isn't the actual law firm but a scam. Any suggestions on how to deal with it to make sure it's legit?
  5. First, thanks for all the information from those who've been around and know what's what. I appreciate you taking time to comment. Second, just so you know, I changed my VSO after my BVA hearing because of the obvious issues the previous VSO had and how my guy was a complete jerk to me. After failing to offer any pre-hearing advice or return any of my contacts over the previous couple of years, the guy belittled my approach, even though I presented relevant information that the judge acknowledged as having some merit. Advised me to not share any of it with the judge, which would've been a mistake. Changed to DAV, then heard nothing at all from them until I got this BVA decision. Could I have pursued it more aggressively? While dealing with everything else? No. I did what I could. Why didn't I change my VSO sooner? I did, but the VA never processed the paperwork. I wasn't even wanting to go to court. I was ready to walk away. I'm tired and I am exceedingly angry. I'm getting part of my foot amputated this week because of a stupid mistake a VA podiatrist made ordering me the wrong material inserts for orthotics. I've spent the last 6 months jacked post-surgery to remove undermined tissue on the bottom of my foot. That finally closed, fully healed, two weeks ago. Thought I might be getting ready to walk again, but now find I've got a bone infection and something has to go. So, yeah, I'm angry. F the VA. I made it here without their help. It took me over 25 years, but I made it. After game upon game, denial upon denial, F the VA. Funny thing is this--every time it gets to the BVA, I'm vindicated. F the VA. The VA has saved itself some money through this process of prolonging the vet's struggle, but it will lose far more in the long run because I cost the VA a lot more today than I would've had they truly helped me when I was a lot younger and more able to bounce back. I'd rather be on a job today and have a purpose beyond being angry, but that's gone forever. I can't get it back. Nobody has any use for an angry disabled middle-aged man. I do what I can to make meaning for those in my life, but outside my family? Forget it. I'm no hero. I was injured doing my job during a time of peace, so a lot of people don't want to hear about it. Somehow we have to earn our pain through blood for it to be considered worthy to the world. As for 80% of something, sure, why not. Not that it will ease my constant pain, the aggravation of being treated like a non-citizen, the humiliation of explaining over and over again why I have the problems I have (being treated as though I ask something for nothing, like I just want a disability check instead of healing), or give me back what I paid for this country again and again every day of my life since I took an oath I've never been released from. Are others worse off? Have others suffered, given more? Of course, but that doesn't fix my life today. I can't know what it is for them. I only know what it is for me, and it sucks. For what it's worth, I've been told by the VA that I'm non-compliant, but by civilian medical personnel that I'm the most compliant patient they've ever had. If I hadn't worked my tail off this past half-year, I'd be losing more than part of my foot. There are a few gems at the VA, but I rarely find them.
  6. No problem. I've yet to have a good experience with one. As far as I can tell, most of them only care about money. The only ones who are worth the money I can't afford. In this case, I'm not sure what the deal is, but was hoping someone had some insight about it before I toss the letter in the trash and forget about it. I've been fighting the VA half of my life now. I'm 100% P&T. No help from lawyers at all. I have several claims in appeal right now. And I'm about to have part of my foot amputated as a result of a mistake a VA podiatrist made, which will be one more claim. I'm not stopping until they rate everything properly as it ought to be so if they want to play games later and reduce my rating on one thing, there's ten other things for them to sort out. So, yeah, I'm tired, which is what the VA wants. If they'd just done what they should've all those years ago and got me the help I needed instead of playing games, I'd probably still be working a job, but here I am, broken and tired. Also mad that after I finally managed to make it, they cut the flippin' benefits for my kids' college education before they could actually use any of it. But that's the way they do things. I remember sitting and watching C-Span back in the day when they were talking about going back over there to finish what they'd started. Some analyst got up and talked to the politicians about how much it would cost to go. Nowhere in that analysis was any mention of the lifelong cost to veterans and the ongoing costs of benefits to those who receive any sort of permanent injury. Some might think it's a good thing to keep it hushed, but it isn't. Why? Because they know the cost. The veteran knows the cost. The only people who don't know the cost are the citizens. Why does that matter? Because at the end of the day, the unspoken figure will be deducted when they claim they just can't afford to continue supplying those benefits because so many veterans are suffering and the economy just isn't that great. They always knew the time would come when the books would need balancing. They just didn't want to talk about how they'd balance those books by encouraging and allowing the VA and Social Security to deny every claim up front while the politicians are busy cutting the rug out from under vets in back. But I got off the track a bit. Anyone know anything at all about the DAV and CCK and this "special program" not everyone qualifies for?
  7. Thanks, pacmanx1. I wasn't even planning to appeal because as far as I can tell, the BVA got it right. But if there's a valid reason to, maybe I'd pursue it. I'm just not interested in another self-serving attorney screwing me for pay.
  8. So I got a decision from the BVA that seems favorable, totally slam dunking the VARO in Atlanta and the various mercenary opinions they acquired. A few of the items on appeal were remanded for the usual reasons. I don't feel it's necessary to go into all the details. However, then I got a letter from the DAV, which has done absolutely nothing that I'm aware of to help my claims/appeals up to this point. After some boiler plate about CAVC and deadlines, it goes on to say this: So, is this legit? Why after so many lawyers refusing to help me all these years because there is nothing in it for them would these guys be interested in helping me now? I made it this far without any of their help. Why should I even consider such a program where if anything is gained they get a chunk of it? I'm sorry, but I don't generally trust special offers through the mail claiming only to help a select few. Also, I've been burned, let's see, by six separate attorneys on completely unrelated matters. I don't trust any of them, AT ALL. As far as I can tell, most of the problems in this country currently come about because of them--the ones who run for office, the ones who chase ambulances, and the ones who burn their clients for another snort of coke, because they are friends with the opposing attorney, or because they've been paid or threatened in private. I've been through a lot--you wouldn't believe me if I told it all. Already I doubt this will be taken as more than paranoid ravings by an unstable person. More importantly, anyone out there with genuine experience with these guys at CCK? Anyone who has a history of comments online proving they aren't just a hired goon posting social media commentary for pay that is.
  9. Sorry, not what I meant. I've been 100% TDIU since 2009, I think. It was a while ago. I put in the claim that got the radiculopathy a few years after that. As for the CUE or what have you at the first exam, because of all of the other things going on currently (I've got several issues on remand from BVA right now), they wanted no part of me... A lot of work involved for little or no return on the appeals currently in play. Now, if someone was willing to fight for me going back to exit from service, that would be different. There's a huge potential for retro there, IF it rises to the level of a CUE.
  10. Thank you, kanewnut. (you, too, GBArmy) I find your responses at least encouraging. I hate to keep bothering the senator, as there have been several times he's helped me already. I just don't understand why an organization that is supposed to stand for doing what is right encourages and defends those who lie and cause harm to the veteran. I've had them attempt to provoke me in the hopes that I would lose it, say or do something out of line, and get locked up. There are sick people in some places who seem to get kicks out of hurting others. Then a veteran kills himself and everyone acts nice for a while, until the public looks away again.
  11. Please forgive me for not explaining. Attorneys gets nothing if you're already 100% and there's no retro to pay them with, so either you pay them or they ask you to politely move along. I can say this because I've already been turned down by several attorneys for this very reason.
  12. I'm so tired of fighting them. They know it. They lie. I'm sick of it. Here's my situation: I filed a claim several years ago now, and the VA closed it. They never notified me. They claimed they did and that I missed the window of appeal, but I contacted my senator and, guess what--the VA conceded that it had closed my claim without notifying me. They reopen the claim. I wait. They send me to an examiner. I wait. They grant me a rating and service connection for radiculopathy both legs, 10% each, but they give me a connection date of when they reopened the claim, not when I filed originally. The VA, in response to FOIA requests from a few years prior,, also then sends me my C file within a couple weeks of their decision. I look at the examiner's findings on radiculopathy and see that I should've been rated at least 40% on both legs. I file an appeal for both the service-connection date of original claim and proper amount, but I first write them a letter about it, since they claim I don't need to file an appeal to get it fixed. I give them time to respond. They do not. I file an official appeal/NOD to ensure that my right to appeal is protected in spite of what they told me over the phone. A few months ago I got their decision. They said that my letter did not rise to the level of an appeal, totally ignoring the appeal I filed within my right to appeal window. Strangely, in VA.gov, it shows that I am rated 10% bilaterally for radiculopathy in both legs, and 40% bilaterally for the same. ??? Now then, I've been engaged in battles with the VA for 25 years. During my first VA exam the doctor touched me in an inappropriate manner, and when I did not respond positively, he kept certain things from the VA, reporting to the VA that I suffered a buttock contusion, rather than the sacrum contusion that was in the medical record, told them I was on no pain meds, when I was, and when the radiologist said that I might have a fracture or a congenital bone defect, he reported it to the VA as a congenital bone defect. That was 25 years ago. Now, I'm tired. To make it worse, my father who is 85 almost died last December, and I've spent the past six months trying to put affairs in order and prepare for the worst. When I received the decision from the VA showing that it didn't matter that I had filed an official appeal, that they chose to use the letter instead, I gave up. I just did not want to fight anymore. I simply did not respond. I go into VA.gov today, and guess what I see, "You withdrew your appeal." I did? I withdrew my appeal? Funny how things happen. So, what do I do? I'm already 100% combined. I don't want to just give up because my kids need college benefits, and the VA wants to keep me on TDIU so that they might reduce me later because of depression. But what is the point of fighting when the VA will ignore the truth and spin things to their own advantage? Similarly, in 2010, their examiner opined that my SI joint dysfunction was at least as likely as not related to my S/C condition, but they also asked her if they were one injury or two separate ones, and she said two. She said it was a totally separate injury so they denied it, even though she was clearly attempting to say it was S/C in her opinion. And that is one of the issues on remand from BVA. Could someone with some insight point me in a direction? I can't afford attorneys and nobody will help me because I'm already at 100%. The service organizations aren't helping me at all.
  13. Because if I'm missing out on something, I'm going to appeal this decision, or go for a CUE. If there is one thing I've learned from the VA, it's never take no for an answer and never trust anything they say. I'm 100%SC for a reason, and it has nothing to do with lying down by the side of the road and dying, which is clearly what they want all of us to do.
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