Robbi314

Ok I will do that. Thanks

Thanks so much for the quick reply :) No, after the 2007 decision we did not appeal it. We fought for so long to get this rating,at that point I had no more fight left in me. All they are asking for in this letter is for Declaration of Status of Dependants and request for Approval of School attendance as well as his Dr to complete the Disability Benefits Questionnaire within 30 days which is in relation to B and Hairy cell leukemia. There is no form related to heart disease. Also asking for any further information or evidence asap. They also sent a response form as to wether we are are submitting additional evidence or not. I will check out the NVLSP website.

I am sure the answer to this has already been posted somewhere on this forum, but I have been unable to find it. Any help would be greatly appreciated. My husband was granted 100% P&T for his disabilities(the majority is for PTSD)back in 2007. They went back to 2005 with his award. On Friday we received a letter from the VA in Auburn,WA,(we are in Florida)stating that he was identified as a potential Nehmer class member. He has been treated by the VA for severe hypertension, high cholesterol, triglycerides,etc.as well as skin and mouth cancer since back in the 80's. He was never granted disability for these conditions but was rated at 20, then later 40% for cervical and knee injuries.( He was Airborne) I also noticed, when going through some old records we originally applied for and were denied disability for PTSD along with his other heart related issues back in 2003. I'm not sure quite what to do about this, if anything at all, however they should have gone back to '03 on the PTSD I do believe. Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

My husband got called on 12/12 for a sleep study THAT NIGHT! I guess someone cancelled. He went b/c if he didn't go then, we both knew he'd have to wait forever for another chance. The person who did the study told him the next morning he would be getting a machine delivered to the house. It never came, but then we received an appointment schedule for 12/29 at the VA clinic, and that's when he got his machine. Heck, we were called on 12/27 and told he was rated for 70% PTSD and IU and that it would take as much as 90 days before we'd get anything. We're still waiting! If I didn't have our Congressman's office verify the info we were given, I wouldn't believe it's happening!! Hope this helps!!

Yes the truck I saw was in Fl. actually on I-4. Thanks for the info. We'll keep y'all posted on when we get the actual letter, although they said as much as 90 days,we're 30 days in and we're hoping it gets here asap. It's been a tough time.

Thanks for the reply on the Chapter 35 and the benefit info. That's the answer I was looking for!!

Hi Stan and Pam! Actually the VA rating system is totally confusing , and I almost think in a purposeful way. After my husband's C&P for PTSD was completed was when we found out he was diabetic, but we submitted the info anyway. I'm guessing that they already were completing his rating and just added it in. We were told to let it stay as it was unless for some reason he wasn't granted P&T and then we would use the diagnosis for diabetes to gain that. Does that make sense??

Thanks to all for your quick response and kind words, we so appreciate it. I am glad to have found this website. It is very diverse and informative as well. I actually discovered it while driving down the road and saw the site advertised on someones' ( another vet I assume) pickup truck. It came at a time when we were so downtrodden and frustrated, it was almost a like receiving a "sign". It helps to know you're not alone in your struggle. Please, if there's any way we can help anyone out there with info on our experience (my degree is in counseling and social work)do not hesitate to ask, as I will be checking back on a regular basis. Vets helping other Vets is where it's at!!

Just was wondering if we could get some feedback on this. To make a long story short, we have been trying to get my husband's disability raised from 40% SC to 100% by adding a claim for PTSD. We started the process for the increase in December 2004. Since my husband is not capable of fighting the VA on his own, I have worked and struggled very hard, both through research and communication with service officers and our congressman, speaking with doctors and accompanying him to his C&P exams to get this approved. Finally on December 27,2006 we got a call from the service officer at the VA regional office telling us the good news,that the decision was unofficial until it had been signed off due to the amount of the award, but that my husband had been granted 70% for PTSD and IU. She said it could take up to 90 days for everything to get processed. We were shocked and happy at the same time, and also apprehensive about even telling anyone. Meanwhile, our Congressman's office contacted us to touch base a few days later, saying that they were going to contact their liason at the VA to verify the information we had been given. Several days later we received a letter in the mail from the Congressman's office stating that(and I quote from the letter) the unofficialVA rating decision was dated December 27, 2006, the following determinations were made: service connection for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is granted as being 70 percent disabling effective December 16,2004 service connection for diabetes mellitus due to herbicide exposure is granted as being 20 percent disabling effective December 13, 2006; entitlement to individual unemployability is granted effective December 16, 2004 and basic eligibility to Dependants' Educational Assistance is establised from December 16, 2004. Does anyone out there know if this means he is also P&T? We still haven't gotten the official letter. Any guess as to how long this can take? Any input or advice will be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks!!