stillhere

Yeah kind of gets in the way of denie denie denie until you DIE!

Below is my letter to the VA for a reconsideration: Dear Sir: I am hereby requesting a “RECONSIDERATION” of my award dated July, 16th 2012 for hearing loss and an Earlier Effective Date of 1983. The award for service condition for hearing loss is based on the same information that was in my file in 1983 when I was denied. I am asking for a total review of my hearing loss issue in my C-file and an award date of 1983 based on these facts. The examiner stated in 1983 that I had normal hearing on both my entrance and exit exams, that is clearly wrong, my exams each showed a high frequency loss on both. Subsequently the rater appears to base his/her decision base at the time on the examiners remarks and denied service connection. I would appreciate a quick review of this matter and award due to the fact of my over all health condition. Thank you,

To truly get anything from any organization you have to get involved. If not it is like not voting you have no right to complain. Just my opinion.

Thanks J for weighing in! That is exactly what I am looking at and again wonder how in hells name they could have missed the diseased ears and not put two and two together! DA Stillhere

Berta, In the 1983 ruling all it said was denied service connected..... Being of a hard head back then and probably suffering from PTSd even back then I said screw them! I went on about my life and dealing with my growing hearing loss and paying for all my own aids and tests trying to find a answer why? Not until I was at the legion hall one day did another vet tell me while I was filinf\g for diabetes 2 that I should try and reopen my hearing claim. Berta you have to remember back in 83 the denials where flying fast and furious and many of us did not know or just did not appeal. VA even used the hospital care as a scare tatic. I mean many vets said it was horrible and the time. One vet told me if you want to die go to the VA if you want to live don't. Not until I finally got a copy of my service military medical records did I realize all the information the VA had at their disposal in 83 and yet they still denied me! I wnet through a lot back then and their refusal to help me cost me a whole lot especially with my family and all the cost I had to pay when I did mot have the money too! Guess I will check out the rating termono;ogy and try find out why it wasn't granted! Thank you, Stillhere

Hi Berta, And as always thanks for the great advise! I have been doing some research through my medical records and found that otitus media noted in my records in Vietnam and in my exit exam and also .it was noted in my c&P for my first attempt in 1983. This by itself can cause a hearing loss. This is confusing to me on one level. why the VA did not say anything about this. I actually just went through a severe bout of otitius and ended up having to have a tube put in my good ear! should I bring this up to the VA during by reconcideratiom? Stillhere And I am Stillhere!

Indy man, it is the VFW that is going to bat for Hickey not the AL?

Because of the so called Amnesty that was granted to those "canadian citizens" during Vietnam, any draft now would never work! Our country is truly in those that love it enough to defend her!!

WHEN i WAS LET GO BACK IN 09 BECAUSE OF AND BASED ON MY sc CONDITIONS. i WAS mad like you and wanted heads to roll and I was going to bust my ex emplyers chops! How could they just let me go and make it look like I wasn't carrying my own weight and holding back the company. Well I have now been retired now for 4 years and my health if I had contiued to work would have probably have me in the ground 3 years ago! Sometimes someone needs to make decissions for us that we can not or do not want to make. I went ahead and filed for SSDI and was granted in 4 months so I guess someone knew more than me. Don't get me wrong I would love to still me working now but it just is not in the cards for me to work and stay alive. So I take one day at a time and get by doing others things that my drs. say I can do and I am pretty content now. You on the other hand are going to need all the documentations you can get especially from the doc that limits your lifting. It will not be easy to get ssdi and iu and unfortunately it is going to take time. I hope you have savings to help you get along why you are waiting. by the way how old you are comes in to play a lot with the SSA.

Berta/John, Well concerning my problem went back to ebenefits and took a better read of what they are doing: Appears they are treating my reconcideration of my award as a "reopened" claim. Sent me a request for further if any evidence on 2/14/2013 and I have till 03/16/2013 to comply. I am heading back home tomorrow so will have to jump on this fairly quick. I am thinking of just sending them a summary of the events in my file and tell them that I have nothing more to add and let them decide. I still have an option of a NOD and or a CUE correct? Further if they decide no then I may even get more info from why they denied in 83 in the first place. Back then they just said denied wo a one page letter and I did not appeal. I tried to reopen back in 2005 and that is the date they are currently using, but I feel after reading the that decission that by their own words it should have been decided that way in 83! Last time it took almost 7 years and might again but if it does and I am am not around the benefits would go to my wife right Berta? I guess I have to stop thinking like that but I ain't getting any younger and my heart and DB2 are taking their tolls on me. But Stillhere Thanks, all again! Berta please let me know about what happens if I die?

THANKS! I am out of town now and went to the ebenefit site, and saw they had moved me to request for evidence and was a little actually a lot suprised! Don't they read their mail?? I am trying to remember the member here saying I should go with a recon instead of a cue but name seems to slip my thinking. When I get back to my home on Tuesday next I know I will have quite a bit of mail to go through. John999 and Berta bot recommended a cue and Meg is probably right I am wasting my time not doing it now. I just don't understand why if the VA has a letter from the vet stating he is asking for a reconcideration based on what is in his file. They just can't review the file and then give me my decession and I can then move on with a NOD or a CUE which ever my lawyer will recommend. This latest approval was based on a C&P that they finally gave me after 7 years of getting them to reopen my file. Of course was they did and I went to for my C&P it proved beyond a doubt that I should be granted SC! Based not only on my MOS at the time, but also on the bogus exit exam which any compintent audio person could see. My entrance exam showed I had a hearing loss and then my exit exam showed I had perfect hearing?? Now that is a fluke if anyone has heard one. Why the only went back to 05 is the big question since everything was in my folder and should have been enough to show it. Hope to find out more when I get back and will post some questions to see how to take this further. Thank you again, Stillhere

I would like to add here that I do not go to the VAMC for my heart treatments I use a private doc who is board certified and came very highly recommended. My observation on the VA and veteran care is something like the fox guarding the hen house. Can't proof a thing at this point but I am very worried getting treatment to keep me alive by someone who is also paying me compensation for the same. Just saying. Stillhere

I while back I posted on here about my hearing claim being approved on basically the same evidence the VA has had from my first claim for hearing loss back in 83 that was denied. I was thinking of filing a cue at that time but instead went with a reconsideration. On ebenefits it is showing the VA is treating my claim as a comp&pin claim. They just sent me a request for any other evidence I might have?? In my letter to them I specifically asked for a reconsideration based on the facts that are in my folder from 1983-to present. I asked them to review my folder and give me an earlier ED based solely on my file. This request for new eveidence is totally out of what I am trying to do. How would I respond to this request? Advice them again to read my letter and proceed with their review or send another letter spelling out what I feel in detail the reasons I beleive they have made a mistake on my effective date? Thanks to all, Stillhere

papa, There is no income cap that I am aware of for SS or SSDI if you are eligible then you can file. If you are not working and can not work at anything because of your disabilities I would file for ssdi. I am 100% for my heart and another 50% PTSD I have been on ssdi for 3 years now and got mine approved in 4 months! Stillhere

After reading your profile I see where you are a retired marshal with over 25 years and retired. I would also like to know if you are ssdi as john asked. I have 50% PTSD which I am never very proud of but at least I am getting help for and meds. I am also over 300% with different conditions due to my service and all are SC. If I were you I would work more on getting my myeloma SC and go from there. I am not a shrink but I am pretty sure once the myeloma is SC all the rest will be SC based on residuals of that. Try and keep a positive attitude while you deal with that. I know it is easier to say than due but would like to see you stay around longer in your golden years!! Thank you for your service and keep your head of Marine!

You need to go to the ROI and get his a copy of his medical records and a see what DX he has and then see what meds he was taking. If there is no DX of PTSD by any of his doctors then it will not fly. Good luck to you! Stillhere

I would think that your doc is going to have to tie this up in a neat package for you to be SC at this time and get a rating. If you have been denied 4 times where are you in the claims process? NOD, form 9 or are you at BVA? The VA is not going to give in to this until your doc or someone comes up with a rational of how your severing in the military caused it to worsen if in fact it has. My son was born with a congenital problem and after all the operations he is basically considered normal but has all the scars of course! let us know where you are as i asked up top and we will see if we can help!

During my very first C&P exam for DB2 the doc asked me if I had any other problems I felt were related to the diabetes. I told him I had been taken viagra for ED so he put it down. When my award came the VA awarded smc-K for it. Also your med records will be looked at especially since you had your heart surgery at the VAMC. Not to say you don't have to put in for all your other conditions as the other poster said but for some strange reason I did not? After my heart attacks in 2005 My heart was added for IHD but I had already had it connected to my DB2. Good luck to you on your claim!

Say it ain't so Joe!! Ms. Berta, This post all most did me in! my heart took a blip and you of all people know my heart can't take it! I appreciated all your help with my agent orange claims and your leadership with my claims I believe DID HELP MY BACK LOG! One suggestion in your new en devour tell them to do all they can to insure the veteran's claim is well prepared and there will be less of a chance in it adding to the back log! Stillhere!

Welcome!

I don't get this deep into why I am SC for anything but it does it a nerve when someone comes on here and says I have to get to 100%! Anything like that kind of talk does not help anything. I remember when I was sent to a VA shrink after I got a bit upset with a rehab counselor. That led me down a trail of being dx'ed with PTSD and I really wasn't sure if that was right or not? After a vet center visit and really having me go over things I had to face the fact that it was true! I appreciate the fact that the VA is helping now and will be there for me and others I hope!

That is a good one John! As more than likely true! Papa, I wish there was someway to help you along but getting all wacked out over it is surely not going to help your health. Please take a deep breath and calm done and try and be the spirit of those that will win in the end. I live in this big ass dump area and I can tell you it is very hard to get anyone to even deal with listening to you. Here they are more worried about getting to work and, then they start worrying about getting home. I know from experience of years of working with them and now have 3 brothers working there! While there are some good folks there they are really hard to find. If you need me to realistically help you in anyway please PM me and I will try.

Not sure on the pain clinic I have never been asigned to it. Mostly I just go to PCP and tell her how my pain is and she has been writing my scripts for me. I take percocept 3 times a day and I also take 2 trmadol 4 times a day. Seems to keep me paint tolerable I call it but does not knock out all the aches and pains, but as I said I can tolerate it. Having some trouble with my hips now on driving trips from sitting so long plan on talking with her next week about that. My impingment my have not gone a way but I don't feel it any longer so I don't know exaclty what happened. Just really glad I did not need to get cut!

You can send them a iris and tell them to withdraw the claim date 2012 and that should do it.

Sorry I am confused by your post. Are you already 100% and just looking to get htn and cardio included? What is your question?