stillhere

I would like to see a rule similar to Diabetes 2 when it first became presumptive. If you could prove you had a DX for DM2 before the date it was approved for the presumptive list you got a check for 12 months of retro and those that had filed before nehmer kicked in and were approved back to the denial of their claim. Might be to much to wish for in the economy mess we are in now??

I am guilty as the rest I really need to stay on top of this better. I always get copies of my visits every 1/4 at the VA ROI and some of the junk referring to PCP and even some specialists visit is a real crock and never happened. What are we to do request another appt right after one we just had and confront them. Maybe this is a case where we all need to sit down with a patient advocate and question why this is going on?

OK first off your shrink says your PTSD is chronic: Chronic Chronic refers to something that continues or persists over an extended period of time. A chronic condition is usually long-lasting and does not easily or quickly go away. Chronic is the opposite of acute. Under the rating code for PTSD that will not get you an increase. You are going to need to show that your PRESENT DX of PTSD has gotten worse. Take a look at the breakdown for PTSD and see where you fall. 9440 Chronic adjustment disorder General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders: Total occupational and social impairment, due to 100 such symptoms as: gross impairment in thought processes or communication; persistent delusions or hallucinations; grossly inappropriate behavior; persistent danger of hurting self or others; intermittent inability to perform activities of daily living (including maintenance of minimal personal hygiene); disorientation to time or place; memory loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name....................... Occupational and social impairment, with 70 deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood, due to such symptoms as: suicidal ideation; obsessional rituals which interfere with routine activities; speech intermittently illogical, obscure, or irrelevant; near-continuous panic or depression affecting the ability to function independently, appropriately and effectively; impaired impulse control (such as unprovoked irritability with periods of violence); spatial disorientation; neglect of personal appearance and hygiene; difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances (including work or a work-like setting); inability to establish and maintain effective relationships........................... Occupational and social impairment with reduced 50 reliability and productivity due to such symptoms as: flattened affect; circumstantial, circumlocutory, or stereotyped speech; panic attacks more than once a week; difficulty in understanding complex commands; impairment of short- and long-term memory (e.g., retention of only highly learned material, forgetting to complete tasks); impaired judgment; impaired abstract thinking; disturbances of motivation and mood; difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships........... Occupational and social impairment with occasional 30 decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks (although generally functioning satisfactorily, with routine behavior, self-care, and conversation normal), due to such symptoms as: depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, panic attacks (weekly or less often), chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss (such as forgetting names, directions, recent events)........................................... Occupational and social impairment due to mild or 10 transient symptoms which decrease work efficiency and ability to perform occupational tasks only during periods of significant stress, or; symptoms controlled by continuous medication............... A mental condition has been formally diagnosed, but 0 symptoms are not severe enough either to interfere with occupational and social functioning or to require continuous medication..................... What your doctor writes down puts you in one of these categories. You can see by your treatment where you expect to fit in. Read the criteria for each rating and put yourself in it. You should expect, in your mind, nothing more and nothing less that where you fit in. This will help you, believe me, in the stress of waiting though the process of the claim. A note on these ratings as it applies to your employment: Are you in treatment now or do you just go to the VAMC to see a shrink and get your pills. Also do you go to a vet center for treatment? Being in treatment is from what I have seen the main things that the VA looks at and uses the vet center social worker as a true indicator of where you are in relationship to present day conditions of your PTSD. As far as the veteran down the street that is IU and you consider a drunk. He may have issues that cause him to drink you don't know.

I don't think that is right because my award letter clearly states P&T with no future exams!

While I do not have a dog in this fight (at least now) I feel for the vets that are having to wait, wait and wait somemore. These people doing this should have to wait for something sometime!! I know for sure that Webb will never get a vote from me as long as I live in Virginia! This is just down right wrong. While I am heart connected for my heart disease at 100% because of the way it is Sec to my DM2 I consider myself lucky that I did not file for it until I first filed for my DM2. I would suggest that any new Vietnam vets that do come down with DM2 file for heart disease at the same time. Good luck to all but these claims may not be paid until the end of the year from all I have been reading.

Both letters dated July 16th 2010! Of course there is no hour time on them!! just kidden of course! I could always say I did not get the other one, just like they don't get the stuff we send them!! Hmmmmm

Sounds like some folks here live in glass houses! PTSD can be an is a itch. I would suggest you quit worrying about you Vietnam vet friends and what you consider fraud until you walk in their shoes for a while. The word busy body comes to mind. Berta is a very good poster and senior helper for vets you owe hear an apology.

OK I knew this was going to easy! I got 2 letters from VA the first one I opened says: This is to certify that xxxxxx is an honarbly discharged veteran of the Army and has in service connected disability evaluated at 100 precent. The records alsoshow that a future exam is scheduled in December 2011! Catch my breath and open second envelope this one says: This letter is a summary of benefits you currently receive from the DEPT VA. We are providing this letter to disabled veterans to use in applying for benefits such as state and local property or vehicle tax relief,or any other program or entilement in which verification VA benefits is required. Please safeguard this important document. This letter is considered an official record of your VA entitlement. Then down below it lists SC yes, evaluation 100 present, your current monthly comp amount, Are you considered to be P%T YES Looks like they contradict each other. I think I will just use the second one!!

Sorry about that test but that is kind of what I have been doing the past few days. At the base I would be going to Ft Belovir in the ID section it states the DVA id is "only good for commissary and PX. Tried to call their office but have not gotten through. Did call the golf club and ask if I could join and was told no. So I hope I will find out something straight in the next few days. I did find one site that quoted some rules will try and find that again. It implied that it was at the discretion of the base commander that is why I brought it up. Happy hunting!

The VA does seem to be moving better these days Took total of 9 months and was at rate decision once and then kicked back and a C&P ordered. Could not finish the walking treadmill and had to go for a non exercise one and that one was the one they used to rate. After the C&P took around 45 days till money in bank. Thought the timeline might give a few an idea. Thanks to all for the well wishes! Here is hoping I will get to draw these for a long time!

test do you know where I can find a copy of the rule or law that states a DVA vet rated 100% P/T is granted the same benefits of a retired vet? From everything I have been able to put my hands on lately it shows the commandant of the base has the discretion except the commissary/Px is granted.

What stage is he at now after 12 years? Is he still appealing to the RO or is he at the BVA? It would seem with the new regs for PTSD that have recently been approved that he was one of those that this rule was written for. As far as your question on CUE this is probably not a CUE but something is not right in the way this claim has progressed. Give us a time line of the 12 years and why the VA has denied. That would help.

I think it is a little bit of everything that is involved in the process. We Vietnam vets are getting into our 60's and our disabilities are taking their toll. There are more presumptive too! Time is a killer and a lot of vets that were covered are dieing and the DIC claims are coming out of the wood work. The VA is in a PR phase where we have 2 wars going on and they really need to show these kids that are going and fighting fir their country that they will be taken care of should something happen to them. I like it and glad to see any vet get his/her deserved benefits!

Thanks guys I talked to the lady at the ed. loan and she said like Larry did. If the loan is in his name no. Put the loan in his name when we got it so he could have a good credit rating. I only have little over 6 to pay so no big deal. Doesn't hurt to ask either right? By the way going to get ID cards Friday and live right next door to a base. Actually the wife already goes there with a neighbor who is married to retired E-9. From their website it says the only thing DVA cards are good for is commissary and PX. Does that mean none of the MWR activities or clubs? What have you done or heard? I am not a retired vet. And like testvet said I am happy with what I get but I have seen this posted different ways. What are your experiences?

Are dependent student loans able to be discharged? I am paying for my son's student loan and just received 100 P&T is this loan eligible for loan discharge?

What A crock! My brother who is a Marine and disabled vet from Nam worked for the state for years and then had a blow up and was forced to resign. he took some anger management courses and through VA rehab he landed a job with HUD. When he first started he said you would not believe the wasted time that goes on!

WOW i posted on this thread yesterday but did not realize the date or the amount of views!! Like you Berta I hope he got help awarded and help somewhere.

I currently receive care for my condition, and have been receiving care since Jan. 2007 (from VA?) My questions are: Do I have service connection based on the in-service diagnosis, since depression is the precursor to or misdiagnosis of, bipolar? ( if your doctor can connect it and back it up with rationale) My Dr. is willing to write a letter for me to serve as a nexus. He is concerned over his legal liability - is there any in this case? (non that I am aware of) If his letter is disregarded by the VA, would my SSA award serve as a nexus, since it includes the early in service diagnosis? (the SS award will help but the VA is still going to need something that says it started during your military service) Since the SSA considers me disabled, will the VA look at it similarly and give weight to my award? ( they might but again they will make the service connection first) Do I apply for TDIU with my initial application? ( not sure about this one) Would my effective date be that of my award letter in 2008, my last date of employment in 2004, or the date I file, in a couple of days? ( must claims for VA purposes are date of claim) Any and all input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read this. And a special thank you to all the men and women who take the time to help others navigate the VA/SSA jungle!!! Semper Fi!

Tbird deaflaw.org looks like it has shut down?

WENT THROUGH this before I got to bad but my counselors were useless! After doing all the tests and having the home invation thing I went off on my counselor because she get telling me I was old and kept asking "how can we help you"? You are 60 years old and by the time you get out of school you will retire! Theb she said it again and I blew up and she had me excorted out because I lost it. Next thing I knew I got a call from VA to come in for a MH exam. DXed me with PTSD and gave me 50% and sent me on my way to the Vet center. I would like to go back and get into the ILP program and see if they well bring up my quality of life not sure though if they will see me. If I were you Michelle I would go through the hoops for them but I would make sure they understand you can't work with your axiety and see where it goes. Good Luck and pleaase let us know how you do!

You do not want to get SC in a situation where fraud could be suggestive. I would recommend you give them all the information and let the chips fall where they pay. I am certain you will enjoy life a little better that way. I am not suggesting you are that type of person but you did ask rather a loaded question.

Not sure who has the access and the authority to change and or post in them but I would go to the patient advocate at your MC and discuss this problem with them. I have noticed in getting my records after a PCP visit and even after a shrink visit that they seem to be a little off as far as showing the conditions list.

Quick question did you inform the military about your conditions before you went in?

The time lines are impossible to address. Everyone part of the country is different as well as are claims. QTC is a contractor of the VA that preforms C&P exams their exams will hold as much weight as any done in the MCs. They are usually preformed by doctors/PA's that are requested and directed by the criteria that the VA has established for them. A C&P preformed at the VAMC is again done by a VA doctor/PA under the same principles the only difference I have noted between the two is some VAMC will give you the report at the ROI but QTC requires a request be sent to the RO. These can takes weeks and I have heard of them taken over a month and even some that have had to be requested more than once.

Paper work today gave me 100% P&T for my heart and granted homebound,my other conditions are over 60%. I used a VSO on only one of my claims and did all the rest with the help of this board and one other. I have done a ton of research since 2003 and have asked for help opinions along the way and vets have been coming forward for all those years!! I am very grateful for not only the help but the camaraderie of this board and the other. I have stayed and tried to help in kind for any veteran that would listen to me. Please remember we may not agree on how to do on everything but we all believe in our claims. Remember to make your own decision on the advice you are given and trust your gut feelings! Good Luck to all veterans!!