stillhere

Had this happen to me a while back I was denied for something don't remmeber but I looked in the evidence thing and they did not have my doctor's letter listed so I sent it in again with a NOD and they approved it. You have to really read a denial almost better than an award to make sure they got evrything BECAUSE if it aint listed they did noe consider it!

Larry my audiologist reviewed my records and said my hearing got better when I came out, almost perfect hearing! She is writing a letter stating it is totally inconsistand for my hearing to have gotten better there for the test is not worth the paper it is written on.

I would appreciate someone with the ability to explain the results of my hearing test going into the service and coming out. Pre induction test R 250 - 500=15, 1,000=15, 2,000=10, 3,000 -,4000=30 L 250- 500=10, 1,000=15, 2,000=15, 3,000- 4,000=10 separation test R 250- 500=15, 1,000=15,2,000=15, 3,000-, 4,000=15 L 250- 500=15, 1,000=15,2,000=15, 3,000-, 4,000=15 Do you see what I see?

John, VA wants to pull my four upper teeth on right side and said I will probablt need a temp bridge, one that I can take in and out. My outside dentist says to ahng on for a while longer but my teeth are realy loose on that side and one is actually broken below the gum line. Not sure at this point what I am going to do. May have the VA pull them at no charge and then deal with my outside dentist to fix them. I have to go in for a cleaning on the 29th of Dec. But in my case when I asked the VA doc if we could just yank them all out and do dentures he said NO! Your other teeth are fine! So in my case they seem to want me to keep my teeth.

When I got out in 71 it clearly says high frequency hearing loss, when I filed in 83 the Rating Decision in my C file said: SMR shows normal audiogram on preinduction PE. SMR is silent for complaint of hearing loss. SMR shows normal audiogram on separation PE. VAE shows mild to severe HFHL on the right and mild to moderate on the left. Evidence of record shows that no hearing loss occurred durring service. NSC VE 6292 bilateral HF hearing loss My discharge PE while it does say is qualified for separation it also states Hearing loss- unilateral high frequency loss. Please let me know what you guys and gals think.

Carlie, In 1983 I filed for hearing loss at the time mainly to get some help with hearing aids. I was denied so I said screw them and paid for my aids myself ever since. so it is was an unappealed decision. I have just recently been trying to get it reopened, that brings me to the question am I going about this right by trying to get it reopened or should I just file a cue claim and drop the reopen claim. Hope this helps.

Berta, If a hearing loss claim is denied and then the vet gets their C-file and information is in the file that clearly shows there was a hearing loss at discharge. Is this grounds for a CUE? Also while I am on the subject if I am having no luck in getting my claim reopened can I go ahead and file a CUE while I am waiting?

Hope this helps carlie: FOIA request processing time Once the right agency (or component of an agency) has received a complete and perfected request, it has 20 working days to respond with its determination of whether to grant the request. If information is denied in full or in part, the agency must give the reasons for the denial by this deadline. If granted, it does not have to deliver the applicable documents within the timeframe, but must do so promptly thereafter.

The Freedom of Information statue states 20 days, I thing I saw it the first time here on one of Berta's post. If you would like me to goggle for you and post it I will be glad to help.

Ron, I use VA for most everything except my SC heart condition, I still have outside insurance. I would like to know too. I am 80% now so the VA pretty much does not charge me anything but they occasionally do try and bill my insurance and they ignore them as much as I do. I may request my PCP do put me in for a VA cardio consult to see what they have to say.

To get a copy of the C file just send the RO a FOI request for your 1 free copy. They are supposed to have 20 days to comply but mine took about 45. Read the entire file and see if they or you may have missed something. I would call the 800# exspecially if your claim has been in as long as you say and you have not heard anything. The VA usually sends updated generis letters about every month or two just to say they are working your claim. Hope this helps, good luck with your claim and thank your husband for his service!

John, I had one of these test back in 2000 I think and I was first set for a chemical like you and shot up with the stuff and everything and then ended up doing the walking stress test after all. I was told after the test that my heart was strong and to start jogging or working out 30 minutes three days a week. In 2005 after trying to get heart pain SC I had a heart attack with damage leaving me with a LV of 41% and a rating at present of 60% secondary to DB2. The only test I trust anymore is the cath cause that REALLY tells it all. Good luck on your test!

unbalievable! Well I am in this to the end now be it BVA or Jesus!

Ricky, Met with the new audiologist that replaced the one that wrote my last IMO. He is actually a ex marine and understands pretty good what I am going through. he made copies of all my stuff and your letters, said he was going to give them to the regional director to write a better IMO and expidiate it for me. I have already sent the letter from the VA back and have them moving my claim along after 30 days so I need to get this in by the 18th of this month. I hope this works this time or I am going on to BVA there is absolutely no reason why this is not SC. I will post the results and the IMO when I get it. Stillhere

John, I agree with some of the others you need to go to an outside cardio doc and get a complete workup. Have them give you a report of what they find. the VA denied my heart disease request for over 3 years until I suffered a heart asttack in 05! Only after that did they give me heart disease secondary to DB2! i am now rated at 60% heart because of the damage done with the heart attack. Please go to a cardio doc as sonn as you can! Stillhere

Ron, I had to fight tooth and nail to get my heart connected, to the point where a heart attack occured to actually connect the dot to my db2 DX. Now my heart is 60% becuse of my LV is 44% with damge to the heart muscle. They still only gave me back to the date of my attack and not when I filed 18 months earlier. Good luck on your claim but as jbasser said a cath is golden rule!

yeah that it was the always say. If I can find anything that might help you I will shoot it your way. By the way I was in Danang in69-70

Thanks ricky, And that is what I am looking to do. I have an appointment on the 9th of dec, and I plan to take call my paper work and tell the doc what I need is an IMO that ties my hearing loss without question as starting in the service! Now as far as the updated test I provided one and looks as if they have accepted the fact that there is a severe hearing loss as a dx. I have a form I have to send back asking me if I want them to make a decision with what they have or in 30 days after I send in the supporting documents. I plan to send that in today and ask for the 30 days and send in they new IMO and go from there. Does that sound right. One other problem the audiologist who wrote the first IMO has left the firm and I am to see the new replacement. Is there the likely hood of the VA feeling I am doctor shopping or should I add in my support statement that this firm is the firm I have gone to since 1983 and I have had a number of different doctors. Any problem there? As always thanks very much for all intended help. Any guess on what precentage I should be asking for? Oh one other thing as far as a EED for this I am hoping for the date of 2005 when I started being seen finally at VA and getting aids, should I mention that. I have a feeling the reason they are being so picky on this is they are not looking to give a start date of 1984!

Thanks Rental for the form, so what rate should I be asking for?

That is what I was thinking too, but the VA turned it down. I have a meeting with the outside audiologist for Dec. 9th and hope to get a stronger worded nexus most likey do to, or more than likely. Anything to help. As Far as the right ear goes the numbers I gave you are correct and the speech reg would be 0' I guess. I take that back in looking at my test from the VA who now gives me my hearing aids and batteries they have the right ear at 44% and the left at 60%this is from a test of July 2005. Thanks for all the help!!

Rental, I was just going over some of my old records. I was with a support unit in Danang and my official mos was 52b30 power generator operator. I essentially maintaned and supply all the electrical for the compound. I just like a lot of us back then did not work in my MOS right away. I was actually held back in Long bien for about 3 weeks trying to send me somewhere. They finally found a hole for me with the HQ company for about two months doing primeter patrol and tower guard. I started my actual assignment after that and worked on all the generators on the flight line and the company's big ass 150K diesel engines. LOUD AS SHEET. I was still required to pull tower when my name rolled around and was certified on the m-60, and m-16, and m-79. On my discharge papers it states high frequency loss! my audiologist wrote me a letter saying the noise I was subjected too was consistent with truama damage. I have worn an aid since 83 and paid for them all quite simply because I did not want to deal with the VA!! You said you would let me know what you think I should be rated for this, what do you get?

Carlie, Just one sheet and it read: We can not grant your claim for disbility benefits. The evidence does not establish service connection for the following: "EVIDENCE OF RECORD SHOWS THAT NO HEARIING LOSS OCCURED DURING YOUR SERVICE"

We determined that the following condition was not related to your military service, so service connection remains denied because the evidence submitted is not new and material. Evidence is considered new when it is not merely cumlative of other evidence on record and is considered material when it is revelant nad probative of the issue at hand. New and material evidence means evidnece not previously submitted to agency decisionmakers, which is neither comulative nor reduntant, and which by itself or in connection with evidence previously assembled is so significant that it must be considered in order to fairly decide the merits of the claim. service Connection for bi-lateral high frquency hearing loss Your claim for service connection for a bilateral hearing loss was previously denied by our decision of July 18, 1984 You did not file an appeal within the one year of that decision and it became final. New and material evidence is now needed to reopen the claim. A calimant may reopen a finally adjudicated claim by submitting new and material eveidence New evidence means existing evidence not previously submitted to agency decisionmakers. Material evidence means evidence existing that by itself or when considered with previous evedence of record, relates to an unestablished fact necessary to substansiate the claim. The current medical evidence shows a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss. However, the current medical evidence obtained in connection with the current claiim does not constitute new and materal evidence because it does not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim and does not raise a resaonable possibility of substantiating the claim. There is no medical evidence of record to attribute the currrent findings to your military service. You have indicated exposure to noise while in service but the service treatment records show no indication of hearing conservation or profiles or noise exposure. Test: RE 250/50, 500/70, 1500-, 2,000/105 3000/105 6000/105 8000/105 LE 250/60, 500/70, 1000/75, 2000/70, 3000/70, 4000/65, 6000/80, 8,000/75 Speech recognition right ear CNT (could not test) left ear 68% Thanks for any help!