stillhere

You I assume are service connected for something since you are using the VAHC. I have a claim in right now for increase and am also under VA care for them. The RO did not ask for a C&P on either of the conditions that I wanted to reopen and claim increase but did on my DB2 increase request. I have been told that if the VA does not call for a c+p it could go either way: 1. they have all the info they need from your VA care or 2. they are not reopening your claim base on the info they already have. I would bet in your case they are looking at some way to stall you since you dropped this once before after being denied. You do have the continouse doctor coverage this time around so that is good. Try and get the VA doctor to write a letter for you and if that dosen't go then go to a private doc out side VA and get him to write a letter. Good Luck with your claim. Thank you for your service!

Danang, John and Berta have got you going the right way. They helped me a lot after my heart attack in 05. The only way I was able to get it connected was to have the VA agree that my DB2 dx in 03 was responsible for my heart attack or contributed to it. Now it is secondary sc to db2 and cad. Don't think this helps you much unless you do get DX for db2 and then have a doc write a nexus for you. Good luck with your claim. Stillhere By the way were you and Redbeach in Danang?

May she rest in peace. Take care Oldsol!

OH I agree with the both of you and I did send everything excet this one thing from the foot doctor. But I did send the autho form and it took them till June 27 to ask for his report!! I filed in Feb. and had a C&P in April 17th to be exact. And they wait till June 27th to tell me they are requesting info%%&^&* Come on that is ridicouolus! Thanks for the replys tho. Stillhere

I put in for an increase in April 07 and when I got a decesion letter it did not mention the three other itwmes I had put in for an increase and a another (hbp) that iwas applying to get sc. Well I waited until Feb. 08 and got a new vso and together we wrote up a letter and asked VA to rate these and also added two other new items to my claim. That was in feb.08 I Had a C&P in April 08 and just got a letter July 08 telling me they are contacting my foot doctor on one of the items and once they get taht information they will move along with my claim. Christ I sent them the info to concat my doctor back in Feb.08 and signed the release of information form and they are just getting around with that??? Man they are really running slow or someone screwed up and they just caught. Either way they mess with us vets! Goodluck all with your claims, sometimes I think that is the best we can do!!

True but, if there is a normal time isn't it around 60 days more or less. I wolud stay on top of it and call or iris at least every two weeks. I have heard of the claim bouncing back and forth from the rating board to the pre-determanation (spic) team. Sometime the rater sees something they missed when gathering the info for your claim and sends it back to them. Thats is why I would call/iris every couple of weeks. Goodluck and thank you for taking care of your vet! Stillhere

Rental is correct on the three teller rule, anytime that kind of money is moved or taken out of an account 3 tellers or a teller and the floor manager at the time need to sign off on it. Funny story sort of: Years ago right about when I got back from Nam. My then steo father had an accident and he got a check from the insurance for ithink around $600 bucks to fix it. Well he goes to the bank the check was drawn on and the teller tells him she is going to have to have the manager sign off on the check He thought it was strange at the time but didn't say anything. She comes back after having sign by the branch manager no less. She begins to count out I think it was around $13,000 something and puts it in a sack and gives it to my step dad. He comes out to the car were I was waiting and says come on lets go! He then says look and the money in the sack, well I looked and all the cold hard cash and said to him at the time what are you going to do? Well he said first lets get some beer then lets go get your mother. He kept the money but the bank caught up to their mistake and he ended up having to pay back all the money above what the actual amount of the check was for!! Tha is one of the reasons for the 3 teller rule but sometimes that does not work!! Stillhere

Hi Rockhound, sounds like they are given you the run around alright. I would now pay them a thing if they don't give you something like you requested it. Are you service connected for anything yet? good luck with your claim, Stillhere

Hey John, Check this out: Arthritis and diabetes are both common conditions that affect many Americans. The musculoskeletal system can be affected in diabetes, leading to conditions such as arthritis. For several reasons, diabetics should be aware of this association. In the presence of musculoskeletal complications, the knowledgeable diabetic can decrease pain, improve function and attempt to decrease the progressive severity of some forms of arthritis. Moreover, the diabetic should know that medications used for the treatment of arthritis can interfere with the treatment of diabetes. Modifications in medications sometimes must be made. Arthritis is defined as inflammation of the joints. There are over 100 different types of arthritis. Almost forty million Americans have these disorders. Fourteen million Americans have diabetes mellitus. These common disorders can occur together. As stated previously, medications used in the treatment of one disorder can lead to the development of the other and/or can interfere with its treatment. Stillhere

WELL, just DX with arthritis. Now I guess the fun begins. Anyone getting comp for this secondary to DB2 Thanks, Stillhere

Cherie, I thought I read back in one of your other post that he was recommending you file for SSD as soon as you can. Then if you get that approved send it to the VA and they usually follow suit. Someone will correct me if I am wrong but I think that is how it woeks. Stillhere

Thanks for the reply. I guess it is anybodies guess.

I have been receiving the generic letters from the VA saying they were working my claims and sorry for the delay. But, I have not been contacted for a C&P exam for my sleep apnea claim and my claim to reopen my hearing loss and tinnitus claim. I have had a C&P in mid April on the DB2 stuff, Is this normal, can you explain what might be up with this. Thank you, Stillhere Oh I filed in Feb. 08

Free, Have you tried to get your congress person involved in this? This is disgraceful at the least. Good luck, sorry to hear about your husband. Stillhere

Berta, Should be interesting, I remember back in 83 I got a denial and that was all it said. To be honest they have come a long way since then.

Well thanks for all the replys guys and gals, looks like this is going to be a long if at all as Pete says. sorry to hesar about the vet on suicide watch hope he gets the medical attention he needs. I know how he feels in a way dealing with the VA sure ain't no bed of roses. I wanted a copy of my last C&P but I think I will wait untill after they work this one and then ask. Berta, That is amazing one million claims! Wow I hope they do something to help these vets fast. I have always thought that the VA should stream line and give the vet the benefit of doubt by granting a lets say 30-50% grant right away and then work the calim and come up with the proper award and just take back from the vet or adjust when it is complete. Thanks for all the replys.

Thanks Pete, I have already sent them right back their form on should they wait for anything else and I waived the 60 days. My last claim although done incorrectly which is another reason for this one started in April of 07 and was finished and descision in hand in Dec.07 so uunder 7 months. Stillhere

Well let me suggest a couple of things I would start by sending a request to NARA and get a copy of his records medical and sevice. You mentioned the DR. treated him before discharge and suspected MS he may have written something in SMR Get those and then go over them very thourgh. That is a starting point. Of course if you find some mention there of the MS then you are home free. Also these records you are requesting are totally different from the once at the VA medical center. Good luck on your claim. if I have steered you wrong I apologise and I am sure someone else will come along soon. Thank you husband for his Service.

I have a claim in for increase for a few issues started on 2-08 I sent the VA an iris on June 14th and just got the answer back. They said my claim was with the pre-determanation team and would be there for 75% of the time. They also said claims at the Roanoke RO are averaging one year! How pathetic! I thought they where supposed to be speeding it up! Oh well time to get out the old fishing pool! Good luck on all your claims and may we all live long enough. Stillhere B)

Gunner, Under the FOIA they have 20 days to comply see below: 10 Time for compliance with request (1) Subject to subsections (2) and (3), a public authority must comply with section 1(1) promptly and in any event not later than the twentieth working day following the date of receipt. (2) Where the authority has given a fees notice to the applicant and the fee is paid in accordance with section 9(2), the working days in the period beginning with the day on which the fees notice is given to the applicant and ending with the day on which the fee is received by the authority are to be disregarded in calculating for the purposes of subsection (1) the twentieth working day following the date of receipt. (3) If, and to the extent that— (a) section 1(1)(a) would not apply if the condition in section 2(1)(B) were satisfied, or (B) section 1(1)(B) would not apply if the condition in section 2(2)(B) were satisfied, the public authority need not comply with section 1(1)(a) or (B) until such time as is reasonable in the circumstances; but this subsection does not affect the time by which any notice under section 17(1) must be given.

Sounds like they are really messing with you. Do they have a FOI office at the RO? Have you tried asking your SO? I guess you will just have to wait put be cool I am sure everything is OK.

Whenever I go in for a echo at my cardio doc I have to not take my meds and bunch of other stuff so the readings they get are pretty true. As to if they laower and raise your % because of your reading I too am not sure but I can say they have not done it to me. Stillhere

jbasser, Surely you are not advocating to stop taking my meds so the rateing would be correct. Some thing about this just does not wash. I thought that if you had to take meds to keep it in control that meant a rateing of 10%?? Like I said I have a claim in now so will just have to see how this goes but I assure everyone that if I do not get a rateing this time I will file a NOD and in that NOD I plan on stipulaeting that if I do not take my meds the readings go up and if they want to get a true reading I should stop them 3 weeks before. Or they can rate it correctly, I have a DX of hypertension that should be rated.

Oldman, Back in 2004 I believe the VA acknowledge that I had hypertencion secondary to my DB2 but called it non comprehensable because I was taking meds to keep it in pretty good control. I have been trying ever since to just get it rated. Is non comprensable 0%? I have not been able to get and answer to that.

I have been SC for ed for a number of years also db2, heart and hypertension. My ED was do you take this medication yes do you have a hard time maintaining yes. OK I also tried Viagra for a while and worked pretty good but then I had the heart attack and bam no more blue pills. Damn I kinda liked them to! Hang in there get a copy of your exam and then wait to see how in goes and if you don't like it file an appeal based on the bias aspects of the examiner! Good luck