[Va 202 # - Pinned - National Va Claims Assistant Office / Office Of Case Management]

I don't have a VSO if that is the person that is suppose to help you file your claim.  There is a VSO in the city I live in and he was helpful to the point of telling me I should file for benefits since the damage to my lungs happened while I was active duty!!!  And so he gave me the paper work I filled it out and he sent it in for me.  And that is all the help I got as far as filing and eventually getting my disability.  I did look into the whole process myself after a while.  It was over 8 months before I heard back from them I had forgotten that I had filed!!!  SO when I heard back from the VA there was information about going on the web and registering on ebenefits.  So I did that then got educated about being a veteran!!!! I then filed for other compensation that the site said I could file for.  I had to go for some tests at the VA for my lungs and supply the VA with medical records showing my medical history since I had left the service.  I was given my disability based on my claim for the damage to my lungs and everything else was denied.  I kinda laughed at that given I really didn't have time to submit all the necessary information for those claims. I didn't file for an appeal I simply refiled and then reopened the previous claims, to make sure the file dates were right.  I have a strong suspiction that my second claim will be denied even though they have the information in my medical records.  And because I have been thinking this I looked into getting someone to represent me!!!  MY GOD that is a joke around here!!! I live on the North Shore of Massachusetts.  There is NO ONE around here that can represent me unless it is a lawyer (I don't want a lair) oops  I mean Lawyer!! Any way I guess I will just handle it myself as much as I can until I absolutely MUST get a Lawyer if that ends up being the case!!!   But I have gotten correspondence from the VA about my claim telling me to contact this person that is the person in charge of this department that handles certain claims such as mine and I have called them several times and like most of the people I have called at the VA.  I leave a message and NEVER get a call back!!!!  And the funny thing is ......  I am not in the least surprised!!! 

[Mental health and severe insomnia]

SO Has your medical team looked at your sleep issue from the other side?  As in have you had the usual MSLT and the Overnight Sleep tests done?  To see it there is an issue with your sleep?  I have what is called Idiopathic hypersomnia A sleep condition that is also known as excessive day time sleepiness. For some reason my brain just decides that it is time for sleep.  And that is what begins to happen.  If you google this condition I am sure you will find many sites that will give many reason why this happens.  This condition is a lot like Narcolepsy except for the fact that with this condition you don't have the lose of muscle function or what is called Catalepsy.  The major symptoms of this condition are as follows; 

• Daytime naps that do not relieve drowsiness
• Difficulty waking from a long sleep -- may feel confused or disoriented
• Increased need for sleep during the day -- even while at work, or during a meal or conversation
• Increased sleep time -- up to 14 to 18 hours per day
• Anxiety
• Feeling irritated
• Loss of appetite
• Low energy
• Restlessness
• Slow thinking or speech
• Trouble remembering                             

I struggled with this condition for a majority of my life thinking I was never getting to bed on time or enough sleep. I was also being treated for ADHD which years ago the drug treatment for this condition was the same as it was for ADHD. But in 1999 they released a drug called Provigil and I started taking that and let me tell you.  If you have this condition you will know it once you start taking that medicine.  It was like a fog was lifted from my life.  I take Nuvigil now a better form of Provigil.  But my advice to you is go see a sleep specialist and have a MSLT done then the overnight test done.  Those test can pretty much tell if this is what the problem is.   (MSLT +  Multiple Sleep Latency Test) 

I hope this helps you!