DocC03

I recently have asked to add a few things to be SC'd for. After I filed a new claim I was sent to do several xrays and mri's for Comp and Pen. The problem came when the results were given to me by my primary care doc. He was reading me the results and EVERY test was normal!?!? Now keep in mind that these tests are repeats of one that have been done in the past that showed problems that don;t go away on their own. Ankle Xray-done in the past and showed arhtritis. Ankle mri-done in the past showed serious damage to tendons and ligaments MRI Brain-done in the past showed a cluster of blood vessels that were damaged with prior bleeding. Xray of lower back- done in the past showed degeneative disc disease. Ultrasound of lymph nodes-done in past showed enlarged nodes in neck None of these things have been treated yet and all tests in the past were done by private companies when I was working and had insurance. The V.A. had these records from private companies. These new tests were done by the V.A. only. The tests results are ALL negative!!!!! No problems, no issues, no signs of past problems, just normal test results?!?!?!? I understand that people can heal. But there are certain things that don't go away like messed up vessels in your brain that were verified by MRI, CT, and Angiogram, also the damage to my ankle was so severe that it would not of healed completely with no signs of problems. Since the original tests showed problems my ankle has gotten worse and my back has gotten worse. How is this possible??? My doc was blown away because he can physically see the problems such as swollen lymph nodes and ankle. Is there a precedent of the V.A. falsifying tests, or is this a case of maybe poor equipment at the V.A.? I am trying to give them the benefit of the doubt but I can't seem to wrap my head around what could be causing this?

Buck, Thank you. I have sooooo much documentation from experts such as the docs at the War Related Illness and Injury Study Center in California and more. I was approved for TDIU because of Migraines due to TBI from combat and also PTSD. A few other small SC'd issues were included but those 2 were the main reason. The new contentions (I think this means new SC'd issues?) are Gerd, Chronic Fatigue, also filed for GWI since I have that diagnosed even though I expect to have it denied, all linked to Gulf war service and very well documented as stated above. So if I understand correctly I am just asking the V.A. to add these new problems as SC'd? I know the V.A. can review for TDIU since I have new claims but you are saying that they really have a pretty big burden to prove that I no longer qualify? Am I correct with this statement?

I had a comp and pen today for adding a few things that are related to gulf war syndrome. CFS, Gerd, and a few others. During the exam the P.A. told me that it looks like I'm working. I asked why and he said because I'm wearing boots. I could see the screen and he wrote that it appears that I'm working because I am wearing work boots and I smell Iike wood stove smoke. We have a wood stove! It's cold in North Idaho!! I am on TDIU. This could be a bad thing. I don't work. We live on 7 acres and because it's spring our place is full of mud. I can't walk to the truck without walking in mud. I was dressed nice with a button up shirt but I was wearing boots. I explained to him that I wear boots to support my ankle and that our property is muddy. He left these notes in my records. Is this legal for a P.A. to lie like this? I am on TDIU and the caregiver program. The last thing I need is a lie like this in my records. Any advice would be great.

I have been told that the effective date for protections starts over with the new date of increase but lets wait and see if anyone can chime in that knows for sure as I am curious on the official answer as well.

Buck, Thank you. That is what I am asking. Was anyone else given PB during the newest Iraq war? As far as medical problems because of the pills....I think it would be very hard to prove. Like I said above we were told that what we were given was PB pills but it seems that maybe no one was given these in 2003/2004 in Iraq???? I guess more for peace of mind I would like confirmation that others were given these same pills in this time frame to know if this is what we were given or if it was something else. Thanks

I hope I posted this in the right spot. I just got off the phone with a Doctor that is a specialist in Chronic Multi Symptom Illness/Gulf war illness. He told me that no troops were given PB pills since the start of the new war. Only troops from the 1991 war were given these. I remember being given Mefloquin for malaria and PB pills. This was in 2003 and then at the start of 2004 we were told to stop taking them both. The weird thing is he told me that PB was taken 3 times a day and I am certain that I did not take any pills 3 times a day. My memory is a little hazy but I am about 95% certain that the pills were Mefloquin and Pyridostigmine Bromide. Was anyone from 2003 forward given these pills or were we given something else and told that they were PB? Any help would be great??? Thank you in advance.

Thank you! That was what I figured but didn't want to get myself messed up doing the paperwork

Buck, That's a new one to me being able to be rated for 2 mental health disorders. But I know with your experience that your statement is probably pretty accurate. The last 10 years I have operated under the premise that you can only have 1 MH rating. I guess I'm going to need to revisit my thought process and get myself squared away.

Rwoods, That's a tough question that I don't have a solid answer for. I have had claims that I filed as one thing and the V.A. changed my claim to something else based on the C&P results without me asking them to do it. In the long run I do think it would be better to have a rating for PTSD. In the short term if its likely to put some money in your pocket then I might run with what your given. You can always file a claim for PTSD later. I believe that Depressive disorder and PTSD will get put into a PTSD rating WITH depression. I don't believe you can have both rated separately. Just my opinion and I hope it helps somewhat.

Ms Berta, Thank you for the detailed response. How would I or my mother go about getting his past claim paperwork to see what he had applied for? Also I am legally his stepson but I believe I was listed on his award and he raised me from when I was knee high to a weed hopper. I'm curious if I have the legal authority to handle everything for my mother and get the paperwork together from the V.A.?

A few things to keep in mind. The criteria for PTSD changed in the newest DSM manual. Please review it and you will see the new guidelines. Effectively making it slightly more difficult to show PTSD. Also I am seeing a lot more people with rating for other psychological disorders instead of PTSD. Also I am seeing diagnoses of things like anxiety disorder where the Doc actually meant PTSD. If you truly do have PTSD don't be afraid to get service connected for depressive disorder like Broncovet said but I would personally continue to fight for a PTSD rating to replace the depressive disorder.

Gastone My friend, My father passed away 13apr2000. I don't believe he ever filed for coronary artery disease but I could be wrong. He never really tried to get much service connected even though I believe he had 2 Purple hearts. He got tired of fighting the V.A. and just gave up when he got 100%.

Well put Pete. I personally think that everything should be SC'D that can be. My dad died in a V.A. hospital in Phoenix and the most likely cause of death was heart attack. He had Agent Orange and was with 11th Calvary in Vietnam. He was 100% for PTSD and that was it as far as I know. I cant help but think that if he had more of his problems SC'd then my mom would not of had to file bankruptcy and sell her house because she could not afford the payments. She may have qualified for DIC. Please think about your family and make sure they are taken care of if something happens to you.

Fair statement. Everything listed here has been included as related to Gulf War Illness and is also in my medical records. As far as what my doc says is that everything listed here is linked to Gulf war illness. Except sinusitis, she said that was from breathing in all the crap we did.

I'm going to focus on the financial aspect of your question. As a grown adult I'm certain you know deep down what is best for your PTSD treatment. It is going to be tough as you already know to get a job in the field you want. I see a couple options. Make some contacts/friends that work at places that employ people in the IT field. I'm not talking about acquaintances. I'm talking dig into your family, your past friends, past coworkers and reconnect. Get a relationship built with them so they feel comfortable with sticking their neck out to get you a job in the field you want. Then during the interview be upfront. If they are going to do a background check then tell them BEFORE they do the check, preferably in the interview. This will give you a chance to explain yourself. Sure this may take some time but if this is the field you want to be in then the time spent will be worth it. If you don't want to put in the effort to build these partnerships then look at a field that is in more demand. Maybe less security involved. A field that still pays well but is more concerned with your experience in the military and college. If you like IT then maybe auto electronics? A lot of computer based stuff. Diesel performance tuning and stuff like that. Not saying mechanics but electrical specialty stuff. Just throwing out ideas. Also if you are an IT guy then why not start a computer repair business? Now for the Voc Rehab part. I would tell them myself. I would attribute my arrest to PTSD and I would also be honest with yourself about whether or not you may be triggered again. The fight or flight reflex can be a bitc* to overcome. Especially when you were trained to fight in basic. If the voc rehab folks tell you to pound sand then tell then you want a denial letter with the reason why documented. Use it to file for TDIU. One of the tricks they use is they don't deny you. They say no to IT school pick something else. They say no to that, pick something else. Eventually you can't find anything else you like so you go away on your own and they don't technically "deny" you. FORCE them deny you before you go away. And by IT I mean computer science. Im not quite sure what computer science entails but you can extrapolate the meaning. These are my thoughts and I hope they give you something more to think about.

Tough question that I can't seem to find an answer for. I am 90% and paid at 100% for TDIU. I am trying to add to my rating a few things connected to Gulf War Illness and also asking for an increase for 2 already rated conditions. When using Ebenefits to process a claim it asks if I want to If you want to claim unemployability, continue to answer the unemployability-related questions. Unemployability will then be added to the list of disabilities when you submit your claim But since I am already getting paid for unemployability I do not know if I have to fill out and submit this form???? I don't think I would need to as I am not reopened what I am considered unemployable for but I don't want to mess this up. Any ideas?

I'm working on a claim on Ebenefits. The following is what I am trying to add. Everything listed is verified by my doctors. I know that Gulf War Illness is not able to be rated but I also know that there is a lot in the works to possibly change that. I figured that I would ask it to be rated and worse case it would be thrown out. But at least it would be documented that I tried to have it rated. Can anyone give me feedback on the rest of what I am asking them to rate? I will wait a couple days to submit the claim so I can review everyone's feedback. I need about 60% added to get to 100% schedular. Thank you in advance! Gulf War Illness Environmental Hazard in Gulf War Gulf War veteran with unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness Environmental Hazard in Gulf War chronic fatigue syndrome Environmental Hazard in Gulf War fibromyalgia Environmental Hazard in Gulf War sinusitis Environmental Hazard in Gulf War neurologic signs or symptoms Environmental Hazard in Gulf War GERD Environmental Hazard in Gulf War

Yes.....kind of. I have 2 wives in mine and cant seem to get one removed. Luckily my real wife is understanding or that could be bad. Also it might be a good idea to abbreviate last name and SS# on the post above even though they don't seem to be your relatives. Or maybe you already accounted for that.

Yes. Kind of. Im married to 2 women in E-Benefits and I can't get 1 of them removed. Luckily my wife is understanding or that could be awkward! Also it might not be a bad idea to remove or abbreviate last name and SS# in your above post even though they are not your relatives. Or maybe you already did that.

ArNG11, Thanks for the fast reply. So at least there is the possibility of going local with Choice or Fee basis then. I need to try something since none of the meds have worked and I prefer natural ideas anyways. I never thought my symptoms were caused by a medication deficiency yet they kept giving me more of it like I did have enough. Lol

My doc put in a referral for accupuncture but he didnt know if they would cover it on a fee basis or if I had to go the V.A. Hospital. My closest hospital is nearly 2 hours away. Would you folks make the 4 hour round trip for accupuncture? Having never done it before i dont know if its worth the stress of that long of a drive. And does anyone know if the V.A. covers it on fee basis?

Please Please Please....If you are having these symptoms go see your doctor. Ask them to do a CPK-3 Blood Test. Maybe everything will be normal with the test. But from a medical standpoint an elevated CPK3 level will help to narrow down where to look. There have been a few cases of elevated CPK levels in vets with GWI. Higher-than-normal CPK-3 levels are most often a sign of muscle injury or muscle stress. They may be due to: Crush injuries Muscle damage due to drugs or being immobile for a long time (rhabdomyolysis) Muscular dystrophy Myositis (skeletal muscle inflammation) Receiving many intramuscular injections Recent nerve and muscle function testing (electromyography) Recent seizures Recent surgery Strenuous exercise

The following info is exactly what a highly regarded environmental V.A. Doctor who is also a Stanford Professor wrote in my medical records in 2016. GULF WAR ILLNESS- Based on your description of your health issues and your exposures during your military service, your current symptoms and medical condition are consistent with, and meet the criteria for the VA case definition for Gulf War Illness/Syndrome. The VA case definition for Gulf War Syndrome is as follows: A medical condition affecting some veterans of the Gulf War, characterized by fatigue, headache, joint pain, skin rashes, nausea, dizziness, and respiratory disorders, and attributed to reactions to prophylactic drugs and vaccines, infectious diseases, or exposure to pesticides and other chemicals, radiation, and smoke from oil fires. Maybe things are changing in the aspect of GWI. Also the Institute of Medicine and CDC recommended that the V.A. start recognizing the term Gulf War Illness and Sec. Mcdonald did an interview saying that................ "The IOM also recommended that we use the term “Gulf War illness” instead of CMI, but CMI appears so frequently in literature on the subject that we don’t want to abandon it completely just yet. We now prefer the term “Gulf War illness presenting as chronic multisymptom illness.” We expect that the terminology could change again as our understanding of the illness evolves" The following is the link for the interview.if you want to read it completely. http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/22268/sec-mcdonald-answers-questions-from-the-national-gulf-war-resource-center/

How was your initial experience so far? What are the guidelines to get his help?

Don't let me insinuate that all parts of the spokane V.A. are bad because they are not. We do have some good parts like the Social Workers in the caregiver program. The Social Workers in the OIF/OEF program are great as well. But the spirit of this conversation is the inability for the V.A. to keep doctors and I assume the problems that come with it should be covered as well. I have been at a few different V.A.s and the Spokane V.A. is by far the worst I have seen for keeping docs. Maybe it's timing. Maybe other V.A.s are struggling as bad as they are but in the past this problem was not obvious to me at least. To end on a positive note...my coffee tastes amazing this morning!!