zat954

Not a problem. These boards get a lot of crazy views and questions and shady ppl I'm sure and it's not easy to decipher it all in a short description on a cel phone. Just trying to evaluate all options in advance. As I said I'd rather prepare and keep what I can but if given the option to get my life back id surrender some disability. We'll see. I've actually looked into non-profit stuff. I have some friends I served with involved in medical marijuana in California helping vets get off the heavy meds the va likes to put us on. That's all non profit for the most part. So we'll see. Anything is possible. Thanks

Well I'm sure you hear it all the time, but thank you. just giving open honest accurate advice to people, and being as transparent as you are with your personal stories is very rare and special. And in less than 24 hours I've learned more than I imagined was possible with my "simple" case alone from you than in years of research. I definitely have realized I need to take a step back and evaluate and learn much more before I do anything. I'll definitely pursue my cardiac issues as they are important. Beyond that I'll wait out the next year or two and see what my health is doing and what my options are professionally, talk it over with my family and see what employment options are actually viable and beneficial and then decide if I should try for the 100 on MDD or go the other route. I will definitely be around to learn. Any suggestions on who I could ask to help with my claims for cardiomyopathy and arrhythmia to establish sc? Dva or a vso? I've been communicating via my phone so I apologize to everyone for my spelling and grammar errors. Happy Easter to you as well. Zat

Hey john. No I hear you and I understand. I'm thinking out loud so to speak. I don't think that the 70 would stay permanent if I went to work full time much less the hundred. I was pretty sure it would at the very least prompt a P&t. I really need to claim my cardiomyopathy and arrhythmia which I have the most documetation on. Plus just for my health it needs to be added. Bc if and when the health improves I really do want to go back. And I'm ok with being downgraded if that happens. I'll always have Tricare and at least an 80 or above percentage which is a blessing if I'm working again. But if I get the cardio worked up I probably would be still up at 100 even if I get reduced on MDD. Again. All hypothetical situations that may never happen. I'm blessed to be in the position I'm in. Like I said I not only want to get better and work for my own well being and sanity but I don't trust the government to say one day "sorry vets. We're broke. No more pensions." So that paranoia is a driver as well and why I'm trying to look at all aspect and angles. I hope I'm making sense. Zat

Thank you Buck that means a lot. The way I see it were all still part of the military family. We need to help each other Bc the va certainly won't. I'm new to this and I'm trying to do the smartest but safest thing possible so I realize my questions may be the norm here but I'm trying to wrap my head around a complex subject. So thanks to everyone for your help and patience

I appreciate your input. Ill repeat what I stated to john999 initially before we resolved our misunderstanding via verbiage on a blog. I'm grateful for all I have lets be very clear. But frankly I earned it all Just like you and everyone else. Above all, while I am grateful for my SMC, I never requested it, and would happily relinquish it to be able to work. Yes I realize what the va is telling me and everyone has valid points and true concerns about a fellow veterans health and future if I never do get well enough to work. Except somehow after going through this entire thread you still manage to come up with the idea that I "just want more"? Interesting actually. No. I want to be better and work. My disabilities that I earned, up to 100% or less, are in lieu of the pension I WOULD have had if not injured and did the 20 year career I wanted to have. I'm not gaming anyone or trying to get anymore than I haven't earned. So to be clear again..... I do not just accept that I will never be able to work again. I will fight tooth and nail to get better. And if and when I do God willing I will happily forfeit the housebound money, which again I'm entitled to because of my situation, but have no interest in keeping. In fact if I come to a point where a good job that brings me income and a sense of accomplishment means dropping below 100% I will do it in a heartbeat. So I'd appreciate if before you start judging my character and motives and essentially calling me greedy you took a minute to read the entire thread. I was rated and retired less than six years ago. I still have severe complications with my heart and other anomalies from my tours in the gulf that I have not even put in the full claims for yet despite my evidence. I have Tricare, I'll always be compensated at some rate, and I'm taking advantage of all of my educational benefits. I'd rather be working. Call me crazy but at 37 I feel pretty worthless being unemployable. Plenty of vets are 100% and working because they earned it. I never stated once that I "want more", I simply want to avoid a C&p if possible and keep what's mine. That's fair. I'd be willing to bet you want to avoid them as well. So with all due respect hopefully I've made my motives a bit more clear. Thanks. *** and let me again add my thanks to everyone who has been helpful or supportive. Finding people like asknod who are as generous and knowledgeable about getting people to where they want to be and how to do it is rare and invaluable and I think everyone appreciates it. I certainly do.

Thanks for the response Senior. I recognize all of these things you mentioned. I actually added a bunch of questions to asknod in the past 12 hours as he really opened my eyes to some things. I still have disabilities I have not claimed such as gulf war syndrome anomalies and well documented cardiac issues which was first shown in a cardiac Mri while still active awaiting retirement yet after my initial va work up. I'm sc'd for htn so this should be a relatively easy secondary to prove. Point is I see now my 100% p&t is not as P&t as it should be or I'd like. I'm fine now through school and chapter 31 but you and everyone else are right I need to get all my disabilities treated and claimed and build what I'm entitled to up as high as I can prior to thinking about going back into the workforce someday. Semper fi

Asknod.... I sent you a few questions last night I'm sure you haven't even seen yet but you sparked some major concerns with me and I did some research last night. I have some specific questions when you can. 1) As far as reaching 100% MDD what would I need to add other than saying I'm having hallucinations, etc or would the fact that My wife gives me AA count? Which is true and a caveat of 100% I believe. 2)Or, is a secondary rating a plausibility that would be counted together with the MDD? 3)I'm still in my window of gulf war syndrome and I have always had symptoms of Fibromyalgia, CFS and some other presumption things I've just never gone after. 4)lastly and probably most importantly and plausible, I have a SC for hypertension at 0%. It's controlled by meds which technically should be 10%. But regardless of that and More importantly I have documented over the past 5 years multiple times that I have cardiomyopathy (lvh) rating minimum of 30% based on Mri and possibly 60% based on Ef, as well as an arrhythmia requiring meds at 10% minimum proven on ekgs. My first diagnosis of this was right as I was being retired after my initial VA work up so it never got claimed originally. I think I mentioned it in the claim for increase in 2011 but I was so bad off mentally I didn't fight it. I had normal ekgs and bp and cardiac size as per a meps chest X-ray upon enlistment, so claiming sc secondary to my hypertension should be an eventual no brainier. That's a minimum of 30% lvh and 10% arrhythmia right away and I already have documents. Very Thorough. Up Until now everyone has always told me "you're 100% p&t don't rock the boat with new claims that could prompt a new C&p possible reduction", But after your input not only does attempting to hit that 100mdd sound reasonable, but the cardiac issues are just smart to put in my record from a health standpoint and build in another 40% overall while protecting myself correct? As for The gulf war symptoms I've always shrugged them off as just being in a lifetime of misery from injuries rather than legitimate presumptive claims I should pursue. And then there's good old smc k for Ed which is pretty much a guarantee with all the meds and depression and bp issues. I'm assuming I should go after all of these things or at least some? Is there any benefit to waiting, or if so does it outweigh the risk of not waiting? Im Sorry for all the questions this is obviously a lot of research and time I'm asking of you especially how to build these claims properly but you sparked some very serious truths I was not thinking of and I want to do it all right. What should I do, how do I do it and when should I start? Thanks Reed

Asknod when you have time I'd like to get more info on how to properly go about doing this process properly: "For the record, I do have several Vets who are 60% TDIU for Hepatitis with a subset of other diseases associated with it like DM2 and thyroid problems. Everyone of them has filed VA 9s for 100% schedular in spite of being TDIU for the reasons I described above. You, too, can file a claim for increase to 100% for your MDD if you can qualify for the particulars needed. At that point you'd still be in the same financial position but in a far better and secure ratings place than a TDIU--and you could work without the TDIU penalty. How would I utilize my diagnoses to file a VA 9s for the 100% schedular and also where to find the particulars of need to ask for the 100%MDD. I was always under the obviously false impression that mental health or PTSD ratings of 100 were rarely permanent. But clearly I'm a novice after today. Thanks.

Agreed. Thanks to all you guys.

Well I appreciate it and I'll definitely be seeking more in the future. Good luck to you

Lol. You're right I should get the C file before it vanishes. Good point. And I do understand now what you are saying. I could potentially get housebound removed and Tdiu and go 95% but that doesn't guarantee a p&t ON that 100%. So do you help guide vets with these things? If not that is what you should do for a living. I'd hire you to try to get the 100% MDD and bolster some other ratings. Thank you for clarifying. Basically don't do anything at all UNLESS the day comes I'm 100% able to walk into a well paying secure Jon I enjoy and am willing to lose my 100%.

Thank you Buck. I responded to some of your posts in my last response to asknod. I love this community I'm learning so much and you guys certainly know the right people to contact. Thanks.

Thank you for your patience and knowledge. I'm starting to understand what you are saying about the reason why I qualify for the smc s and how I am not 100% schedular for any one disability. So after rereading your edited post and learning about the actual "rating" sheet, I have a few remaining questions. 1. How do I go about getting this official rating sheet? 2. If the Tdiu was never applied for or an option here, the total Schedular rating adds up to their number based on the following sheet officially correct? http://www.benefits.va.gov/compensation/rates-index.asp#combinedRatingsTable1 i am trying to process and respond to you and buck52 as well. I see many computation tools out there and I have seen where these disabilities add up to 94.8, however the chart is what I'm told by the va repeatedly that they actually use. So if the chart is what is used then I would only be Schedular 100% added up, forgetting this Tdiu and smc verbiage correct? in response to both of you I 100% agree the VA is a monster and by no means am I trying to test them just better understand at the end of the day I may never heal to be able to hold full time employment but at 37 I want to try. I hope that makes sense. leading me to 3) if there is a way to confirm that I am, or would be 100% schedular based on all 6 injuries and that chart, and if yes is there a way to request to have Tdiu removed? Again these are hypothetical questions and way way down the road if ever possible Also yes Buck52 my letter awards chapter 35 and says no future exams scheduled. It listed all the injuries in detail with a code and an explanation and percentage. It said permanent and total. It awarded ch 35 and then it said Tdiu is also awarded. All general statements. I'd love to get a copy of the true numbers and codes. Thank you

Wow. You just blew my mind. You definitely are well versed. I follow the math and what you are saying especially the non MH adding up to 83%. But bare with me if you will. I'm learning as I go. I'm aware ebenefits is rarely accurate but on my main page it just issues me 100% disabled with a link to those percentages and how they stack up on the va website. It then lists all service and non injuries and percentages. Nothing about unemployable. To my knowledge again I know you say it's not law but that 70/50/40/20/20/10 does equal 95 and rounds to 100 schedular. The codes and numbers are also listed in my award letter and each rating is explained. Typically that would supersede the Tdiu as normally you are not supposed to be both correct? Schedular precedes Tdiu. This is where BvP came into play correct Now on an additional page in ebenefits it adds "additional benefits" i.e. Ch 35, education benefits etc, which is where it lists that smc s is granted for the 70% mood and 60% related to lumbar. It reads as an add on. So essentially if either I had never filled out a 21-8940, or it was rated at 70 mood but not deemed a cause for Tdiu, I'd simply just be stationary at the 95% over the 6 injuries? So that would be schedular correct? Does that make sense how I'm asking? Is there a way to find out if I am definitely 100% Schedular other than the va math?

I'm sorry to hear you went through that. Criminal. So when they separated you I'm assuming they did so at under 30% dod? Hence the severance and lack of Tricare. That's gross. I was lucky. My actual retirement was based on back and sternum injuries only PDRL at 40% and I was pilot program so the va had my 80% ready upon retirement. You guys who had to do it all on your own after separation we're screwed so badly. The recent transparency is helping fix this slowly but they are still thousands of cases behind and vets are dying at the abg 22 a day I think still. That's 4 years that number is going. Fighting them is tough. And its counterintuitive Bc the medical professionals at the va are amazing. It's the admin side of everything that is awful.