paulstrgn

Buck52 I understand that. When he searches he needs to look for jobs where the public can also apply. Depending on the HR type of experience he has he probably won't have too hard of a time finding a job if he is near a major city or even if he wants to work overseas. The perks when you work overseas can be pretty nice, free rent and paid travel home for a vacation. I worked three years overseas in Moscow and it was great. The government paid my rent and all my utilities plus my work allowed to me travel to a few other former Soviet Union countries, it was different but also fun. If he likes to travel overseas then he showed look at working for Department of State.

Buck52 I am happy to share. I really wish more veterans would apply with the federal government for jobs. They really do look past most disabilities, as long as you can do the job they will hire you. Some agencies even have telework programs, I currently telework and it is great. Plus if necessary the government will buy special equipment if need for the veteran to perform their job. At https://www.usajobs.gov/ you can find government jobs and can even set it up so the system will email you on a daily basis new job postings that meet your criteria.

Disabled Veterans Enrolled in a VA Training Program Disabled veterans eligible for training under the VA vocational rehabilitation program may enroll for training or work experience at an agency under the terms of an agreement between the agency and VA. While enrolled in the VA program, the veteran is not a Federal employee for most purposes but is a beneficiary of the VA. Training is tailored to the individual's needs and goals, so there is no set length. If the training is intended to prepare the individual for eventual appointment in the agency rather than just provide work experience, the agency must focus the training on enabling the veteran to meet the qualification requirements for the position. Upon successful completion, the host agency and VA give the veteran a Certificate of Training showing the occupational series and grade level of the position for which trained. The Certificate of Training allows any agency to appoint the veteran noncompetitively under a status quo appointment which may be converted to career or career-conditional at any time. 38 U.S.C. chapter 31; 5 CFR 3.1 and 315.604 This can be found at https://www.fedshirevets.gov/job-seekers/special-hiring-authorities/#training I encourage all vets looking for a job to look to work with the federal government. JMO

This also Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA) Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA) is an excepted authority that allows an agency to non-competitively appoint an eligible veteran. If you: Served during a war or are in receipt of a campaign badge for service in a campaign or expedition; OR are a disabled veteran, OR are in receipt of an Armed Forces Service Medal (includes the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal)for participation in a military operation, OR are a recently separated veteran (within 3 years of discharge), AND separated under honorable conditions (this means an honorable or general discharge). You can be appointed under this authority at any grade level up to and including a GS-11 or equivalent. This is an excepted service appointment. Upon satisfactory completion of 2 years of substantially continuous service, you will be converted to the competitive service. If an agency has two or more VRA candidates and at least one is preference eligible, the veterans' preference procedures of 5 CFR, part 302 of OPM’s regulations must be applied when using the VRA authority.

Veterans receive Veterans Preference points for government employment, 5 points if 20% or less. You get 10 points if you are 30% or higher. Also veterans who are 30% or More Disabled Veteran authority allows an agency to non-competitively appoint any veteran with a 30% or more service-connected disability. You are eligible if you: retired from active military service with a service-connected disability rating of 30% or more; OR have a rating by the Department of Veterans Affairs showing a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more.

Those are some very interesting stories to say the least. I hope to go back after I retire next year, I know I will enjoy it.

Now that is funny. But the one thing I know and obliviously you learned this too, when the lollipop stick comes out you stop or they shoot. I had never been pulled over when I lived there, but I love the story. I would love to go back and visit Sicily someday, I have been back to Italy but not Sicily. Going back there is on my bucket list, that was the only place overseas the military ever sent me. There are a lot of places I would still love to visit.

It would be huge if they allowed such claims. During my time everyone seemed to smoke.

Now it is hard to find a place on base/post to smoke...the times are changing!

Very true words about exercise. I have gained weight once I took a desk job, I just don't move around like I use too. I was a supervisor for a while and I would move around a lot more by going from meeting to meeting or just checking on my staff. But now that I have a desk job I am just gaining weight. I could also stand to lose 50 lbs (it would put me at my weight while in the service). I will check to see if there is a YMCA in the area, I have not been to one in decades. I smoked for about 20 years but did finally stop, I stopped in the mid 90s. I think anyone who smoked in the military should automatically be considered service connected if they get cancer (cigarettes were way to cheap $1.90 a carton when I was in Sicily). I am glad I quit, I watched my mother die of cancer (she smoked to the end). I have known people who have smoked all their lives and it never had any problems with cancer, I have known others who have never smoked and die of cancer. Like I said I am glad I quit smoking. We all need to start taking better care of ourselves and it is more than just being thin,we all need to exercise, even just a little.

I do try to eat right, more skinless chicken and vegetables and fruits. I really don't over eat as much as I need to exercise more. The pain keeps me from doing as much as I need to, but I do try. I can't walk as much after each meal because of work. I have a treadmill which I try to use as often as I am able to. The one advantage I have I lost my sense of smell which also made me lose my taste buds. So I don't enjoy food like I use too, which is good I now eat less ice cream and rarely do I drink a soda since they taste bad to me. I do appreciate the advice and I will try to do as much as the things you suggest as possible.

I have learned not to get offended a long time ago, I prefer people you tell like it is. That is what concerns me is all the side affects from my disabilities, such as weight gain, lake of exercise, etc. I know what I need to do, its just doing it. I will retire next year and I am looking forward to it, I will retire somewhere in Florida just not sure where yet. I use to look forward to retirement but not as much anymore with all that is going wrong with me. I do try to work on my weight and fatigue from my back and will keep trying until it works. If I was single I would have already be retired but since I am not I need to make sure my wife and kids will be taken care of if something happens to me. I do worry about diabetes because of my weight, but I will work as hard as I cannot to get that disease.

LOL...you are not being rude. Yes I am out of shape because of the pain, I need to find a pool to exercise in. I have had a pool before and found that it is easier on my body. My cholesterol is still okay and so is my blood sugar, I do get my physical every year. I will look into resistant starch (not heard of that before) and fish oil. I already take a handful of pills each day, besides blood pressure I take a multi vitamin and joint medicine. Thanks for the advice @GeekySquid

@GeekySquid No I have not been rated yet for depression, honestly I finally stopped ignoring my issues and decided to seek help. I have chronic pain for DDD, every day I am in pain some worse than others. On a good day I would say I am an 8 a bad day which is more often than not a 10. I have been on medical leave for more than 8 weeks in the last year, I was denied 60% for IVDS because they said it would be stacking since I already receive 20% for both upper legs and 20% for both lower legs for nerve issues from my back. They said it would lower it from 70% to 60% if they approved it. I am also currently on a medical accommodation and am able to work from home, but even that is challenging since I have a hard time sitting for any length of time. I did file an intent to file so I do have a start date. It seems like I have so many medical issues going that it is hard to keep them straight. My blood pressure is out of control because of the pain I go through, it has been as high as 217. I have been working on trying to control it but am having a hard time.

I can't relate to PTSD @Buck52 and @GeekySquid and anyone else who does suffer from PTSD, I suffer from depression for chronic pain. All I know is that depression sucks, people really don't understand what it is like. I wish there was a magic cure for PTSD and depression but I know there is not. I just try to deal with the best I can. I am still trying to find the right doctor to help me with my problems. Once I find the right doctor I will file for depression with the VA just need to find a doctor who will do the paperwork so I can file a claim. But honestly I would gladly give up all my VA benefits if I could rid myself of all these problems, the money is not enough (no matter how much) to have to live with all these problems. I am glad you have found a good therapist to help you and I hope it will find you the peace you deserve. I prey that all those who suffer from PTSD and depression the peace you have earned and deserve. After all you have given so much already for your country. Stay strong!

I remember the Carabinieri and their popsicle sticks, you better stop when they held it out. I was there only one year but boy I had a great time in Sicily.

@GeekySquid They built the base to trade away as part of the SALT treaties. I enjoyed my time there, I lived in Ragusa. The hamburgers at McDonald's did not taste the same as in the states so i was disappointed needless to say. I have good luck with the 800 number and always get through, usually less than 5 minutes, I stopped the chat feature because it was too slow. The whole process of going through the VA process is annoying, as you say it's a no brainer. I would love to get a retro date but am happy when I at least get approved. I have a NOD for an effective date which I am sure I will have to appeal in the long run. I have an appeal for sleep apnea and hypertension and will need to do a NOD (perhaps a reconsideration) for my knees once I get a copy of my C-File. As all vets know trying to get a VA claim approved is a never ending battle.

I have found in the past the "Requested Documents are Past Due" that the system has just not been updated yet. I always call the 800 number and they tell me that the documents are actually there (I want to make sure it is not me missing something). The dates like you mention are never real or reliable for I find it changes constantly. I like eBenefits but at the same time I hate it, it just doesn't tell you enough. I need to file for an SMC-K claim myself. I have only once had the VA approved part of my claim while the rest was pending (I don't know why more can't do that if it can be partially approved). I was stationed at Comiso Sicily 86-87 and visited Sigonella (the first time because they had opened a McDonald's) a few times. Good luck and hopefully it is approved soon.

I had a hard time filing my first VA claim. I always thought I should not file a claim, after all I was never wounded or lost any limbs from combat. But I finally realized that after 20 years I need to file a claim. All but one of my disabilities can't be seen, but I can tell you I never go a day without having pain. I never claim anything that is not real, but I do claim everything that has become worse because of my time in the service. I am glad that those like the one who wants to go to casinos goes and has some fun, after all as vets we have earned it. I try not to judge vets for I do not have x-ray vision and I can't read minds so I assume they have earned the benefits that they are receiving. JMO

No worries @KC3 I am on my second RAMP, I did not think the effective date would be an issues as far as filing RAMP.

I am not sure what your psychiatrist is referring too, I recently filed a NOD for an earlier effective date and shortly after filing the NOD I sent in the request form for RAMP. I am not sure why filing RAMP would affect your effective date. My understanding of RAMP is that it only puts the NOD on a faster track than without filing for RAMP. If someone else has some information to the contrary please share it.

Unfortunately you are probably correct on the sleep apnea and I will see what they say about the high blood pressure.

The HBP was done by a doctor who specializes in Pulmonary Disease, Critical Care Medicine, and Sleep Medicine, so no he was not a cardiologist which looks like it may be a problem for me. I guess by thinking since my medical records show I had un-diagnosed hypertension and as long as the the medical opinion talks about it it would be enough (I guess you get what you pay for, I thought $450 was a lot but it is nothing compared to your's Berta). I was surprised on how brief the decision was since this was supposedly a higher level review and the person would go into more reasons as to why my evidence does not support my claim. If they would say why it doesn't meet the criteria it would help me in deciding on where I may have gone wrong. I am not sure if I have enough for a CUE to say I gotcha, mine is more that the examiner does not appear to have looked at my evidence that I had submitted.

Thanks Berta. Yes the two DBQ and the IMO were done by private doctors (I had to pay the second doctor to write the IMO), I use tricare for my insurance so I do not go to the VA for care. The one DBQ written by the VA, the PA never saw me it was strictly a paperwork review. The doctor reviewed my service records, by buddy statements, and the previous DBQ which was completed a few years earlier. He stated what evidence he looked at and what evidence in his opinion established that I had SA in the service. I am assuming that the examiner never looked at any of the evidence I submitted (at lease not in depth), I am sure they had already decided to deny them when they started. The examiner did not mention in the denial )only listed as evidence) anything I stated in the informal conference call I had prior to their denial. The work of the examiner was shoddy at best because they left this twice in there form letter ".(insert reason for denying, elements met and not met)." I have no problem with them using a basic form the section of law, but at least make it look like you are a professional. I have a redacted copy of the denial letter. I had to have them fax it to me since I never received it in the mail. VA Decision HTN-SA Senior Review - decision.pdf

This is as close to mentioning the IMO I can find in the decision "Disability Benefits Questionnaire, Sleep apnea Disability received March 16, 2018". Now that I am looking at it I did not realize the IMO was part of the DBQ, I thought it was a separate document which is a 6 page document. I guess by them mentioning the DBQ they are covered. I wished they had gone into detail as to why their DBQ out weighs my DBQs along with the buddy letters. It is a very short denial and not much effort was put into it.