paulstrgn

I will apply and see what they do, I won't count on them approving it but I will see.
I don't understand why waving of premiums is tied to whether or not you are employed. I am 100% P&T and work full-time yet I still get a disability check, so why is this different.
@Vync what an awesome job you did with researching, I really do appreciate it.

I had a sit down with my manager when I went on FMLA and asked him to write me a letter/memo of all the deficiencies I had in my current position. It sucked, hearing it from him, but we had a good relationship and he understood where I was at because I kept him in the loop on things medical and otherwise. I submitted that, along with the approval of FMLA from my employer, and progress notes for MH and physical when I applied for IU. After FMLA I was let go from that job, so I submitted that, too. 
You'll want to find all the documentation you can that is work related of negative performance. It sucks, but that is going to be a major driver towards evidence for IU. I was at 80 or 90% when I applied for IU, if I recall correctly. 
Good luck, take deep breaths. The better your documentation is the better chance of your claim succeeding. I also typed up a top page that I submitted with a sort of table of contents of dates for various clinic notes that applied, work write ups and dates, etc. It isnt necessary but anything you can do to make your claim easier to work on for the rater the better and probably faster it will be decided. My IU claim and then my increase claim were applied for in Feb 2016, a few days before I applied for FMLA from work. My claim was decided by the end of May. Not saying that is the same for everyone, but like I said, the better your documentation and the more readable your claim is (that table of contents I typed up, for example) the easier it is on the VA end. 

Well, Hell yeah. Of course it does. Winning is fun. I still haven't lost yet (knock on wood).

THe VA ignored my IMOs it took me going to the BVA to get the win. Even though it was my money already I still enjoyed the nice retro pay when it came in.
Remember the only time you lose is when you give up, don't you can win your claim. 

THe VA ignored my IMOs it took me going to the BVA to get the win. Even though it was my money already I still enjoyed the nice retro pay when it came in.
Remember the only time you lose is when you give up, don't you can win your claim. 

What Buck said above is true!  Now you also need to be ready for the reality of what might happen.  They could totally ignore anything you give them.  They can go off of what the NP says and not say a single word about any other paper work.
This is sometimes the truth of what happens and be ready to appeal if/when this happens.  
I had a slam dunk if they would have read my paperwork!  now years later I won but it was a fight!

They will only look at issues you have brought up .  They can combine claims and this means they can bring in other things which are related to your claim from another claim.  
If you are asking will they give you something you never claimed?  No they will not go looking to give you a disability you did not say you had or asked for compensation.  

This was a big week at asknod. I just wish my neighbor John had gotten R2 out of the gate. It ain't over until Secretary Bob weighs in when he reads my email Monday morning. One of the Vets, Andrew, is a member here- or should I say- his wife is. She found me here and I'm honored to have helped her. 
https://asknod.org/2020/02/22/va-baby-you-can-drive-my-car/
When I came home from Vietnam, I never ever thought there would be a day when I'd say I was proud to have served my country. It was ugly in 1972.  Now, I'm overjoyed at the ability to pay it forward. Thank you Lord for the Internet. It's a Godsend to so many who are clueless. Leave no one behind. I still wish I could have named my site What would a Veteran Do? (WWVD). That's what wives are for.
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In my case the VA have a NP with the VA do my IMO for OSA. Is this your first IMO from the VA (whether by contrator or VA) for OSA? They only did one on me before they denied me. It took an IMO plus a DBQ (DBQ was free by my sleep doctor) and then it was not approved until it went to the BVA.
Hopefully LHI gives you a favorable IMO.
Good luck Shrek!

I was once declared to be suffering borderline personality disorder by the VA, this after they had assigned over six other diagnosis's for my "mental disorder".  It is a cop out on compensation and treating you since it is almost impossible to treat.  Do not let them go down this rabbit hole.  If they say you have this request another exam, outside of the VA if necessary.  This diagnosis is a hit job designed to deny you compensation and treatment.  I would stick to the Bi Polar diagnosis and fight any attempts to change it.  
Wait and see what the diagnosis is and if they do diagnosis BPD fight it.

@Jamezam I believe you are on the right track. I recommend taking it in bite size pieces. I usually start with an outline detailing my primary goals. Then I work on each aspect a little bit at a time so I don't get burned out on it.
After dealing with the VA red tape since 1995, I realize that the VARO workers are under a lot of pressure to turn over as many claims as possible in the shortest amount of time. On one hand, they claim to have reviewed "all evidence of record", which is practically impossible, but on the other hand they make obvious errors and overlook evidence. If we had access to VBMS, it would be great if we could just go in and tag specific documents that are pertinent. They could then just review, verify, and approve. But that makes too much sense.
For M21-1, I just have a shortcut to it and then search for key terms as necessary. I like that it provides links to other articles, regulations, and laws. Of course, it also links to non-public internal resources that we cannot access.

Sadly nothing happens to it while it’s in the CUE. After it is in the system (not CUE) it gets put into the system to be worked. 
 
The hard part now is waiting for it to be worked, try and not think about it (which is not easy) for the next 60 days. The VA has gotten faster in my opinion on working claims.
Good luck!

@Mantana Always keep in mind that the standard for service connection is subject to relative equipoise, or benefit of the doubt. If you have one doc saying yes and another saying no, as long as the evidence is in balance, the VA is supposed to find in favor of the veteran.

Welcome to Hadit!
That's very promising. Yep, 10% over that many years should add up.

Wow i thought mine was a huge mistake from 2010. And was 100% but even just 10% over 40 years is a huge chunk....

@Mantana Like stated above don't get discouraged from some comments on this site. There is alot of amazing guidance on this site from the memebers who have gone through what you are going through and those with a lot of experience. You have three doctors who state you have GERD then I would argue thay all can't be wrong.
Like I have said before take the advice that you believe is best suited for your situation and ignore those that may not understand or know what they are talking about. I know for me I don't comment on PTSD for I know nothing about it, I may give words of in couragement but that is really it. 
Always remember you have the most to lose by not getting the best advice and never giving up on the fight until you get what you deserve.
Good luck and stay positive!!!

By chance, was that in a state where marijuana is legal?
The blood test was probably for the GERD. They check you for heliobacter pylori infection. It is a common cause for GERD, but only detectable through the blood test. Even if it tests positive, you are supposed to go through a course of antibiotics and get re-evaluated. I went through all this from a non-VA doc before I filed for SC. The VA repeated the blood test, which was negative, and did an upper GI that was glaringly obvious.

Let's not be too hard on this gentleman.  He is seeking disability for a condition that he believes is related to service and it is the VA's job to decide if he deserves it or not.  After reading what all his doctor said I believe that GBArmy might be right about the doctor self medicating.  He seems to be a confused individual. 
We will advise to the best of our abilities and it is not ours to judge a veteran.  We will leave that to another site that is all too willing to trash vets seeking advice about service connected conditions.  I learned a long time ago that there are veterans out there that are gaming the system but that is between them and their maker.  
@Mantana, I would follow Buck52's advice and seek another C&P if this one is unfavorable.  I have had doctors treat me great and thank me for my service and then twist the knife in their evaluation.  I have also had doctors that were meah but did great evaluations in my favor.

Mantana Don't get discouraged. As you can see this is an active forum, and with many people, opinions can sometimes go off target a bit. You are absolutely correct; the VA doc is the one that is wrong. You have your evidence and you can win on your claim, if you do one thing. Don't give up! If you have been diagnosed for GERD, you can win out. In fact, that holds for everyone. If you believe you have an injury or disease because of your service, don't quit if you get denied the first time. Work on it so you develop a strong case. So, if you get advise or an opinion that is wrong, no problem. Ignore it and follow the advise that makes sense. You can win!

@Mantana, do not be discouraged about this website.  I have been here a little while and have seen excellent advice from some of the old hands and the younger ones too.  As you have noticed sometimes a person will of off on a tangent.  We are all human and make mistakes.  Overall this is the best website for winning your claim.  Keep up the fight and never surrender.

I get where you are coming from and if the VA followed the letter of the law you would be correct.  Sometimes it is easier to take another road with the same outcome.  I had only one of the above and got service connected with the presumptive.  It is great they have those, but the VA is still denying them.  
Which ever road you chose just keep fighting them!
 

It really depends on the evidence in your file. IMHO VA granted an effective date of 2014 for hypertension of 0% because they knew that with this rating there would be no retro pay. You would have to prove that your disabilities had met the rating criteria prior to your original claim.  Keep in mind that VA did pay you back to your original claim.  You would need some type of VA medical evidence that your effective date should get the one year earlier. (I say VA medical evidence because you can try to say that VAMC records had evidence of the conditions).  This claim would not be ripe for a CUE claim but if you feel you should get the extra year,  you could file an appeal because you are still within your one year of a decision.

When I fax in claims I find it takes between 3 - 4 weeks to show up in the system. I will usually call the 800 number and they tell me my claim is in the cue to be uploaded into the system.

You said:
". I sent the VA 5 new pieces of evidence and asked them to look up 3 things in my service and medical records. I can't believe they did any of that in less than two weeks. I have been advise to get a lawyer for the next appeal step. Is this Normal for VA to just blow off my Appeal?"
The VA is not going to "look up" anything- in my opinion ( as a hardcore claimant since the late 1990s)
They barely read SMRs ,if they look at them at all.
You also stated :
"I sent off my paperwork for a BVA review"
I assume your appeal has been transferred to the BVA. Once you get a Docket # you can send the BVA any evidence that you feel would be relevant to the claim.
I had a AO IHD claim denied in 3 weeks. The denial said my dead  husband's SMRs did not reveal IHD ( what the claim was for)
I immediately Cued them yhr nrxt day ,with a short but scathing CUE reminding the RO idiot ( I put attention to and then the initials into the alpha numeric ,on the denial, to reach who this idiot was) that most Vietnam Veterans were Kids when they got to Vietnam ( my husband was barely 18) and None of them would have been accepted into service  if they had IHD ( Ischemic Heart disease).I also made the point that I have been involved with the AO issue since 1991 (husband and then I ,as his widow, were in the in the original AO Settlement Fund, and that Nehmer (the reg and court order  that controls AO claims) does NOT require any need to go over the SMRs of AO presumptive claims  due to Vietnam service and AO documented disabilities..) I won that claim, not long after they got the CUE.
In Jan 2020 you were advised to get a lawyer- have you done that?
 
 

If you give up then the VA wins, don't give up you can still overcome the VA denying you for OSA. I was first denied because the VA stated I was overweight and because I was getting older. I had to spend the money to get an IMO to overcome the denial at the BVA level. I did not want to spend money just like everyone else to prove that my disability was SC. You need to look at it as an investment, how much more you will get if you are approved for OSA at the 50% level. 
There is a lot of excellent advice on this website and you need to decide whether that advice is applicable to you. You are the only one that can make that decision no one else can for you.
Good luck!