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SLEDGE
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Posts posted by SLEDGE
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The best way to make others think that you are stupid or incompetent is to act stupid or incompetent.
Congress and the VA have made a science out of looking stupid.
sledge
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During my Dad's rehab in a Veterans hospital, right after the Japs gave up, one of the other walking wounded and my future Father hatched a scheme to go fishin.
They both loved to fish but neither really knew much more than how to put a worm on a hook.
Acting on the advice of another wounded dude they bought a jeep equipped with a winch.
And off to Hoover Dam they went.
They had 1200 feet of one-ton cable, 2 grappling hooks and some dead chickens, the really ripe kind.
They rented a fairly good sized row boat and waited for dusk.
While they waited for darkness they ran the eye-hole end of a couple of the grappling hooks through some rotten chickens.
They tied the cable to the hooks and started playing out the winch cable with the row-boat.
I bet somebody had to flip a coin to see who got to babysit those smelly birds for the 45 minutes that it took to run out the line.
They dropped the bait over the side not to far from the high side of the dam.
Not knowing how long they would be able to stay awake while drinking beer in the darkness they tied the jeep to a large tree with a chain and padlock.
Then they started stringing the empty cans together on a fish stringer hooked to the bumper.
If they never caught anything they wanted to, at least, keep the jeep.
Around 0330 one of them was watering the weeds next to the jeep when it jumped up in the air and almost landed on the poor guy.
Then it jumped again.
Being combat vets, walking wounded and fairly drunk they went into action like a well oiled staggering machine.
Somebody fired up the jeep while the other engaged the winch mechanism.
The fight was on.
You try sitting in a bucking jeep with no seatbelt.
They would reel in a couple hundred feet of cable just to have it run out again.
Shoulda got a winch that had no clutch.
Pretty soon the sun started coming up and the jeep was getting low on gas so:
they bravely decided to unchain the jeep and pull the cable out of the deep water by driving the heroic little jeep.
They were making quite a racket and a crowd was collecting, including the Fish and Game people.
Neither of the clandestine fishermen had any legal right to be fishing there, oops.
One of them made up the old story about the car and boat going under together and they were just trying to retrieve their property.
Then the jeep stopped jumping around like it was out of gas but, it wasn't.
That's when the game warden told them to reel in the car and boat or get a fine.
Since the line had gone slack rather suddenly it looked like a Mexican Dog-Fall was about to happen.
Somebody donated some gas and the winch started doing it's thing.
A short time later something ugly and weird broke the surface.
Nobody there had ever seen anything like it before so the Feds took charge of the whatever-it-was, strapped it down on a flatbed Ford and took it to the nearest University.
It was 185 pounds of lower catfish jaw.
sledge
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My full name is sledge hammer.
Whoever made out the birth certificate couldn't spell so there are no capital letters in my name.
The story is like this,
the doctor was cleaning catfish when he got the call to come inside the shed and deliver my purty little butt.
Deliveries are kinda slimy at best and he didn't have time to wipe off his hands or put on any gloves, he didn't have any anyway.
So I landed on his foot like an 8-pound sledge hammer.
Mom thought it was cute so that's what I got.
Mom never new Daddies last name or ever saw him again after Mom got knocked-up so 'hammer' worked out just fine.
sledge
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If I'm not mistaken this is another case of 4.16a vs 4.16b.
The 'A' part says you have to have a certain percentage before TDIU 'may' be considered.
The 'B' part says any disability 'at any percentage of disability' 'may' be sufficient to invoke TDIU.
They always deny you with part 'A' hoping that you don't know about part 'B'.
When you call their bluff and mention 4.16b they will increase your percentage up to a level that allows 'a' to control.
The last thing they want to do is award tdiu under 4.16b.
That would open another set of flood gates that they are scared to death of.
sledge
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Ouch,
We're about to have a death in the family.
Been expecting this for a couple of years.
Second bout with cancer, 80 years old and hospice has found the address.
I'll have to relocate the dogs and clean out the schoolbus to bed down the extra company.
One of my kids is trying to 'improve' me before I have to look good for the services.
I'm allergic to most clothing dyes but they won't let me wear my white socks.
My deviated septum is healed up enough that I won't look like a carp trying to breathe outa water.
I'm gonna miss that.
One leg is about 2 inches shorter than the other so one white sock always hangs out, tough.
I'm still trying to figure out which color of tape to hold my specs together with.
My kid wants it to match my pants.
Where do you get plaid tape?
My grandkid is going to write out the instructions that I need for getting the video gaming system working.
I had to promise her that she could drive my pick-up to Wal-Mart.
The windows work on mine and hers has 2 flats.
The milkshake that her boyfriend spilled behind the seat last week is keeping most folks from riding in hers anyway.
Even though she boughtum, the wife says I can't wear my Hooters t-shirt or double-can, beer drinking, hard hat.
I hate preachin.
I'm gonna have a contest with my sister to see who can launch the loudest fart during the collection.
We give style points for lingering too.
sledge
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I know our records are lost or destroyed regularly by many different VA jerks.
WHEN did that practice become legal?
sledge
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" Set your TV to Channel 3, and change the setting from "antenna" or "cable" to "aux". "
Where is the slider, button, touch pad, switch or dial that you are referring to?
TV or remote or xbox?
Is this accomplished from a remote control or something that is physically on the tv somewhere?
How is the xbox supposed to be activated?
Do you simply flop a disc into the disc drive?
Do you push a button?
Will locating the mysterious "aux" get me somewhere by itself or is that a menu.
Is "aux" part of another menu.
I'm not trying to be cute.
I'm seriously frustrated and all of those little pills don't help.
I use tools but I don't invent them or try to guess where they will pop up from.
There is a logical order that has to be followed in order to accomplish anything complicated.
In the computer world it is possible to change a racing engine build with a keyboard while warming a chair.
In my world, you have one shot at getting it right or you lose.
I'm not playing any farm games on the computer, I grow taters and beans in the back yard.
What the hell are points good for and who has the repository where those points are kept?
If there is not a finite number or repository of those points I guess I can make my own.
I win.
Playing with the xbox obviously ain't my thing but I would like to be able to fire it up for the grandkids.
That will keep them busy while I make something useful like gunpowder.
sledge
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They have done it to me again.
One of my daughters brought the boys with her and I got to babysit.
They brought the xbox 360 and I said sure.
She plugged in the wires and left.
Then I found out that the boys had never turned this plaything on themselves, they're kinda young.
Then I found out that I know even less about the 360 than the boys do.
HELP!
This all happened yesterday.
The most frequent error that I see now-a-days comes from:
the assumption that everybody knows that so no need to mention it here, have you plugged it in?
Wires are color coded.
The power cord is obviously ONLY used for a power cord.
OK, I've got the power plugged in and the wiring accomplished according to the instructions.
I even put in a game disc all by myself.
The control thingy is hard wired in.
I can't get the game machine to show up on the TV, I'm still watching Bonanza and I know the boys would rather peel onions than watch something that's entertaining to the old guy.
This is the part where some four-eyed mouth-breather gets his revenge.
Apparently a SAMSUNG tv and the 360 either don't like each other or the guy with white socks has hidden the most basic of all commands, SWITCH ON.
I'm going with he hid the on switch.
The kids are getting really antsy, I'm starting to sweat, nobody is being entertained and I'm close to picking up the fire axe.
My question is, (drum roll), how do change the tv from normal whatever feed into xbox 360 games????
I'm leaning toward it's hidden behind a four-step menu piece of crap and I don't know how to find the menu.
Obviously, my main, usual problem is ' Well, Everybody knows that '.
Dive in, have some fun with my lack of computer literacy.
sledge
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If you can prove what you contend by way of a signed contract between the VA and the hospital and you, they don't have a case against you at all.
It's all about the substance of and the signatures on.
Usually, a formal letter from your attorney attesting to the contested nature of this business and his representation of you is enough to quell the collection agencies.
What's in the signed contract is the key to the whole thing.
The buck stops at the top.
In this case it looks like the Secretary and the HMO get to fight it out.
But, I don't know anything about state or federal law.
sledge
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I feel all warm and fuzzy after reading --
" http://www1.va.gov/homeless/ "
I'm still waiting to see a list of the government employees who will be paid to identify, locate and transport the homeless to the best shelter that fits the circumstances of each homeless person.
sledge
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Now the fun part.
After sulking for an unknown amount of time in front of the tv I decided to check out the situation one more time before getting out the fire axe.
Using the new mouse it works.
Using the old mouse it does not work.
There is unmistakable evidence of tinkering while I was watching tv.
Do I really want to know how this thing stopped and then started again without any input from me??
sledge
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the question might be:
how to accidently stop the machine from working?
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the mouse was replaced in the effort to clear up the problem.
multiple ports are available and none of them seem to change anything.
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This ain't new to you computer guys so here's the basic problem.
Grandkids had access to my machine to play games and now it's locked up.
The mouse does not function. (it's brand new)
Is it time for the funeral?
sledge
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We already know and they already know that thousands of veterans are being robbed by the VA every day.
Whenever it's politically correct to go looking for fraud, just look where we all know it will be found.
Why is that so complicated?
sledge
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I have 3 doctors who keep an eye on the VA blood tests for me.
At least one will duplicate anything that the VA does.
However, the VA never tells us what they are checking for except for the standard stuff.
They take anywhere from 2 to 8 viles of blood and a pee sample.
I don't know why or care why.
I'm covered.
In my catchment area there are 3 of us vets who have the same basic identifier information.
In the past the jerks have practically thrown me off of the lease until they discovered they had the wrong dude.
More than once.
I've never met one of the other vets but, I suspect he is quite a character.
The 3rd one is related to me.
Even if I was the only poor slob with my info, I could never trust their lab work.
Too dang many years of uncalled-for BS.
Sorry, drifting again.
" “V.A. is in the process of standardizing the standard operating procedures for the cleaning of all reusable medical equipment across the country.” "
That is the most absurd statement I have ever heard...
sledge
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Hidden in plain sight is the thrust of this so-called benefits protection bill.
" Veteran’s disability compensation is not an asset, income, or property. Veteran’s disability compensation is tax exempt, and solely awarded to a single individual based on their particular disabilities. "
The courts have declared that VA benefits are property and depriving a veteran of VA benefits is a violation of Federal Law.
Veterans have a 'property interest' in their VA benefits.
'Property Interest' is a legal standard that we were deprived of for many generations.
The VA can't stand having to follow the rule of law and will do anything to change our 'Property Rights' back to a simple entitlement governed by the whims of jerks, not Federal Court Judges or Federal Law.
" Veteran’s disability compensation is not an asset, income, or property. "
Think about that!
sledge
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My former VAMC and my current VAMC use two different computer coding systems and it was like speaking English and Spanish (just an example).
In order to allow my specialist to examine the nuclear testing results I had to hand-carry the films and text documents to the location of the specialist.
MRI, X-rays, physical examinations and everything in text form.
Then I found out that the x-rays, blood values, tox screens and even gender belonged to another veteran.
The specialist was not impressed with my objections and showed me the door.
sledge
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" Asked why the department waited three and a half months to notify veterans, the spokeswoman, Katie Roberts, said in a statement that it wanted to identify all “who were potentially at risk,” "
Not really,
They are waiting to see how many die before the facts are made public.
And they always are in need of another sensitive issue to cover-up the outcry over an even more sensitive issue.
Identifying who and how many vets are involved is a far cry from treating those vets.
I am absolutely not impressed by the way the VA is trying to dismiss this as a non-issue.
sledge
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" I know this is rambling on a bit, but I have wondered since my intital exam, how could they rate my on the hearing loss and tinnitus, when they did my hearing test after the ENT appointment and the ENT doc did not have anything to base his decision on, except for looking in my ear? "
Unfortunately, what you are experiencing is normal business as usual at the VA.
The doctors wing it, you don't even have to be there, and the Regional Office does whatever they can to move the paperwork along.
Congress and the VA make a big deal out of the severe backlog of initial claims.
Which congress and the VA caused by going for numbers instead of quality in their work.
We suffer along waiting and the VA jerks receive larger bonus checks.
This is legalized fraud supported by the government.
If they ever change the standard to 'doing-it-right-the-first-time' the backlog will take care of itself, congress will have to use some other contrived BS to get elected and many more disabled veterans will be able to get the right kind of help and eventually return to the workforce.
Keep getting copies of the examination reports and all other papers generated by your involvement with the VA.
Resubmit whatever they should have looked at before the stupid denial.
Try to get everything you turned into the VA date stamped by any VA clerk at any VA facility.
Don't miss any appeal time limits.
Don't do anything rash or stupid yourself.
Don't abandon your claims.
We can't say when but, you will win your earned benefits.
sledge
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What's flat mail?
Is that different from the Post Office?
sledge
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" Lets see how badly the VA can mutilate and mangle this otherwise good peice of legislation. "
The real problem has never been 'what are the rules'.
The problem is enforcing the existing rules.
The VA has been killing our benefits for 200 years by simply ignoring anything that causes them more work than they want to put up with.
And/or is too expensive.
Until they figure out how to make anything work right for the veterans nothing is going to cause a meaningful change in the system.
Even when we show how badly they have screwed-up the process there are no enforcement entities in place to correct the problem.
Without enforcement all you have is a bunch of pension seekers running the system.
Pension seeking as the only important issue on the minds of management.
And management is very skilled at the trickle-down theory.
The small percentage of good people in the system, who really have the vets in mind and work for the vets, is too small to have much affect.
All of the rest just follow the example of management in their work.
No penalties for messing up the lives of disabled veterans, just nice rewards.
As long as there are rewards the system will psychotically resist change.
sledge
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" I know one of the games is to cancel appointment and say the Veteran canceled it and make a new one. Happens to me quite often. "
I have had them schedule examinations on a day of the week when the clinic is not operating 3 times, at a facility 4 hours away, and then they claim that I missed the C&Ps.
I've had appointments canceled by letter and then have them claim that I missed it.
Sent me to an empty parking lot for another exam and then claim that I missed the appointment.
In my current case,
I will schedule an appointment at a time of the day that fits into my medication schedule.
At a time period where driving long distances will affect me the least.
The VA will call me to reschedule at a different time of the day on another day of the week.
I get changed from an afternoon appointment to an early morning appointment.
I can't really safely drive until after the lunch hour because of the sleep meds the night before.
So, in order to make the early morning appointment I must decline the sleep meds and end up staying awake most of the night.
In stead of being groggy from the meds I'm driving on a stiff dose of coffee or some other stimulant.
Stimulants do not go well with my mental health medications.
In essence, my mind and body react to this new scenario as if I have stopped taking everything and the sleep apnea is also not being treated.
And I get cheated out of some travel pay because another facility is closer.
They have pulled this on me twice in 2 months now.
Instead of simply encouraging me to seek treatment at the other facility they are messing around with my entire treatment plan and therefore my mental health issues on top of the travel pay issue.
This is a mental health appointment.
Since I have been transferred to a new therapist for each of my last 4 appointments, I guess it's time to take the hints and submit to the facility change.
I love it when a plan comes together.
sledge
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Welcome to my world.
sledge
Oxycodone
in Medication – Prescription Drugs-Health Issues
Posted
Yes,
I'm doing the same thing.
It's funny how the VA has been trying to get me into eye surgery for about 20 years.
It's funny because my cataracts have never changed over the 20 years.
I can see well enough to drive without my glasses.
If they want to practice I'll buy them the head of a pig from the local slaughter house.
We are not lab rats.
sledge