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vetquest

Master Chief Petty Officer
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Posts posted by vetquest

  1. I was once cut on at the VA when I was indigent.  It was done by a doctor in training.  They used a punch to excise a skin lesion.  When I told the doctor they could stop now, the doctor got testy and asked how I knew so much.  I told them that they were scraping the bone in my ankle and I could feel it.  They diagnosed it as Kaposi Sarcoma and told me I had aids, which was untrue.  I have had other operations on the outside for service connected issues because the VA did not think that the operation was necessary.

    I have Tricare and use it over VA care as my VA doctor says it is better for me that way.  

    I guess I as one would not be sorry to see VA Hospitalization go away but I think it is necessary for some vets.  The VA is the least best option but the only option for some.

     

  2. First I would suggest that you start a migraine diary asap.  These are used by doctors to judge the seriousness of your migraines.  It is a pain but it does help, you can find many on the internet.

    Be honest at your C&P but let them know what your worst day is like, do not say I am doing great.  "I am good today but earlier this week I had a migraine that sent me to bed."  The same for your feet and PTSD.

    I might also try to get some buddy letters from your manager at work if they are willing.  This shows the seriousness and financial impact of your disability.  I lost my job of 25 years over losing too much time off from work and not being my best while at the job due to my disabilities and the medications that were necessary.  It took me ten years, this will hopefully not happen to you, to get my case through the BVA which granted TDIU and full benefits.  The BVA cited employer letters as one of the highlights of evidence that showed I was not able to perform my job due to my disability.

    No you are not special but it is trying none the less.  Loss of income and pain are not good for the mind or a good way of living.  It creates it's own stress and this is something that you need to look after.  If you were not depressed when you begin working with the VA, you will be when you get done.

    Good luck drawing good doctors for your C&P's and keep us apprised as to the results.  Sometimes, many, you will get denied by the RO with a poorly done rating.  Never quit at this point, always appeal if you are not given the full benefit that you deserve.  Go to the BVA if necessary.  It is a long process but the BVA reads your evidence and applies it much better than the RO.

     

  3. I would first file an HLR myself if the new HLR's are taking less than a year, then I would go to the BVA.  Your rights are allowed in a greater detail by the BVA but it can take several years before they get to you.  Your chances are better at the BVA with that said.  It is up to you at this point, knowing that the BVA process is longer.

    In your statement there is a word missing in the last sentence of the first paragraph.  Otherwise it looks good.

  4. If you have an IME and it is positive, it should state that they reviewed all of your Service Records and that it is as likely as not that your current situation is related to service injuries I would request a supplemental claim and note where the examiner was wrong.  You need to have a nexus provided in the IME.  With all of this you have a pretty strong appeal against a flawed C&P.  Good luck and know that you might get denied on appeal but then you go to the BVA.  The BVA has a pretty good record when you have the benefit of doubt.

  5. Aside from all of the good advice that you have been given by broncovet and Buck, I would look at the CFR that they used to deny you.  It states that an injury caused by alcohol will not be considered line of duty if it incurred in active duty.  You are looking to secondary connect an injury that occurred due to PTSD post service.  That CFR is wrongly noted.

  6. The RO normally orders C&P exams.  If the BVA thinks your C&P is too old they will request a new C&P in a remand.  The good news about a C&P following a remand is that once the RO has made their decision it can go back to the BVA where it will take it's place at the front of the line due to the date of filing.  You need to ask for your case to go back to the BVA though, it does not happen automatically, especially if they consider the decision favorable.

  7. @Phild523, the bad news is that they might rate you as 0%.  I do not know what they would rate you as.  They finally rated me for PTSD, they said my heat intolerance was all in my mind, never mind the 108 degree temperatures in my medical records.  They actually tried to say my temperatures were the result of my mind causing the problem.  The good news is the attached PDF.  The other good news is that if you start to suffer neuropathy later in life they may rate you for that.  It was a long haul but I was rated for neuropathy due to my heat injuries.  I was also rated for migraines caused by my heat injury.

    The biggest fight you will have is that they say a heatstroke does not cause residuals that can be rated.scan0101.pdf

    Sorry to be so negative but I fought for five years to be recognized by the military and thirty-five years with the VA.

     

     

     

    long term effects of heat injury.pdf

  8. On 7/14/2011 at 2:23 PM, TomLeo said:

    Talk about having it both ways!

    TomLeo, I was being stripped of my driver's license after my discharge because a neurologist from the Naval services reported me as unfit to operate a motor vehicle.  I went to the VA and requested treatment for my condition and was denied since I was not suffering a medical condition.  I then asked the doctor to write that up to the DMV.  He refused saying "You are suffering a serious medical condition that prevents you from safely operating a motor vehicle."  That's when I learned about Catch-22.

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