vetquest

Congratulations, hope you do not have to wait too long for the grant.

There is no oversight of veterans department employees. They almost have to commit a crime before they are fired and some of them treat veterans pretty lousy.

Buck52 outlined what you need to do to get rated for a disability. Broncovet named three things you need to do now. If you are drinking you will not get fixed. If you can get into a VA hospital and start treatment please do so. Bipolar can be treated, I live with a woman who was bipolar and on her medications she was great as long as she stayed away from alcohol.

The VA lives and dies by the nexus statement. Without it getting rated for PTSD is next to impossible. As for the back problem and IU it sounds like you have a good case. You may see the IU approved and have a remand for the PTSD.

I am a 100% vet who gets all of my care outside the VA after my VA psychiatrist said I no longer needed controlled medications or care. I still need to go to the VA once a year, it is for funding as GiRin says. As for getting kicked out of the VA it has been pretty difficult for me. I was dealing with some severe problems at one time and I had a doctor become difficult with me saying multiple times I was not describing my pain to where he could understand it. I made a statement to the doctor about giving him the same pain I have and he walked out. I was asked to leave by a nurse and flagged. I also had an incident with a VA volunteer who said I looked weird in the prosthetic I was using and I lost it. I am not proud of this, I was flagged for years. I had to do two weeks locked down in a psychiatric ward. For at least a year I had to have a psychiatrist present for all of my appointments. As I said I am not proud of this but it is what it is.

I cannot see them curing my PTSD. My stressor is weather in excess of 85-90 degrees, stupid but it is what it is. I can function but I get distracted and have chest pains. I would love to be over this but I also cannot see myself experimenting with a dangerous drug.

Bertha, glad to hear you are ready but sad to think that you are thinking of this.

If you do not get TDIU please appeal to the BVA. A statement like this can be overlooked by the RO quite easily. The BVA would not miss that statement.

Wonderful.

My understanding, if SMC for IU is that if the IU condition is considered serious enough to prevent you from working and there is another condition over 60% than they do it the same as a 100% rating. This is how I am P&T at 100% but drawing SMC for IU. My situation is really confusing, my PTSD was declared serious enough to have IU and my neuropathy is at 80% so I have SMC and am also 100% P&T and IU. Figure out that one.

Buck, Can the veteran afford an IMO? If not, since it is probative evidence I would take my chances at the BVA. I have had three trips to the BVA where they added a great amount of weight to evidence the RO sluffed off.

They are supposed to handle MST claims differently than normal PTSD claims so your C&P may have everything that you need. You should look up the judge advocate generals office for Fort Hood and request from them a copy of the report if you know what day or thereabouts when it was filed. If one was filed they should have it. Are you still in contact with the other female from your time there? She might be able to file a lay statement if you told her about it. I am really sorry to hear about this, it sounds like you may have been duped. Still call the JAG.

If you think that your condition has gotten worse you are more than welcome to file for an increase. Do not be afraid of the VA, if you only have a ten percent rating you do not have much to lose. There is always the BVA if the RO does not approve your increase. Many times the VA gives a ten percent rating hoping the veteran thinks ok I got something and if I file for more I will lose what I have. It's a numbers game, if they can get away with ten percent ratings they have higher numbers of veterans for the same money it costs for one one hundred percent veteran.

Guys, can we just back off a little and agree that we are approaching an issue from two differing understandings. I got out in 1986 and if you guys know computers you will realize that the internet did not exist in a form most people could use or understand. I was trained in computers (mainframes, yes I am a dinosaur) but even with the internet coming to life I could not access the information available to people today. Back then we were at the mercy of our VSO's and raters. We had the BVA but it was still a long process even back then. Now we have computer savvy users that can work their own cases but there is also a lot of the duty to assist that is overlooked by the RO's. This forum exists to assist others that need help and guidance. At least agree to disagree and get along?

Even if you know it is a setup you must go to your C&P or they will deny or reduce you. It is the nature of the beast.

I hate to sound uneducated but it is just not supposed to happen that way.

Sounds like the VA is up to their old tricks again.

Both the DAV and American Legion have VSO's that may be able to help you with an NOD. Check with these organizations and see if they are willing to help. If not you can do it yourself here. You will be given advice and we could check your NOD out before you send it.

Bertha, I assume we need medical records, DD214, and death certificate. Is there anything else we will need that you know of?

Please do not watch ebenefits looking for a status change. Ebenefits is unreliable at the least and maddening to check frequently. I would do as jfrei suggested and call the 1-800 number. The 1-800 number does not always tell the truth either though. It is now time to find a hobby and forget about ebenefits for a while.

I know a lady whose husband died from ALS last year? I believe he was military. She could be eligible for benefits?

Guys, the VA once diagnosed my with Kaposi's Sarcoma and AIDS. This was after a capillary sarcoma was removed from my leg. They brought in a bunch of doctors in training and had them search my entire body for more, very embarrassing. They told me if I was not fooling around on my wife then she was fooling around on me. They then lost all of my records and the biopsy. My private doctor said they would not know AIDS if they had it themselves. It left a very bad taste in my mouth.

This is great news for those veterans, thanks Bertha.

As Broncovet says you need a nexus. That is a medical opinion that your condition is at least as likely as not related to your service.

Off the top of my head I cannot be sure but it should be around $350. It will continue as long as your rating continues unless your condition improves.