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Richard1954
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Posts posted by Richard1954
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This morning I checked ebenfits and it stated that my claims were in the Notification Preparation stage #6
This evening I checked and it indicates the claims were submitted on 28 Dec 2018 and are now in the Gathering Evidence stage #3
I monitored the claims status since May when I opted into Ramp.. it had been saying decision by 14 Jan 2019 Now it says decision between May and July 2019
I knew from the moment I opted into Ramp, that things were not going to be any faster in fact initially I did not opt for ramp and advised against anyone going into something blind, that we have no way of know how this was going to work
well now we Know... its just as screwed up as the old system what a freaking shame.....
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3 hours ago, Buck52 said:
A C&P Examiner can and will give his/her opinion on the Exam it depends on rather or not they believe your test results (in my opinion anyway) These C&P Examiners especially the Hearing claims are usually VA Employed LIKE in the ENT Clinics.
This will depend on the examiner... I just went thru this here in Temple Texas not long ago.. and the examiner did not give her opinion, in fact she specifically told me that it was not her place nor was her opinion requested. She did the hearing test and that was that.....
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GeekySquid,
You can bring anything you want to the c/p exam.. but factually the C/P tester isn't going to look at anything you bring with you. The examiner is just going to give you a hearing test. They will not even opine about the exam to you, and because this c/p exam is nothing more than a hearing test, it is very doubtful that the examiner will actually voice any opinion, because the exam will speak for itself, and it is up to the raters to determine if you have a hearing issue for rating purposes..
If you have already provided the medical records to the VA regional office good, if not send them to the regional office. As to the past rater not getting all the records right the first time, that is only considering your 1st exam and not the final exam on discharge, is something that would be a cue if they had the records and ignored them.
When I was finally granted service connection for a hearing loss, it was 19 years after I had retired. I had many hearing test since I had retired and each time a rating was denied. In 2005, when I took a hearing test long before I submitted any new claim, the examiner did ask me some questions, like what was my MOS, how long have I had hearing problems, how long was I in service etc.... after taking the hearing test she determined that I had high frequency hearing loss. I did in fact show her a copy of my final hearing test in 1986. She determined because of my MOS, and my final hearing test from service that my hearing loss was service connected. It was not until she opined about the results that I submitted a new claim. I was awarded 0% in 2005. Since then I have tried a couple of times to get an actual disability rating of at least 10%. My hearing is worse than ever. I presently have an appeal on the latest denial. What the c/p examiners do is crank up the volume of the word test... in my case it was cranked up to 80 DB, normal hearing is from 0 to 20 DB in all ranges. Because they crank up the volume I end up getting a 96% on the word test, which results in 0% for compensation purposes. They however do not crank normally crank up the volume when you just go in for a hearing test... when I questioned this practice I was told they have specific instructions on how to test for C/P exams. In my case, my hearing in 2005 wasn't a whole lot different than it was in 1986.. but I now had an opinion that it was considered to be service connected from a va examiner. I think if not for her opinion I would still be fighting for service connection today, because prior to that no one had ever stated my loss was due to service connection....
I suggest you get a hearing test from a private examiner, ( they must do the test according to va standards) and then show your military records to that examiner and get an opinion one way or the other.. Don't make the mistake I made and wait years to get it service connected because I never got an independent medical opinion (IOP).
Good luck
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On 10/31/2018 at 8:15 PM, jefmil50 said:
Well I actually get the max of four. I had to fight for it but it was awarded after bringing my arm brace in to show that it fit the guidelines. Sometimes you need to just keep fighting them.
Then again sometimes you have to decide which battle is worth fighting... I am just getting too old to fight every denial I get... unless its going to amount to some big dollars I have more important things to do with my time, like my 3 grandsons, and one years old granddaughter...
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I opted into ramp on 9 Jul 2018, against my better judgement... but I figured if it actually gets faster results then it would be worth it.... Ebenefits tells me that I will receive an answer by June 2019. I do so how this is any better, since I had already received a SOC for all 4 issues, and they were on the way to the BVA. As I said way before I opted into ramp.. The VA is blowing smoke they have no idea how long ramp will take, anymore than they had any idea how long it would take under the old system.... I know better, and I fell for the trap anyway.....oh well...same old crap I'm used to this
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18 hours ago, kanewnut said:
It doesn't work that way. I haven't worked in 18 years and am still working on TDIU.
That may be because you do not have the evidence to back up your claim.... based on what Hardin said I suspect he has the evidence.....
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Technically no... but for example if you have a disease that is service connected and your are prescribed medication for that disease, and the medication causes a new medical issue, you could fine a claim for a secondary condition because of the medication used for the original disease....
good luck
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Ok, you could request TDIU based on your 70% award for depression. Since you have not worked for years I suspect that it would be approved.
As to your ED and urinary problems you could claim them as malpractice ( called an 1151 claim) .. these are hard to get approved but if you can prove the problems were a result of the va screwing up your surgery you may have a chance to get them service connected..
Good luck
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I had the same thing happen to me last year when I put in a claim for my left knee. I had an IMO and the VA ignored the IMO calling it medical evidence, I just appealed the claim stating that it was not medical evidence but a medical opinion. In fact this medical opinion was in contrast to the opinion from the C/P examiner... so I should have received the benefit of the doubt, or a reason given why I did not get the benefit. Furthermore, I proved that the examiner has lied about her source of information and had only cited a portion of a line that discredit my claim, but the actual line she cited did not have anything to do with knees, and everything to do with gaits. Anyway as I said I just appealed the claim citing the IMO again.....I haven't received any answer yet...
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41 minutes ago, jefmil50 said:
I am in Tampa Florida and you should be getting paid for 2 clothing allowances. I have a power chair and wear braces on my legs to walk with so get paid for my chair and my braces. My opinion I would just let them know you should be paid for your crutches and the chair.
The problem we all face is different VA authorities have differing opinions about what is possible and what is not... this happens all the time even with claims, or Chapter 31 , so if you have two good for you... your one of the lucky ones...
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According to VA Handbook 1173.15
a. One Clothing Allowance. A Veteran is entitled to one annual clothing allowance if:
(1)
A VA examination or a hospital or examination report from a facility specified in section 3.326(b) establishes that the Veteran, because of a service-connected disability or disabilities due to loss or loss of use of a hand or foot compensable at a rate specified in section 3.350(a), (b), (c), (d), or (f), wears or uses one qualifying prosthetic or orthopedic appliance (including, but not limited to, a wheelchair) which tends to wear or tear clothing; or
(2)
The Under Secretary for Health, or a designee, certifies that
(a)
A Veteran, because of a service-connected disability or disabilities, wears or uses one qualifying prosthetic or orthopedic appliance (including, but not limited to, a wheelchair) which tends to wear or tear clothing; or
(b)
A Veteran uses a skin medication prescribed by a physician for one skin condition, which is due to a service-connected disability that causes irreparable damage to the Veterans outergarments.
b.
More than One Clothing Allowance. A Veteran is entitled to more than one annual clothing allowance if:
(1)
Multiple types of garments are affected. A Veteran is entitled to an annual clothing allowance for each prosthetic or orthopedic appliance (including, but not limited to, a wheelchair) or skin medication used by the Veteran if each prostheses, appliance or skin medication:As you can see the handbook specifically indicates wheelchair...
When the new rules for clothing allowances were published I too was denied a clothing allowance for a power wheelchair. I already had a clothing allowance for an AFO brace on my left foot. I was told a power wheelchair does not do damage to clothing. So then I requested a clothing allowance for forearm crutches, and a manual wheelchair since they too were issued by the va too me. I didn't get anywhere.. I was told if I had a power wheelchair that there was no reason for me to use for arm crutches and a manual wheelchair. I was also informed that if a second clothing allowance was requested and if it were granted I would lose the static clothing allowance and have to request the clothing allowances every year. I gave up on trying to get a second clothing allowance 6 years ago...
I wish you luck, but truth be told a power wheelchair does not cause damage to clothing, I know I have been in a chair for 10 years.....
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On 9 July I opted to have my appeals taken care of under the new ramp system. I decided at my age it might be a good idea to get things done as soon as possible. So did anyone know that when you opt into r ramp, the va closes all your claims on the date you opt in. I didn't know that and when I checked benefits I found this out... so in the meantime va is testing a new website called VA.gov. I went on va.gov and found that according to VA.gov my claims were decided on 9 Oct, and it says:
" We finished you claim on 9 Oct 2018. We sent you a packet by US Mail that includes details of the decision on your claim. Please allow 7-10 business days for your packet to arrive before contacting a VA call Center. If you haven't received the packet with the full details of your claim decision yet, you can see your rating by going to your disability page in ebenefits.
Of course benefits has nothing new listed either good or bad.. and I have never put much faith in benefits anyway because I know it takes forever for them to update the information. So anyway I then called the 1-800 number.. and after a while they answered my call.
I asked the gentleman about what I had found and asked him to verify it, he told me that my claims were still being considered, that not one of them ( 4) have been adjudicated. He said he could not tell me anything more.
So I don't know what to believe. In the old days we just waited for the brown envelope, we never worried about how long it was going to take because we knew there was nothing we could do, and it would take as long as it takes to get finished.
So my question... has anyone gone on VA.Gov ( which is to be merged with ebenefits in the near future) and found anything concerning a claim only to find out the information cannot be verified anywhere else.....
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I really don't care about the cola raises.. they never cover the actual cost of living, and the prices just get higher no matter what... Hell we were better off when a dollar was worth a dollar and you could get a loaf of bread for a quarter..... What really needs to happen it to increase the compensation rates for all veterans , something that has not been done since before time began
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I was specifically told that the Dr determines when he will see me and in my case he did not want to see me until Feb which was 6 months from the last time he saw me. I wasn't specifically told what ER to go too. I hate using the ER because of the time it takes to get treatment. I had not been to an ER in I think 21 years and the last time it was for the same issue. I normally try to wait out the time and get an appointment for pain, but this time I was just in too much pain. I kick myself in the butt now because I just was not thinking.. I live 8 minutes from Fort Hood, and 5 mins from a private hospital. I would not have to pay for care under any condition because I have tricare for life and Medicare. I just was in so much pain I was not thinking, and I had gotten use to getting my meds from the VA. The only times I use the Army hospital was when I could not get an appointment with the va, and ironically this time The Army didn't have a same day appointment either. If it had not been for my wife I am not sure I would have gone anywhere but after 47 years together she knows when I have reached my threshold of pain. I never got that 72 hour phone call, and I was never offered a return appointment. The pain had subsided considerable with the shots, but this evening its starting to bother me again. Next time I hope I will be smarter about it and just go to the closest ER . As I am 100%, the va will end up paying the bills if I end up in a private ER. I just don't get how they can flat refuse you an appointment because your scheduled to be seen six months our from the last appointment. I think this also happened to me when I had taken a fall and injured a knee. It took 6 weeks to get treatment dealing with the VA, and honestly at that time the Army Hospital wasn't much better.
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I have had back issue since 1981. Last week Thursday 13 Sept I re-injured my back and had terrible back pain. I finally called the VA Hospital Monday morning to get an appointment with my Primary care doctor and was told I cannot just call and get an appointment anytime I wanted one. I said what do you expect me to do, they said I would receive a call from the health nurse within two hours. I received a call and the nurse asked me some questions and then said I recommend you go to the Emergency room. I said what for this is not an emergency I just need to get a pain shot she said to me well my computer program says you should go to the nearest ER. I said you mean to tell me that you don't know what I need to do that you use some generic computer program to ask the questions and made a decision? She answered again yes the computer says you need to go to the emergency room. I said well this is not an emergency and I would like an appointment with my PC doctor. I was told the PC nurse would call me in 2 hours, 4 hours later I called again and this time they told me I was told I would get a call within 72 hours... what the hell I said, what good does that do anyone..... On Tuesday morning I decided to make a trip to the ER. So I arrived at the ER at 6:45 AM. I was placed in a treatment room until 7:30 when a female doctor came in asked me a few questions and then said we will be giving you too shot, I said I know just like you always do when I have this problem. Funny thing is this Doctor never examined me and was in and out in less than 2 minutes, 15 minutes later the nurse came in I dropped my drawers and she gave me the two shots. I was feeling better in a matter of minutes. This is how you get treated by the Teague VA Medical Center in Temple Texas. I am still waiting for that phone call. What really makes me mad is why can't a veteran call and get an appointment? Why must the doctor be the one to say when they can schedule you an appointment. Its not very often that I call for an issue. In fact its been 23 years since I had been to any emergency room. And this is the treatment Trump said he fixed my ass he hasn't done anything for veterans....
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I got service connection for sleep apnea last year, its nowhere in my active duty medical records. A VA doctor opined that because I had asthma, copd, sinusitis, and allergic rhinitis on active duty it is more likely than not that I also had sleep apnea on active duty. My claim was granted 31 years after I retired from service. Like other have said there are many conditions that don't have to be in your medical records, hell I don't even think sleep apnea had a name when I retired in 1986.
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Thanks for the responses, I had figured that I would remain at 0%... examiner told me to have my hearing aids reprogrammed .... but for me I feel the hearing aids are just an added hassle ... I know all the tricks to hearing better and most don't work. Hearing loss was initially diagnosed in 2005 when I got my first set of hearing aids. I guess what really gets me is normal hearing is at 50 DB and they jack up the word recognition to 80 DB just to rate me at 100% word recognition. I think the system is rigged so that it is almost impossible to get a rating but still they recommend hearing aids. Factually, based on the numbers I have a Severe hearing loss. I suspect many veterans are in the same boat as me. What really sucks is the lack of standards when testing, you have to wear your glasses to decide on a rating for loss of sight, but when it comes to hearing you can't wear hearing aids to decide the rating. What ever became of congress's recommendation that if you wear hearing aids you should get a 10% rating no matter what. I don't even bother wearing the hearing aids anymore, get new aid every 5 years, I just toss them in a drawer until 5 years have gone by and they issue new aids, and the cycle starts all over again. At this point in my life I don't care if I can hear someone or not...... I just stick to myself makes life much easier.
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I had a new hearing test conducted at Fort Hood today, the results are as followed:
250 500 1000 1500 2000 3000 4000 6000 8000
L. 20 30 35 45 50 75 70 55 50
R 20 30 40 50 80 80 75 55 55
Word recognition 100% at 80 DB .. it was explained to me that 50 DB is normal hearing level for most people , in my case DB level was increased until I could hear and understand all the words ????
So what the heck is this test really saying ? Even though its worse that my last test 4 years ago it still equals 0% rating... right?
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On 9/5/2018 at 6:17 PM, Rhodesia said:
Yea I still had to still file for my military retirement but will not see a dime of it because I'm still at 40% I'm suppose to get $1,801 per month, but I guess all i will get a is a nice looking Blue Retirement ID card that looks good in your wallet, LOL
I don't remember so I'll ask were you in the reserves, I ask because no one I know unless they were not in the active service had to wait to get their retirement. I received my retirement check the first month after retirement. For many years, 22 to be exact I took my VA compensation over my retirement because it just made things easier. Now I receive both combat related compensation and my va check and pay no taxes on either.... but for years like many retirees I did not get a retirement check instead taking va comp.
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On 9/5/2018 at 7:06 PM, Buck52 said:
I beg your pardon Sir it was true in 2002 that's the last time we shopped at the commissary , we did buy a few things but we were completely surprised at the Meats & General Grocery's some were about the same in price but not worth the 183 mile trip to the commissary.
I admit I was just going by what my spouse looked at at the time and what she mention to me.(about the prices)
I agree it maybe cheaper now Since we have not shopped there in 16 years.
That's My Opinion.
Lets just agree to disagree.. I have used military Commissary's and Post Exchanges all my life..( yes as a teenager Army brat to my now 64 years of age) Over the years things have changed, but one truth is that the Commissary was more often than not the better place to shop. In 2002 I was using the Fort Bragg Commissary, which is one of the largest in the system , the selection was great, and the prices were as stated before almost always better than outside the gate. Now we use Fort Hood, and while we see fluctuation in cost of different items, the overall cost are always less then the local Walmart or Sam's. Heck, I still get my hair cuts on Post at $10.25 just because I know when I walk in what to expect, and I buy all my appliances on post with a big savings considering no taxes and sales, they can save you a lot of money. At one time AAFES had their own repair faculties which cost less, now Firestone is on base and the cost are no better than the local off base Firestone. But Overall you will get a better deal each and ever time at the commissary. I don't know how anyone could save if they are driving 183 miles to get to a commissary, as I said, we live in a GI town just to use the benefits. As to the Post Exchanges unless you are making a large purchase its doubtful you will actually save, most items are brand name, and the selections are few, for example Sam's or Best Buy offer better savings on a computer than the Post Exchange... Clothing forget it, unless we were in Germany we never bought clothing at the Post Exchange.
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On 7/27/2018 at 11:54 AM, Rhodesia said:
y this also apply's to my TRiCare Prime because the VA is taking care of me so the only thing I get to keep is my grey ID card.
Tricare medical benefits is not subject to any offset .. when used with Medicare all of your medical cost are paid and there are never any out of pocket expenses.
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On 9/1/2018 at 6:35 AM, broncovet said:
My commissary "adds on" about an additional 7 percent. So, the prices they post dont include this additional cost. For food, in my state, there is no sales tax. So to compare prices at the commisary vs a local grocery store, I have to add an additional 7 percent onto the posted commissary price.
Its unclear how/why the commissary adds on this 7 percent, but I can assure you they do, at least here. Yours may be different.
I don't think it is 7% that really sounds high. I think its actually 3-5 percent, ( but I don't have a receipt to look at now) But it is called a surcharge. The surcharge is in place only for non-food items. It is to help offset the cost of bags, and other items. The fact is the Commissary is not in place to make money. It receives taxpayer funds to help offset the losses.
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On 8/31/2018 at 8:02 PM, Buck52 said:
And there not as cheap as they once was, no tax ,but the products they sale is just as High if not higher than the neighbor hood Wal-Mart Super Centers.
EVEN THE POST COMMISSARY'S ARE NOT THAT CHEAP ANYMORE.
NOT LIKE THEY ONCE WAS.
That simply is not true. As a retiree, I have used these benefits for years, in fact the commissary and Medical benefits are the only reason I chose to live in a "GI" town.
The greatest benefit to the commissary, is the cost of meats, and many brand name items. My wife actually tracks the cost of the commissary vrs the local WalMart, and Sam's in many not all but the majority of the time the Commissary offers the greatest savings, then next Sam's club. Every time an item cost less at the commissary, my wife will put the savings in a jar, and at the end of the year we have had as much as $900 to spend at Christmas.
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On 8/31/2018 at 10:12 AM, acesup said:
Unless I'm misunderstanding something here, it sounds to me like ANY disabled vet, with ANY SC disabilty at even a 0% rating will get commissary and MWR privileges. If so, I find it ironic, since I was just granted 100%. However, I think it is good thing.
No only those with a 100% rating will be granted the privilege... Over the years I have argued against this because it is one of my earned retirement benefits.
My Ramp progress
in RAMP Rapid Appeals Modernization Program
Posted
Right and today mine was at the 6th stage .. Notification Preparation and this evening its back to step 3 Gathering evidence..
Don't believe anything you read... Ebenefits doesn't lie VA People Do