nancygail

Well that makes me feel a lot better.

Hello! We've had a pretty hellacious few years due to my husband's disability and being unable to work. We we're concerned we were going to lose our home which we own. However the disability was finally approved and we were able to get the house on the market and it just sold. Now I have a new concern. We're moving to another state for health and to be close to family who can assist us. if we make 20 grand on a sale of a house there's no way we can move without using some of it for the move. The rest is to be reinvested so we can buy a new home which can happen in October I believe. We were forced to file bankruptcy the end of 2018 due to my husband's illness. We were told we couldn't buy a home again for two years and that will be at the end of this year. Will that money count as income and then we'll lose his disability? Which means we would literally be prevented from buying another home. Does anyone know how this might work in this situation? Is there a way to legally protect that money? I know nothing of this stuff. I just know it was an incredibly difficult journey to get here and due to both our health we needed to sell our house and move closer to family. I'm concerned they can keep us from purchasing another home which means would be locked into paying high rent that is almost half his disability income. Any info would be very much appreciated. I'm so worn out from all this. It was a long hard battle to get his disability. Thanks! Nancy

Thanks for that added info. We are both 61. I'll copy this and save it in a file with my other advice I get. Ü

Thanks again Berta. I'll download the pdf! FYI, without doing research yet, is Dental covered for either me or my husband?

Thanks again Berta. I'll download the pdf!

We were going to try and get him 100% disabled through the VA only and not TDIU as then he could do shows without worry from what we learned, though they said that could take up to 3 years.

I so appreciate all that info. Yeah, we've been told different things by almost everyone we talk too. They said if he makes over 1k in any given month it will hurt him. Its only him end myself. I'll let him know this info. He might have been able to keep the three gigs he had on the books. He got deposits weeks ago for shows later in the year. That was the only way we could pay any bills was to use those deposits, though he's not really well enough to do them easily. We needed to live. According to what he was told he'll have to cancel and return the deposits which sucks, as each one was over 1k in a single month. Last year we only made 12k barely. I have no idea how we lived but we did. Thanks so much! Nancy

The sad part is we've struggled for so long to just survive so when he finally had three shows come up a few months back, despite not being well, we desperately needed the money to make bills. The shows were not till later this but but he got a deposit for each and we paid our bills for 3 months. However, since he was just approved for the TDIU he now has to cancel and return the deposits which kinda sucks. Despite being sporadic and never enough, music has been his only income for years, though as he got worse he could do it less and less. Still, even two or three shows a year kept us afloat for a few months. I'm so sad he can't do the thing he loves, at least at that level anymore. He can of course sing and play anytime but this is a guy who sold out Red Rocks twice. He does big shows when he does get them. I guess it would be different if he was 100% through the VA only. But he had to do TDIU as we were going to lose the house and that was faster. But still glad for the overall win. Ü

UPDATE: ChampVA: My husband made a couple calls and was told ChampVA can be my first or secondary insurance. If its first it costs me copays plus a 3k year deductible. I currently have medicaid and he was told I can keep that and use ChampVA as my secondary... which I have no idea what that really means. My Medicaid pays 100% though I struggle to find doctors who take what I have. They are sending him paperwork since it didn't come in his VA packet. WORK: He was also told due to being TDUI he can't do any single extra "job" that pays more than 1k in a month if he'll get a w-9 for it. Which kinda sucks as he's an entertainer and though he's had to cut WAY back due to his health worsening he still gets shows now and then which he can sometimes do. But they pay more than 1k. Last year he only had a couple of gigs. So the yearly income was under poverty level. But from what he was told they go by the month not the yearly income. If he was 100% by the VA alone I guess its different and he can "work". He has not been able to hold a job for 20 years. He went into entertainment due to some circumstances that allowed it and because he can set his own schedule and its basically singing. GOING FOR 100%: I saw an article on here about how he should always pursue claims and appeals. It if he was 100% by the VA alone I guess it changes everything and he's considered retired. But he's only 70% with the TDUI giving him 100. So I take he we can try to get that but he was told it could take up to 3 years since he already has TDIU. I find it all very confusing.

Thank you so much. Ü

Thanks for the info. That lets me know a lot more than I did. Another question: If I get disability (SSI) or any govt assistance do I need to claim his disability money as income? I currently have medicaid. Do I switch to CHAMPVA?

Thanks so much for that info. The part a and b was confusing.

Thanks you. Ü its been a LONG two years. There was no ChampVA in what we got. 19 pages of stuff. I thought ChampVA was only for retired vets?

Hello! Not been on for a while but we just received notice my husband won his claim. The VA called and scheduled "meeting" with him next month to go over the decision. I've been searching the forum but what I've found is older so I'm unsure if its accurate so I hope I can get some clarity here. I have several questions but I'll start with these. Below is a screenshot of his proof letter. 70% for combined eval and 100% for unemployability. HEALTH CARE As his wife will I get insurance? Will there be a cost? Will his health care change or does he still have to go to the VA hospital as always. SOCIAL SECURITY He can get SS retirement this year. Does that impact anything? Thanks so much! Nancy Ü

I appreciate all the info. This system is horrific. We are told something different by EVERYONE we talk too. In any case we submitted his paperwork a month ago. The DAV officer said he had never seen a packet as well done as ours in all his years of doing this. He thought he had a great chance of getting 100%. So there's that. Then, my husband was able to meet with our state congressman through a friend and he was going to help particalry with unemployability as that's the emergency right now. Then a VA person he spoke to said he was given false info and falst hope. He said he would most likely be denied first time. It's like hope is given by one person and taken away by another. He's currently being set up for dr. appointments for each of his conditions as part of the process. What we need right now is the unemployability. Now we've been told you need 60% to get it. He's 50 right now. We are still in danger of losing our home. He has gotten so much worse he cannot work or even function normally. So we have to wait and see if he gets rated higher before the unemployability? So were sitting and waiting at the moment not sure what will happen.

Thanks Charlie. I'll check in on this!

Sorry... i should clarify things more. Yes we have formally filed this past Jan. They told us we have a year to submit the paperwork. The arrest guy did nothing and left no trail. His "boss" wouldn't tell Roy anything other than he was no longer there. Thanks Berta for the additional info. Yeah I know its a slow process. But the advice here helps a lot. Ü

So this just happened. Roy went into his VA psyc doctor this morning for his visit. He goes in once a month per their instructions. He confronted the doctor on needing a letter stating his conditions. The disability people need a doctor letter. Its required. His psychiatrist refused. Said he is not allowed to give a letter for mental disability and no other VA doctor is either. So that means he has to find a normal doctor, which we kinda knew. Feels like we are being set up to fail. I have no idea what to do. My husband just sold his guitars this morning to make a couple small payments. He's a musician. This is beyond sad. And we still can't make the house payment. What a horrific system.

He was discharged with 10% I believe. Then we got it increased... this is in the early 90's. I have the transcript of the meeting where he got it increased. Went before a board or something. Its been SO long. He was never listed with PTSD. Only since he's gotten worse have the doctors now written that in his records. But his disability is for conversion disorder. Yes, we were so young a naive we did not fight this as we should way back when. We are trying to get a psychiatrist OUTSIDE the VA to write the letter and add ptsd. Not sure it matters or not. We're just at a bad spot. Both of us sick... out of money. The VA in ark has drug him through the gutter. But you don't get to pick who you see. Another added bit of info. Last year Roy found a locl guy... can't remember his job name, but he worked in a building at the VA hospital. Don't think he was DAV... but helped people get claims done. He was a disabled vet himself. He took Roys info, told him what he needed to do and claimed he was an expert at getting these things through quickly. Also said there were tons of other benefits Roy could possibly get... business grants etc. Anyway, Roy starts delving into gathering info, going to the VA psyc docs and having to talk about his history. His PTSD got exponentially WORSE at that point. Which seemed impossible but yet it did. But he had to do it to get the claim going. He would send this guy the info via email as he got buddy letters etc. Finally, when he had not got a call back from this man for a few weeks, he drove to Little Rock to see what was going on. The lady in the VA office said he "was not there anymore". She would not give any other info. And there was NO record of anything. All the stuff Roy had given him, gone. I did some online sleuthing and found the guy had been arrested for harassment. This not only slowed down EVERYTHING, we had to start over basically, but it had made Roy so much worse. And there was nothing we could do. So that's when we went to a DAV office. It's just been a nightmare.

Thank you Berta for that info. Very helpful. Ü

Roy, my husband, is 50% service disabled and was given a medical discharge for conversion disorder in 1988. He was in perfect health when he entered the AF in 1980. He was attacked several times on base during basic training... Knocked out more than once. This was at Lowery. I was pregnant with 2nd child and had a 2 year old at the time and we were in an apartment off base while he completed training. The police thought it may have been a case of mistaken identity. In any case his commander at the time flew me and our young son out to Utah for our safety, where his first assignment was. Roy was moved onto the base. It was frightening beyond belief. The attacks continued even after I left. He finished training and we got base housing right away at HIll AFB due to safety issues. He started passing out right after all this occured. He was in supply and an exemplary airman. Everyone loved him. Just a good guy all around who worked hard. But his condition got worse... tinnitus started... passing out continued. We were then stationed at Holloman in 1984. There was an incident there too. Base shooting in his office. Long story but more trauma for him. Finally in 1988 he was give orders to go overseas but because his condition had gotten worse they opted to give him a medical discharge. He was diagnosed with Conversion Disorder which is a psychiatric condition. But his symptoms were very physical. On discharge in 1988 we moved back to Utah. He literally could not work and lost job after job due to his condition. He would pass out two or three times a week. This is where he drops with no warning and when he comes too his eyes are beet red and he can barely move. Takes him a day or so to recoup. He tried to go to school but had to stop for the same reason. He is currently being treated for PTSD which is tied to his conversion disorder. He has severe sleep apnea which is caused by PTSD symptoms. He has tinnitus, headaches constantly. Panic attacks, can't sleep, uncontrollable shaking. Also had forgotten until we went through records... he had 20/20 vision when he entered the AF. At HIll AFT he was sprayed in the eyes TWICE with chemicals and taken to the ER. His eyesight deteriorate rapidly at that point. Had to get glasses and to this day his eyes are red, watery, painful. We never in put in for that. Young and naive. He's got a lot of pride and always tried to take care of his family. But he just couldn't keep a job. He was a liability to any company. He managed to keep us barely afloat but our life was always trying to keep a roof over our head in addition to dealing with his health problems. We had 4 children who were also adversely affected by all this of course. He would go someplace and then the police would show up later or the next day... he had been found passed out on the side of the road. This happened several times. They took his license for a while. Whenever he left the house I never knew if he was going to come home. For decades this has gone on.

I'm actually in AZ with my daughter due to my own illness... severe depression, PTSD, anxiety etc. Most which can be attributed to what Roy, my husband, went through and continues to go through. He's in AR trying to sell our home. But because his PTSD got so severe this last couple years he can not even drive much of the time. Uncontrollable shaking, panic attacks, can't sleep etc. The situation, with our different locations have made it even worse but I'm too sick to go back. SO he's alone trying to deal with this. My daughter has spent untold hours helping us create this packet and getting buddy letters etc. We think we have a good shot... just need to get that psych letter from an outside doctor. He's seeing the regular VA docs in AR but in all honesty they have made him worse in many ways. Plus he has to drive 2 hours to Little Rock to go to the VA hospital which he can't do much of the time.

He was in from 1980 to 1988 stateside. Thanks for the info.

Hey Buck, Yes he has a myhealthvet account. We've downloaded all his records and put together a packet. The only thing we're waiting to do is get a doctor letter which again... can't afford right now. We're using the local DAV and started the process in Jan this year so we have till Jan 2020 to get it all in. The guy we're working with said he's never seen a packet as well put together as ours. So we're hoping that helps. We were young and immature way back when he was given a medical discharge and didn't fight this as we should have. His health was severely damaged due to the events in the military and it changed the course of our lives. Our family has gone through incredible hardship which of course also affected our kids. Due to the nature of stuff that happened back then I have severe PTSD myself. Just never had insurance for myself or our kids because he literally could not work. We're trying to see our home but behind on a payment and you can't sell a home if its in arrears. Looking for some sort of miracle to at least by us some time till the house sells or he gets approved. Thank you so much for the other info. I'll print it and keep a copy just in case.