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GBArmy

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Everything posted by GBArmy

  1. TBird We will miss trying to educate veterans coming here for answers to seemingly insurmountable problems, yet in the end they went on and if they kept at it, won their claims. We will miss the great knowledge of members and help that they provided. Lastly, I will miss your help and guidance; thank you for all you have done. If I can be of any help in the future, you have my contact info. Take care. GBArmy
  2. I'd also suggest you Google VA diagnostic code for "X" (whatever your seeking a disability for) ex. sinusitis, knee, back). Notice what are the symptoms that the VA calls out and how they result in a rating. For example a diagnosis which calls out you take medications may have a minimum rating of 10%, while the next highest rating calls out additional criteria. Remember you need a current diagnosis, an event or illness in the service such as str's, etc,. and or buddy letters, and thirdly, a connection or nexus that connects the first two. The third leg you need a doctor or medical opinion that makes the connection. But Shrek is right, the longer you go, the more $ you leave on the table with the VA.
  3. Worriedshrimp Be sure to keep your copies of what is sent in. If your diastolic readings are below 100, and you have a diagnosis of high b/p, they will likely give you a 0% rating, as your pressure should be mostly under control with meds. That is ok if you are concerned about any secondaries. But here's the thing to get a higher rating, since you are taking meds now. Get a copy of your b/p readings in your old med records at the time you were first diagnosed. If the readings were 100 or higher (3 times) , then you should be rated higher than the 0%. It is in the CFR and the VA's M21-1 manual.
  4. Vync Certainly let us know what the results are and if makes a difference. You might ask them what their turn-around time is supposed to be as it sure seems it is getting worse.
  5. I have had issues with the travel web site also. I have to manually put in half of what I claim; the others do show up and you can start the process fairly straight foward. It's now taking 3 weeks or more to get them into the bank. I guess we call that "process improvement." I didn't know that time of travel figures into the process any longer though.
  6. James, I agree with Marine Corp 69/70. Quite a journey you were on and as we say often, don't give up and get the evidence you need to win! You might not realize how much you moved the needle for others exposed, but we thank you for all your efforts. Take care of yourself Jim.
  7. Brokensoldier I am talking about the specific disability disclosure ex. MH, not the general status of "disabled." I believe stating what the specific disability is is a violation of a person's privacy. The fact that a person is classified as disabled in order to receive a tax exemption I don't think would be a violation IMHO.
  8. Broncovet is spot on. Depending upon what details are required to be posted by the town or state statute, if it is a requirement you have a choice; decline a tax exemption or live with the public record. Think of it from another prospective. Your taxes are based on what the cost/expenses are going to be to run (the town, for instance.) After any fed or state assistance, what is left is what amount of money is required and it is reflected in the tax rate. Certain individuals and non-profits may be exempt from some or all of the taxes, or exemptions. As a town taxpayer, wouldn't you want to know who is receiving a tax break and the result is you have to pick up their share in an increase in your taxes? There could be people or companies receiving tax breaks that are not deserving. Say a non-profit is no longer doing what they received their tax status for. Or a fireman no longer volunteers at the fire dept but still is receiving a tax abatement. That is why public record is necessary because this kind of thing happens. All that said, I agree there should not be any disclosure of the veterans specific disability. Seems to me taht would be a HIPPA violation.
  9. GBArmy

    Hypertension

    Under the PACT Act, the effective date for HTN presumptive to AO is 08-10-22. No earlier by law. (The VA knew if it went in like usual, they would be slammed for earlier claim denials.) You could try for an EED if not filing presumptive, but for another cause.
  10. Recondoc7778 Welcome to Hadit. Up, submit a claim. If you are at 70%, a OSA approval would kick you up to around 90%. For that kind of money, I'd be sure to get a imo/nexus letter to support the MH secondary. My opinion is you make it as hard as you can for the VA to disapprove, so make it hard for them and don't hope the C&P examiner makes the connection.
  11. GBArmy

    Hypertension

    If you are a Vietnam veteran, re-apply. It is now presumptive, including for veterans who were in Thailand, Guam, etc. during certain time periods. (I still don't understand why they allowed then removed it.) Many reasons why you should reapply to get it service connected. Two biggies are 1) secondaries to hypertension, such as stroke, kidney failure, diabetes, etc. and 2) if married, your spouse can be eligible for DIC ($1500.00 /month) if it is a contributory reason for your death on your death cert. Submit before Jan 1st and you get EED of 08-10-22 (date of PACT Act implementation.)
  12. For the record, I did not say withdraw the claim. I said change the claim to say X' was caused OR aggravated by "y". You can change your claim ANYTIME prior to a decision being made. If you are unsure how it will be determined, have your cake and eat it too. Claim either at the same time and let the VA figure the service connection.
  13. James I echo ALL the above. Congrats! You are a wealth of knowledge and I always look forward to your posts for advice. Please keep it up as long as you are able to. You wouldn't be sharing your knowledge if you didn't enjoy helping your veteran brothers and sisters. I enjoy your comments on the airways also.
  14. Rattler I agree with all; job well done. We really like to hear these success stories because it shows if we do 9it right, keep at it, we can win! Congrats!!! (Keep it in the bank for a while and then make decisions on how you are going to handle it. It's a lot of money but when you pay off some debts and loans etc., if you're like the most of us what's left has to last you so think it thru IMHO.)
  15. Hi Jerome, welcome to Hadit. You haven't disclosed what your disability is, so details could result in a different strategy. But based on what you stated, I think what you should consider is modify your current claim to say "X" was caused OR aggravated by whatever caused it in service. Or, simply claim it was aggravated not caused. It will cause a delay, but it won't result necessarily in a denial IMHO.
  16. Well, if it is denied get a copy of the dbq done for the ACE and address the "inadequate" evidence. No use quitting now.
  17. Riplip An ACE review means you are not required to attend, but the letter should say you should be available to respond if a question comes up. Hard to genaralize, but it can be a disadvantage as they often complete the review of your records without contacting you, so if you need the face-to-face to explain something, you are out of luck. It lacks the personal interaction. Often, a new supplemental claim will be needed to add additional evidence or to request an increase in rating.
  18. Broncovet is right on. Being in a combat situation, just being there is a stressor. Before you go to your MH C&P exam, you have to remember some of the feelings you experience during the events and express how they made you feel and still affect you to this day. It's ok to take a few notes with you if you have a hard time with anxiety etc. Just explain you want to refer to them ; the examiner will in all likelyhood allow it, If not, make a note of that and use it as part of your appeal for the claim or for a higher rating is it applies. Just be honest and don't be the big tough guy; this was a life-changing event and it is severely impacting your life and daily activities, including the ability to work (gainful employment.)
  19. Month and year will help very much. If you happened to tell someone back home about this event AND if they can remember any time frame that might help but really, month and year is very good. It should have been documented on a daily report or something else in the squadron, so I should hope there would be a confirming document.
  20. If both happened while on AD, if you have the evidence, it should be S-C. Include both.If you have a newspaper article or something that relates to your friend's death, I would provide proof; should be a police report. At least get a Buddy letter of someone who can attest to the suicide and if they can speak also of how it affected you. I'd try if you can to get some documentation such as another Buddy Letter from one of the guys with the bomb hang up. Have the date and as many details of the bomb episode you can remember. (When, where, how, who ??)If you have been diagnosed by the VA for MH, all I would add is to provide your SS medical records and go for it. Because of the several MH diagnosis you have, I would suggest file for "MH conditions, including, but not limited to, anxiety, depression and/or PTSD." Good luck to you
  21. Whodat I believe your math is wrong. Use a VA math Calculator; there are several on the internet. I just used your estimate of another 40% rating and only got 93.52% It really is a 70% need. Just saying so you can plan accordingly.
  22. It would be rated on the residuals symptoms; se 38CFR4.124 The minimum rating would be 30%. Look up the dbq for it and see the various symptoms that are called out.
  23. It is going to go thru a different loop, financial, and it shouldn't take too long. You should be getting the increase based on dependents. Go onto VA.gov and get into the "letters" section to see if there are changes made yet. Call Peggy, 800-827-1000 ,and ask them if it in the works. If you don't get any change in a few weeks max, I'd request an audit. Most of the time, it is just a slow roll but it gets done eventually.
  24. Whodat Looks like you are in need of another 70% to get your combined up to 95% or 100%. 50% for Pes Planus means the VA has recognized the seriousness of your difficulty. It is not much of a stretch to say foot problems lead to back and knee issues. Keep looking for a good specialist that can get that connection for you.Trying to climb that VA Disability letter, keep digging. You received 10% for tinnitus; nothing on a direct hearing disability? How about GERD for stomach issues as a result from the meds you take. Check out the cautions on all your meds; all veterans should be aware of the results of taking the meds that are prescribed. Aspirin is a major contributor just by itself. Keep on trucken' brother.
  25. By the way, you didn't say, but a mental health could certainly develop from constant pain and it's affects on your work or interactions with others, such as depresion or anxiety for example. Hope you don't have any MH issues, but maybe an evaluation is in order if you have symptoms.
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