GBArmy

Bronc I too am very happy for your win. Kinda shows you know what you know what you are talking about when you give advice. Celebrate a little bit when you get the check. You deserve it! Congrats!!!

Ccastodik I think El Train is right on this one. If you have a Gulf War presumptive symptom and you expect the VA is just going to hand you a disability, you may likely be disappointed. Only 20% of those claims are approved by the VA, which means 80% aren't. You need an outside source to provide a medical opinion that whatever you have fits a diagnostic code that pays out a disability at the the rate your symptoms indicate would be comp for.for any of the Gulf War symptom and Burn pit also, you need a medical diagnosis of the current disability.It isn't as straightforward as Vietnam veterans with AO and , say diabetes. It's a lot harder to diagnose an illnes that you are completely tired all the time, for instance, and make it stick as a presumptive. Make your evidence hard for them to disapprove.

madcoope Not enough info to tell. Were did you get the info of an increase from 10 t0 40%? If you used a VSO and they have VBMS, they could look into the system and see what it says. It is possible that your symptoms could result in a significant increase. We would want to see what the new dbq showed. You can call Peggy and ask to speak to Comp & Pen, but they probably will tell you you can't get results from a C&P done outside for 30 days. In any case, util you get your decision letter, you won't know anything definite.

Beautifulbee No, my deposit was there by mid-morning as usual. Is this a disability you have been receiving for several months, or is it a new one? If it is new, you might have an error somehow on where the VBA sends the payment. And if you just got a bump to a 30% combined rating or higher, be sure your dependent status is up to date as well, because your comp will be higher.Check ebenies for payments and then check your bank statement. Because the 1st of the month is a non-business day, a Saturday, February's payments are supposed to go out on the last business day, which is Friday the 31st. If it doesn't show up, call Peggy on Monday.

Blahsaysme2U As usual. ebenies is inaccurate. I have the same status for about a month, so I called Peggy to see what I could find out. I asked why it was stuck at "don't know the status yet", and he said, "Oh, it was being evaluated" and even gave me an expected completion date of June 28. Worthless. How can you come up with an expected completion date for a process if you don't know what you are developing? I just wanted to see what they would say. It just confirms what we already know, calling ebenies for status isn't going to be worth it. IMO. But at least it helped satisfy my urge to try to do something; I wasted 20 minutes of my time! LOL.

CavScout19DReco Your initial screening is just that; initial. Since the VA has an obligation to get you the highest rating possible, they have to consider PTSD as well as TBI. Some of the symptoms between the two disabilities can overlap, and since PTSD can result in a much higher disability rating, they chose to list it as the disability right now. It isn't necessarily a bad thing. Look up the symptoms on PTSD so you will be a little more comfortable with the process. But above all, go to the exam; don't miss it. That would result in a denial of your claim. Be open and answer their questions, and do so thinking of your worse experiences, not just how you feel right at the moment. And try to be calm and not argue; it will probably turn out better that way for you.

Miss Tbird It is a difficult process to be sure. But you are a fighter and you won't give up. If they don't get you what you need, keep on applying; get more assistance from your doctors. You are an inspiration to us all so we want you to keep at it. We know that you don't lose until you quit trying.

Hi Ronc531 Peggy is what we affectionately call the VA's general inquiry number. 1-800-827-1000. It isn't very accurate or informative either , but sometimes you can get a rep that can tell you something. Maybe you can get some results. Just know that the inaccurate posting on ebenies will eventually go away, so don't let it bother you too much.

lawbro If she means what she said then you certainly have a fighting chance. And at HLR, that really is all any of us can ask for. You want a fair shake at having all your evidence look at and considered. We all wish you the best; sounds like it will be coming down the road fairly quickly. 13 months back pay minimum would help it along too!

Ronc531 Is this normal? For the VA, yes. It is a good example of why we caution people about ebennies. In accurate, out dated, incomplete, incorrect way too often. Some clerk made an entry error. Call Peggy and ask them; plead ignorant and see what they say. When they admit the error, ask Peggy who/what should be done to correct it.

tk3000 If you think you might be moving to Germany, do you know if you could be treated for conditions at a military hospital? If they can't ship meds to you, could you get them at a military facility? International banking not a problem receiving your disability comp?Those are three questions I would want answers to. You didn't ask for the following advise, but I will give it anyway. Moving to another country will very rarely solve your problems. Moving to another location in the states would ultimately be the better solution to whatever problems you are trying to get away from 99 times out of 100. I am fairly certain that there is crime in Germany as well. I would expect moving to another country would end up being a regretable solution the vast majority of time. IMO. Whatever your decision, I wish you best of luck.

GW-1 Hopefully, it won't be long, but trying to predict what the VA is going to do, or what it should do is like impossible. It's difficult, but until you get the BBE you will never be sure. If you used a VSO or lawyer and they have VBMS, they could see what the letter says for you. You also could check your bank statement on line and see if you got any new deposits. But again, it won't provide any info on the decision. Hang in there.

Super, Vync! Now that has to make your day! Congrats.

Kelly, seems like that is his c-file. I thought that they stopped send hard copies in boxes and were only send it via computer discs now, but whatever. The c-file is a work in progress; it really only reflects (or should) what is in his file at a point in time. As it develops, more is added to it. That is why it makes a lot of sense for a veteran to request a new one after his/her claim is decided. It is not surprising that the decision letter isn't in what they sent to you; it hasn't caught up yet if it has been released yet. Hang in there.

Mike I tend to agree with you, I mean, I certainly hope that the VA is staffed with people that are not totally out to reduce benefits. I believe that there is a strong culture to deny , or at least try to keep the amount of the award rating low on the claim, but I hope they don't try to reduce just because you submitted a claim. That said, I do believe that you don't just throw stuff against the wall and see if the claim can stick. To me, that is just an invitation to the VA to teach you and others a lesson. I think that the veteran should try to get any disability claim that he or she is rightfully entitled to, but that means you have an obligation to submit a properly constructed claim. You have the 3 Caluza triangle elements. By the way, you say you will be giving a class in the near future to help other veterans; I think that is great and commend you for doing that. Keep up the good work, brother.

Agree; hope he does some good research, both for his health and for his claim. I hope he takes the advise, although, I would have to advise him to skip the lima beans reference! Whew! Must be an Alabama thing.

I stand corrected; training is considered active duty when considering disability. Vync is correct; was thinking about health care. That's why you have to do the research, not jamokes like me. But the VA will have a strong case about EPTS for diabetes. They are going to say you can't get it in just a few weeks while you were in basic and AIT. So, you are going to need an IMO that your doc will say here is the evidence that it can develop in XXX weeks; here is the medical journal/article from xxx (ex. Mayo Clinic). That fact it wasn't noted on your initial physical exams is certainly a plus for you, but you need a nexus. medical evidence that will support your position. I certainly don't know how quick it can develop. And you what, what I,or you think isn't important. You need a medical opinion to opine it is possible. Again; good luck and take care.

Makes sense; that is what the next step would be with a lawyer. H&P are good at what they do, so if they do take your case, I think you have a reasonable chance of winning.

JK I would write-up what she said to you the second time and request another exam (AGAIN) and/or HLR. Tell the DRO that it was completely adversarial and she was predetermined to give you a non-objective exam. If he/she says forgetaboutit, then tell them you consider a CUE, and you will pursue if necessary. I mean, what do you have to lose.?

Paul I hear you but I'm not sure that your work ethic is necessarily extended to most VA Benefits employees that deal with veterans' claims. By your many posts on Hadit, it is obvious you are a good guy and try to inform based on your experiences, which is commendable. It is my personal experience that isn't the case rgarding VA Benefits employees; wish it were. If a VA employee screws up BUT the error is financially in the VA's benefit, I doubt if there would be very many wright-ups of negative performance by his supervisor. Why? Because if the super did start writing up these types of "mistakes", he would soon see others doing the same thing which would undoubtedly result in an increase in ratings/cost to the VA, and that would not be very beneficial to his annual performance bonus.IMO

Hi Deannnn Sorry to hear of your illness. Most importantly, seek treatment and try to manage your symptoms; it is life altering and can be life threatening. I might be wrong on this but if you research I believe you must have an event or illness only after 90 days of active duty. If you are in AIT, you aren't considered Active yet. Google VA healthcare requirements. Unfortunately, I don't believe you have much chance of getting it s-c. Sorry; good luck to you.

Vync She told you " Depending on the findings and circumstances, employees may receive negative ratings on their performance reviews." What good would that do; it's a union job; nothing happens from it that is of benefit to the customer (THE VETERAN!)

The VA released an updated listing of sites that used, tested or stored Agent Orange today. Many entries for U.S. and Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand. https://www.publichealth.va.gov/docs/agentorange/dod_herbicides_outside_vietnam.pdf

S. Bruce Unfortunately for you, Shrek is correct. You would think that you should be paid back to 2013 because the VA diagnosed it. But, it is up to the veterans to ask for the benefit that he has earned. The VA can't be responsible for looking out for the welfare of veterans; my, my. That would end up costing them a whole lot more to do their jobs correctly. So, it was up to you to tell them in 2013 that your symptoms have worsened and to request an increase. Kinda fits what we say all the time "the VA is not your friend." So by their rules, Sept. 2019 would be the correct effective date. Sorry.

Thanks Buck, i will certainly ask him about checking into it.