GBArmy

Dustoff I can agree on fishing. It's pretty damn hard to have a bad day of fishing. Just being out there is good for any kind of disability. What the hay, you might catch a bass once in a while too!

Buck, this is the easiest and best advise you can get today. If Shrek says it works for him, that would be good enough for me. Why not give it a GOOD try and see. As we all know, this is a moving medical science, and some things can and do work for some people, and for others not so much. I'd certainly trust Shrek and his opinion. What's the saying; nothing ventured, nothing gained?

When I talk to a veteran or family member about the VA system, at some point I say "The VA (Benefits) is NOT your friend. Do not think they are going to "help" you with your claim." The older guys, Vietnam-types usually understand and don't trust them. But the newer guys or their family members doubt. You can see it in their eyes. I then have to go into some examples similar to what happened to Vetquest to make them grasp what I mean. We know; but sometimes people have to waste a lot of time by doing it their (easy) way. Sad.

I would also recommend getting on ebenefits so you can watch for letters, etc. yourself. And get on Va.gov.

Buck since he has a (Incomplete) dd214 and it shows he was in Vietnam, I take it you are not trying to get him disability for an A.O. presumptive. Does he have another disability that occured or originated that is not presumptive, like a knee or back? What was his MOS ? Was he combat? If so, doesn't the VA now give the veteran the benefit of the doubt on non-verifiable conditions? I don't know how that cfr reads.

Actually, it is possible his records could have been burned. If he got out his records COULD have been there when the fire happened. He was released prior to the fire. Would have depended on how quickly the records from his outfit were sent in. Three more ideas: can he get a buddy letter or two? Also, I would call the White House hot line and ask for help. It is a system's error they perpetuate. If there is such a place as the "Ft. Knox" dead file the rep told him, how do you access it? He had to have medical records coming into basic; they had to record vaccinations. HAS to be a record; an entry would have been entered into his 201 file, but there had to be a master list by the medical unit. Find out when he was in basic, see what medical company did their thing, get those records. The white House should be able to tell you and maybe help in retrieval. I'm just trowing it against the wall and seeing if anything sticks.

Jfrei, Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family as well. Good advise given. It also looks like your feeding that youngster a nice healthy breakfast. Watch out; he's gaining on ya!

One thing you can try is work the outfit that did exist and was later deactivated. Just because it doesn't exist now doesn't mean that it did't once. Trace back and find out where the records were transferred/retired to. They didn't burn in St.Louis. The 517 heavy equip company's file went somewhere. They are archived probably at some post. Contact that post and see how to retrieve. Not easy task, but there has to be a way. Did the veteran ever go to medical? If so, find out where med docs were retired to. It is an easy thing for the service to say that the records were burned; it just isn't accurate.

The med person who showed me how to use it told me to use a mixed solution of distilled water and vinegar. All except the mask, which can't get wet. I use sanitary wipes for that. Although adding a little mouthwash may be a good idea.

Hi Allansc2005 You won't find neuropathy by itself; it's going to be called out by a nerve problem. Cranial nerve damage is d.c. 8207, d.c. for visual is 6062, 7305 is for peripheral nerve damage. So your diagnosis will specify what nerve or nerves are affected. Maybe dc 8728 for neualgia nerve or d.c. 8626 for femoral. Depends on what is hurt/damage and how serious the symptoms are of course. If you know what area, do some snooping at http://www.militarydisabilitymadeeasy.com/lowernerves.html#femoral Good hunting.

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and we should all take a moment to reflect on what we have and what we should be thankful for. One thing for me is this forum. Reaching out and helping my brother and sister veterans is very important to me, as it is to most of us who frequent Hadit. Without getting too sappy, I am thankful for this site and the great people that take all the time and effort to help others. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

As Broken said, cause of death is really important. For DIC, the veteran's cause of death must be directly related to what he had for service-connection, or, be 100% s-c for 10 years. If he was rated at 70% combined, that doesn't work for you. So the wording on the dc is vital. Hard to advise without knowing any detail.

HAR2016 Congrats! Sure sounds good for you. But as you have read countless times, you need to wait and see in writing what the decision letter says. ebenees just isn't dependable. To make you feel better, check your direct deposit and see if you have some new entries that weren't there before. The $ for back pay may not all be entered at one time, but in several deposits, so don't get too much worried if it doesn't come out on what you expect for back pay yet. A comment about Chapter 35 on education benefits for dependents is another favorable sign. Don't forget to register with the town clerk for additional tax discounts; bring a copy of your letter. Some states have terrific tax exemptions for 100% disabled.You will get your deposits before your decision letter. Does sound promising for you!

Foxhound6 If he was in Vietnam, that is where I would concentrate. I do not doubt that there was AO in Okinowa as well as many other stations. But to win for exposure, though not impossible, is very difficult. I found this article https://www.stripes.com/news/2-vets-win-agent-orange-exposure-cases-from-okinawa-1.457227 The point is AO is presumptive if the veteran was in-country for ANY length of time for Vietnam, but for just about anyplace else the VA will require proof of direct exposure. Example, the marine was unloading barrels of the stuff and has pics that show the containers indicating the labels and a sign showing the base in the background. They will fight tooth and nail to deny the connection, because it will open up another avenue for veterans to win claims. Of course if he was not in Vietnam, then you would have to concentrate on the facts that you have. One way might be to show his unit was deployed to Vietnam XXX time period; his 201 file (service records) would have some evidence he was in the unit during that time period; therefore, he was IN Vietnam. You have to be creative; looking a pics of him with a unit patch would help if you can I D the location. Buddy letters: if you can get confirmation via a buddy he served with, etc. is great evidence. Just keep digging. Best of luck.

Foxhound 6 Sorry but I am having a hard time reading the doc's you included. I do see that he doesn't have any awards noted on his dd214 for Vietnam medals. That would be a help but not necessary. I don't know what was included on the dd215. If the mom has more doc's, what you are looking for is something that would show he was in Vietnam. So, if there are any pay vouchers, if they included "combat pay", that would be evidence. If he was transported by ship (instead of flight) in-country, what was the ship's name and look up when did they doc and where? Does it match up with when he started getting "combat pay?" on the flightIf transport for R&R to Australia, etc. , any evidence of the flight going in or out? If she can come up with anything, then you submit a form to correct his dd214 (into another dd215.) Once they show "foreign service", she has a part of the puzzle. It is not unusual for Vietnam veterans not to show service there; way more frequent than one would think. The problem being that it is such an important doc, that it really takes very good evidence to correct or add info once it is signed off.

GrampsTed I don't think the types of words asked/used is anything to be concerned about, nor the amount of time they took. There is probably minimum standards that they have to comply with and as long as they meet the minimums, it should be fine. If you don't believe, however, that the test was performed the way it should have or with inadequate or incorrect equipment, you can contact the RO and ask for a re-do. That is completely up to you. It is also possible that your RO could agree or not. A re-do doesn't necessarily result in better results for you. As an alternative, you might wait until your decision letter comes out and if you are denied, submit a appeal thru HLR with your facts. Be aware however, that hearing test results have to be really bad in order to get a rating better than 0% or 10% nowdays. The fact that you served in the 80's doesn't enter into it.

Sorry Coastie, not good news on how long of a notice. It really can be a matter of just a few days sometimes, a month would be unusual. However, you may request a new date when they call you. Tell them of your hardship, for example if you are living in Canada and travel will be a problem. They don't have to consent to your request, but they might. But again, don't miss your scheduled date or you can lose your disability. Obviously, very important to do it. If you do get a reschedule, try to get a confirmation. Who you talked to, time, date. An email would be great, or confirming letter. If it is an outside outfit, communication between them and the VA is sometimes a problem and the VA might not get the change and you'd have to work a new problem unnecessarily.

ErinNick Don't fret; normal for the VA to call for a re-eval, especially between 2 years and before 5 years after initial award of grant. This is because they want to be sure that the veteran is receiving the appropriate amount of comp. First and foremost, he must attend. Not to do so would result in losing his rating. OK, so he isn't better, but worse. Did he lose his job before or after the 70% rating? Bring evidence. If he can get a letter from his former employer as to why he lost the job, all the better. In that case, if it was for poor performance, like lost a lot of time due to absenteeism, could get along with others, couldn't follow instructions, whatever, the more in there the better for him. Bring contact info: name, company, phone number. If you can, and they permit it, go with him to the eval. If he had to stay at a private hospital, any records like discharge info, process notes (If favorable to his case) would be good to have. I assume he has been attending sessions for his condition; the VA will be looking at those notes. If, like you say, his condition is worse rather than better, there is a possibility his rating could even get higher. Go in with evidence if you can. Be positive. You've already done the hard part, getting the disability. It is a lot easier to show that he deserves to keep it.Let us know how you do. Best of luck.

Bronc, when it says "no future exams are scheduled", do you call Peggy,find it somewhere on ebenies,e or whatever to get the P&T statement? Must be something can be done. I mean, it means $ to veterans and it isn't a new problem.

Partials are always better than a stick in the eye!

Coastie Shrek and Richard have offered good advise. This is one of those 50-50 deals; some are going to tell you if you believe your disability has gotten worse , ask for the increase. If it really has, not sorta-kinda, I would agree. But, you are only 7 months away from hitting that 5 year mark. That is significant according to the VA's M-21 manual also. If you just waited a few months, you have to show significant IMPROVEMENT in your symptoms for them to try and reduce, and it can't be based on just one C&P exam either. And, if your conditions have indeed gotten worse, you have opportunity to challenge it. Do you have additional evidence from a doc that show a worsening condition? From what I have seen on Hadit, the VA is totally unpredictable, so be aware. Personally, I would wait until May.

I guess I'm a little dense this morning (or any morning for that matter): I understand about the VA reduction process. What I am concerned about is you can rate M by itself or, with a combo of the other three separately. He already has the rating for 3 separately. Because of pyramiding, he can't claim those AND go after a disability for M. IMO. He can if rating is higher, say 100%, then I assume that he has to give up the other 3. If M is evaluated and comes out to be less that his current combined disability rating of 80%?., do they rate M as 0%.

Buck I understand your point if he is rated 100% for Meniere's, but if it is only rated at 60% you can't double dip right? (I didn't see M could be rated higher than 60%). But, 60% would be less than what he has currently, so what does the VA do rate it at 0% so he keeps his current higher rating by combing?

Buck, I think that the DAV might be right because of how they rate Meniere's. You can get a 60% rating for M., or 30% or 10%. under d.c. 6205, OR, by combine up to 3 of theses separately: 1)tinnitus, 2) Hearing loss, and/or 3) pirepherial vestibular disorder. But, you can't do both.That yeilds a combined rating of 81,1 or 80%. If you substitute M at (hopefully 60%), even if you can add in tinnitus which I don't think you can, it still is less than what your rating is now.IMO.