GBArmy

I, too are sorry for your whole family. There is a new bill , Agent Orange Exposure Fairness Act of 2019 recently endorsed by DAV and AMVETS to remove the time constraints for several Agent Orange diseases. It is by Rep. Joe Courtney from Ct. His office has a lot of info on the subject. There is a Vietnam Veteran named Jerry Wright from Andover Ct. who has championed this cause, going across country, calling attention to this injustice. He is the most knowledgable layperson I know about the subject. I only have his cell phone, but if you message me, I can provide it. He may know of an avenue for help, like medical studies, etc.

I believe bilateral would be on opposite sides injured, so if your left leg is s-c your bilateral would be if your right leg was also injured. But no matter what; it is all going to be determined by what is in the IMO letter from the doc. His/her analysis is the key for your claim.

In any case, you are tuned in. You'll do ok. Keep at it; keep reading (and contributing) to Hadit. What you learn try to share so others can move forward too.

Foxhound6 If you get a good IMO, as planned, you should be ok. I agree with you, do the ITF now and scout around for a good doc and an IMO for you. You may be developing additional issues, like hips, back or spine problems as well. So if you have any symptoms for those additional issues that can be secondary, pay attention to them as well. And then meds prescribed for pain, etc. Be sure to read up on the warnings for those because they can lead to stomach and GERD issues. It is a slippery slope you are on. Pay attention to what your body will be telling you.

Sound advise already provided by Vync and Vetquest. I too am not a great fan of HLR, but they do turn them around a lot sooner than VBA. I will say if Dr. Anise took your money for an IMO, he probably had sound reasoning for a nexus. I might go back and ask him his opinion of the VA's response. In any case, have your ducks in a row and go after them again. If we saw more info, we might be able to offer suggestions as already suggested.

Buck, reading your latest, I agree with vetquest, we are hear to listen.Just reading your last, sleep apnea, or OSA, is serious. If you last had a sleep study 4 years ago, make an appointment with a doc that will be recognized by the VA (don't know what those qualifications are), or, make an appointment with your VA g p if you have one and tell him about your symptoms. Tell him you need an update. They will schedule you a sleep study, then diagnose that you need it. THEN you submit a claim, with a IMO from a doc that says your meds ???? has caused your overweight, and that is the nexus for OSA. THe CPAP machine, if prescribed by the VA won't cost you any$ either. Do it. It's serious; 4 years is too long. The machines now have capacity to send data from your sleep interuptions nightly; you don't have to do anything and they can monitor it.

flow1972 I would recommend getting a vso that you can trust; you don't have any faith in the one you have and rightfully so. Ask around; if you have veteran friends that have submitted claims, do they recommend anyone? You really want access to VBMS so you can tell what's going on and many vso do now have that capability. But your instincts are correct; no one is a better advocate for your claims than you are. Never forget that. If you can do it yourself, it's just one more thing you can cross off as being done correctly and in a timely manner.Trust and reliability for MH disabilities is very important as you know. If you have a good doc and can afford it, keep him/her. The VA docs can be good, or, not so much. But they can switch you off to another one and that might not be very good for your treatment either. You don't have to give up your record; cherry pick what you send in for evidence from you doc. If you can, try to include only things that support your position. You don't have to disclose anything negative; you just can't lie.There are several folks on here that can talk to what the process is that you can expect for your C&P, and I hope they can give you a few pointers, but you already know to talk about your bad days, not when things are ok. Bring our important documents provided by your doc and ask them at the exam if they saw ..... If the answer is no, offer to give them to them if it isn't in your file. This holds true for any C&P you take. You're right about presumptives; look up anything you have and see what the criteria is the VA deems necessary. For presumptives, most if not all have a limited physical location requirement.

Flow1972 Do you have a VSO? You have so much on your plate that you can easily be overwhelmed. Take it one step at a time. Read up on here about C&P exams especially as they pertain to PTSD. Be truthful, but talk remembering how your worse days are, not your best days. You have to be open and honest with the examiner. To have a successful claim you need to have a Caluza Triangle; a disability that originated in the service (service connected, or s-c); a current diagnosis, and, a connection, or nexus, between the two.The way you prove you had a s-c issue is from str's, or more accurately, from your c-file. If you don't have a copy from the VA, order it. Hadit can guide you. There are notations in there that will be of tremendous value in supporting documentation or evidence. You need a current diagnosis. Hopefully, your doc has diagnosed you adequately; if not, your in big trouble. The connection would be that your s-c event caused x, y. and z for your current symptoms. Now, you have to do this for EVERY claimed disability to win. Sometimes, you need to get a medical opinion, IMO, that makes the connection. That can cost you out of the pocket costs, but if there is no clear connection, the VA isn't about admitting your medical opinion is better than theirs, because you aren't a doc. I am assuming your disability claim is only for the PTSD; so you will have to map out a plan on attacking all your diagnosed disabilities that are potential s-c. You might want to go after a couple at a time. Every disability is rated 10%, 50%, 0%, etc. based on a diagnostic code.Go to https://militarydisabilitymadeeasy.com/search.php That will provide what the codes are and based on your symptoms, what they might be rated at. You also need to know how your symptoms will be evaluated during your C&P. So google VA dbq for--------------- That might be enough to get you started. Small bites on this, one step at a time. Certainly, all your diagnosed problems will not be s-c, or at least the VA won't think so. If it is in your c-file and str's, you got a chance. If denied, you appeal. Remember "never give up." Most of your questions are on here. Read. Good hunting.

Buck, I do understand that helping people on Hadit also is therapy for yourself. That's a win-win not only for you but for us. You got to keep it up, man. Helps a lot of people out there; not just the veteran who asked the question, but countless others that will learn from it. Pay attention to the med changes; monitor closely. Look at the warnings on the data sheet provided. Keep a log with times started, any symptoms, today was a good/bad day, anything that can help the docs figure out stuff if things start going wrong. And be sure if you have to cancel your doc appointments that you get confirmations and re-schedules for new ones. Stick with the program.

It usually doesn't work that way. Besides, if he is rated lower than he should be, that is what appeals are for. Be positive! Otherwise, you're gonna drive yourself knutz!

Like I said, Buck, this SMC stuff is out of my league. I leave that to the guys that have been around the horn a couple of times. But again, is a jump from 70-100% for PTSD a realistic situation? I am under the assumption that to get 100%, things have to be "really" messed up for you and it is extremely hard to get that rating. They will grant 70% and then TDIU, but 100% is pretty difficult. Have you tried to compare your current symptoms to the diagnostic code?

LJM I don't know if you can call for him either, but try it and see what happens. If it doesn't work, try call the VAMC patient advocate and ask if you can be somehow added so they can provide info. Certainly this isn't a new problem with veterans dealing with the VA. Let us know.

Buck, I want to get this straight: you are rated at 100% plus 2 additional SMC's. I am not good at SMC stuff; really hard for me to get all the factors straight. What is your motivation to do go higher? You was granted what rating in 2015 for your PTSD? It sounds like your doc is saying things are worse for you so it wouldn't appear that they would be looking to knock it down, but you never know about the VA. Sleep apnea is probably an easy trip if you gained weight because of PTSD meds, though you need an IMO from a doc to confirm that for a secondary. That would be rated at 50% with a doc's requirement for a CPAP. What does VA math do for you with an additional 50%? If you can get a bump on your PTSD of say, 10%, what does that do for you? If you are awarded 70% and then boosted to 100% TDIU at your age, if it truly is P&T, is it worth it just for your wife to get Champva and/or education benefits? You probably are safe now for your rating. If they call you in for a C&P out of the blue, you could always submit new claims then. It really gets down to what are you trying to accomplish; I think moderate risk, low reward to me.IMO

Paul I worked for my boss and he used to say "change is good" at least once a month. The last time I remember he said it at a meeting, and two weeks later, you guessed it, we had a layoff!

Yes, call and get the name of the RO manager and address the letter to him/her. Read her post first. Peggy is the number you call to get general info, especially as it pertains to status on your claim. They often are not too accurate, but they might have a handle on yours. the number is 1-800-827-1000.

LJM Shrek's advise is spot on. Shake the tree. Do it now!

Sig, Congrats! Hope you are reading that from your decision letter; if not, wait till you get it. If the letter lists Chapter 35/DEA/Champ that means you are entitled to major ed bennies for your wife and dependents, Champ is a good insurance for your dependents, and if your are 100% P&T for 10 years, your wife can receive DIC which is a pension after you pass. Those are the major items you can get. You also may be automatically reviewed for SMC disability payments as well.

Paul I worked for my boss and he used to say "change is good" at least once a month. The last time I remember he said it at a meeting, and two weeks later, you guessed it, we had a layoff!

Buck, totally agree. But one thing, you can't just go willy-nilly changing definitions on us. It's "big brown envelope'" (BBE), not "Big white envelope." You can't go doing that to me; I get confused enough with out any help. So what if it's been a "white" envelope for years. Next thing you'll do is say I can't Xerox a copy of paperwork, but I have to "copy" it.:)

My condolences as well. Sounds like someone we could all aspire to. Best to his family.

A medical examiner is supposed to eval the veteran's condition. If he /she comes across another condition that is related to the one they are evaluating, if they are qualified to review and eval it they should. If not, they should make a note of it in the file , IMO. For example, the veteran is having a C&P for his back and the examiner notices symptoms of severe heart disease. Obviously, they can cause more harm than good if they are not qualified to do a through eval which is often the case if they were to rate inadequately. Any comments will be considered when determining a disability, and it could be given too much weight in the development process. Certainly, if it were added to your claim then rated incorrectly, you would have to get your own supporting medical opinion/evidence on appeal.

Kybar Great new to you. Congratulations!!! Now, a word of caution: wait to get your confirming disability letter. In writing! I take it you are not working now. You should consider SSDI if you haven't already started the process. Do your homework on SMC's, special monthly compensation, also. You may be now or in the future eligible for additional comp. Your dependents will have benefits also. The money hitting your bank account can take a while. Again, congrats.

I don't doubt what he said to you, but that is bs. If the reason he doesn't write them is because the VA has doc's who do, what is his point? If it frees up time for the VA doc's to do other (more important) stuff, wouldn't that be a good thing? He didn't seem to care that the VA doc's don't do a good job because, he doesn't like doing it and can understand that the VA doc's don't like it either. In other words, he doesn't want to be bothered. It's nothing about some higher moral value he has. It's like that now; they are under too much stress to get patients pushed through the system so insurance will pay them, including their daily quota. No comp to them for helping a veteran patient.IMO

stump579 Yes, apparently this is part of the VA's new system. 20 days after from when you took the exam isn't too bad. If it was done at the VA, I think they do still have them available sooner. You might not like it but I doubt if there is a work around for you. Get a hobby or something to keep your mind off of it. Good luck.

That's interesting. Why do you suppose that is Paul. You would think there would be a ready-made customer base from the retirees just living in the area after they get out. I'm sure you are right, but it seems odd. Unless, of course, if the VA uses them as contractors somehow for VA work. Then they wouldn't bite the hand that feeds them, so to speak. Interesting indeed.