goley

Hello Fellow Vets! Lurker here who finally made an account to ask a question. I retired late last year after over 20 years and in March initiated my VA claim. I received the results online two days ago -- 100% P&T (I'm told by VSO it is P&T) 89 days after initiating the claim, backdated to my retirement date. Thank you to all of you who give advice to those of us leaving service to make sure we have everything documented. You are so right. My question is, as grateful as I am for the rating, I'm completely confused as to how they made their decisions. Several items that are clearly service connected and well documented in my time of service were denied as not service connected. None of this is whining or complaining, I'm just confused. They granted service connection for 17 items and denied 9. I only remember claiming 20 items, then adding 4 I had forgotten when I saw the QTC doc doing the general claim physical evaluation. For example: Bilateral hearing loss claimed, denied, despite having multiple records showing significant hearing loss in the right ear, moderate hearing loss in left ear, and hearing aids paid for by Tricare while on Active Duty. Even had ear surgery on my right ear to fix a hole in my eardrum (after I had complained for years after a deployment about trouble hearing in that ear) and the doctor reported that skin had grown through the hole and degraded the bones. (that surgery also started my permanent 24/7 loud tinnitus, which VA granted based largely on my saying I had it, while denying even 0% for hearing loss with multiple records and test results in my file...) My exit hearing exam from the on-base clinic also clearly stated H-4 asymmetric hearing loss (documented on SF-600) and that is also included in the claim file. Then at the independent hearing test for the claim I asked how bad it was and the audiologist performing the test said "significant." Bilateral foot neuropathy claimed, denied, despite having last March an objective test (EMG / nerve velocity test) from a neurologist, in my file, which stated the results indicated mild axonal neuropathy in both feet. Dysautonomia/POTS syndrome claimed, denied, despite having a positive tilt table test six weeks before retirement and being treated with beta blockers immediately by the cardiologist. This is a significant condition that can be extremely debilitating going forward, with an NIH report stating it can have a life impact equivalent to congestive heart failure or COPD. The doctor who performed the exam (QTC) was very interested in this item and asked me a lot of questions, having only seen one other patient with it. I suspect the dysautonomia/POTS was denied because the medical record didn't actually say either of those, the doctor put in the record "dizziness" and "tachycardia" as the diagnoses, but verbally told me "you have a classic case of POTS" and then in a follow up online chat through their site said "you have a more complex form of dysautonomia" and they want me to travel possibly to Nashville to see a specialist. I provided copies of the forum chat with the doctor as part of the claim but they may have denied it based on not being in the actual medical record itself. Still I can't understand the hearing loss which should have at least been 0% (I have significant hearing loss in the right ear but I've seen the VA matrix for hearing loss and know it is complex) and the neuropathy should have been a slam dunk given the objective test results provided. My VSO told me just to leave it alone since I'm P&T, and he's been great, but I haven't seen the actual letter from the VA yet (still waiting on it in the mail) so I haven't seen for myself if it is P&T and whether it can ever be lowered below 100%. I'm concerned especially of what can happen 10-20 years from now if the VA rules change and that condition gets significantly worse and it is on record as not service connected. Again I'm grateful for the rating and for everyone's advice that led to it, I'm just confused on their reasoning, if anyone has any ideas I'd love to hear them. Thanks!