Kuwaitin08

I’m currently rated at 30% for IBS/Gerd. I recently submitted a claim for diverticulitis which I believe would be rated under IBS. My diverticulitis symptoms are quite severe and am fairly certain it will be service connected especially considering my VA Gastro Doc provided a nexus letter. I know IBS is maxed at 30% and Gerd is 60%… So being that my IBS and Gerd are combined, would that mean that with my new Diverticultis (IBS) disability that my rating could be bumped up?

I have recently submitted a claim for Diverticulitis secondary to IBS. I’m maxed out on IBS at 30%. My diverticulitis causes a lot of distress and as such, it makes me lose a lot of work. 1-2 days a month for appointments, 1-2 days off of work for symptoms and an additional 1-2 days off a month for hospitalizations. I should be good to go as my VA doctor filled out a DBQ and opined it was at least as likely as not aggravated by IBS. Do you believe the VA will lump the diverticulitis in with IBS or will they rate it some other way. thanks!

I’ve done a bit of research and see that’s chronic multi symptom illness is a presumptive condition that the VA recognizes now. I have never seen a physician classify specific items into that group however, I have many of the issues that are considered presumptive under that umbrella. How would I file for chronic multisymptom illness. Would I use that as the title and then provide documentation showing my myriad of issues that fall under the umbrella of presumptive service connection?

I have recently submitted two Fully Developed Claims and a request for an increase on the same day. Will the FDC claims be processed in an expedited manner or will the timeline be delayed by the request for an increase? Thank you

Thank you all. After getting feedback and doing research, I just submitted a fully developed claim and a different claim for a request for an increase. Thank you for all the feedback. I’ll let you folks know how it went.

I'm preparing to submit documentation for a fully developed claim for some gastrointestinal issues. I'm not worried about it as I have everything I need to get it approved. My last FDC took only 38 days. At the same time, I need to submit paperwork requesting a HLR for a rating in which I received 0%. Would I be better off submitting both at the same time or should I do the FDC first and the HLR later?

Hello all. I am currently SC for IBS at 30%. With that being said, I have had pretty severe Diverticultis for a few years as well. My diverticulitis presents in such a way that it would classify closely as ulcerative colitis (DC 7323) which the VA uses based on symptoms. My symptoms would easily get me 60%. I’m a huge mess and visit the hospital a few times a year for it not to mention other minor flare ups treated with antibiotics. What would be the suggestion on how to get this SC? Would it be best to try to get it as secondary to IBS? I just want to be cautious as to not have them lump it together with IBS. Documentation, diagnoses and continuous treatment are not an issue at all.

In 2000 I claimed a back injury. It was a very weak claim and was denied as it should’ve been. I never appealed it at all. I attempted to file a new claim for a back injury from 2008 but the VA will not allow me to do it because I had submitted a back claim back in 2000. They claim that I have to appeal the old claim.

The problem is not with the evidence. I have the documentation that shows the injury that occurred in 2008. The problem is that I am unable to submit a new claim with that evidence. Because a claim was made back in 2000 for the same body part, the VA requires that I either appeal it or complete a supplemental for that injury. The evidence I currently have from 2008 is not considered new and relevant evidence because it occurred after the date of the initial claim. so my problem is that I am stuck. I cannot submit a new claim with the evidence in hand because I’m not allowed to open up another claim with the same body part.

I had submitted a claim for a back injury in 2000 when I originally got out of the Army. It was denied because I was a turd and the claim was less than solid. In 2008, I reinjured my back during my deployment. I tried to do a claim for a new injury in 2008 but it was rejected saying I needed to appeal my original back claim in 2000. Of course, none of my new evidence supported my claim 8 years prior so it was sure to be denied which it was. Im completely stuck on how to submit a claim for the new injury in 2008. VSO’s in my area are worthless. Any ideas/suggestions? Thanks!

It was denied 20 years ago because I was a turd and didn’t do my legwork back in my youth. not service connected.

In the beginning of March I submitted a supplemental claim for a back injury. It was first denied around 20 years ago and I never got around to filing another appeal since the initial attempt was made. When I filed the supplemental, I attached a bunch of new evidence to prove service connection. I just found out the supplemental claim was closed without them scheduling a C&P. One would assume it is not going to be a favorable outcome. Has this happened to anyone else?

Thanks for the info. My SCD is in my left ear only and the VA isn’t recommending surgery. As for having this be SC, I found it could be caused by loud noises, explosions and head trauma. I’m hoping logic and reason will rule the day and they’ll see that the timeline for the symptoms are spot on as they started soon after a service injury and have become progressively worse with time. Fingers crossed.

I’m familiar with audiology ratings and am SC for everything except vertigo. With the VA’s new diagnoses of my condition, I imagine it’s gonna be a hot mess trying to have the disability folks square it away. Superior Canal Dehiscence wasn’t even discovered until 1998. I don’t foresee any real battle with getting SC for SCD due to the VA giving the diagnoses and the timeline, I just like to get a general idea on how they rate things. This looks like a hot mess.

My diagnosis for superior canal dehiscence was from the VA. Luckily for me, they are also the ones who diagnosed me with tinnitus, balance disorder, Memory loss and hyperacusis. It is my guess that they will have to admit they misdiagnosed the other stuff as they are all symptoms of my new diagnosis and all Started at the same time.

Situation- I have been suffering from serious ringing in my ears for roughly the last decade or so along with very sensitive hearing. Among those symptoms, I have a slew of other issues that are currently unimportant to this post but some of my other issues were vertigo and occasional memory loss. After countless trips to the doctors, audiologists and ENT's I was finally diagnosed with tinnitus and hyperacusis. Claims for disability were filed and after a few battles, I was awarded 10% with hyperacusis and tinnitus combined but I was denied for the vertigo and memory loss. After a few more years of testing for balance issues and dizziness, Cat Scans and MRI's I now have a diagnoses of superior canal dehiscence. It is a pretty rare condition that is a royal pain in the butt to diagnose but here I am. Does anyone know how this is rated? I've read some articles that says it rates similar to Meniere's Disease and Tullio's Syndrome and yet read others that say it rates as simple hearing loss. Luckily I am able to show the onset of symptoms started during my last deployment with medical records so I don't believe it should be an issue to service connect it. I'm currently in the process of putting together a fully developed claim to submit. I'll be adding all paperwork from all previous submissions for tinnitus, vertigo, hyperacusis and more to hopefully get it squared away. Lord willing it will be a large check coming from a few years of back payments. Any assistance you could provide would be appreciated.

I submitted an HLR for 5 things. 3 were ironclad cases and 2 were iffy. I won 3 of 5. I would highly recommend having your evidence in hand and your explanation prepared for when you get the call. 4 of the 5 claims were closed in 91 days and the final was remanded and was finally closed at 121 days. I cant complain about my HLR. Only use the HLR if your evidence originally submitted is absolutely solid and leaves nothing to wonder. Good luck!

Does anyone know if the VA plans to provide status updates for Supplemental Claims in the near future? It is irritating that all other claims are updated including HLR but not Supplemental Claims. Just wondering...

I have never had any kind of feedback from my HLR prior to a letter so I cant speak with any certainty about what you are saying. If that information was told to you via your phone interview, I would not put any faith in what was said. Just my opinion. Please keep us updated as to the results or changes.

Nope. It is a waiting game now. They may want another C&P exam or just want another opinion.

Being that it is a HLR and the reviewer stated he found several duty to assist errors, the case was probably closed temporarily and will reopen soon with it saying error in duty to assist. It is how the HLR works. I can say that is exactly how mine went. Good Luck

Keep in mind the following: If a medication is claimed as causing a secondary condition, you must remember that a simple change in medication can end your benefits (with the exceptions being severe harm via heart attack or stroke or such). Remember how the VA works... I agree with the other folks on here who say to pile on the evidence proving your claim being medication, PTSD or whatever... Just my opinion...

If the C&P was done by the VA, it can be seen 30 days from the time of the exam under the blue button reports. If it is a contracted C&P, you will have to go to your VSO or such and get a copy. If you aren't in a hurry, you can submit a freedom of information act request for it (takes about 12-18 months).

You should be able to see what is happening on ebenefits under disability tab. When it says compensation issue, it typically has something to do with the effective date. For example, my effective date was incorrect (6 months off) and they had to fix it resulting in a large retroactive payment. Let us know how it goes.

Look up the medication side effects. More importantly, migraines are definitely secondary to PTSD and typically easier to prove. Anxiety and stress absolutely cause migraines. I would absolutely recommend you investigate that route before you try to claim it was caused by medication.