LKF050813

I have the TDIU claim running concurrently to the s/c increases and new knee claim. I haven’t been able to work since I got out and had no idea what TDIU even was until my husband’s VSO told me I should apply. I also didn’t know I should have done this years ago or pipe up about my left knee while I was still active. The VA did my disability claim and C&P exams a full year before my official discharge…again, I had no idea what was going on and didn’t know to ask any questions. So I’ve been paying out of pocket for surgeries and all of my healthcare because I didn’t know I was 100% covered by the VA. It’s unfortunate, but I’m thankful to be headed in the right direction now. I’m at 82% and think I can easily get to 90%, but I’d take TDIU in a heartbeat since my conditions are permanent or only getting worse.

Ok thank you for your feedback. That answers my questions and it appears it’s definitely worth my time to get the nexus letter from an orthopedic surgeon. I had an MRI in 2014 (2 years after my medical retirement) that showed grade II/III chondromalacia in that knee, so my surgeon is comfortable in stating the wear and tear began several years earlier and was certainly aggravated by running, climbing up and down ladder wells and climbing helicopters. My claim is currently entered as trying to s/c my knee just on its own. I’m already s/c for my right knee and both feet (pes planus) so I could connect my left knee as secondary to those, which it likely is anyways. Should I try to add a knee secondary to feet/right knee onto the current new knee claim in motion? I’ve not had very good VSO advisement on this and am desperately just trying to do this right the first time. Their opinion is to just try it and appeal if it doesn’t work, but this is very stressful and I have mental and behavioral health issues (also s/c) that I’m trying to work through in parallel to this claim. So in case I babbled too much and made this confusing, my basic question is will the VA take a nexus letter stating my left knee is secondary to my service connected right knee and flat feet of the claim doesn’t specifically state it’s secondary? How do I fix this? thank you again!

The disability I have is chodromalacia/osteoarthritis of my left knee. Since I left the service, that knee has continued to rapidly deteriorate. The point of showing me running with a knee brace is that I was in pain and trying to self-diagnose and treat. The onset of chondromalacia began while I was on active duty, which my understanding is the point of a nexus. Lots of veterans have rated disabilities and are not wheelchair bound, myself included. Also, it was a sprint triathlon…which is a 3k…I struggled through 2 of them before giving it up entirely due to progressive bilateral knee pain.

Hello, new here. Working through getting an increase on my s/c issues and it has been brought to my attention I should have had my left knee s/c this whole time (medically retired 12 years ago). I have photographs of me competing in triathalons while wearing a knee brace on my left knee while on active duty. Platts data with my matching bib number backs up the dates of the photographs. Is this enough for the VA to service connect or should I still get a nexus letter? I’m s/c for pes planus and right knee, so could definitely get a letter for left knee secondary to those issues, but would prefer to just submit what I have. It seems like a smoking gun, but don’t want to assume how the VA will look at this. Thank you!