Jayg

I just want y'alls emotional opinion. Support mainly. I'll make the final call scientifically--- PLUCK!"She loves me, PLUCK!she loves me not, PLUCK!she loves me, PLUCK!she... "Nerve impignment. Sounds like what I call the "dance of a thousand fire ants." If I look steeply up or try to reach overhead, it feels like somebody is pouring a bucket of fire ants down from the front of my hips and they wash down the front and around my legs... I too have some fine motor loss in my R hand. I have to ask my wife or kids to button my left sleeve. I also have numbness in hands and lower legs and feet. That what we're talking about here???

You can be granted IU with 60% disability of one limb or (I think) one related group of limbs or 70% combined rate with at least one limb or (again, I think) related group of limbs at least at 40%. That's it near as I recall but please double check me on it if you really need to K_N_O_W what the reg says.

Amen to that and thank you Berta! My wife is a dedicated stay at home wife and Mom. But that came at a heavy price. No SSI eligability, no health insurance, no retirement... This struggle for IU was to me, more about her and the boys than about me. You probably can well understand my relief. Again, thank you.

Ok.I have back problems. Not necessarily all that bad either by the standards here. I had an MRI on the lower back and one day, right out of the blue, my PCP from VAMC (he's a good doctor, really) calls me on the phone and asks me if I want back surgery. :D :( "Uhhh, can we talk about it first?" I says. That was the first I heard about it. Well, in a week about, I have an appointment with a neurosurgeon to "talk about it." Ok. I'm scared. My award letter says I have DJD, lumbosacral spine. I know I have some narrowing of the discs. I remember doctor K saying some nerves are getting compressed where they come out... wherever that is. The doctor said I'd feel better. Might help with that falling down. But... If not so well, I can still walk. I can still feel my feet. I know I can- they hurt. I know this sounds crazy but if y'all could talk to people who actually know me, they'd tell you. I'm one of those people around whom things always go wrong. If I really need something to go right, be right, it won't be. Bad off as I am, the thought of being on the receiving end of a back surgery that went wrong is not at all an encouraging thought. Wot th' 'ell am I gonna do?! (It's a rhetorical question, I know you can't tell me. I just needed to air it.)

True. But many people will, and often do here, say otherwise. :( Since I am recently in a position to directly address the comments, I did.

I am supposed to be wearing tri-focals but am not that brave yet. I am wearing - actually not wearing since I can see the computer screen better without my bi-focals, VA supplied glasses, lens and frames. The the line in the lenses are above the horizontal center line so that I have to wear the glasses down on my nose for most activities for regular vision or walk around with my head down and looking 'up' through the lens. Since I just got a retro, I'm gonna go buy me some better glasses, no-line bi-focals again! Another 'problem' I have with my bi-focals are that one bi-focal line is higher than the other! Is that ok?! :( Carlie, that is interesting about the glasses. However, In a local special news service report, the station purchased glasses from several providers running the gamut from the"chop shops" up through the "professional" high dollar offices. When the final tally was made, there was no consistency in quality. In fact, there were a few more high dollar shops whose eyeglasses tested "unacceptable" than did the cheap ones. If that be the case, it really is just a crap shoot. I make these comments purely as an FYI, not to cast any aspersion upon Carlie or her profession. S'truth, w/out my glasses, I'd really be in a bad way! Carlie, I do not think you are crazy to keep certification for your old profession. You worked and studied for those skills and earned those certifications. they helped to 'define you, who you were,' at least to some degree. That is not something easily set aside. I have done many things. But what I did longest, what I still call myself, was a machinist- actually a "chief machinist." Though I have long since sold most of my tools, I still keep a few, some hundreds of dollars worth, of tools I no longer have any real use for simply as 'badges' of my profession. The skills I had came neither cheaply nor quickly and I was proud of what I was. Still am.

"NEVER GIVE UP" There seems to be reference to that here. In section 5, "Entitlement to individual unemployability is granted effective --------2005, the date we granted service connection for multiple musculoskeletal conditions which render you unemployable, as you have continuously pursued your claim/appeal within applicable time limits of that date." So I guess keeping after it accounts for something any way. :(

In a recent topic or two about how do you know if they've rated your IU as P&T, (permanent & total) it was said VA won't come right out and say it on the award letter. Well, they pretty much did on mine... One comment... "We enclosed a form 21-8764 'Additional Information for veterans with Service-Connected Permanent and Total Disability." That's a pretty good indicator. But I would call this a clincher. It is item 6 of my decision letter, "Eligibility to dependents educational assistance under 38 USC Chapter 35" Therein it says,... "As there is no indication of improvement in the service-connected disabilities which render you unemployable, you are considered permanently disabled for VA purposes:..." (emphasis mine) I'd say that is pretty much a clear statement of P&T on the decision letter. Note, this is not in the description of assignment of IU itself but in the section following. I just put this out on hope it helps someone.

I posted the following comments as a reply on another topic. but it reminded me that I have oft heard that it's practically impossible to win Peripheral Neuropathy if you are not diabetic. Well, I was awarded PN sc and I am not diabetic. I hereby post my particulars on the chance they may benefit somebody in a alike situation... I have a granted peripheral neuropathy claim and I am not diabetic. I just got it (the award that is) in fact. The award decision says- "Service Connection for peripheral neuropathy, bilateral lower extremities." it was established as "related to the service connected degenerative joint disease, lumbar spine." I had a heck of a time because when it was diagnosed, the physician would only state cause as "idiopathic" meaning he didn't know what caused it. Even the C&P examiner was denied further answer to that question. The award letter does explain they granted for for peripheral neuropathy, bilateral lower extremities (also claimed as restless leg syndrome). They allowed 10% for each lower extremity as secondary to service connected flat feet. How "restless leg syndrome got in there, I am not quite sure. I am being treated for it (and RLS is a real PITA, believe me!) but I never filed any claim on it. So there you have it. S/C peripheral neuropathy and I do not (thank God) have diabetes. I hope this is helpful to somebody.

I have a granted peripheral neuropathy claim and I am not diabetic. I just got it in fact. The award decision says- "Service Connection for peripheral neuropathy, bilateral lower extremities." it was established as "related to the service connected degenerative joint disease, lumbar spine." I had a heck of a time because when it was diagnosed, the physician would only state cause as "idiopathic" meaning he didn't know what caused it. Even the C&P examiner was denied further answer to that question. The award letter does explain they granted for for peripheral neuropathy, bilateral lower extremities (also claimed as restless leg syndrome). They allowed 10% for each lower extremity as secondary to service connected flat feet. How "restless leg syndrome got in there, I am not quite sure. I am being treated for it (and RLS is a real PITA, believe me!) but I never filed any claim on it. So there you have it. S/C peripheral neuropathy and I do not (thank God) have diabetes.

I too suggest you get on the phone and start working it. Find out who can take care of that and try to get it done. It is possible, not being familiar with your area's VA lay out, that there is no place closer for that particular study. But remember that for a C&P, you should be eligable for travel pay which is pretty darn generous these days. I have to go 65 miles to my appointments and that pays $54 (or $57 I forget which) for a 130 mile round trip. That's less than a tanks of gas for our car. (I say our because my wife has to drive me). But there are other means of transportation available. I have ridden in on a Van operated by VA and once road on a Rural Bus transportation system that was prepaid in advance by VA. Tell them you need transport and they'll get you there. All you have to do is "be there!"

Sounds like there are a lot of variations. I did not pursue PTSD but had C&Ps for physical. But to get a copy of the report of exams done at VAMC, I had to request it through the release of information office. But I had to wait until they finished writing the exam report up that would be sent to VARO and here that typically takes a good (long!) 6 weeks. ("here" is Shreveport, LA.s Overton Brooks VAMC.) The one C&P exam I had from an outsourced doctor was much more professionally done than anything from those lying, no good, rotten, stinking, expletives deleted, so and so's at the VAMC. But I had to request my copy of that directly from VARO. It took something like 6 - 8 weeks to get that one too.

They just granted my secondary conditions, bi-lat knees, hips, and back- so I should be good for that.

You don't have to wait to you get to 70% to claim TDIU, you're just not real likely to get it 'til you do. My county VSO had me include it in my claim back in '05 when I still only had 10%. Since then I had got to 40% and then last week they granted my secondary conditions which brought me to 80% and granted IU at the same time. But since I filed for Iu back in 04, my retro for IUs 100% dates back to then too. :D So the moral of the story is to not wait to file for that one.

Thanks! However, Since I posted this, I found the health center site. Downloaded a CHAMPVA 'brochure' that allows processing could take 45 days so at 3 weeks you still have a while to wait. Still have a lot of reading to do. I was thinking my wife would have to go to VAMC too. But do I understand she might be able to keep her regular doctorwith CHAMPVA??? Still need to know about the AFB. :D

Sheesh! As many other folks been through this here, you'd think I knew those answers. Just never thought of it in relation to me first, of course. I won. Ok. Now what do I do? I mean, what do I do, RIGHT NOW!? ;) I have TDIU, yes, P&T. My wife is a professional stay at home Wife & Mother long w/out any health care. Do I call my VAMC and get her started, enrolled there??? Then there's an AF Airbase not far away. Only 65 miles and if you live in Texas, that's downright neighborly. :) As I understand it, We get to use the base Commissary and PX. Anything else? Concerning this, my packet only says I need Certification of total disability (can still hardly believe it, that I got the rating, not that I'm that disabled. I realized that a lonnggg time ago!) and DDform 1172, application for Uniformed Services ID card- Deers Enrollment, will be provided by VA. It only says contact the nearest VA Regoinal Office. Hmmph! Good thing I'm signed up with Texas Vets- Otherwise, how are you supposed to contact the nearest VARO. Call St Louie and have them schedule an appointment? :D Ok. Call them (VARO or the AFB?) & start there? Will my wife get one of those cards too? Yes there's some paperwork for dependents included in my packet, but it's almost all educational. (hey! We homeschool but use a not inexpensive established curriculum. I wonder if there's any help in there for THAT! Ok y'all. Any and all (sound :D ) advice, welcome. Thanks! :D

I already posted this on claims research but it seems right to have it here for perpetuity. ;) I finally got secondary conditions to ankle sprain and flat feet approved- rate increased to 80% with IU P&T. I had (thanks to my county VSO) included IU in my claim back in 2005 so we have a good retro coming. :D What a relief, especially for my wife who has struggled so to pay the bills all these bad years. We will actually be able to pay off the mortgage!!! :D Here's my tale--- My IU eed is 1 Aug 2005. My county VSO had me include it in a claim I filed back then. Should be a decent retro. That's why I needed 3 signatures. Some -EXPLETIVE DELETED- (by me) supervisor had my file and wasn't even giving it to any body to sign off on it. Sat on it a couple weeks I think it was. Anyway, a service organization counselor on site at VARO can be an asset. A supervisor, call him "D" with the Texas Veteran Commission had been trying to get that VA -!- to move my file but no-ohh. So D finally goes to the front office and goes over her head. D calls us Wednesday (I think it was, maybe Tuesday) and said he got the go ahead to get the signatures and would hand carry the file through. It's dated Friday and we got it in the mail Saturday. My wife scared me! I was down in the barn and heard her yelling. On the way to the house (via VA scooter) I she her clutching her chest. Of course it was the papers she was clutching and "We've got it!" and such like is what she was yelling. She saw the VARO envelope (white) but thought it was just more forms or something and hadn't even opened it immediately. Anyway, here's what she saw on page 1--- "Your Award Amount and Payment Start Date" (never mind the $ numbers). The key detail was "Individual Unemployability Adjustment,..." and that dated back as mentioned above. That's what set her off. "What We Decided: Degenerative joint disease, lumbosacral spine- 40% Degenerative joint disease, Left knee- 10% Degenerative joint disease, Right knee- 10% Peripheral Neuropathy, Left lower extremity 10% Peripheral Neuropathy, Right lower extremity 10% Degenerative joint disease, Left hip- 10% Degenerative joint disease, Right hip- 10% VA 'fuzzy math' puts me at 80% with TDIU now. "We granted you entitlement to the 100 rate effective Jul 8, 2005 because you are unable to work due to your service connected disability/disabilities." "Basic eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance is established from July 8. 2005." At there's the indication of P&T, ain't it? If that don't do it, this surely does- "We enclosed a VA form 21-8760, 'Additional Information for Veterans with service connected Permanent and Total Disabilities." The factors in the decision... "We made a decision on your substantive appeal based on your personal testimony dated March 17, 2009. Evidence... Y'all know the sort of stuff that goes in here. Treatment records and such like. I'll just record some of the specifically notable items... "Copies of the Board of Veteran's appeals decisions pertaining to service connection for bilateral knee and lower back conditions resulting from flat feet and ankle conditions..." "Copies of articles entitled Clinical Assessment of the Human Gait; Ligament Injury, Reconstruction & Osteoarthritis; Osteoarthritis & Cartilage; Hyperpronation: Treating Secondary Conditions; Foot Disorders/Flatfoot; As the Ankle Rolls; Flat Feet Can Cause Significant Problems; Ipsilateral Hip Abductor Weakness After Inversion Ankle Sprain. One major IMO from an MD and a minor ME from a Foot Doctor. Reasons For Decision: Of special Note DJD Lumbosacral spine--- "Based on a review of multiple articles pertaining to the relationship between altered gait,... Photographs of your abnormal shoe wear pattern* as well as a medical opinion by Dr. K---" * Remember that my Lying C&P examiner baldly lied and stated I had no abnormal shoe wear patterns..." It is important to note, here, the the articles and appeal claim results. This feature pretty much repeats on each item. EED I had claimed it a little earlier than the grant but that's because it is awarded as a secondary condition and is dated from establishment of flat feet as service connected. The IU now, It appears that the sole evidence cited was my IMO. Understandable since the medica community is pretty equally divided on the issue of secondary conditions as a result of flat feet. So you need a doctor to say that any personal secondaries are indeed the result of SC conditions. There you have it. :)

"in jeoprody?" I don't think it likely. Is a reduction "possible?" Definitely yes. Further, what a C&P says is not insurmountable. I had a couple of the most hostile, adversarial, vicious, lying falsified C&Ps you'd never want to see. ;) I was able to file a rebuttal that took 30 pages of copies from my records. They also said they could not see my flat feet one of my SC conditions. Watching what you say is important but it can also be meaningless. When asked about special shoe inserts, I offered to show them mine but, the examiner said that was not necessary... No, I guess it wasn't because they said in the report I didn't have any. :D Well it caused me a lot of upset stomach but just yesterday I got my rating for those secondary conditions & TDIU. I also had a good IMO. The bottom line is, if you want those secondaries, you have to go to the C&P exams. Just don't expect anything like just or honest reporting.

Clearing that mortgage is a biggie to us. Part of our monthly is dependent allowance for our three children who will all tick over 18 in less than ten years. We do have a fixed rate mortgage, (we knew the rates were more likely to go up than down) but paying all that interest and being in our 50s... well, putting down that mortgage seems the smartest thing to do by far. A house, in-ground diving pool, separate office/residential building, chicken house wood shop in a barn, and nigh 30 improved acres stands as a pretty solid "nest egg" for retirement to me! :D

We got one really great investment- We're going to pay off our mortgage! Then not making that house payment every month will take a load off besides knowing our place is safe. :D

Thank you all, very much. :D I've posted the details of the award and evidence considered in another topic. Yes, we have a home here, and we'll be able to pay it off. Might even be able to do that for Christmas. Pay off a few debts too. A new family van, not new, no, but one with less than 150,000 miles on it anyway. A remodeled bathroom to better suit my needs, gonna use a HISA grant for that, and a few cows and a few horses. That'll about round it up for spending. I've also applied for SSI. What I look forward to more than about anything is to not see my wife cry as she struggles to pay bills or grovel and beg for yet another extension on this bill or that.

I quote this one reply from my initial topic... I'm only 54 but I have been unable to work (& thereby unemployed) since 2004 so I've known that score for a while. My IU eed is 1 Aug 2005. My county VSO had me include it in a claim I filed back then. Should be a decent retro. That's why I needed 3 signatures. Some -EXPLETIVE DELETED- (by me) supervisor had my file and wasn't even giving it to any body to sign off on it. Sat on it a couple weeks I think it was. Anyway, a service organization counselor on site at VARO can be an asset. A supervisor, call him "D" with the Texas Veteran Commission had been trying to get that VA -!- to move my file but no-ohh. So D finally goes to the front office and goes over her head. D calls us Wednesday (I think it was, maybe Tuesday) and said he got the go ahead to get the signatures and would hand carry the file through. It's dated Friday and we got it in the mail Saturday. My wife scared me! I was down in the barn and heard her yelling. On the way to the house (via VA scooter) I she her clutching her chest. Of course it was the papers she was clutching and "We've got it!" and such like is what she was yelling. She saw the VARO envelope (white) but thought it was just more forms or something and hadn't even opened it immediately. Anyway, here's what she saw on page 1--- "Your Award Amount and Payment Start Date" (never mind the $ numbers). The key detail was "Individual Unemployability Adjustment,..." and that dated back as mentioned above. That's what set her off. "What We Decided: Degenerative joint disease, lumbosacral spine- 40% Degenerative joint disease, Left knee- 10% Degenerative joint disease, Right knee- 10% Peripheral Neuropathy, Left lower extremity 10% Peripheral Neuropathy, Right lower extremity 10% Degenerative joint disease, Left hip- 10% Degenerative joint disease, Right hip- 10% VA 'fuzzy math' puts me at 80% with TDIU now. "We granted you entitlement to the 100 rate effective Jul 8, 2005 because you are unable to work due to your service connected disability/disabilities." "Basic eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance is established from July 8. 2005." At there's the indication of P&T, ain't it? If that don't do it, this surely does- "We enclosed a VA form 21-8760, 'Additional Information for Veterans with service connected Permanent and Total Disabilities." The factors in the decision... "We made a decision on your substantive appeal based on your personal testimony dated March 17, 2009. Evidence... Y'all know the sort of stuff that goes in here. Treatment records and such like. I'll just record some of the specifically notable items... "Copies of the Board of Veteran's appeals decisions pertaining to service connection for bilateral knee and lower back conditions resulting from flat feet and ankle conditions..." "Copies of articles entitled Clinical Assessment of the Human Gait; Ligament Injury, Reconstruction & Osteoarthritis; Osteoarthritis & Cartilage; Hyperpronation: Treating Secondary Conditions; Foot Disorders/Flatfoot; As the Ankle Rolls; Flat Feet Can Cause Significant Problems; Ipsilateral Hip Abductor Weakness After Inversion Ankle Sprain. One major IMO from an MD and a minor ME from a Foot Doctor. Reasons For Decision: Of special Note DJD Lumbosacral spine--- "Based on a review of multiple articles pertaining to the relationship between altered gait,... Photographs of your abnormal shoe wear pattern* as well as a medical opinion by Dr. K---" * Remember that my Lying C&P examiner baldly lied and stated I had no abnormal shoe wear patterns..." It is important to note, here, the the articles and appeal claim results. This feature pretty much repeats on each item. EED I had claimed it a little earlier than the grant but that's because it is awarded as a secondary condition and is dated from establishment of flat feet as service connected. The IU now, It appears that the sole evidence sited was my IMO. There you have it. :D

It's official, black & white, it came in the mail today. increase to 80% & TDIU- P&T. Details later. Thanks y'all. In good truth, I am relieved but really don't feel a thing, basically devoid of emotion. But maybe I should change my avatar???

I get 10 for flat feet. to the best of my (admittedly vague) knowledge, bilateral factor dos not apply or rather that IS the bilateral factor... Anyway, all I get for them is 10% Ye olde VA fuzzy math...

Fruit tree either! (I'm the one from Ledward ;) ) Concerning either, they didn't just buy them a new chicken or tree, they figured and paid through future loss. A chicken was rated for the length of it's life and quantity of eggs itcould be expected to produce in a normal life span. Same thing on any fruit bearing tree. They told us about that during a reforger exercise where we were running around the countryside instead of our usual FTX areas. That was also the only time we went to the field in the summer excepting a couple of alerts. That reforger was actually fun. We even captured (literally) a French* observer who got too close to things. *Yes, I know. The French were not a part of NATO. But they were allowed to send LRRPs to the a/o of the exercise to watch on the fringes. We were to consider them quasi hostile(? B) ) and to be advised since they carried long distance French codes and they carried live ammunition. (oh joy) We halted for a night on the outskirts of a town and one of our roving patrols spotted a Frenchie on foot. We chased him through town and cornered him. For whatever reason the guy grabbed at his slung weapon and our guy butt stroked him. (broke the stock off that flimsy little M16) The fellow was really worried about an international incident but our old First sgt pointed out that this guy was hardly likely to call Paris and tell them he let himself get caught! I guess he was right, we never heard another word about it. We patched the guy up and let him go in the AM when we pulled out.