dwilli12

Contract Medical Exam Program Limitations Put Veterans at Risk for Inaccurate Claims Decisions

Great news!

Thanks!

Now, it's official!

Yes they will back date it to the date the VA says you became 100% disabled. They will refund any payments made on or after that date.

Another huge blessing for our family. Thankful!

So until today, no confirmation on the appeal award outside of E-benefits, and it still shows the appeal as open and pending. However, three separate deposits hit my bank account earlier today. The numbers add up correctly, so confidence is very high on this. Even more thankful in Tampa Bay.

More good advice! Mrs. dwilli12 will be in charge of that.

I'm so sorry I forgot to say thank you to everyone here at hadit.com, especially the founders, admins, and those who post good advice and encouragement to the rest of us. Your efforts make a big difference!

Ebenefits informed me today that my 13 month DRO appeal of a lowball depression rating was granted...moving me from 91% to 95% - which of course rounds up to 100%. What a Christmas blessing, what a surprise! Bigger surprise, the P&T! I thought that having a MH disability (which VA believes can improve) and being only 54 years old would make P&T off-limits. Thankful here in Tampa Bay.

Hello BWA1544, I am curious about the fibromyalgia......this condition is presumptive for Gulf War veterans. https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/gulfwar/fibromyalgia.asp Is your husband a Gulf War vet? Does he have a current diagnosis of fibromyalgia? If yes to both, then it absolutely should be service connected.

My experience with this is very different. I have had two C&P exams in the last year. One was done by a VA contracted doctor, the other at a VAMC. I requested copies of both exams soon after they were done.....and were denied both times. They explicitly stated that the exam results are controlled by the VARO and can only be released by them. My VSO says that that the VARO will only release them after the claim has been decided.

http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/gulfwar/fibromyalgia.asp

Looks like 60% to me.

Definitely file a claim, and make it independant of any other SC connection. click on my username and check out my uploads.

Bonzai, Read my posts about OSA. I wasn't diagnosed with OSA until 15 months after I retired, but with three IMEs from my pulmologist, buddy letters from friends and my wife, and SMCs that document severe GERD, I managed to convince the VA it was SC. (GERD is very common in people with OSA, the desparate contraction of the diaphragm to force the body to breathe often blasts stomach contents into the esophagus, windpipe, even the sinuses, it was horrible. Since I got my CPAP, no GERD. NONE.

MLR, Check out my posts about SA....I think they may help you. I think it's IMPERATIVE that your current sleep doctor review ALL of your medical records, especially your SMRs, so that he can issue an opinion that says he has reviewed the SMRs and in his opinion your SA began in year X. That was key to my success. Good Luck! Dwilli12

The end result of affirmative action is to give one person an advantage over another person when both are pursuing something worth having, based on some attribute that neither of them has any control over. Both sides add smoke and noise to the argument - but if you remember you are giving an unearned advantage to one individual over another, the obvious and indisputable conclusion is very clear. Some truths are self-evident. Real people are hurt by these programs, with the stated intention of helping other people. If you give anyone anything they didn't earn, you are taking it away from someone else. I guess we've decided to do this, in the hope of improving our society. But let's understand honestly what we're doing, to whom and for whom we are doing it, and why. "Never let your conscience keep you from doing the right thing or make you do the wrong thing."

Sharon, Speak for yourself. I am retired AF and spent 11 years as an SP. Spent many thousands of hours carrying rucks, A3 bags, ammo, rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, etc. Mr right rotator cuff was destroyed because of it. Generalizations always have exceptions. dwilli12

If your nose injury is in your SMR, why isn't it SC? Looks to me like it would be relatively simple to SC the SA to the nose injury, IF it was SC.

Great news on your referral, hawkcrewchief! I have a feeling your life is going to change for the better soon. BTW, I use a humidifier on my CPAP - and I recommend it to all. If you get a diagnosis of SA and a CPAP prescription, ask about getting one with a water tank!

I've had two sleep studies, the first one was conducted in two parts over two nights...the second study was done all in one night. It IS kind of scary, and it took a long time to get the wiring attached. Also, the first time they put a CPAP mask on me and turned the air on, it was a really weird sensation. BUT....that first night with a CPAP in the hospital, I got about 6 straight hours of real, restful sleep. I walked out of their feeling like I was 18 again (well, maybe 24 again). They use cameras and mikes to watch you and communicate, but the bed was ok, not a hospital bed, but a real bed. If you have SA, this test will definitely prove it. CPAP is a pain in the a$$, but life is immeasurably better with it than without. Good Luck!

Keep trying different combinations of masks and straps, including a chin strap to keep your mouth closed, if needed. I have found that the higher the air pressure, the tighter the straps need to be. But stay with it.....it will change your life (and lengthen it) dwilli12

I had my wife and a buddy each write a buddy letter. I also wrote one for myself. Each letter was written on this form: http://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/VBA-21-4138-ARE.pdf As other have already replied, they should list all observed symptoms, and the who/what/when/where/why/how in the best detail that can be managed. Good Luck! dwilli12

Glad you're back!