parforever

Well everything I have read makes me think I should feel blessed that I still have 2 kids left with 6 years of college left between them. Wasn't sure and figured it was at least worth asking the questions and hearing from folks who have been through it. :)

Nope, this was the first time they have reviewed my conditions. I have had plenty of self scheduled appointments since my initial rating in 2007 but not until this month have they reviewed any of my conditions. Hence the reason I was wondering if I can appeal the P&T since my conditions haven't changed since the initial rating.

I was recently revaluated and the VA said there is no change and awarded me P&T with Dependent Education Assistance (Chapter 35). Not one of my 18 conditions changed in percentage and are all exactly the same as my original claim upon retirement in late 2007. The effective date of being Permanent and Total is July 15. My question is since all my conditions are exactly the same as when I retired is it possible I could win an appeal to get the P&T established in 2007 vs 2015. For obvious reasons I'm asking as I have children who have a total of 7 college years behind them starting in 2010 to current. My children still have 6 years of college ahead between them so I'm very grateful, but if I won an appeal that would mean one of children who graduated would get 4 years worth of benefits. My reasoning is the fact I was in the same condition today that I was in 2007 and should have been P&T then. Any guidance is much appreciated.

This story is unbelievable! (quick back ground: I have been 100% scheduler since 2007 to include 30% for PTSD) I received a phone call last month and was told I had an appointment at a QTC contractor for a PTSD examination for an increase that I asked for. I politely told the lady that I never asked to be rexamined. She told me it must be a scheduled reexam by the VA and that I needed to be there. Two hours later they called me and said can you do it tomorrow and I told them no as I wanted to know what was going on. So in the end I went to see a Dr on the 16 of July at a QTC clinic. On the 23rd of July, 3 business days later I noticed on ebenefits that a decision was made, approved and sent to my home and they never looked at my other 15 conditions. I have yet to get the letter but called the VA and said what up? They said they couldn't tell me over the phone and I had to wait for the letter. Then she asked me what my rating was before and I told her 100% and then she said nothing changed. Looked at ebenefits again and saw a Dependent Educational Assistance under my benefits. So in three days the VA made a decision that nothing had changed in 8 years and then awarded me P&T. Yes I said they did that in 3 days...wow! I never wanted to ask for P&T as I didn't want to kick the gift horse in the mouth and now this. Not one of my service conditions changed in rating since day 1 so wondering if P&T will be effective this month or from the 2007 considering my percentages on all my conditions were the same as today. If so then can I go back and ask for Chapter 35 benefits for the years of college that our kids attended.

I have a friend who has obvious disabilities that will make her well over 30% disabled. She has a government job lined and has been hired however there is person coming in that has been rifted. The hiring authority has told her unless she is a 30 percent vet they are going to have to hire the other person. She has done her retirment C&P in September and is waiting the final results. Does anybody know if she can get a letter stating she will be at least 30 percent before the final percentage is done? I have searched and thought at one time I had read were you could get a letter early. Thanks!

I don't like to spread rumors but wanted to see if anybody had heard about this? I got this in an email from another retiree and many of us in the office are pretty sure there is no validity on this, but anybody hear of this? (See email transcript below) Waiver (Refund) Subject: VA Disability Waiver Refund$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ If you have a VA Disability rating of 90% or less, did you know that you are eligible for a VA Disability Waiver Refund$$$$$$. It can be filed for the last (3) years and every year from now on until 2014. This includes Federal and State refunds, but filed separately. I got my package back a few weeks ago and after reviewing it with my tax guy (also a disabled veteran), we filed for it. I talked to local veterans in the know and nobody has even heard of this refund program? Anyway, if you want more information on this refund program, the person to get the information from is Mr. XXXXX (USAF Ret.) in Ft Walton Beach, FL. He's been helping disabled veterans get this refund for over 10 years. If you decide to file for this refund, you can call Mr XXXXXX at (xxx)xxx-xxxx cell and he'll gladly explain the program and what documents you must provide to him. He does all the paperwork and prepares all the tax forms. All you have to do is sign the 1040X amendments and mail them in to the IRS. He even provides the addressed mailing envelope. There is a fee for his services. He will need your 1040X for the year you file DD214 1099R Disability Rating Letter Retirement Statement for each month for the year you are filing. He charges 10% on the honor system. The number I gave you is good for him because a talked to him a couple of weeks ago and got my paper work back within a week. He does everything once you get it back all you have to do is sign it. He even includes addressed envelope and sign receipt to the IRS. I know several people who went back to 2006 but last year was my first full year of retirement. You can call the VA and get a copy of your disability letter and call RAS to get a copy of old pay statements. I would give him a call prior to mailing it to him to ensure you have everything. If you have questions hit me up.

I have a friend who retired from the USAF on 1 Dec 08 and his first C&P exam is next week. He filed his paperwork right after retirement even though he was still having some medical issues. In Feb 09 3 months after he retired he received blood results back and his PSH was elevated. He has since been diagnosed with prostate cancer and is currently waiting decision as to what the treatment will be. He is having surgery for sure in the very near future. This is going to cause him to miss work and cause a financial burden. My question is can he claim the prostate cancer since it was 3 months after retirement? It appears to me to be pretty obvious that he had the condition while still active duty but the darn doctors didn't do any blood work on him before he retired. It was not on his original paperwork when he filed. Should he take his results and findings to the C&P exam and add it as a claim? Is there any way to expedite his case since he is going to be going through surgery and treatment? Seems that I read somewhere they do this? I know folks that have been temporary 100% while going through treatment until they are given a clean bill health. He has several other claims after 28 years of service such as knee and back surgeries and sleep apnea with a CPAP machine etc… Any advice you can give to help him in the process is much appreciated.

Tyler, I checked out the echo and no such luck on the right ventricle, probably not a bad thing :P LarryJ, I have actually been diagnosed by a civilian shrink with MDD since my C&P. Guess once I get the official paperwork i will try and get referred to the VA and seek a group. Just hate to drive two hours when I have a local provider helping me. Yup, no TDIU for me. I have a very meaningful job that directly relates to the reasons for my combat PTSD. I also feel TDIU would be the death of me as I have a tendancy to think way too much with nothing to do and would only make my situation worse.

I received notification today that I have been rated at 90%. I'm very happy with the decision, I would have liked 100% and not sure if I can do a NOD to squeeze another 5% out them to get to 100% so will probably settle for the 90%. I always thought it was fun and informative what disabilities folks had and what they got rated. So based off my above postings from my C&P write ups here is what the final outcome was: Sleep Apnea w/CPAP 50% PTSD 30% Neck 20% Lumbar 20% R Shoulder 10% L Foot 10% R Foot 10% L Elbow 10% R Elbow 10% L Hand 10% Atrium fibulation 10% Hiatal Hernia 10% Seems to me that the both feet with Planters Fisciatis and both elbows with the same thing should be a bi-lateral rating? Any thoughts on that? One other question. I suffered panic attacks early and mid career and was seen by mental health folks on 5 occasions for treatment. Shouldn't there be a rating seperate from my PTSD rating? Thanks for all the advice and help along the way! Cheers

This is my first post on Hadit. I recently retired after 24 years of service and was a little oblivious to the VA benefits system. Wish I would have found this forum earlier. Ok in short, I filed in October, had a total of 13 C & P appointments for various procedures. I made the crucial mistake of having the results sent to me. I have hunted and pecked trying to be the rater and assign a rating. Yes I know it will drive me crazy. If any of the veterans would like to take an educated guess at my issues and tell me their thoughts on a rating I would appreciate it. The only rating I know for sure is my sleep apnea with a CPAP machine = 50% All of these items were diagnosed while in service. The musculoskeletal exam results are the ones I'm really at a lost. Thanks for any help! 1. Recurrent right ankle sprains throughout the military and still experiencing recurrent intermittent pain. Dorsiflexion 0 to 20 of 20 with pain at 20 (pain in the plantar surface of the foot); plantar flexion 0 to 45 of 45; inversion 0 to 30 of 30 and eversion 0 to 20 of 20. 2. Recurrent left ankle sprains throughout the military and still experiencing recurrent intermittent pain. Dorsiflexion 0 to 20 of 20 with pain at 20 (pain in the plantar surface of the foot); plantar flexion 0 to 45 of 45; inversion 0 to 30 of 30 and eversion 0 to 20 of 20. 3. Plantar fasciitis of the bilateral feet (see 1 & 2); Veteran has pain on bottom of both feet in the morning and recurring later in the day if he stands for long periods or sits for long periods. Veteran does wear shoe inserts issued while in the military and they provide partial relief. 4. Degenerative disk disease of cervical spine. MRI completed and showed evidence of moderate degenerative changes of the mid and lower cervical spine being most pronounced at the C5-6 and C6-7 levels. There was evidence of small posterior lateral osteophytes combining with underlying disk bulging and uncovertebral and facet hypertrophy that produced mild to moderate spinal canal narrowing at the C-5 and C6-7 levels as well as moderate left neural foraminal narrowing and stenosis at C6-7 and mild to moderate bilateral neural foraminal narrowing at the C5-6 level with the right being slightly greater than the left at the level. Veteran states he is in constant pain in the cervical spine area and the pain does radiate into the left shoulder. He has a least one flare up bi weekly that lasts for 3 to 4 days. Member takes motrin and 10 mg of flexeril every 8 hours for flare up. Ranges of motion were forward flexion 0 to 45 degrees with pain from 30 to 45, extension 0 to 30 of 45 degrees with pain at 30, right lateral bending 0 to 18 of 45 degrees with pain at 18, left lateral 0 to 25 of 45 degrees with pain at 25, right rotation 0 to 40 of 80 degrees with pain at 40 and left rotation 0 to 40 of 80 degrees with pain at 40. 5. Lateral Epicondylitis of the right elbow. Member experiences weekly flare ups and is relieved by resting the elbow. Member does wear a band on his right arm on a daily basis. Flexion 0 to 145 of 145 with pain at 110 degrees, extension 145 to 0 degrees with pain at 0 degrees. Veteran did demonstrate objective evidence of pain by grimacing. 6. Irritable bowel syndrome with residual symptoms, member has alternating episodes of constipation and diarrhea with crampy abdominal pain. He has constipation approximately once a week lasting for one or two days then followed by an episode of diarrhea for one or two days. Both are accompanied by crampy abdominal pain at least every other day. He takes 20mg of dicyclomine ever 8 hours for this condition. 7. Chronic Tendonitis of the bilateral hands with pain. Occurs in the mornings and returns if he engages in any activities that require extended gripping. He experiences one flare up per week. MCP joint – flexion 0 to 90 of 90 degrees with no pain, hyperextension of 0 to 30 of 30 without pain; PIP joints all had 100 degrees of flexion with pain at 100 degrees of all fingers. Left hand did show mild degenerative changes in the metacarpophalangeal joint of the thumb. 8. Impingement syndrome of the right shoulder. Flexion 0 to 180 of 180 with pain at 180 degrees, extension 0 to 50 of 50 with pain at 50 degrees, abduction of 0 to 140 of 180 with pain from 125 to 140 degrees, adduction 0 to 50 of 50 with pain at 50. 9. Mitral valve prolapse with residual heart murmur. There was a very slight heart murmur auscultated on examination today. Veteran revealed the presence of ejection fraction of 51% and a METs level of 13.40 10. Mild degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine. Veteran states he has constant pain in the lumbar area of his spine. There was tenderance to palpation directly over the vertebral bodies in the lumbar spine but not of the paraspinal muscles. Veteran demonstrated negative lasegue sign and negative straight leg raise bilaterally. Forward flexion 0 to 70 of 90 degrees with pain from 50 to 70, extension 0 to 30 of 30 without pain, left lateral bending 0 of 30 of without pain, right lateral bending 0 of 30 of 30 without pain, left rotation 0 to 30 of 30 with pain at 30, right rotation 0 to 30 of 30 with pain at 30 degrees. 11. Eye Examine: Impression is Myopia with astigmatism; right eye uncorrected 20/60 far and 20/25 near, corrected 20/25 near and 20/30 near. Left eye uncorrected 20/40 far and 20/30 near, corrected 20/20 far and 20/30 near. 12. Reactive hypoglycemia as demonstrated by glucose tolerance test; Fasting GTT 101mg/dl, ½ hr GTT 130mg, 1 hr GTT 89mg, 2 hr GTT 85mg, 3 hr GTT 84mg. 13. Gastroesophageal reflux disease and sliding hiatal hernia; Veteran is taking 20mg of nexium once daily for condition, he also takes tums before going to bed every night. He gets only partial relief from dedications and still experiences regurgitation of an acid-like material in back of his throat daily. Upper GI confirms sliding hiatal hernia with dysmotility spontaneous gastroesophageal reflux to the clavicles. 14. PTSD, diagnosed and treated in service and confirmed by VA. Patient has become extremely withdrawn from family and friends. He is unable to show affection. He has difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. Every time he tries to sleep and relaxes himself he has flashbacks that impairs his ability to fall asleep. He has not experienced any remissions. Stressful events of leading a unit on convoy missions in Iraq and experiencing 2 KIA from an IED and he assisted in the bodies being transported and in charge of their military affairs/memorial event. Post Military: Patient has no legal troubles, he has not attended any colleges or educational programs. He tried to work as an auto salesmen and lasted a month. In January he began work on base with military transport vehicles, he stated that this gives him a small consolation as well and believes he is adjusting well to his job. He has times that he doesn't talk to his wife for days on end and he seeked help from a private physcaitrist at his wife's behest. He has also become rather distant from his 3 children. Socially he is quite isolative and no longer does things he did in the past with idle time. He basically comes home and watches TV until bedtime. He quit drinking alcohol due to finally taking medications for PTSD and reported he was drinking heavily for about 18 months. He is under care at this time from a civilian physcaitrist. He was casually dressed and adequately groomed. No impairment of thought process or communication was observed and he was free from delusion and hallucinations. He made limited eye contact, no inappropriate behavior was observed. He was free of suicidal and homicidal thoughts. He has the ability to maintain minimal hygiene and other basic activities of daily living were unimpaired. He was oriented to time and place, his memory recall was good and could name the last three presidents. He could do simple calculations and his concentration was intact. His ability to abstract was slightly impaired. The patient denied any problems with obsessive behavior or ritualistic behaviors. His speech was somewhat deliberate and slight monotonous. His thought process was logical, coherent and goal directed. He admitted to panic attacks going back to 1988 and that they have become more severe and frequent to at least bi-weekly. He admitted to feeling depressed and anxious. He also admitted to nightmares occurring two-three times a week, flashbacks occurring daily and intrusive recollections daily. He avoids watching television programs related to combat and conversations related to combat. He does not show affection and doesn't get close to people and admits to losing his temper easily. He has difficulty sleeping and is easily startled. He also admitted to being hypervigilant and will get up at night and look out to see if someone is doing something outside. Diagnosis: Axis: Post-traumatic stress disorder Axis II: deferred Axis III: GERD, IBS, Sleep Apnea, Muscle aches Axis IV: Exposure to Combat Axix V: GAF - 50 Sorry for the length and I appreciate your time! Parforever