trailblazer

When my Dr. gives me new meds, i start asking questions, what are the side effects and how long can I expect them to last. I have enough problems and I sure as he-- don't need another one.

Prefiction, I noticed you have just joined hadit. Its the best place to be for info and help with va claims. Ask your questions and they will flood you with answers and info on how to get your claims thru the system. The va knows when they look at claim if its been done by an amature or someone who knows what they are talking about. I am not calling you an amature but i think you need some help. You have come to the right place for help and info. Post your questions and you will get honest answers. Hadit will get you thru this. If you don't already have a good VSO get one, they can be good in wording the claim. Stick with hadit and I am sure your proplems with va will turn in your favor. BTW welcome home and thanks for your service.

I agree with Pete. some mental problems get worse over time. Talk to the VA and show them and show them your reduced income records, get statments from your friends, familey and anything else you can come up with to support your claim. I think you have a good chance of winning which ] could and most likely will take care of your past medical expense. BTW thanks for your sevice and welcome to hadit. The people here will help you work your way thru the va system. Remember, don't ever give up. You can win this.

This is a great post. I got a lot of inforimation from this. I am deeply sorry he is no longer with us, but in essence he is still helping veterans.

You are not being ignored. Correct answers takes time to research and thats what you want when you deal with the VA, the right info. or the Va will deny the claim. Deffered means the va is going to look at it again and there is a good chance some or all of them will be approved. If you don't get the answers you want the day you post, give it some time. I am thankful for the people on this site that know the answers to our questions and are willing to spend their time to help us vets get thru the va system. Remember, we are all veterans with problems our government promised to take of. We all stick together or we all fail. I started in the dark with the va and hadit showed me the light and i began to make progress. They will do the same for you. Have a good day.

I use lantus insulin pin but I get it from my private Dr. The VA doc. says he can get this but I don't if it is in the pin form. I like the pin better because my vision is not good and it is eaiser to dial up the correct amount. This med does a good job but you don't want to over do it. Low sugar is just as bad or worse as high sugar. I have collasped a few times. If its in the formulary you can get it but you may have to get someones attention. Good luck.

I have a friend who is a vietnam vet. who has some complications from exposure to agent orange. The skin on his arms is black and he says its been that way for several years. I never did notice this as he always wore long sleeve shirts even in summer. He says his personal Dr.'s say it was caused by exposure to Agent Orange but the VA dosen't agree so a hearing is forth coming. Does anyone have any knowledge about this or could this be something new we have to worry about? I have studied this and can't find anything to support Agent Orange as the cause. Could it be caused by something else?

John999 I did tell VA in 2007 that I had retired in 2006 due to not being able to the job. This info was mentioned in a c&p exam so the va knew or should have known that I couldn't work due to a service connected condition. I have a copy of the c&p as evidence. Do you think that will work? Let me know one way or the other. Thanks.

Thanks Berta. I don't qualify for disability social security becuase I retired from the civil service 3 years ago, however I am elgiable regular social security which I will get this november but it will be reduced due to my civil service. I have an EMG scheduled for April 30 and I want to get the results of that and maybe that will get me to 100% and TDIU at the same time. Thanks a bunch Berta and all the people on hadit for of your help. I hope everyone on hadit has a very happy Easter.

I have been told they have distinctive features from a normal cataract.

Thanks Berta and Clown Man for your help. Berta I will try to answer some of your questions. They didn't award me TDIU because I didn't ask for it the first time. I do have caratacts in both eyes and the caratac in the right eye can be removed but the left one cannot due to poor visual and healing prognosis. There is a hole in the macula in the left eye and nothing can be done about it. I can't see anything out of the top half of my left eye and mostly day and night out of the bottom half of my left eye and some images, but I can't make out waht they are. My peripherial vision is gone from my left eye. My right eye has 20/20 vision with corrective contact lens. I can't drive in heavey traffic because I can't judge distance because of lack of depth perception in left eye and loss of peripherial vision in left eye. I have become total dependent on my wife or kids for transportation to the Doctor and other places which creates a problem for them. I do drive about 2 miles a day to post office when traffic is light but that's all. I can't do any night driving.Here is what they decided:Service connection for bilateral diabetic retinopathy, hemiretinal vein occlusion left eye and bilateral cataracts associated with type II diabetes mellitus with kidney disease is granted with an evaluation of 0 percent effective October 12, 2006, an evaluation of 10 percent effective February 26, 2007 and an evaluation of 70 percent is assigned from September 29, 2007.Entitlement to automobile and adaptive equipment is established.An examination will be scheduled at a future date to evaluate the severity of your service connected Bilateral diabetic retinopathy, hemiretinal vein occlusion left eye and bilateral cataracts associated with type II diabetes mellitus with kidney disease.The also told me I could apply for TDIU. What do you think? Do I have a chance?

Thanks clown man, that was the answer I was looking for. That makes me elgiable to apply for tdiu. I will be filing for that in the coming weeks. All I need is a statement from my former supervision and a statement from my personel Dr. and they said they would do that. Thanks again and I'll keep you posted on how this works out. I think the world for you people on hadit you are all so willing to help another vet.

I filed a claim for vision loss due to complications of DMII and high BP. This is part of what the evaluation says,quote A 70% evaluation is awarded for field concentric contraction in both eyes, end of quote. I was under the impression that a rating for vision loss was not to be combined with any other rating but stood on its own. I am almost sure I read that somewhere in 38cfr part 4 but I can't find it. I am going to need it if in fact exist to file an appeal. They combined the 70% with the 40% I already had and turned it into 80%(VA math sucks) Someone tell me if I am right or wrong in my thinking. I don't want tie up the va with an anppeal I can't win. To many other vets out there need help. Any help will be appreciated. thanks

I couldn't have said it better.I was in the same boat until i found hadit.Totally confused. Thanks to all hadit memebers for showing me the way.

They almost always turn down the frist claim. Don't give up. It took me 4 years to get my frist claim approved and you will win, just stay with it. Best of luck.

Pete is right. lantus is a good med. My doc told me to take it at night befor you go to bed as lantus is a time release med but before you take it check your blood sugar and lower the dose to match it. If its high the next morning then increase the next does one unit . This will take few days to get it right. Keep a record of your night time readings until its whre you want it. Diabetes is hard thingn to control but it can be done. Hope everything goes good for you.

Good for you rental, anytime a vet gets what he deserves from the VA makes my day better. My best wishes are with you and your family. You have earned it.

Go for it. You have nothing to lose and you could be a winner. I am thinking your surgery was done in a VA medical center. That would explain why the Dr. would not put it in writting.

Good for you. We all win the game if we read, ask questions and do some research.

Money will help you run down your family tree and all the people who treat you like dirt will become your best friends, until the money is gone, then they all disapear and you become a nobody. Enjoy your win and don't say anything. You earned it and they didn't. Have a nice day.

Good for him. He earned it, he deserves it and I am glad he got it. News like this makes my day.

Yes its worth the hassel. I filed my frist claim in Aug. 2004 and the hassel began about two weeks latter and continued until Feb. 2008 when I won my frist claim for 40%, In July I won my second claim for 10% and filed for an increase. My request for an increase was aproved In Oct 2008 and put me at 80%. Now I am 1500 plus dollars better off. Now I am going for TDIU and I am ready to play the hassel game with VA for the 100%. I won so the hassel is worth it. Never give up.

Good for the both of you. I love it when the plan comes together.

GOOD FOR YOU. Now go for the rest of it.

I was deined the frist time I filed for HTN due to DDM-ll and diabetic neprhopathy and I appealed. I got a copy of my medical records from my Dr. that went back 10 years and provided the VA with them even though they already had a copy. After another C&P I was approved at 10%. The C&P examiner stated my HTN was caused by aggravation of the neprohpathy. What the C&P examiner says determines wheather you win or loose. If you haven't already, get a copy of your medical records and provide the VA with them. The results will most likely be better next time. Good luck.