Duke

Hi David-Congradulatrions! Glas to hear it. I too was turned down initally but I retained a SS lawyer and I got an "on the record decision" Problem is I don't know whether the judge decided in my favor or not. His assistant told my lawyer I will be getting a letter with the results but its been over a week and I still haven't got it. I'm anxious as hell to know the result and I remember you saying a claim status could be checked "on line"-I've searched the SSA site and can't find out where to look- Do you have a URL? Thanks in advance, Duke

Hi David-Congradulatrions! Glas to hear it. I too was turned down initally but I retained a SS lawyer and I got an "on the record decision" Problem is I don't know whether the judge decided in my favor or not. His assistant told my lawyer I will be getting a letter with the results but its been over a week and I still haven't got it. I'm anxious as hell to know the result and I remember you saying a claim status could be checked "on line"-I've searched the SSA site and can't find out where to look- Do you have a URL? Thanks in advance, Duke

Hi David-Congradulatrions! Glas to hear it. I too was turned down initally but I retained a SS lawyer and I got an "on the record decision" Problem is I don't know whether the judge decided in my favor or not. His assistant told my lawyer I will be getting a letter with the results but its been over a week and I still haven't got it. I'm anxious as hell to know the result and I remember you saying a claim status could be checked "on line"-I've searched the SSA site and can't find out where to look- Do you have a URL? Thanks in advance, Duke

Glad to hear it-Congradulations! I'm at 50% and appealing.

Hey Mr. Magoo-The SSA has tightened up procedures and an appeal is damn hard for an individual to handle on his own. The best way to win your appeal is to get a lawyer that handles ONLY SS cases. Almost all lawyers do it as a "sideline" but find one that handles only SS for the best results.

I was recently awarded 50% for PTSD and I'm trying to figure out whether I am entittled to anything add'l because my Mother lives with my Wife and I. The chart has a catagory for "Veteran w/ spouse and one parent" and its appears I am entitled to an extra 46.oo but there are no requirements listed for her eligibility. She's elderly, collects SS and has 140K in the bank from the sale of her home. She is not dependent on us for financial help since she collects SS and has money in the bank so I assume I am not entittled to the extra $$. I called the VA and my NSO and I can't get a straight answer. The form for applying is 21-509, Statement of Dependency of Parents and its not very clear. It's not a whole lot of money but it will be when my disability goes to 100%. If anyone knows the criteria, Please let me know. Thanks in advance !

No, not a joke carlie. The VA is my enemy-I performed my duty and did it well. I am disabled and they are obligated to "heal me". I just want to even out the playing field. I'm just an individual with no experience in fighting government bureaucracy and I'm lookin for a fair shake. No more, no less. Hell, where I live, the SO's are so understaffed and overworked that they don't even return calls. Its a David and Goliath thing and the VA is not going to take my sling

I just got around to filing for PTSD and deafness in left ear and timmitus in both. My PTSD claim and hearing problems are documented by a medal . Although I am about 90% deaf in one ear I still hear relatively well. Now if I put an earplug in my good ear, I can't understand a person speaking normally. I can hear some tones but I can't understand speech. I'm wondering how the VA will look at this? Since the VA will probably try hard to avoid compensating me, I'm going to try hard to get a win. I'm not trying to get anything I don't deserve but i do want to do poorly on the hearing tests. Are the test 100% foolproof? If I don't respond to the noises I can barely hear; the real faint sounds will the tests show it? To put it bluntly, is there a way a can make my hearing problems appear worse than they actually are? Again, I'm not trying to get anything i don't deserve. I left for Nam with perfect hearing and came home 17 months later at the age of 20 with the hearing of a 70 YO. I continually ask people to repeat what they said. "WHAT" is prolly the most used word in my Vocabulary and the Tinnitus is so bad that sometimes I feel like putting a bullet in my ear. If someone speaks to me on my bad side, I can't understand them. I want to fight fire with fire. Appreciate any advice.