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Sgt. Wilky
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Posts posted by Sgt. Wilky
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I have USAA and my deposit came on Thursday, but I've been with them too for about 22 years. I've switched my VA deposit a couple times and not have had any problems. Enter your information carefully, and don't close any accounts until you've had your VA deposit coming in the new account for at least a couple months.
Semper Fi,
Sgt. Wilky
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A lot of my ratings are claimed under "undiagnosed illness". I didn't specifically file under that, it was the VBA ALJ that grouped and granted many of my claimed conditions under it, and that was back in July of 2015. Do some looking under the C.F.R. for that and see if claiming all those under that.
Best of Luck!
Semper Fi,
Sgt. Wilky
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22 minutes ago, Tbird said:
No problem the EiN or Tax ID number is in the footer of all the pages. Here it is for easy reference EIN 92-2360268
Thank you for pointing that out and sending that out. That's all I needed!
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On 2/26/2024 at 1:05 PM, Tbird said:
You donate here
When you donate it immediately provides you a receipt for your taxes that you can print out and keep track of. That's about all I know, Rattler will have to jump in with more.
Thank you TBird. I responded to an email to Rattler. What I'm needing is the Tax ID number. A 501(c)3 organization usually has an ID number. My tax person is just asking me for the information. All in all, it's not a big deal if I don't get it.
Semper Fi and thank you!
Matt W.
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Still needing an answer to this question, thank you!
Sgt. Wilky
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@Broncovet you can't go wrong with DuckDuckGo. I've been using it for years. I don't even know or remember what functionality, if any, I lost when I switched over.
Semper Fi,
Sgt. Wilky
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3 minutes ago, brokensoldier244th said:
VA Hearing exams are based on 2 factors- a puretone audio exam, and the Maryland CNC Speech Discrimination test, which uses 50 words to determine the level of speech discrimination (how well you hear common words).
True, yet I believe they are highly inaccurate, as I can hear the words when a male (deeper tone) speaks them in real life, than a woman (higher tone). When my ears are chirping or screaming at me, I can't hear my wife, but I can hear my friend. Obviously, it's subjective and they can only apply the law objectively. I have an exam coming up for new aids, and that puretone test is always a complete disaster, lol.
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I second what @broncovet said. I have hearing loss rated at 0% and am service connected for tinnitus at 10% (the only rating allowed). From my understanding, the regulations set the bar fairly high to be compensated for hearing loss. The regs were probably written by someone who didn't know what hearing loss is like. That being said, it is what it is and appeal or supplemental claim may be necessary. I have found that my hearing aids help and would recommend getting a pair from the VA.
Semper Fi,
Sgt. Wilky
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Yes we did!
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2 hours ago, Dot09 said:
Sgt Wilkie
I’m sorry for your loss and give you my condolences. I never truly experienced a loss at that magnitude but can only imagine it is difficult. Congratulations on your claim and hope you truly can find peace to deal with all your struggles of life.
Thank you. Every day is a fight. It does get easier, but it doesn't get better.
Semper Fi,
Sgt. Wilky
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Yes, congrats on the win.
Semper Fi,
Sgt. Wilky
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Riplip,
This exact thing happened to me on at least three occasions. My C&P exams were always with the same NP and I knew by the second C&P exam how it was going to be with him. No matter what medical records I brought with me, no matter what I said, he was going to write up a bad review. By the third time, I even told him I knew he was going to screw me over, but that I had won and will win the next appeal and that I'll keep fighting. He didn't say anything to me about it. I saw the VA's NP and raised them with a rheumatologist, neurologist, and a GP.
The truth is, there are examiners like that. I'm still convinced that there are meetings that take place in the "C&P world" that encourage the examiners to one degree or another to give exams like that. I can't explain it, but I'll never be convinced otherwise because I experienced it myself.
Regardless, you file the appeal, do what @brokensoldier244th said and you continue the fight. I will say that over the last few years it seems to me the VA has loosened up with some of these tactics, but who knows? I was forthright with the BVA judges I sat before and even had one apologize to me for the mess the examiner made of my file. It was worth the fight to hear that.
Semper Fi,
Sgt. Wilky
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Yes, I did not update this particular thread, perhaps I mentioned it somewhere else. The judge did allow my wife to attend the hearing and she sat next to me in our office space and answered the questions the judge had for her. I was subsequently given 70%, increased from 50% in the summer of 2021 and received my back pay for that particular issue by September of that same year.
Since losing our 15 y/o son last year (a year ago 7/12) at home (he literally died in my arms from a brain aneurysm we knew he had) I have struggled greatly with all sorts of manifestations of PTSD. It's been a terrible ride of immersion in my memories, living a constant nightmare of military and civilian PTSD episodes that now seem to grow stronger by the day. Not sure how much longer I can keep this up.
Semper Fi,
Sgt. Wilky
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47 minutes ago, broncovet said:
I did ask my doc about Ozympic and other weight loss drugs. She went through several, and indicated I was not a good candidate for any of them. (For one thing, I think Ozympic is for diabetics, and Im not one)
Interesting, Broken spoke. And perplexing. So, if I get what you are saying, VA's medications are "under the influence" of tic tok?" Does anyone else think that is bizarre? Maybe Im just old school, but getting ones information on tic tok does not seem like a credible source for either doctors, or medial decision makers.
Instead, I get my information "the old fashioned way" with Facebook. (Not really..Im not a facebook fan, and rarely go there. Its a joke).
Speaking of facebook, I read where something like HALF of 13 year old girls are depressed Based mostly on social media posts. This sounds like a great reason to keep kids off facebook, and social media to me.
@brokensoldier244th was referring to the fact that that Tic Tok influencers were promoting it so heavily, that the drug was in great demand and shortages of it caused a lot of people who actually needed it for diabetes to have to find other drugs. The VA was in line for it like everyone else.
OTOH, I tried to see if the VA would cover my Cosentyx. The VA said I didn't need it. I told the doctor they just didn't want to pay for it, and that I did need it. This is why I refuse to see the VHA. I'm afraid too, that they'll make my wife stop taking her Eliquis. My distrust of the VHA continues.
Semper Fi and Happy Independence Day,
Sgt. Wilky
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I lost my job due to my service connected injuries. I was in the middle of a separate BVA hearing when I told the judge I hadn't been working for three months. She basically stopped the proceedings and asked me why I hadn't been working. I told her because my bones and back hurt so bad I couldn't carry the gear anymore. She asked me several more questions, and then three months went by and the court awarded me 90% P&T. Not only did the court grant my request, but granted an "inferred" claim.
I'm saying all that to say, you need to let the VA know that you've lost your job due to your service connected injuries. I don't know the process to file such a claim as I didn't have to go through it, but others can chime in on this and let you know what you need to do. If you have a VSO, get the VSO involved ASAP!
EDIT: @brokensoldier244th reminded me, it was IU the BVA judge put me in for, not P&T. Although the P&T came shortly after being granted 90% with IU.
Semper Fi,
Sgt. Wilky
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I received one of these letters back in 2020. They proposed to drop me from my 70% to 30%. After an hour of panicking, I set to work, including seeking advice from Hadit.com. I ended up 8 months later getting 100%.
One of the biggest keys for me was to know where you stand with the VA and its own rules and regulations. As @broncovetsaid, if P&T applies to you, or the 5, 10, 20 year rules apply, seek out and know your position.
I requested a hearing. The only evidence I sent in was a letter asking why they proposed a reduction on a condition the BVA said was static, and that I was protected under the 10 year rule. Never heard from them except to say the proposal was in error.
Know your rights, try to learn the rules, and research your standing within the vast mass of the VA.
Semper Fi,
Sgt. Wilky
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4 minutes ago, brokensoldier244th said:
That looks like a COLA adjustment. You would check your bank deposits first, then call or sent a VA message to the financial people (Fiduciary Hub) and ask them to audit your award.
Do not EVER put your file number publicly in an internet forum like that. I deleted it- I managed to find your file in about 5 seconds. Granted, I work for the VA (not financial) , but I tested what you posted hoping that it WASNT your file number, but it was.
And it doesn't change on the email headings!
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1 hour ago, brokensoldier244th said:
LOL. I understand. He wasn't advocating a blanket approval of every claim, but the context was that even if, say, a PACT doesn't apply due to no foreign service or some other thing, we can still award based on Direct basis, or secondary- basically, if we do a search on a veteran for exposure pathways/locations for PACT and don't find anything, just because the veteran submitted under PACT - don't consider it a done deal (this was for both development VSRs, and RVSRs) and deny, or in my case, stop developing, just because 1 thing was found unlikely. There are other pathways to service connection. It was a strong reminder to everyone to maintain situational awareness of other theories that could be explored, at least through an exam, or through a different and varied review of the existing evidence.
I got one yesterday where the veteran has been denied multiple times because RMC lost their STRs sometime in the 90s. I have about 8 pages of STR, however what I DO have shows - enlisted sound, a year later suddenly deteriorates, goes to Portsmouth mult times over a 4 month prd, and then is PEB'd as unfit. Denial was based on no MH/BH markers in STRs....which don't exist. However, unexplained multiple sick-calls in a short period of time that corresponds with a claimed MST incident- that is a marker all by itself, and wasn't addressed by the rater. Veteran also has a pos VAMC medical opinion.
Veteran submitted a request to withdraw claim- they just don't want to deal with it anymore- that's why I got it. They submit withdraw request, wait 30 days, withdraw claim unless they change their mind- that's the regulation.
After reviewing all the above, I think that I can get it in front of a rater to review and possibly grant without an exam (veteran is on SSA for MH, also) and without an exam or further trauma/stress to the veteran. So, I'm sending it to a rater anyway. If its granted AWESOME. If its not, the claim is withdrawn anyway based on veteran's wishes. I have a 30 day window right now to operate within, so I'm going to use it.
O, Okay...what you said makes sense. Blanket approvals, and then a subsequent review down the road has been debated a lot as an alternative to the perceived constant denials, but that would be a bigger headache than what we have, and then you'd have any more turds coming out of the woods with claims that aren't legit.
Year ago, back in '05 or '06 I worked with a turd ball who was telling everyone that he was busted up, ptsd, all this stuff, just to get free money from the VA. He was a supply truck driver in Kuwait. That guy right there single-handedly kept me from filing claims because he was faking it, and that pissed me off.
I don't remember where I was going with that, but I'm glad you clarified that.
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On 4/4/2023 at 5:29 PM, john999 said:
Sgt.
When I first started using the VA for pain management they were handing out dope like candy. I got oxycodone and morphine which was really too much for me. The morphine was awful since it turned my bowels into concrete. Now they attempt to cut down my small dose of oxycodone every time I see them. They go from one extreme to another.
I understand, and I'm not for being reckless with narcotics. But as I stated, I believe the pendulum has swung too far the other way. In a more recent and anecdotal way, my surgeon gave me fifty oxycontin pills for my disc replacement surgery. I've used two in a week. But there are some docs who won't prescribe it all. My Walgreens pharmacist made a point to tell my wife that that was a lot of oxy...So, I suppose it does depend on the docs too.
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I have always admired your perseverance and patience through the negativity towards the VA, of whom I have been a major contributor. The negative always outweighs the bad, and there are those vets who have been seriously harmed, emotionally, financially, physically, etc. and so I don't minimize their sufferings.
My experiences in the last two years have shown me that there have been improvements in the VBA side of things. I do however, cringe at the thought that bureaucrats are encouraging spending in ways that may not be good. Is there an argument for it? Sure, but approving claims and spending, spending, spending, is not (and it just cannot be) the best way forward. Albeit, it's a popular (and very politically) strategic position to take.
I'm "enjoying" my 100%, so I'll end my response there before I say any more.
Semper Fi,
Sgt. Wilky
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7 hours ago, IndySam said:
Thank you. I have no patience, I waited 17 years to file and now want it done yesterday!
That was me too. I had to learn that I was mostly at fault for not filing in the first place.
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I believe the pendulum has swung to far too the other side with hospitals and clinic prescribing almost zero narcotics. Hundreds of thousands of people are in tremendous pain because there's this narrative (and I believe it's asinine) that people on narcotics are deemed to be inevitable drug addicts. I'm not addicted to narcotics, I'm addicted to not wanting to be in pain. Are there addicts? Yes. Do they need to be restricted? Absolutely. But to assume that I'm an inevitable drug addict if I'm prescribed more than 3 oxy is a ridiculous and heinous assumption.
What's worse, being addicted to narcotics or blowing your brains out because of the pain? Being addicted to narcotics or seeking the street drugs? There needs to be a medium, it needs to be discovered and implemented, and that means doctors and nurses need to start paying attention to the needs of the patient. There has to be honest and forthright assessments happening.
Now I'm not a doctor or a nurse, and I'm not on narcotics. But I do know that I have several close friends who are on the verge of trying to find something from the news kids on the block to manage their pain, because of this shift in the medical community's attitude towards narcotics. It seems in order to save a few, they left behind a whole bunch. Just my experience, just my opinion, which could very well be wrong.
Semper Fi,
Sgt. Wilky
Edited for spelling and grammar.
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Can't say I've ever heard this as being a benefit. I'm not seeing anything on a quick Google search either.
Sgt. Wilky
Primary Care Nexus Letter Medical Opinion (Format or Examples)
in VA Disability Claims Research
Posted
Try this...
Semper Fi,
Sgt. Wilky