Bonzai

My decision letter said "rated as 100% permanent in nature" and later in the benefits it mentions permanent and total. Congrats SFCTruckdriver! Louis

I don't know why, but I always end up being assigned to the Chief Psychiatrist of whatever facility I have gone to. I don't think it is a good thing though. I must be complicated. I have not noticed if I have received a GAF for every visit, but I know I get them fairly often.

Berta, I feel badly that they are giving you such a run around, and have been for a long, long time. But I would like to say that you have been a shinning example to me of being persistent and finding out everything you can about YOUR OWN case, and not just to trust (dare I say it?) the VA. So your postings, of the trials and tribulations that the VA is putting you through, are helping others that you may not realize. I just wanted to say thank you, because you have also posted your successes; which made me even more stubborn on not giving up. As for duplicate SSOC... BTDT, wasn't amused at all, but didn't give up. :) Louis

Cowgirl, Y'all must be the woman I see riding on Cloud 9 with me! Fun isn't it? Forget about Larry and his letdown doom and gloom, let's ride this feeling for awhile! Louis

Larry, No worries - I have a 2 year old grandson who keeps me busy, busy, busy... and he keeps others busy too! I wonder if I EVER had the energy that kid does? Louis

It may sound like a silly question "But when your paranoid, what isn't a trigger?". BTDT I'm talking about when you're on pins and needles, expecting heaven knows what, so you hide from the world. I have spent days doing that - I hate it when it happens, because part of me "knows" it's not real!

Mail arrived - 100% SC permanent in nature, IU is a moot point. Doing the Happy Dance! The last line of the decision is "This level of disability is also supported by the fact that you have been considered totally disabled by the Social Security Administration for this condition"! OMG! Doing the Jump for Joy! I haven't been notified anything about that as of this date. Now I am waiting for the shock to wear off! But I hope it doesn't! ;) Now what I have to do it to say thank you to all my HadIt friends for supporting me in the dark times... THANK YOU! I will still be around to hopefully help someone, the way I was.

So I had an appointment at the Memphis VA this morning, and slid my card and got the "no appointment scheduled for today" message, see the clerk". So I saw the clerk, and found out that the Sleep Clinic doesn't have their appointments in the regular system, but she printed off a new appointment slip for me and off I went. While waiting, I looked at the appointment slip, since I was wondering what other appointments I have scheduled in the future. Then I noticed near the top it said 100% Service Connected, and I know that all the others said 50% SC. So I thought WTH???, can it be possible? After my appointment, I stopped by travel, went to pharmacy and then while I waited, I went to see the Pat. Rep., but they were all busy, but the Customer Service Ambassador (what is that anyways?) was available. I asked her, and she said she could look it up, and then she sent me to Comp and Pen. Comp and Pen sent me to the Dept of Veterans Affairs Rep, who told me to call Nashville on a direct landline nearby. After going through the usual pressing zero, until I got a live representitive on the line. She asked me if I received my letter yet, and I said no, and asked if it was true that I got my 100%, and she said she couldn't tell me anything until I got the letter, which was sent out the 26th. I am really curious at this time, especially when she asked me if I got the check for retroactive pay yet. And I told her no, and she told me that she could tell me how much to expect in the mail today or tomorrow. From the amount of the retro pay, I have received 100% SC, and I am basically waiting for the letter and retro pay to arrive on the same day. Anxiously awaiting the mailman!

jbasser, Where did you find that "Sleep Apnea is the cause of HTN in most cases"? All I could find is that Sleep Apnea can cause hypertension, and is potentially life-threatening. Since I have SMRs with HTN and recently diagnosed with Severe OSA, I would appreciate any more information you have on this. Louis

The response I received from them is that the requested records have been loaned to the VA, and I need to contact the Regional VA office to get copies of them. So now the VA is free to delete, remove, or change anything they want before returning them.

Your first problem was installing Microsoft Vista anything, Ultimate, Professional or Home... Nasty piece of programming there, lots of problems with errors like these. What you are experiencing is an incomplete install loop. Not saying that the applications isn't installed, but Vista has lost where the install process is. (I hope this is making sense). There are a couple of different ways to go about fixing this, but Vista Ultimate is 64-bit and Office 2003 Small Business is 32-bit, which may be the source of your problem. Although Microsoft said that Vista would be backwards compatible, this has not been the case at all. I might be able to walk you though it over the phone. If you would like, PM me your number and I will give you a call. Louis

Here, here... in total agreement.

Broncovet, I had read it and just reread it again. I guess I was vague in my questions. I have applied separately for the following: 1. NOD for rating of Bipolar, at AMC. 2. NOD for EED for Spousal Dependency at RO. 3. New claim for increase in Bipolar rating and TDIU due to change in circumstances. 4. Service Connection for Hypertension at RO. 5. Service Connection for Obstructive Sleep Apnea at RO. I am asking if the VA can group everything together, and focus on one and 'deem denying' the others? Pardon me if I seem a little dense today, but I didn't sleep at all last night, which is nothing new.

Just so I can get this all straight - If I have submitted a NOD for EED, appealed a reconsideration denial, filed for HTN and filed for OSA - a denial on any one of these will kill them all, to include the appeal to the BVA? I don't think I will be very amused, if this is true. I filed everything separately, because I read a post that if you file all in one claim, then they may approve one (the smallest) and summarily deny the rest.

On the opposite side, when I received my c-file, the one thing that really stood out were blood pressure readings consistently at or above 130/90 (meeting the VA's criteria for hypertension) and even a 5 day blood pressure check with 4 out of 9 readings higher than 130/90. So I guess it would really depend on the rater, but from what I hear, it is the exceptional rater who will add to a claim. When I see pigs fly in formation, it usually signifies a need for medication adjustment!

Particulates in the air (dust) will have a charge, either positive or negative. When your computer is on, the circuit boards get energized and have their own charge generated. The fan blows heated air out of your computer, and new air loaded with dust is drawn into your computer through its vents. The dust that has an opposite charge to the charged circuit boards will adhere to the the circuit boards, creating the dust blanket that heats the component.

OK, why do we clean the computer of dust build-up? Because the two biggest dangers to computer hardware are moisture and heat. So what does dust have to do with it? The dust will act as a blanket and heat up the components, which ages them faster; hence a quicker death than normal. Setting a humidifier near your computer works well at aging the computer too. If you want to keep your computer young and spry, then keep it away from heat and moisture sources. I have found that instead of buying can after can of compressed air, a small shop vac with vacuum and blowing capabilities is a good investment. You can either vacuum or use the blower, depending on how your feeling that day. Hope this helps! Louis P.S. It's not as portable as compressed air, so you might have a problem chasing SGT Bubbles. :D

Ken, Then try one of the first 2 possibilities I posted, just because I didn't find a match on military.com, doesn't mean that it can't be wrong. Louis If you knew his hometown or MOS, it could also help.

Based on the age provided, I have found two possibilities, but I could not find matching Army entries on military.com: Richard F. Carpenter Age 65+ Spouse Colleen 3426 109th Ave SE Everett, WA 98205-4502 (425) 334-6672 Richard J. Carpenter Age 65+ Spouse Lois 15123 N Little Spokane Dr Spokane, WA 99208-9524 (509) 466-3425 If he was 19 in 66', then he would be 62 today, so based on age and location from Buddy Finder on Military.com, I found another possibility (best bet): Richard G. Carpenter Age 60-64 Spouse Jamie (possible MOS 62L Wheeled Tractor Operator, if he is the right one) 4369 Orchard Dr NE Moses Lake, WA 98837-3486 (509) 765-7696 I hope this helps, Louis

I am off my CPAP profile, and have been using it for about a week now. No change from before, except now I do not wake up because I don't rip it off. My wife watched me reach up and take it off while I was asleep, and then wake up a few minutes later, wondering how the d*mn thing came off and was laying next to me. The sleep tech wanted my PCP to prescribe something stronger for me to sleep, but my PCP says that I need to be seen by a pulmonologist first, so I am waiting for an appointment with them. Meanwhile the Sleep Clinic has scheduled me for the 29th of next month to see how I am sleeping with the CPAP. Has anyone else had to see a pulmonologist?

And being a Native American Jewish veteran makes Larry a brave mensch! :D

If this was Memphis, I would say that you need to get a referral from your PCP to see the Sleep Doctor in the Sleep Clinic to get a CPAP issued and fitted. Your VAMC may do it differently. Hope this helps, Louis

Cav, The form to file for TDIU is the VA Form 21-8940, Veteran's Application For Increased Compensation Based On Unemployability. And I agree, Larry resembles an old guy! :D ROTFLM*O I think it's his beanie... Louis

To be a good moderator takes more than a title, it takes a passion for caring for whatever the board is about. A moderator can't please everyone, especially on a board with thousands of members. It is easy for a member to cheapshot someone, who does something they don't agree with, but it really is the job of a moderator to ensure the rules are being followed. While I may think someone should be an in-flight missile repair-person, it really doesn't need to be said and would just demean me in the process. HadIt has excellent moderators. I am a moderator on different board with over 9,000 members, so I think that I have some experience to base my opinion on. So thank you to T-Bird and all of the moderators here! Louis

NP stands for Nurse Practitioner, who is a registered nurse who is prepared, through advanced education and clinical training, to provide a wide range of preventive and acute health care services to individuals of all ages. PA stands for Physician's Assistant, who is a a mid-level medical practitioner who works under the supervision of a licensed doctor (an MD) or osteopathic physician (a DO).