Bonzai

In the hospital, where I worked for 10 years as an IT Specialist, I had a name plate on my door. I added a small American Flag next to it, and inside the office, I had The Electric Horsehead displayed on the wall behind my chair. Every once and a while, a veteran would be directed my way. I did not counsel them, and I did not advise them. I was not a trained Social Worker or Mental Health professional, so the best thing I could do was to just listen. I hope that I helped them in some small way, because I remember days I just needed someone to listen. The only time that I ran into a faker, was not a patient, but a fellow hospital employee. I had been told that there was another employee, who had the same MOS (no NEC) as I did. So I went to talk to him, and quickly ascertained that he was full of it. I called him out in front of other employees, but he went into his office and hid. He avoided me for a week after that, at which time, he quit with no notice and left his wife high and dry; so he could go live with his mistress in another state. What a scumbag!

By your statement just for stomach, I assume that you have other SC condition(s). I thought that if the Barrett's Esophagus is the highest rated with the others as secondary conditions, then doing VA Math would be: 1. Barretts Esophagus---30% 2. Chronic Gastritis--15% 3. Reflux Disease--5% 4. Hiatal-hernia--5% Giving a total of 55%, rounded up to 60%; however, if you are SC'ed with a condition greater than 30% then 1. Barretts Esophagus---15% 2. Chronic Gastritis--15% 3. Reflux Disease--5% 4. Hiatal-hernia--5% Giving a total of 40%. But Sharon's answer above <_< my simplified one is much more informative, which would be: 1. Barretts Esophagus---30% 2. Chronic Gastritis--15% Giving a total of 45%, rounded up to 50%; however, if you are SC'ed with a condition greater than 30% then 1. Barretts Esophagus---15% 2. Chronic Gastritis--15% Giving a total of 30%. Louis

out_here04, In my original post, I was asking about the comma because City Boy had quoted what the VA had written. As you mentioned in your last post, communication doesn't have to be perfect. However, in my eyes, if the VA had put a comma in, then it would have signified a series event needed because of the SC condition e.g. this, that, and something else. So in my not clearly understanding the written word of the VA, I asked the question. I did not threaten to interrogate you, nor did I imply that I meant to. I post my MOSes so that others from a Military Intelligence background can contact me. Anyone, who has watched MASH and seen Col. Flag in action, can attest to how anal retentive Interrogators can be. By the way, I hope to receive a letter like you did one day, so a belated congratulations on your success. And we all need to know how others proved their claims, to prevent ours from being delayed or denied. Louis

vaf, I have spent some time trying to find a 'good' answer, and I could not find one. I know what I think, and that is that Robinson v. Principi should definitely apply. Of course, in my research of this, I have found that with the VA's recent surge to find out everything that is wrong with me, this same situation may bite me in the end. I have filed an appeal, and have filed a NOD for an effective date for my wife being my dependent. In the course of that, I was diagnosed with OSA. If Robinson v. Principi is applied to me, then everything will slow down even more. On the advice of a senior member, I am going to apply for OSA to establish a claim/effective date, just in case. Louis

In the late 90s, I was working with the IHS Diabetes Program developing a Computerized Diabetes Registry. After doing a few chart reviews, we noticed that many symptoms were present prior to the patient developing Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 (DM II). This is part and parcel for Metabolic Syndrome X, which places you at great risk for DM II and Heart Disease. This is not a diagnosis that you WILL develop the aforementioned conditions, but it is a huge wake-up call. Since there is nothing seriously wrong, and you can recover in a relatively short period, Berta is correct in saying that it is not compensatable.

out_here04, After about 10 minutes of meditation; I have decided to answer your post. You really don't want to know my original response... The reason I made the post about the comma, was that if there was one inserted, it would have made the entire sentence different and more favorable to the veteran. It would have meant that because of the service-connected condition, both surgery and the subsequent use of a CPAP machine were required. Before calling someone names, it might behoove you to research a little. In my signature, I have posted my MOS's proudly and was one of the last 96 Charlies before they converted us to 97 Echos. If anyone has doubts about my qualifications, then one of the senior members here can ask me.

I am waiting the waiting game at VARO and BVA, and also SS ALJ. With my recent DX of OSA, I am waiting for Buddy statements and a meeting with my VA docs to see if I can get a Nexus for symptoms displayed in the Army and current DX - then I will submit.

SC increases to 60% and 30% only add up to 75% SC, remember your VA math! :P That is still enough for consideration for TDIU: As far as anything being inferred, that is subject to human interpretation. Do you want to 'trust' that the VA will work in your best interests? I would submit for TDIU ASAP KWIM? I hope this helps, Louis

I finally read all the way through this thread...*whew* I disagree with the Airborne commands though. Before jumps, I would nap until I heard "10 minutes" B) But never having made a combat jump, I don't know if I would nap in that situation :P

68Mustang, I would start with the following: See what they have listed, and then start looking up the compounds and cross-referencing. Hope this helps, Louis

Well, hopefully there is something listed in the links I posted that can by used by a Doctor to establish a Nexus; again assuming that veteran was not in-country Vietnam. A dam begin to break with a little leak. Another thing may be that there are different conditions listed besides DM-II, that can be SC'ed and then DM-II as secondary. I don't know, it must be remembered that each claim is individual.

sgmdae, Carlie posted a link I have found helpful: http://www.hadit.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=29671 You can find other links using the search function located in the upper left hand corner of the top banner of the board.

Hope the following helps you start! JP4 contained 2-butoxyethanol, which has been linked with Diabetes: http://www.valdezhousing.com/pages/diabetes.htm http://www.valdezlink.com/pages/diabetesepidemic.htm http://groups.yahoo.com/phrase/2-butoxyethanol http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/c/chemical_p...anol/basics.htm My favorite because it mentions Public Law 107-103 (which I did not know the title of) http://www.valdezlink.com/pages/publiclaw.htm Have a good day :P Louis

Clown Man, THANKS!!! Exactly what I was looking for and wondering about. I hope it helps others! Louis

My student loans have been paid off for years and years. My wife (took out the loans before I knew her) has been in default for years and years, and doesn't even know the name of her lender. She just received SSI in June, so I was wondering if there was anyway to discharge her loans. She is not a veteran. I guess the first thing to do, is to find out the name of her lender. They sent her something in the mail last year, but she just threw it away. :D

Scott, Others will chime in, but I know about two of them. Both HTN and OSA should be service-connected. Since you use a CPAP, it is supposed to be an auto-magic 50%, and you qualify for HTN 10% at a minimum. Louis

While I agree in a Utopian world, submitting in person would be best. Many veterans do not have that option, myself included. Certified mail will , at the least, show that something was mailed and received. If you are sending a large packet, I would be sure to send table of contents (TOC), so the receiver can notate what was received with the packet, and the TOC becomes evidence as it should also be included in the c-file. However, I recently read where another member sends regular mail, and has never had a problem. The omitted word here is "yet". Do you want to risk something not being received? Louis

Will being in default of payments affect the discharge of a student loans? :D I can see them asking "Why are you in default?". We say "Because we have no money to pay, that's why!". Then they will say, "Well, you must be current, before you can apply, sorry.". We say again "We have no money...". *sigh*

No problemo! :D Glad to be able to help!

Both plug-in locations on the tower? Does the keyboard have USB (rectangular) or PS2 (round) connections. If it is PS2, then there is only one connection and you can tell by the little image next to the socket, which socket is the correct one (normally the on to the left if look at the tower from the back). Yes it is possible to send a command that messes up the bios to cause the computer to ignore the keyboard, but I can't remember it now. Try making sure the keyboard is plugged into the correct socket/port and turn off the computer. Then unplug it for 30 seconds, which will clear any residual electronic memory. Plug it back in and turn it on, hoping the bios will have corrected itself.

I read it wrong and became confused. Thanks for the clarification! I do have stressors, but no way to prove them. i.e. During the Airborne graduation run, someone started struggling, so we took his pack, and then a little while later he collapsed. I and others started CPR until the ambulance pulled up, and then we ran faster to catch back up with the others. I found out later that he was pronounced DOA. I know all this, nothing wrong with my memory on this. But I can't even prove I went to Airborne school, as it is not on my DD214 - however, my being Airborne Qualified is! I also don't know the name of the person who died is. I never even talked about this until I was out of the service for over 10 years. There are other things, but I won't go into them in detail, due to their nature. I agree with Coopsta when he says "I just want my just due like the rest of do", and I feel very frustrated with having to wait and wait. I know... I know... Take a number and stand in line... LOL

As for the first part of your post, I have no idea... sorry. As for the second part of your post, you are like me and are willing to give advice based upon having had a successful career in the Information Technology field. I, too, hope that no one takes offense to advice freely given when asked. The advantage of asking a technical question to a board, is that the odds go up that someone else has had to deal with the problem before, and you won't have to recreate the wheel to address the problem. So, personally, I will continue to answer questions until someone can prove that I am more incompetent than I already feel sometimes. There are some days my forehead hurts from slapping it so much. :D Louis

You made me laugh out loud! :D BTDT

I have tried looking this up, but I am getting confused. What is a De Novo Review? What is a Request for Reconsideration? Is a Notice of Disagreement (NOD) automatically one or the other?

I just posted a question to Sharon in another thread, about where she stated that they don't have to have a "verifiable stressor" for PTSD. Which was a major point in whether or not I should have filed (pre-9/11). I have stated that I wasn't going to file for PTSD, but depending on the answer I get, maybe I should. I know there are issues from the past that may be exacerbating what I am going through now. :D