Bonzai

Sharon, What do you mean they don't have to have a "verifiable stressor" for a PTSD claim? Coopsta, I am reminded of Clint Eastwood's line about "A man's got to know his own limitations". I hate having limitations! I never used to have the limitations that I do now, and it has been a humbling experience to admit that I am no longer a good employee for someone to hire; no matter how good I am in my field. I also hate the hurry up and wait game, even though that seems to be the way the Government operates. I am currently waiting on two appeals (BVA and SSDI), and my wife and I are barely making ends meet. If she hadn't won her SSI case recently, I don't know where we would be sitting right now. So I do have something to be thankful about, and I need to remember that when I jump on the Pity Pot; because I too am bipolar, and jumping on the Pity Pot takes me down a road I don't want to be on. Louis

I try to stay on topic, but like others, I am not perfect... yet! Getting close though, :D Maybe not. But in the last three days, there have been four different threads on Obstructive Sleep Apnea, so should this have been one thread? Also, if a post has been trampled on and the damage is done, do we ignore the question posed by the trampler? If I have trampled on anyone's thread, then I apologize. It was not intentional.

Are you missing a comma between the words surgery and use? It seems like there should be one there, and then it would read clearer.

From the Vet Center Website: "If you, or a family member, served in any combat zone and received a military campaign ribbon (Vietnam, Southwest Asia, OEF, OIF, etc.) you are eligible for Vet Center services." However, I have received services, and I do not have a military campaign ribbon. They don't give ribbons for a lot of things...

Wow, I did not know about this. I had my Student Loans paid of years ago, but my wife just got SSI awarded in May, and she still owes about 9k in Student Loans. Are you saying that she can apply to have them written off? If she can apply to have them written off, what do we have to do? Or is it only for veterans?

It is my opinion that if you are diagnosed with an illness and refused treatment, then the VA will look upon it very unfavorably, if you then file for disability for that condition. I have refused treatment for different reasons, and am now wondering if I did the wrong thing.

Unofficially...Congratulations! Now for TDIU!

If it is, can I be your friend? LOL

I guess I should say that I was NOT making fun of anyone having problems. I was stating the fact that the Government will always blame the Veterans for what the Government has done to them, or deny that anything was done at all. We have all heard the stories, where a direct cause is established and the Government blatantly ignores it. I am reminded of the scene in Erin Brockovich, where she gives the corporate attorney a glass of the contaminated water and asks him to drink it. Veterans never had a choice about drinking the water, because if they refused, then they were subjected to punishment under the UCMJ. Has anyone ever bothered to look up how many shares Mr. Rumsfield owns, of the company that manufactures the Anthrax drug? I found it to be interesting. The link to the article is on HadIt somewhere, but I just looked and can't find it.

A couple of years ago, I found those codes at the bottom of my DD214 and looked all over to find out what they meant. I found out that I was "End Time of Service" and "Honorably Discharged". Even though I knew that already, I was relieved that nothing else has been added. But then again, I had never had an article 15 or reprimand for anything, so why did I worry? Because when you're paranoid, you don't want to miss an opportunity!

I just got back from a meeting with the Sleep Lab Technician, who read my results on the Smart Card. I am also doing terribly on the CPAP machine, in that I tend rip it off after about 1 - 2 hours and I wake-up and stay-up. But when it is on and I am sleeping, my breathing doesn't stop near as much as it does without the CPAP machine. The sleep tech said that I need to see my primary care or psychiatrist to get an increase/change in my sleepy time meds; which are currently 200mg of Trazadone. As far as my ripping off the mask, the sleep tech hypothesized that due to my body being used to have my oxygen supply drop to very dangerous levels, now the level (11) set for the machine may be waking me up because my body is not used to getting oxygen when I sleep. During my sleep study, my O-sat dropped to 61%. So they want to monitor me for another two months, but I can't start that for three weeks. I had a tympanoplasty (repair a hole in the eardrum) done two weeks ago, and the last of the packing came out last night. I did not want to use the CPAP without the packing in, and I asked ENT about it, and I have been put on a three week CPAP profile... LOL Sometimes I just can't win...

Ummm... They're all making it up? I going to go hide now... ROTFLMAO

I was not given a choice about having a Smart Card in my CPAP. It was just given to me and they say I have to bring it in to be read, so they can tell whether or not I need adjustments. Now I wonder if I have been given a line of BS. It is not a modem, but it is something they can use to monitor my nightly usage. But why wouldn't we want to be part of a study that may help future Vets? That being said, using participation as a lure to get a needed device faster is something that needs to be complained about LOUDLY.

Wow, sounds like you had someone who had already made up their mind about your case and didn't want to hear about anything else. At my last C&P for Soc. Sec., I had a psychiatrist, who was kind of the same way. He asked questions for a half an hour, didn't really want my opinions, and I was out the door. The NOVA lawyer I have says that is because the psychiatrist is being paid by Soc. Sec., and if he rates too many people as qualified, then Soc. Sec. will not keep him on the books. I am thankful that I will get an IMO prior to my appeal at BVA and ALJ.

Hmmm... This could explain why I have both dx'es :P

They may not scan them in, but make copies, it depends. Yes, get a receipt that they received the documentation. CYA all the way. Louis

When someone is purchasing a new system, I always ask them what they think they will need, and then I tell them to multiply that by 2/3 to meet their future needs. Personally, I go for overkill, which has been my saving grace recently. Since my condition has decompensated and I had to resign, I have no money to invest in a new computer. It is on my wish list though. BTW: Has anyone gone through Military.com and used their Microsoft link to get the Veterans' discount for software, which is the same as Government and Educational? Much cheaper to buy from Microsoft that way! ComputerGeek46, I never really studied .Net, but I am well-versed in VB 6.0, so I can work with .Net in a pinch. I have worked with J2EE. I am pretty old school, and when I started in computers, we were using main frames and worried about IO. A lost art form: The drawings and designs on a deck of keypunch cards, to assist you in case of the inevitable dropping of the deck. (Actually, I never dropped one, but I was always prepared for it)

Berta, FYI: I just searched for 'remanded claim withdrawn' and found a case where a person had filed for a a claim, and been denied by an ALJ, and then appealed the denial. However, after that, the person filed a new claim the day after the ALJ's denial and won. When the appeal went to court is was remanded, but the claimant had not informed the appeals board of the second claim already having been awarded. When it was discovered that the claimant was not forthright in discussing his cliams, the 'remanded claim was withdrawn'. This was a social security case (I know you knew, but someone might not realize what an ALJ is). :P Louis

I don't even remember the names of shots I received, except the one for Yellow Fever. They even warned us it 'could' cause some discomfort. None of us felt good for days afterward. Were there any shots given specifically for the Gulf War that made soldiers ill?

Your c-file is a repository of documents that have been gathered in support of your original claim, and any other actions i.e. Notice of Disagreement, Request for Reconsideration, Appeal, Increase in Rating, etc... The documents can be obtained by you and submitted, or you can give the VA Release of Information forms for them to obtain the information or your c-file. You are allowed to get a copy of your entire c-file free once. After that, you can only get updates for free. What the doctor sees on the computer screen is your Medical Record. The VA uses an Electronic Health Record called VISTA, in which your medical record resides. Your medical record consists of visits, test results, progress notes, etc... If you have a C&P done, it will not be in your Medical Record, but in your c-file. Conversely, if you have an MRI done, it will be in your Medical Record and not your c-file (unless you have the results included in it). If I missed anything (I normally do), then someone will add to this :P

The following post should help explain a little: http://www.hadit.com/forums/lofiversion/in...php/t29108.html As far as getting your c-file updated to reflect current information in your medical records, you have some options: 1. Send your VARO a 21-4138 requesting that they update your c-file. 2. Obtain and send copies of your Medical Record to your VARO, by certified mail, to be added to your c-file. 3. Obtain copies of your Medical Records and go to your VARO, handing them off in person, and requesting receipt. I have listed the options in what I think the worst to best ways to do it are. Option 1 just gives them too much work to do. Option 2 still has the possibility of paperwork being 'lost' (I have never had a problem with this). Option 3 would be very hard for the VA to refute, but they would probably try. Just my opinion...

I would make sure that it is added to your c-file! I have read many times, where something brought to a C&P disappears. Just my two cents... and paranoia :P

Chris111, I will help out with the little bit I know, since I am going through the same thing, but I have not applied for OSA as SC yet. I am still gathering evidence. In order for a condition to be considered SC, three things have to be present: 1. Evidence of condition existing in service 2. Evidence of existing condition 3. Medical nexus showing linkage of the two. The response the VA sent you shows a lack of evidence for items 1 & 3 above. Hope this helps,

I guess I really lucked out with P-docs, because they didn't ask me if I felt I was Bi-polar, they told me I was. Then they told me to apply for disability, and to expect a fight, but not give up. So I applied for 10%, was denied, and was told to reapply for higher, which was granted at the original 10% request. Which was fine, until my condition started decompensating seven years later. At which time, I had to apply for an increase, and then again another increase, and I am waiting on an appeal now for a higher rating. However, I also got hacked off, when those same p-docs told me I had PTSD also. I told them I didn't have it, and they told me denial was a big indicator that I did. But they did say that since there was no activating event, it wouldn't be worth trying to apply for SC. Any PTSD I may have is of a nature that is the result of my training and job assignments, and I know I am not alone in this. So they wanted to treat me for PTSD, but not service-connected. A couple of months ago, my primary care physician asked me if I wanted PTSD treatment, and said it must be in my record somewhere for the system to prompt him to ask me. Maybe I should have said yes, but it is my feeling that other veterans returning from the Mid-East need it more than I do. At least, I have lived with it for years now. But seeing Sharon's post, makes me feel like I might have shot myself in the foot. C'est la vie, c'est la guerre, c'est la legion etrangere.

I have search through the posts, and it seems that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is always applied for as secondary to a primary SC condition. The reason I am asking is that I was diagnosed with severe OSA in May 2009, and issued a CPAP in June 2009. I started researching OSA and found that it could be SC, but it is difficult to do so. Since there are no SMRs of my having sleep problems, I figured that I wouldn't be able to apply. But thanks to posts I have read on this board, I started thinking about Buddy Statements. I haven't spoken with anyone I served with, since a couple of months after my ETS twenty-two years ago. Hi-ho, hi-ho, off to the Internet I go. I found my closest Army buddy, and we are meeting up next week. I also found our next closest Army buddy, who is going to try and meet up with us also. This is very unusual, because in our MOSes, it was inferred that you didn't hang around with each other after getting out. But what are they going to do to us now? Stamp our meal card no dessert? I can stand to lose a few pounds anyways. :P I have asked both of them, if they recalled if I ever snored while we were Active Service. One said he didn't recall me doing so, and I won't ask anyone to make a false statement. However, we later joked about another sargent, who used to compare himself to me, because we both had to get pinch tests. The difference being was he was overweight, and I was a member of Gold's Gym. The sargent had called me a "pencil neck" prior to the pinch test, and afterwards he was shocked because his neck was 17" and mine was 18 1/2". Part of the symptoms of OSA are having a thick neck, which I had while I was in the military. When I asked my other buddy about my snoring, he just started laughing and said "You snored like a mother ______ sometimes". Then he started by listing times we all slept on the beach in CA, or in the mountains of AZ, he also said that sometime he would drop by my room in the afternoon, and I would be napping at my desk, snoring. He loved waking me up with loau noises (hmmmm, possible case for PTSD? LOL). Snoring is a symptom of OSA, because almost all people with OSA snore, but not all people who snore have OSA. Daytime sleepiness is also a symptom of OSA. I used to pride myself that I could catch naps in the most unlikely places: standing at-ease in formations, on the tarmac, and in the plane prior to a jump, etc... So I can get Buddy Statements for Active Duty events, and the CPAP for current treatment. I would apprieciate any and all advice, as how I should proceed from here. I am not being lazy, I have done the footwork, but I hate recreating the wheel and there are many members here with great ideas! ;) Louis