Swan

Absolutely! If you get an increase for 100%, all they can recoup for backpay is 10% which you were originally discharged for! Swan ;)

Oh and by the way, I was given a lump sum when I was medically discharge and the IRS did take their share but about six months later, all taxes taken were given back. We all know that veterans pay is non taxable. If money is taken out for taxes, do investigate! Again, that was then (1998), this is now! Swan ;)

Nathan104, do claim all of your ailments that you encountered while on active duty, there is no limit! If it happened while you served, then you should be compensated. I, too was discharged for DJD bilateral knees but I truly believe the reason they let me go was because it doesn't get any better. DJD at the early stage warrants 10% but it does get worse. All it takes is 30% or more medical discharge to warrant a retirement. Yeah Right, here comes the boot!! Claim everything because it is rightfully yours! Another thing to consider is, if the Army discharged you with a lump sum because of your knee problem, that is the only money they can recomp. If you received an award for HBP, do not even let them believe they can touch that money! You were discharged for one knee and that's the only money they can recoup if you were to get an increase. Swan ;)

Nicole, Testvet is absolutely correct. They will give you the $52,000 plus any paid vacation you didn't take etc but he said the IRS is going to take their part for taxes. If they do, let me know because military disability is not taxable. I have a number that will give you your taxes that were taken out back to you ASAP! They took tax out of my severence pay and had to give it back to me six months later. Unless the law has changed, and I doubt it has, you should receive the complete $52,000. Now the downfall of that is exactly what Testvet said. If they give you that lumpsum, you will not receive any monthly compensation until that amount has been recouped. I have been discharged since '98 and at a 20% SC. I am still in the negative for the next 5 years. Understand that whatever you are discharged for, the total compensation amount is for that. That is the only amount that they can touch as recoupment. If you receive service connection for anything else, they will have to pay you for the that amount. They can not recoup you for the original ailment! I know! Been there, Done that!!! Swan :P

I am glad that this post has evolved because I know a lot of my "friends" feel as though my ailment does not warrant the level of disability that I receive. To all who feel the same, please remember that we are women and this is a woman disease and we as women tend to mask our ailments to show that we are of strong nature, even though it might be tearing us apart inside. I constantly look for someone to tell me why! I am not the wife to my husband that I used to be! Sure, intimacy can be obtained after you conquer all the obstacles, but most of the times the obstacles keep you from obtaining intimacy! I've changed and I hate it!!! Swan :P

Ashley, I am so familiar to your situation b/c I too suffered from endometriosis to the worst extreme while in the Army but I was medically discharged for DJD/osteoarthiritis of the knees. I became pregnant in my tube because the endo was blocking the path of the growing baby so I not only lost my baby but I also lost one of my tubes and my sanity. Talk about depression. Still I got over it and moved on because I still had my other tube that would allow me to have the little girl that I wanted to mirror myself. Unfortunately, my uterus prolapsed completely outside of me and there was NO other alternative than to have it removed. I had a complete hysterectomy removing my uterus because it had fallen and both of my ovaries were removed because the endo completely took over my inner organs. I can comprehend with all you ladies that are experiencing the multiple problems that arises from a hysterectomy. I went into surgical menopause the day I left the hospital. It was so severe I felt as though I wanted to die. I would love to take the HRT but unfortunately I suffer with fibrocystic breast disease that will only add to the 50% chance of getting breast cancer so my doctor won't prescribe me anything HRT related. Taking hormones relieves a lot of the symptoms associated with menopause but if you have endometriosis the sooner the hormones get back into your system your pain and suffering will return without a doubt! Endometriosis does not have a cure and will lie dormant in your body forever! David your friend can only receive 50% with SMC K if she had a complete hysterectomy and with a prolapsed uterus I am for sure she still have her ovaries which warrants a 30% SC. She will receive the SMC K for loss of use and the 3 month back pay of 100%. Tell your friend not to be so happy so soon b/c as the other experienced hysterectomy survivors has stated here, It can and will get worse. Much Love to all my sisters who are going through this horror! Swan :P

Your CUE should be short and to the point. Explain to them the error or diagnostic code that you believe was in error and then tell them what you want them to correct and the precentage you believe should be the outcome of that particular ailment. A lot of information passes through those raters minds daily and they will forget who or what your concerns are as soon as they pick up the next C-File. Make sure you can get your point across without all the unneccesary additives, it only confuses them further! Contact Berta via email. She is very knowledgable when it comes to the submission of a CUE and anything else that is VA related. Swan B)

Hello everyone. I need your expert advice once again. I have a friend from work that is very depressed and she was telling me why. She is married and has to care for her husband who is very ill as well as work ten hours a day to take care of the bills etc. As we were talking she kind of mentioned that he han't been right since he came back from Vietnam. All types of bells went off in my head! Her husband served in the Army as a ranger/special forces type of guy. She said that he has a lot of flashbacks of the POWs they went and rescued. She says he has sleepless nights due to seeing a fellow soldier brains blown away etc. One of his problems is he is in denial. He feels the VA will not due anything for him. She had to get a close friend to persuade him to go to the VA to get his medicine because it was too expensive to pay out of pocket. He is on approxiamately 13 different medications. Here is a list of his ailments: PTSD- Combative to Wife Alcoholic Severly Depressed Denial - Feels the VA cannot and will not do anything for him Quadruple Bypass 2 stints put in Bloodflow complete blockage one side of head 80% other side Pancreas Removed Had Yellow Jaundice High Blood Pressure Diabetes This person is 72 years old and his wife is 54. She is killing herself trying to care for him and work and maintain it all. Is their anything that can be done for him? Can he at least get hospice to help with his care? I was going to try and help him out but I am not an expert at this so this is why I came to you guys. I did have the wife request his SMRs an Personnel Records to see if he had any awards but they sent back saying his records were destroyed in the St. Louis fire. They sent a certificate that basically states that he served and put the dates, his rank upon separation and his type discharge. Please Help! Thanks a bunch! Swan B)

Good For You Mymissie! Thanks for helping that Vet and his family, you will be blessed for your unselfishness! :D

You know Carlie, now that you mention it, I hand carried some documents to the Detroit VARO and the form I had to fill out required your email address. Apparently they are going to do away with the mail letter every so often and move it to cyber space. Makes much sense to save a penny. Swan :D

:D This is a first for me but has anyone ever received an email from their RO stating they received documents that were in relations to their claim and they are continuously working on it. I have put in numerous claims but this is the first time I have been contacted via email. Must be something new. It is nothing different than the computerized generated letter you receive by mail every so often because it clearly states you cannot reply to it. Just a way for them to cover their butts. Swan :)

Carrie, there are no forms to fill out to start the CUE process. You should submit a written explanation requesting for the CUE but let me suggest that you request the help of Berta. She is very knowledgable with VA procedures, especially CUE write ups! Hope this helps. :D Swan

Berta you are a blessing in disguise and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for continuing to fight for us veterans. At least you know that freedom is not free. The Veterans Administration knows this as well, they just don't want to give us what we rightfully deserve! Keep up the excellent work and I hope you put an end to all the VA B&%S#@* and get what you deserve as well! Like Terry Higgins stated in his post, we are thankful for the support you have given to all the vets here in this forum and abroad. Merry Christmas to you and yours! Swan B)

Berta you are a blessing in disguise and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for continuing to fight for us veterans. At least you know that freedom is not free. The Veterans Administration knows this as well, they just don't want to give us what we rightfully deserve! Keep up the excellent work and I hope you put an end to all the VA B&%S#@* and get what you deserve as well! Like Terry Higgins stated in his post, we are thankful for the support you have given to all the vets here in this forum and abroad. Merry Christmas to you and yours! Swan B)

Thanks everyone for the input. It does seem like it's going to be a tough one to convince but like fla_viking says, let's wait to see what his DD214 and SMR states and then we'll move on from there. lol, Swan B)

Congratulations Terry! Happy Holidays and May God Bless You and Yours! Swan

I'm curious so I've come to the place where I know I will find answers! B) A friend of mine husband was sworn into the Army back in '86 and was sent off to Basic Training. Once he began his training the Drill Instructors noticed that he had limited use of his dominant arm so he was medically discharged. He served no more than a week or two. He doesn't know if he's receiving any compensation because he cannot find his DD214 but he doesn't receive any money. He is requesting his DD214 and SMRs. My questions to all of you is: 1. Is he entitled to service connection even though he only spent a week or so in Basic? 2. If so, what does he need to do to get the ball rolling? He says that he has deep embedded pain sort of like arthiritis and he can not straighten his arm completely. 3. Could his ailment be labeled as "caused or aggravated by military service" which serves as his nexus because it wasn't noted on his entrance exam? Thanks in advance! Swan :)

Hello! I was wondering if anyone could explain to me if the conditons that I experience on a daily basis secondary to any of my conditions currenty rated. I am currently 60% disabled for 20% bilateral DJD osteoarthritis knees and 50% for endometriosis causing complete hysterectomy with SMC K. Lately I have been experiencing arthritis pains in my hips and I have been battling with pain that run from my shoulder down to my wrist and fingers. I also have been getting cortisone shots in my knees every 5 - 6 months when the pain gets so bad that I can't hardly climb stairs, or they ache so bad even when I'm sitting. Also, after my hysterectomy I now have no control over my bladder and is taking medication to try to control that along with numerous bouts of urinary tract infections that I never experienced prior to the surgery. Do you believe either of these ailments could be secondary and warrant and increase? Thanks Swan ;)