mom24

Hi all, Right before christmas my husband and I went to get our ID cards from Fort Jackson in Columbia, SC. It was an interesting event in that the letter the va sent me to obtain the id cards wasn't good enough. It said I was 90%, which I am, and it didn't list that I was entitled to commissary priviledges. the lady there told me that the letter had to say certain things and she gave me a copy of the letter the varo in columbia had just, that day, faxed over so they would know what it would look like. Apparently they had changed the form of the letter after I had received mine. The funny thing is, my letter and the knew form letter said exactly the same thing, word for word, except just in a different format. I pointed this out to the lady, but she said it had to be that form. She told me I had to go over to the varo and get them to do up another letter for me, or I could call and see if they would fax it to us. I opted to call, so they put me at a desk and I called the 1800#. The person there was very helpful and she said she gets calls like that all the time and she would type up a letter and fax it and stay on the line to make sure it was good enough. I told her they needed a certain form letter and asked if that was the one she was going to send over. She said she had one that she liked to use for that purpose. I said, whatever, fax it and if it is not good enough, you'll just have to do it over. So, she faxed it and she put on there that I was 100% P&T and that I had commissary priviledges. Now, this letter was totally different than the letter the va gave me. Actually it was the same form letter they send you when they approve your claim and give you the % you got. Well, so much for it needing to be the exact form, because the lady at fort jackson said "this is what we need." I didn't even bother to ask her why she told me it had to be the exact form letter the lady from the varo had faxed over just that morning. Whew!! Well, we got our ID cards, and this leads me to what my question is really about. Our card expires in Oct because I am scheduled for an exam then. This was not on any of the letters the VA sent me. When the lady at the 800# typed up the letter she had the appointment on there. So, I'm wondering why they gave me P&T, but scheduled me for an exam. Could it be because I'm only 90% on the schedule?

The VA sent us the DEA application, and he is at an approved school. I'm going to get the CHAMPVA supplement too, and I also wish I could get it. I had a sinus infection a couple of weeks ago and I couldn't get in to see my dr. at the VA clinic until 3 weeks later. Needless to say, I went to my old pcp and used my medicare. At least my husband and kids will be well taken care of, and there is always medicare. Are there supplements for that?. I had to pay 85.00 oop for my visit.

This just keeps getting better!!!

I got my retro in the bank and award letter in the mail! Sweet!. My rating increased from 70% to 90%, of course with TDIU. Also in the letter it states "Basic eligibility to Dependents' Education Assistance is established effective September 23, 2008" My husband has been enrolled full-time in college since may of 2008. Does this means when he applies and is approved they will pay him retro back to sep 2008? That would be sooo awesome. I still can't believe it all and I'm just going through everything write now and going to be filling out all applications for CHAMPVA and ID cards. There is an Army base an hour from us. So, what am I going to do now that this is over... I'm going to Disney World!! Seriously, we leave in 2 weeks. Too bad that Shades of Green resort is all booked up.

I am soooooo relaxing right now! Thanks for the congrats everyone!

Hallelujah! 100% TDIU P&T granted retro back to 09/08. My VSO Called me this morning and I'm so glad this is over. I didn't even bother to ask him if they gave me an increase over 70%. I'll just file for increases as needed, because I don't think I can quite make it 100% schedular yet because my progression is slow, but I don't have to worry about that now, thank God. I just can't thank everyone here enough and if I could give you all a great big hug, I would come through this computer and do it!! The relief my husband and I feel can't be put into words. He had been laid off and going to school full time because he couldn't find a job, so now he can just concentrate on school and my kids will be able to college to tuition free. I have 4 so that's a huge deal, and they get ChampVA and base priviledges and no property taxes, I mean, WOW! This plus SSDI is way more money than my husband made working and for us it is all tax free! To not have to be under financial pressure anymore is such a wonderful feeling. I know some of you know what I'm talking about! Just thank you all so much!!!

VSO called me this morning and my claim has finally been granted 100% TDIU P&T. I'll be posting it on the success board.

I got a message on voicemail from my VSO saying he had a decision on my IU claim. I'm surprised to get the call from my VSO since I haven't heard from him since May and have been doing everything on my own since then, with a lot of help from you guys. I submitted my SSA award and letter from neurologist asking for reconsideration on 8/3/09. The VA just received the employer form from a former employer on 9/16/09 and they already had everything else they needed. So i think that is a quick turn-around time. Maybe I got it since my VSO called me; he never called me about the other decisions. I hope it is good news. I'll let ya know.

After I got awarded SSDI, I sent the award letter in, along with recent medical records and dr's statement from private neurologist. A couple weeks after I sent it in, I got a duty to assist letter from VA saying they had received my claim for an increase for ALS and for IU. Now, mind you, I sent this in as a reconsideration which I stately plainly. Anyway, the letter said they had already scheduled me for a c&p exam for my joints. I knew this because the ortho from the vamc called me a few days early to schedule it. The va also requested my medical records from ssa and they said it could take a few months to receive. they also asked for all information I had already sent in with the initial claim. I called the 800# to find out why they were requesting all the info I had previously sent in. She said she didn't know, but if they were requesting it, to go ahead and send it in. She said the fact that i had already been scheduled for a c&p for the following week was a good sign and to not hold the claim up by not sending in the information. So, i sent it all in again, certified return receipt. I also called SSA and they said they had already sent my records in to the va. So, I had the c&p exam about a week later. I knew it was for my joints and I assummed it was going to be on my hands since this is what the new evidence was for. But when I go in to see the doctor, I find out it is for an increase for my knees, which I didn't request. I was confused and so was the doctor. he went ahead and did the exam. i got the c&p notes already and I do not qualify for an increase, as i already knew. on the exam the dr stated that i was in for an exam due to a claim for an increase and individual unemployablity due to service connected disabilities, including the knees. I sent an iris(love that system) and after a week, i got a call from a lady at the va. she had just spoken to the regional office and she said they told her that they were trying to grant me iu, but that they needed a c&p exam on my knees because they didn't have one except when I was first rated in 2002. she said they had received the medical records from ssa and were requesting the c&p exam from vamc and sent out the employer form to the last people i worked for. I emailed my old supervisor and let her know it was coming and to fax it to the varo per the lady at iris, then mail it to them and a copy to me. I think I might just have her mail it to me so i can send it certified, since basically it is the only thing they need. the lady who called me said that if i have copies of the c&p already, the varo will just print them off. So, what do you make of all of this. Was scheduling me for an exam for my knees normal procedure for iu, even if i wasn't part of my claim? Since the varo sent the form to my former employer, is that a good sign. the lady from iris said that is the first time they had sent it out. so they denied me before without ever sending it. i'm hoping this will all be over soon. we start homeschooling on tuesday and dealing with this claim all of last school year was a huge distraction, so it would be very nice if i'm about done. i will not hold my breath, though.

I got ssdi a few weeks ago for ALS. I am sending in the award letter and a letter from my neurologist stating i'm unable to work due to this for my TDIU claim. On the award letter from social security it states the diagnosis as Anterior Horn Cell Disease(Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). Since I had never heard of anterior horn cell disease and it is nowhere in any of my records, i had to call ssa and asked them why in the world they listed it like that. Apparently, it is the diagnosis code they use for ALS as it is an old term for the disease and they just haven't updated their system. I tried to get my neurologist to put something about in the letter they wrote to explain cuz i wonder if the va will know that it is the same thing, but she had already mailed it and thinks it will be fine. I mean you would assume they would know it is the same since it is in parenthesis. However when I called SSA to tell them I needed a letter with the diagnosis on it, the lady there read to me what was on file and she read it as "Anterior Horn Cell Disease including Amyotrophic Later Sclerosis". She had me call the disability determination office because she thought it was something else in addition. At the disability determination office,they are the ones who told me it was the same thing, just how their codes list it. But if the lady at the ssa office read it like that, what do you think the chances the va will read it that way as well. Is this something I should be worried about or mention it when I send the letters to them? Do you think they will be familiar with this term? There is information about it on the net. thanks

My sanity!! I'd be so worried about them reopening my claim and scrutinizing it. I don't need that stress hanging over me. I'm still dealing with the VA claim. I guess I'm one of those weird folks who really doesn't care about a lot of money and I know if I were to appeal and win, it would be a lot more money, but I really just do not care. Our needs are being met and our wants too. I have already gotten way more than I ever expected. I'm quite satisfied and would rather let sleeping dogs lie.

Thanks for the info, but I'm going to say thank you Jesus for what I have and be done with it. I already got more than I expected, so I'm totally satisfied. I don't need the added stress of another waiting game, ykwim.

I have asked two Social Security Lawyers about this and they both said the same thing. Did your friend possibly have old cases that had been denied? Maybe there was a specific reason with his claim that applied only to him for getting backpay for 8 years. I saw the post about the waiver for opening claims older than 4 years for a mental issue. Mine is for ALS, so that will not apply to me. I do know there are loopholes in just about every rule. I'm interested to hear what Carlie's friend has to say as this is an interesting topic and I have read so many conflicting things. I do think these government agencies will do whatever they want when it comes down to it.

I'm finding out backpay is a confusing issue and I really do not know why some people seem to get what others do not. From everything I have read and from what I was told by a couple of lawyers and SSA, you can be paid retro to your onset date, but no more than 12 months prior to the application date. I have checked on the SSA Policy Information website, and it says the same thing. Your onset date can preceed your application date, but you will only get backpay 12 months prior to your application date. They can reopen a claim that is no more than 4 years old, according to their website. They reopened a claim i filed in 08, but not the one in 05 because it was more than 4 years. I think only a few months, though. Could I appeal that? Maybe, but you know what I'm going to just let things be. What I got is way more than I expected and besides, I don't really think I would win on appeal. I just hadn't seen or heard enough to make me believe otherwise. Now, if I thought I had a good chance of winning on appeal, that might be a different story.

My backpay and the kids were in my account this morning! They paid us back 29 months. Life is pretty good right now!!

Caseworker from SSA local office called me on Monday and told me to expect backpay within 30 days. Backpay was in account today for me and my kids. Yippee!! I haven't got the award letter yet.

It is Dec 2001. Yea, that would be nice if they went that far back, but either way is good!

SSDI was approved! I got a call from my caseworker today. I posted about it on the success board. Now, I'll just wait for the letter and letter from my dr., and hopefully I'll be good to go for TDIU.

I filed my claim on may 6 and it was sent to quality review on june 5. just got a call this afternoon (on a saturday!) from my caseworker at SSA saying my claim has come back from quality review and is approved!! They gave me an onset date of Dec 01 and she said they should pay me back to that date. I'm not sure about that, though, since earlier this week I talked to someone else and they said they reopened a claim I filed in jan 08 and backpay would be from 12 months prior to that application date. So, I guess I just have to wait and see. I'm cool with either date. My caseworker will call me back monday to take application for my kids and I was delighted to find out they get backpay too, since I wasn't sure about that. Thank you, thank you to those who urged me to apply again after being denied twice!! I feel renewed to tackle the VA TDIU claim now.

I filed my claim on may 6 and it was approved on june 5 and then sent for a quality review. I just got a call today, on a saturday, that i was approved. So it took me 5 weeks. I'm very excited today!

Berta, I filed a formal claim for TDIU with my claim for ALS. So when I get the letter from my dr. and my ssdi award letter, I was planning on just filing a new claim. Or maybe I should just use the old one and submit the new stuff as new evidence. I just want to go the quickest route. I'm not concerned about when they establish the EED just as long as I can get it approved. My ssdi claim should have an onset date of 2001 or 2002. I do not know yet which one they chose. Halos, As far as having ALS compared to what most people with ALS go through, I am doing pretty well. Now compared to someone without ALS, well that's a different story. I am still mobile and I walk about 1/2 mile every other day. I do stretching exercises with the help of my husband and I get massages when I can afford it which really helps. I do not use assistive devices, unless you count the husband and kids. The things I have trouble doing are house cleaning, daughter's hair, anything to do with fine motor skills, like typing and writing, or things that require repetitive motion with arms and hands and lifting. I can still do these things, but it takes a long time because I have to stop frequently due to muscle fatigue and then start again. Then I have to deal with the muscle cramping, fatigue and soreness in my arms, hands, back and neck & sometimes legs which follows for a few days, which basically means I deal with it everday just in degrees depending on how much I actually do. My kids are 9, 7, 6 and 4 and I have gradually giving over all the chores except cooking to them. Right now my oldest mops the floors and fixes breakfast & lunch some days and cleans kitchen, the other kids vaccuums and dusts and cleans bathrooms & family room, my husband does the laundry or my 9yo and 7yo will do it. I do try to do as much as I can so as not to loose muscles. It's a balancing act and my home is not as clean as I used to be able to keep it, although I think the kids do a pretty good job. So all in all I'm doing ok. I do not like having to go through any of this especially knowing it will get worse and worse, but since it could already be a lot worse, you really wont hear me complaining too much. I'm a lot more stressed with dealing with the VA than dealing with ALS right now.

Pete and trailblazer, thanks for advice. I'll be talking to the dr today. And no, I didn't serve in the gulf war.

Halos, I was at camp pendleton. I was diagnosed in 2001, but my symptoms started back to 93 about 7 months after I was discharged. I thought I had carpel tunnel for years until I noticed some paralysis of my fingers in 2001 and left arm getting weaker. I didn't have to prove link since va made als presumptive in 08.

My dr will write a letter saying I am not able to work, but she doesn't know what it needs to say. I would like to send her a sample to use with the exact, or as close as possible, wording the raters will want to see. I'm not really talking about how my condition (ALS) keeps me from working (she can do that part), but all the legal stuff that will be enough evidence. I'll also be including my ssdi award with it. thanks