Cruinthe

First off, a big CONGRATS! That said, I think john999 nailed it. Once you have confirmed that you have Chapter 35 on paper, and you have requested and gotten a one page "letter of award" stating clearly and unequivocally that you are "totally & permanently disabled with no future exams", then you can file for the rest of your issues, one at a time. The deal is to drop current issues, but says nothing about filing for them again in the future, right? In life, you are either on offense, or on defense. Only problem is, the VA loves a sitting duck. So first I got 100%, then T&P, then 3 T&P award letters from 3 different VARO's, then I put in for VocRehab ILP, then Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, then Housebound, now I am going for Fibro and IBS, and after that service-connection for my degenerative disks that were caused or exacerbated by 14 years in armored units. In my spare time I help other veterans get their claims squared away. You ALWAYS have options, and NEVER allow yourself to be limited by the VA. And dont feel as though you gave up the good fight. You are just reorganizing your forces, thats all. Go ahead and lull the VA into a false sense of security, then when you are ready, leap up and hit 'em where it hurts. Thats exactly what the VA would do to you! Good luck!

I won a CUE to the tune of $32,000 back in April, but I would never take an offer to work at the VA. I filed my first claim in 1993, and at this point I no longer define myself as a solider, even through I wore the uniform for 14 years. Now I am a veterans advocate because that is what has consumed my existence. Not that I mind, its a great honor to fight against an evil as vile and despicable as the VA. Besides, I'm getting pretty good at it.

The entire purpose behind the VA system is to slow approval, and give VA employees a justification for their jobs. Its all about offer, counter-offer. The process is a form of haggling, and little more than that. You say yes, I say no, we meet somewhere in the middle. People, veterans in particular, tend to lose the plot as we prefer to live in a black and white or evil vs good reality...or perception of reality. What the VA says one day, will NOT be what the VA says the next day. When its all said and done, the only veterans that "lose" are the ones that stop fighting. So, NEVER GIVE UP, NO MATTER WHAT! That said, I despise the system as it is, because veterans suffer and most are not savvy enough to pick up on the nuances. If for no other reason that its hard to think clearly when you have an eviction notice in your hand. If the system does change, it will be when enough of us take the time to report the problems to our respective politicians. It should not be that way, but is it.

As I have said before, many times, the VA is little more than a depository for the friends and relatives of minor political hacks. Veterans are so far down on the priority list we can barely be seen.

Loan forgiveness does work, as I just had about $15,000 forgiven in January of this year. I first applied in 2005, then again every year, and was denied each time. Some politicians in California finally got wise to the Department of Education and its tricks and passed a law that said if any veteran is declared Total & Permanent, their loan will be forgiven, no questions asked. Sure enough, the next time I filed, it sailed right through. Good luck!

Filing another claim will not force your existing claim to be reevaluated. I filed for apnea last year and I have been 100% T&P for PTSD since 2001. My PTSD never got questioned, but the VA did deny my apnea claim. I will appeal it within the next few months. As a previous poster added, if you are already 100%, you can still get Housebound if you can get to 160%, so go for it.

I vote we send Berta to law school. I had an issue with a VA nurse last year that I submitted to the State Nursing Board. The Board investigated the incident and issued a letter of advisement to the VA nurse. I was transferred to a different team very shortly after. As far as a doctor, I would think you could go through the state medical board? I saw first hand that no matter how well the VA management protects evil and corrupt hospital staff, they must STILL answer to the medical oversight groups. The VA may think it lives in its own little bubble, but only to a certain degree.

Dude you single handedly wiped out all my favorite foods.

Ok, as I stated before, I have been screaming bloody murder for the least year+ for a endocrinologist consult. The VA categorically refuses to let me see an endo doc. I have attended the DMII classes at the VA. On June 14th, 2010 I submitted a types, dated, and signed letter to my VA doctor officially requesting an endo consult. I have a video recording (with full audio) of myself handing that letter to the VA nurse, explaining its contents, and requesting that she forward it to my doctor. That was more than 30 days ago, and my doctor has not responded. I will be seeing a non-VA endo doc in a few weeks, and if he diagnosis me with DMII, the cat will be out of the bag. I may win the FTCA lawsuit, but my health has taken a beating and I am completely sick of the run-around. So for the record, does anyone know the regulations on how long a VA doctor can wait before he requests a follow-up consult, provided there is ample evidence of a problem?

I will be going on a diet in the next few days, and I have already started taking heavy fiber supplementation, something called "Colonix" intestinal tract, parasite and toxin cleanse system. Overall I think its time I took my health seriously as well. I am only 41 and I have this digestive disorder and diabetes, play time is over.

Thanks for the support, everyone. I admit I am a bit freaked out because of the pain, thats what forced me to go to the non-VA gastro specialist. As far as DMII, I did attend the diabetes class at the VA, and my blood sugar showed I was *one* point away from a diagnosis of diabetes. Berta brings up an excellent point about hidden evidence in my progress notes. I will be calling my lawyer on Monday and my IMO doctor this weekend, I checked the symptoms of diverticulitis and I seem to be in the "severe" category. I have had enough of begging my doctor for treatments that I should have had last year. I will put together my letter to the senator today, and I hope to have full Fee Basis care by August. By the way, does anyone have FULL Fee Basis care, as opposed to partial or limited? Thanks again!

I have been requesting a CT colonoscope from my VA doctor for about 9 months now. I finally had to go to a real non-VA doctor for a consult, and my VA doctor relented and gave me the CT. Sure enough, I have diverticulitis, but I suspect more is wrong with me because I have significant pain in my lower abdominal area. Also, I have been requesting to see an endocrinologist for at least a year, my VA doctor simply refuses to authorize the consult. Self monitoring of my blood sugar tends to indicate I have at the very least Impaired Glucose Tolerance, and perhaps full blown diabetes. At this point, I fear for my life at the hands of the penny-pinching VA. I will be going to my senators office on Monday to file a request for full, 100% Fee Basis care paid for by the VA. I plan to clarify to the senators office that in light of the recent sterilization problems the VA is having lately, and my personal history with the VA (e.g. Fox News) I should have full Fee Basis care. The VA is quite obviously not doing its job here. I would appreciate any input, and I will keep everyone informed of my progress.

You know, I forgot all about NVO. I will give them a ring tomorrow. Thanks for the info, I will keep everyone informed.

I think I may do as you say and contact a service org. I am mostly averse to doing so, but VVA is a fairly decent group. I will most likely request the OSC for a test next month. We will see how it goes.

The problem with Executive Orders is, as you say, they have no teeth. But, the "Public Law" that actually puts teeth into EO 13360 JUST came into effect last year. So now the 3% set aside is no longer a suggestion, it is an enforceable law. If anyone runs into any problems, get in touch with me and I will see what I can do to help.

Eventually veterans will come to the same conclusion that I came to 10+ years ago. The VA is quietly doing all it can to kill veterans. No other explanation can explain the situation. And I stand firm behind my assertion. Lets not forget what Franklin Roosevelt himself said; In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way. It all started 30 odd years ago when the VA shifted to a purely adversarial system that drives many veterans away from the VA, and some to suicide. In the last few years, the VA has transitioned from killing veterans in a passive-aggressive fashion to open premeditated murder. The VA is doing the medical equivalent of cutting our brake lines. A deliberate act that is almost certain to result in serious injury or death. If a civilian hospital behaved in the same fashion as the average VA hospital, a sizable percentage of its employees would end up behind bars. But the VA can display flagrant disregard for the lives of thousands of veterans with absolutely no repercussions whatsoever. Quite the opposite in fact, VA managers are actually given a bonus for killing veterans! http://doesitallmatter.wordpress.com/2007/05/02/va-hospital-bonuses-come-despite-poor-patient-care-deaths/ The well-oiled veteran murdering machine known as the Department of Veterans Affairs is now moving towards peak efficiency. Congress and the news media are fully complicit, and the people are too far in debt to care or even peel themselves away from Who Wants To Marry A Millionaire. So you will all forgive me if I am not at all surprised by this story. In fact, if the recent past is any indication, we can expect even more of this insanity. Hell, I would not be shocked if in a few years VA police simply wander the halls of the VAMC executing veterans for sport. Its not like anything will actually happen to them if they did. Lets review the current tally, shall we? VA Dr. Mike Swango - murder - 3 confirmed murders, 35 others suspected VA Nurse Richard Williams - murder - 10 veterans killed, 41 others suspected VA Nurse Kristen Gilbert - murder - 350 veterans killed (yes, 350) http://www.offe2008.org/public_html/archives21.htm

The best option for you is something called "Service Disabled Veteran Owned Business". It started with Executive Order 13360 and basically assigns 3% of all federal contracts to companies owned by disabled veterans. Lucky for you, there is a stipulation that allows the spouses of severely disabled veterans to run the business. Start by finding something called a PTAC in your area. Just google Procurement Technical Assistance Team and you will be on the right track. The PTAC was created and is funded by the DoD to help disabled veterans get up and running with their SDVOB. These guys will bend over backwards to help you as they get a bonus each time a SDVOB lands a contract. if you have any questions, fire away.

Ok, the VA officially questioned me on my ability to become a veterans POA. I got a clarification from the NVLSP, and they said their course is just a prep for the VA test. Fair enough, but I suffer from TBI, PTSD, and CFS. My memory is shot to ribbons. I can pass a test, but only if I have plenty of time and a fairly stress free environment. I somehow doubt the VA will provide such an environment, more likely the VA will lob a few flash-bangs into the room and spike my coffee with LSD. Anyhow, two card I have up my sleeve. One, I state clearly that I do not request nor accept payment of any kind for any service offered. Second, if I MUST take the VA OSC test, I will demand an environment that takes my service-connected disabilities into consideration, and I will take this one to the BVA or CAVC if need be. If someone wants to help their fellow veterans, and has a proven track record for getting results (on their own terms), we should not have to jump through the VA's flaming hoops. Just my two cents. I will keep everyone advised.

Well, put simply, if you have a letter from your VA doctor that says you have agoraphobia, just submit that with a simple 21-4138 saying "I am requesting special monthly compensation - housebound". The VA will respond by giving you a C&P exam, but they may just accept the request at face value and grant housebound.

Is this a change to the COLA calculation? By the way, what percentage increase did congress give themselves for 2010, anyone know?

He seems unaware of what the private message function is, but he should be able to find his way over to the webpage.

Please go to www.veteransoutreach.info and click the CONTACT icon. This will allow you to email me. For phone number please contact cruinthe through Private message.

Like I said before, message me and I will forward you the filled out form you need to submit. All you have to do is put your address on it, sign it, and submit it. I know itll work because its the same form I used to get Housebound for myself. Good luck.

Thank you for the clarification, Berta. Great input, as always. When I took my first veteran client into the VARO to sign the 22a form, I showed my NVLSP certificate to the VA case manager and she just looked at it, then waved it away and said she didn't care about that. I am not overly worried about it myself, because I have already gotten one veteran from 70% to 100% T&P within 2 months of taking on her claim. I will stand on my accomplishments until the VA pushes the issue. I would love to take an in-house training session, but the NVLSP test was 70+ questions, and it was pretty in-depth. I looked on the NVLSP webpage and all I can see it a brief mention of an upcoming "advanced training course", but not much else. I guess this is as good as it gets for now. Gotta get back to whats important, helping veterans!

My original post said "This is done by having one condition rated 100% (be it T&P or UI)" That should have been IU, as in Individual Unemployability" not UI, whatever that is. Gotta love the TBI induced dyslexia!