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clw4514
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Posts posted by clw4514
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Wings,
Im fairly new here but I've read ur posts. U r a great person!! a strong person! ur story parallels mine and i'm sure probably many others dealing with MST. it doesnt define u as a person. u r still that great, strong person!! and not to mention 20 yrs sober is just absolutely awesome!!!! kudos to u!
Christy
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Hello all !
I was pleased to find this user group. I'm a Service Disabled Veteran of the USAF, with a spinal cord injury. C4-C5-C6-C7 cervical discectomy with fusion.
I've been working my claim with the VA for about 3 years now, and have the DAV as my advocate. They've been a great help so far, and (probably similar to many here) I'm still working on getting my VA rating where it needs to be.
Cheers to you all, and I hope to be able to share my experience to date to help others who've not yet come this far, and seek support as I keep up the efforts on my own rating.
Mark
welcome! glad ur here
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im called blood i hope to find help,hear.
welcome! i'm still new myself....
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clw,
When were you discharged from active duty ?
It is not necessary at all to have a ton of evidence to present on the day
you file your claim. It's always good to have at least a Diagnosis in writing
when you first file,but not a muct have.
It is important to file your first, original claim for VA Disability,form 21-526
in full listing the specific conditions you and/or your doctors feel are related
to your active duty service.
Example:
1) PTSD
2) Hearing loss
3) Gerd
What ever applies to you, your service medical records (SMR's) and your medical conditions.
Unfortunately many vets file their original claim without even knowing what is in their
service medical records. If you do not yet have your SMR's get them.
But as you file your original claim think back to any and all injury, illness or disease's
you experienced while AD. If you have residual effects from any of those then you
should probably list them on your claim.
On your claim list the when and where's of the dates of treatments, as close as you can remember. After filing your original claim continue to get all of your medical evidence in order.
Stay around - ask questions, study the Hadit homepage - tons of info there.
Tips on filing your first claim - do's and dont's, etc...
http://www.hadit.com/apply_for_va_benefits.html
Many vets that are approved right out of the box - happened to have great evidence
from the get-go, to include AD documentation.
You will find Vets here that have been fighting for their benefits 20-30 years.
Without AD evidence of MST,PTSD from it can be a very difficult claim.
I have no idea yet if this applies to you.
Always be prepared for a fight,
in that respect, it is likely VA will not let you down.
Be prepared that even if doc's state and put in writing
that in their medical opinion you have PTSD from MST,
VA will still require evidence that the MST occured.
This evidence can be in a few different forms.
Hang on for the ride, and we are here to help all we can.
jmho,
carlie
carlie
I have been out for 19 yrs this yr. i actually reported the MST to AFOSI but of course, i was drinking and it was "unfounded." so i am not sure how that will go in my favor.
thx for the advice!
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very moving! its as if u were in my head when u wrote that.
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clw4514, I believe you are well on your way to a sucess story. Don't give up, the people on hadit will lead you in the right direction to get what the government promised . We promised to serve our country and we did proudly, now let the government keep their promise.
lets hope! all fingers and toes are crossed
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As I have learned with much help first file the claim and then line up those ducks!
i certainly will! thanks to all of u for letting me know that....
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clw4514 - file your claim now. Waiting will only cost you monetary benefits when you win. The earlier you file the earlier your award date. You have lotsa time to prove your claim, but waiting just causes you to lose money.
pr
i had no idea! thx for pointing that out...i was under the assumption i had to have all my ducks in a row before i filed.
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Christy,
Welcome to Hadit. By all means go for any and all examinations.
You will need all the medical evidence you can get your hands on when
you file your claim.
I have been there and the journey was a long one for me until I
came to Hadit for help.
We did it and for me it was a grant of benefits 44 years after my discharge.
Always,
Betty
Thanks, Betty! i hope it wont be that long for me but if it is, im in it for the long haul.
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Go for the exam, anytime the va scheduals an exam you need to follow up on it. This becomes part of you part of your medical records and will become a part in your claim if you file one. The va will get your records and probably faster than you will. While at the va go ahead and file your claim, this is a start but we all had to make the frist move. The va don't give you what you you are due unless you ask for it. Don't ever give up. Remember, when one door closes anothe one opens and you have more knowledge. Ues it to you advantage. The people on hadit are a great source of info and will walk you thru the va system. BTW thanks for your service, and welcome home. I hope you have a good day.
Go for the exam, anytime the va scheduals an exam you need to follow up on it. This becomes part of you part of your medical records and will become a part in your claim if you file one. The va will get your records and probably faster than you will. While at the va go ahead and file your claim, this is a start but we all had to make the frist move. The va don't give you what you you are due unless you ask for it. Don't ever give up. Remember, when one door closes anothe one opens and you have more knowledge. Ues it to you advantage. The people on hadit are a great source of info and will walk you thru the va system. BTW thanks for your service, and welcome home. I hope you have a good day.
U are so right! when one door closes, another opens. it took 3 doors closing before i found my way to the VA. i happen to meet the right people and now its all falling in place. i hope this momentum continues for me! thanks for the advice!
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I've only recently within the last 7-8 months sought counseling with the VA. I was doing individual and just started group last week. the group leader said that i certainly have ptsd due to mst but she wants to eval me. i havent yet filed my scd claim for it bcuz i am still waiting on my records from st. louis. should i go ahead and do the eval with her? will it make the claim easier/quicker? or should i hold off till i file the claim?
thx,
christy
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The VA is one of those things you just have to go with the flow on. Once you file your claim, you will receive a decision from the VA. Depending on what region you are working with this normally takes 6-12 months. Like someone said, the VA will normally low ball the amount of disability to see if you accept it or not. It is unfortunate, but that is how they are trained. It is their money and you are trying to take (fake) it. Once you are rated, if you accept what they rate you at, you get your monthly direct deposit and don't have to deal with the VA much at all. You may have to go in to your VA Medical Center for an annual physical, but some are so busy you don't even have to do that. If your condition worsens, then you file a claim for increase. good luck!
I'm in Memphis and I swear being treated here is a full time job! I am up there at least 2-3 times a week....Heaven forbid if and when I do get SCD, I'll be there every day
the voc rehab guy that is helping me said i could have the claim expedited or something to speed it up. Maybe the VA folks get a bonus if u accept the low ball amount. lol! thx for the guidance. -
Christy, all of us here have a high anxiety level. What you need to ask yourself is do I want to be compensated for health issues that were brought on while being in the service. The bottom line is that anything to do with the VA claims, takes a lot of time, paperwork, gathering evidence, questions, follow up, never giving up, once you start. If you have a person from voc-rehab helping you on your claim, that may be a real plus for you. Best of luck to you.
T&B
good way of wording it....i guess i do have some soul searching to do over this issue. just thinking about the whole process gets my anxiety up. guess this would be a good time to try those "relaxation" methods they teach u!
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oh, and I also have a guy in Voc rehab helping my file my claim.
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Is there any way to speed up the process? my group therapy leader and my individual counselor both agreed that i have ptsd (still waiting on formal eval from them and all active duty records) and i reported the MST to OSI. shouldn't this keep them from dragging tail? I'm starting to panic now. I'm not very tolerant of incompetence or being pacified. Then again, that may work to my advantage since its part of the anxiety...
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As I'm reading over all the posts, I see alot of you have made reference to the ratings changing over time. So, once you are initially rated for SCD, they can go back and change it? How often do you have to go thru this process? I'm applying for PTSD/MST. I honestly do not know how much I can take them trying to twist it around. i went thru that with AFOSI when I intially filed the report. Being a cop and accusing a cop does not make for fun psychological times....If they keep re-assessing things, I need to really consider if its worth my mental health....
thanks,
christy
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Thank you for your service and welcome to Hadit
thanks for the warm welcome!!
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I'll be going on terminal leave in a few weeks, I did 7 years in the navy, and I'll be separating with an honorable discharge. My question is that I have been diagnosed with Bipolar 2, Generalized anxiety disorder, and keratoconus (navy also prescribed me contact lenses for this) in both eyes. I'm voluntarily separating. It's all happening pretty quick, so I guess as far as the Navy is concerned, I'm fit for full duty. Will the VA consider my conditions if the military doesn't medically discharge me? Do I have any other options with the military?
are u looking for medical retirement or medical disability?
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let me try this again...im an USAF vet. been out for almost 19 yrs. Just started getting treatment last year for anxiety/ptsd. glad i found this forum! Seems to be varied background of experiences on here to draw from.
thanks in advance for all of your insight and help.
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help! im new. just joined last nite. i posted in the "introduce yourself" forum and its not showing up...
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Hello, All! so glad i found this site. had no clue about it. I'm prior USAF, been out for 19 yrs now. Was a cop and sexually assaulted by a fellow cop. for the last 19 yrs, i suppressed the anger and everything else. last fall, i couldnt take anymore and asked for help. come to find out, it stemmed from the attack. i was encouraged to apply for SCD. the VA has been nothing less than wonderful to me. each person seems to go the extra step to help me. after reading a few posts on here, i see i am one of the lucky ones. does anyone have a clue how they rate the SCD for MST? i know i'm putting the cart before the horse but just trying to see if its going to even be worth the battle.
thanks to all who reply!!
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HI! new here....MST is military sexual assault, SCD is service connected disability. if u were sexually assaulted, the VA has so many programs avail to u. i actually just started a women's group today for MST. it was emotionally exhausting but i feel it will greatly benefit me in the long run. it teaches u how to deal with anger management among other things. i was absolutely humiliated walking in asking for help to deal with my anxiety from the attack but the VA has been nothing less than wonderful to me. best of luck to u!
Talk About Ptsd
in PTSD Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Claims
Posted
Wings,
my 10 yr daughter likes to pull the "i wanna call Nana" card when she is in trouble or doesnt get her way. When she does crap like that, I pull the "im ur mother" card. she doesnt get to call her Nana out of haste like that. we both have to calm down and talk thru things. once that is done, she can call her Nana. but she cannot ask her to come get her or anything along those lines. its not 100% but then again, what is in parenting! i agree with pete, maybe u should talk to the future DIL and let her know whats going on and how u r going to handle it. 14 is a tough age. as for her commitments, let her know that she made the commitments and its her place to prioritize them. education should come first but let her learn that lesson. its gonna be hard for u but well worth it in the end. best of luck to u on this....i'll be here in 4 yrs asking how to keep from strangling mine :)