retiredat44

I am so sorry I bug everyone here with little things, but I just can't get through this, it is always some total B.S. every place I turn... I fill out a form and attach more forms, and go to my Congressmans office, only a few blocks away,, I go there at 8:20, wait until 8:30 am,, a nice lady who works at the business next to his says they wil be cak at 9:00 am for a meeting, I say fine thank you,, and picture me a skinny old guy (5'9") whose eyes look like I am a junky and look like I am dying.. I have no idea what she thinks, if i am a nut or what.. I look much older than I am, due to diseases.. and the V.A. torment.. I come back at 9 a.m. and I ring the bell, (of course there is not access, it's like Maxwell Smart and Control headquarters..) It says there are cameras, and it's on the 3rd floor of a non-descript office building with a few other professional businesses..).. I ring the damned buzzer, no answer,,, that same lady comes out of her office and says they probably won't be back until later... she offer's to hand them my envelope to them whent hey get there.. It is an envelope ready to mail with the addresses of each party with names... I voluntarily add that it's about Veteran issues... and asked how will I know they get it.. (not in a nasty way, in a very uupset and sick, tired, exasperated way.. She says they wil cal me, but it may take a few days.. that's ok,, I understand I am just one person and they are trying ot save the world,,, I am not even on radar.. anyways, I gave her the envelope... I have trust in here, it's either the U.S. mail, me stalking the office, or ???? I want it all to end.. Next week I, I have to go to a special eye clinic for people with eye diseases, they need to use a special camera for glaucoma.. I will again drop by my VSO office at the regional VA claims office very early 7 a.m. to make sure I get a place to park..(btw, the employees use up the disabled parking places, inlcuding the guy who was my DRO) any later, and there is no parking because to many people.. (before my eye appointment, which is over in LaJolla, by the VA Hospital, Shiley Eye Clinic), to ask my VSO about handing in a TDIU form,, I tried 2 weeks ago, but they closed the building odwn when they had electrical problems.. btw, that should be a scandal in itself, a whole huge federal building with VA medical office, full clinics, and reginal V.A. office closes a day tells everyone to go away, because for some electrical problem,, it's a bunch of bunglers running Mission valley... V.A.. The guards totally suck, Nazi s !!! and the Claims people (maybe they are nice at home, but at their job they are rotten! )... They literally toss and ignore evidence, and i hope someday the nest is sprayed.. No one should go through all this hell.. Maybe I took this too far,, oh well, take away my birthday,, BTW, anyone else go there, what do you think about having ot deal with that place (while very sick?) maybe if I were healthy it wouldn't look so bad to me... but, the San Diego VAMC (hospital in LaJolla) has the nicest people, how could the two places be so totally oppisite?

i never did aunderstand that analogy... apples and oranges pretty close to me.. now if you said apples and tacos, that would be different.. I think soemthing thought they would be cute and call anyone stupid that didn't agree with them... a rorshok test gone bad..

today I have to give them a freedom of information letter signed by me so they can investigate the V.A. claims, since they are only a few short blocks from me, I will Just hand deliver my letter to the congressman's office. The I know it get's there... pronto... I had enough... I had a small breakdown today.... it was another horrible day... I ended up feeling better later today.. Ic an't sleep, I hav enightmares, and my muscles contract and twist, in agony, mostly in my left leg and foot... my urine is shwoing signs of something wrong... the pancreas feels swollen, and I eat a little when I can... chicken broth helps me a lot..

I sent my representative from the house of Representatives, Congressman Darrell Issa, through his website, a note inquiring about my claim and appeals taking so long.. It will go the the person in his staff who handles Veterans Issues. I told him I had already filed and asked for hardship due to my very bad health issues... Not sure if it will help, but it's done.. I gave everyone more than enough time and more than enough evidence... it's time for action.. I appreciate everyone's help here. Steven

I had blood (the pancreas disease and complications while trying to drains a huge 5 inch cyst) infections, and they caused, then fought mine with bags, and bags, and bags, all lining the rails of the bed frame. above me...etc..etc.. through IV's... for months while I laying wasting away in a hospital bed.. they could not figure out how to kill the infections, as it took a long time to figure out how to kill the infections.. How that infection got into his blood I have no idea... he may have had another condition which acted as a conduit to his internals.. an open cut, an injury, or disease.. I bet all the other people working there are freaked out wondering how at risk they are.. being so young,, makes it more of tragedy when some people never live longer... at least when you get a bit older at least I feel like I have been here a long while... The people who work in health care really do work hard... they accept a lot of risks...

first of all, I never servered in combat, and evenif I told you about being close to a bomb attack (I was very close to a bomb that detryed a five story building, close to our fuel storage at Ramstein A.B. it blew us off our feet at about 7:30 am one morning... I did a lot of volunteer work and wa sone of the first to go into the buildingto report damage, the next day and it was determined would could go in to look at the damage.. the floor had caved and glass was jammed intot he walls and roor frames and into the coats ont he coat racks.. this was a main Nato headquarters building accross fromt he base fuel under ground fuel tanks,,,, , or my injuries on duty form chmicals which left me difigured and bleeding and swollen.., I would never try to compare combat, but.. I still was in dangous situations, again, I will not make an ass out of myself and compare to war.. I would say working with people from al over, from different backgrounds, I would like to get a few things off my chest.. I worked with some real wack-jobs that made mine and othe rlives miserable, and it was dangerous being around them, being crazy, literally crazy,, I actually had my head slamme dintoa wall buy a 300 lb guy because he said my muffler was to loud int eh morning,, he lived next door off base in the local village. I had a full concussion.. I didn' t fight back I was afraid of ruining my perfect record, no matter how is at fault everyone loses in violence, when the command is onvolved.. many soldiers love to fight, drink and fight, but some of these guys actually tried to get themselves booted out by doing all the worst things... Mind you this is the U.S. Air Force, not even the tougher Marines... but we had soem bad asses too, but they were pretty nice mostly but some just wanted to eat others up and steal their stuff.. they just loved getting drink and raising hell... I wasn't real strong but I went ot the gym and worked veryhard in a hard job,,, working feul is hard, it's trucking and working with mechanical valves moving misslions of gallonsof fuel and being soake din it 24/7. Forget about dates when you are saoken in fuel, have headaches and swell up like aballon.. your blother stained form different fuels and you semll like a tank of fuel.. and your head is stoned from the vapors.. I am not perfect,, but I am not a fighter either, I don't like being touched or touching others, nor screwing people out of their last item... but some of these people would screw over their mother to get something.. I saw people with really nice girlfriends,, and they would go out with other women but explode if the girlefrend of wif elooked once at another guy, double standards.. I would haveloved to have had a nice woman.. yet thes guys would get a really nice girl after screwing hte ugliest rotten whores, then a few months later that would bring a girl back form the usa and say they were engaged the whole time.. I can say I met wome wonderful people too,, a huge mix of characters,, but what I was very angry about, was I worked with aicraft and I needed to be constantly looking for problems or danger ont he lfightline.. yet I could nto get peace of adequate sleep because drunks ran the BARRACKS.. I would often GO THE Commanders AND BEG THEM TO GET RID OF THE DRUNKS, YET THEY KEPT THEM AND GAVE THE DRUNKS more opportunities to stay, at our expense.. some people actually ran trucks into aircraft.... because they were crazynuts.. The last coupl of years I had ahome off base and had a car there and a new car back at home al paid off. .I was doing well, as a sargeant.. E-4. But my health had left me pretty bad, and was recovering with no contact with cmicals o after getting sick again on job #2.. I had a perfect record... I got through al my tours with all my ribbons... for being good and doing good.. but being sick for a couple years destryed my chance at a ful career and so I only last 5 years before losing my ability to stay int he usa, I wanted to get college and come back, but I was to sick and could not make it past a fe year,, I got a couple aa degrees, but I was to sick and could not work any longer.. anyways, everyone has their story.. Different ways to game the system and 30 years ago, they must have been short and took some people with mnetal problems, and the rest of us suffered.. working with people is difficult.. if they are not all their with brains and courtesy for others compassion.. Now the gaming the system all these years and having ot deal with being screwed by the va employees.. I feel so angry I need mental health help fromt he anger the VA causes me..

yOu won't freaking believe what happened this moring at the VA San Diego, Mission Valley. Well, starting with yesterday., I sent my VSO, who has an office in the same building, my TDIU application papers, to deliver to the claims office. I typed, please call me back to tel lme what you did or did not do. No call all afternoon. I dove there this morning. I left at 6 am. because the parkingis so bad, I wanted to be able to park without waiting 30 minutes for a parking spots.. it horriffic there... I pull in, and there people tell us us they wil not open the building because the electricity is off... after 2 hours, they are walking around tell the employees to al go home with paid day off (no shit, I heard with my own ears...). they they told everyone else the eltricity wil be off almost al day.. and to go home.. I hate mission valley VA with a passion... I bet if something happens they will come looking of me..... because i said this.. too bad, I don't care... I frakkin hate the jerks there,, not the medical people but the jerks who messed up my claim and keep jerking me... If they only knew the hell I have been through,,, soemtimes I feel stupid for not having just offed myself, I know what's coming more hell... and it isn't all from disease, it's more hell from stupid people at the VA... That was so stupid this morning, a few VA employees telling hundreds of people to go home because the electricity is off, they would not let people use the restroom, or anything, the gaurds were ont he other side of the glass, and employees were wlakingin and oiut of the buliding using ht erestroom whenver they wanted. I stood by the front door and watched an listened. I saw and heard the employees discussing everything only a few short feet from me.. it was really pissing me off.. I heard more b.s. as the employees chatted,, If you guys saw and heard what I experienced you would all blow a gasket. !!!! I know some will say calm down,,,,, I guess I should calm down, but I hope this info puts them on notice they really make sick vets angry! I wasted gas money I don't have, in an old car with 375,000 miles to put up with the VA claims system that just screws people, and they are clueless, oblivious to everyone else.. it's like the are in their own world, and just either don't give a crap, or they do know and don't give a crap...

She didn't call me back today, I sent it at about 1:00 pm today to her office.. Should I go there myself tomorrow and and give it to the VA claims clerk? Or just wait everyday hoping she will call? It's an hour drive each way..

I filled out and sent (faxed) my VSO (American Legion, in same building as San Diego VA Regional office), a TDIU form, and asked her to call me back telling me if she will do it, etc..etc.. or if I need to do it.. I just want her to personally talk to me about why or why not she submitted it or not.. I don't want it to screw up my other claims, I don't see how it will,, so, I hope I hear from her soon... Thank you guys for helping me through more, info, ideas, and experience.. Steven (I don't mean to hijack your threads..., I just thought the info could be combined..)

I don't qualify at 50% because of the requirements: I definitely meet #1. Am unable to ever work again. That's what I was trying to say,, I don't know where you got the 20% rule... is there a link? It is confusing hearing different info.. I have had older vets tell me the same rules I posted.. plus what I posed is from a lawfirm for vet disability. Ok, here is a thread in this forum, that says about the same thing.. I need to wait for my claims to go through, if al my claim don't bring me up to 100% I will do TDIU.. I will definitely get 100%. it's just the damn waiting.. ========================= ============== Basic Requirements to TDIU In order to qualify for TDIU consideration, the veteran must meet two threshold requirements. These are: 1. Is the veteran unable to secure, or follow substantially gainful occupation as a result of a service connected disability or disabilities? 2. If the veteran has only one service-connected disability, is it rated at or above 60%? 3. Or, if the veteran has a combined disability of 70% or more, is one of the disability ratings at least 40%? If so, the veteran is entitled to consideration for TDIU. If it is awarded, a TDIU award may be temporary or permanent depending on the facts involved. ============

I thought you had to be at 60% or 70%? my vso never even bothered to bring it up...

I myself, have thought aobut this too as I am at 50%,.. but feel I can easily get 100% p&t. As I can never work again, and haven't worked in more than 16 years. My VSO never even brought up TDU.... I feel it is a failsafe.. unless I am wrong, I am looking how other handle this matter when they are at 50% and are awaitng several decsions from appeal... MY appeal has only , so far, been up to a DRO hearing, with no final decsions made, any frakkin day they should come... as the hearing was December 2010. I have 6 issues on appeal. Some can bring 50% and more... others others as low as 10%.... In any case all I need is an easy 20% which I feel is very easily obtainable, but stil would consider that a great loss, but would leave me with the tdu option.

Your time frame is a rocket... it looks like from your dro in 2011 to now, compared to my dro in 2010.... yours is already at BVA, I still wait for decisions from DRO.. I don't understand.... I looked at a map of backlogs, and Oakland isn't much different in backlogs than San Diego.. The more I look at the way they make stacks and shuffle them, the more confusing timelines get... I hope soemday someone shines a line on the VA cockroaches.. Best of luck to you, every decision helps the next guy...

ok, it's very difficult to figure which stack at which stage is moved from one place to another, whether it's nod, dro, appeal, review... and I appreciate info to help me understand where things are,, but I just wanted to show people that if I find a way to kick them in the ass I will, after all they deserve it.. IMHO here is my Youtube rant about the VA Claims... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_O7vrp95To&feature=g-upl

300 days my ass, mine has been 17 months since my hearing.. of course mine is San Diego, but that article seems very misleading.. unless my math is wrong,,, and of course if you go back to my orignal claim it's not even close to those numbers.. I have nightmares (honestly) about see the DRO's hearing officer's face... and how a vulcan mind meld would dig in and find out what wtf they are hiding in those offices.. (yes, I am trying to be cute,, but it like he was holding back info that would make vets very angry if they spilled the beans on wtf is going on...)... wtf can't they just tell us to our faces it might take a few years, instead they clam up if you say anything about time... yes, they do, they just give you a stare... which is so rude, so mean,,, sorry a tangent.. after all it took a couple years just to get am meeting with a live human being and then you go to the hearing to show them everything they didn't read... and they grill you like you have been charge with a crime... yes, that is exactly hopw it feels... I am not ponitificating.. and I will never get over the trauma of everything that has happened... never ever... I have considered opening a website with an open letter to what I have been through... but am scared it might affect my claim negatievly, they might find a way to screw me even more..

I am very very curious, how do you know, or told what year and month they are currently working on? I am not asking for personal info or names, just generally, I mean was it deduction, a printed fact? etc.. thanx..

One of the big problems, IMHO, is that the morons (people who work the claims) who screw up never pay any price for ruining disabled vet's lives.. the people who screw up continue with screwing up more people and probably going up the food chain, with raises, vacations, etc, while the poor vets are either limping around, homeless, or says 'F' it! and kills themself.. If they had an 'intake' process where you could actually present your claim to someone that actually cared, instead, you give it to someone who looks like they just got off a greyhound bus, who has this 'F' I wish I wasn't here, in there eyes, and don't cross the yellow line on the floor with a rubber stamp next to a copier... if you could say hey, I have this problem, and while I served, so I need to know if this form is correct, and is this the right form, etc.. instead... you get a form, say, hey I still have a broken ass, or still lead in there, from all that work, and then they take two years to tell you denied, and then you say can I talk to someone in another 2 years, to tell your story, at that point 2 or 3 years has passed... and that condition you came in with is now terminal and you are counting the days and weeks until you either get your appeal, or you die, which ever comes first... and if they don't understand your claim, why the hell don't they pick up the frakkin phone, call and ask to clarify something, instead of the deny rubber stamp!! So, let's put a system in place that everyone who screws some vet out of their claim, gets fired or demoted... and those that actually care get to stay and maybe even raises and vacations... If they actually do catch fraud they get some award for doing their job correctly... When they process the claim they should have to sign an affidavit that says they actually read the evidence... period... lying sacks of $%%%##@.. The anger and resentment they foster is biblical....

I don't acutally see him (the congressman), one of the aides handles the vet matters... I really don't want to see him, I mean I would prefer a face-2-face, with the aide who handles the veterans stuff.. easier to get your info accross and no misunderstandings... that's why my claim got screwed to begin with, they refuse contact for the first two years and the dumba##$%$% who are behind the counter can't read... or refuse to learn..

Should I start contact with my congressman at this time or wait a little bit longer ?... they just gave me a new C&P exam january 2012. But, no decision yet on my DRO hearing appeal (December 2010) for 3 issues. I also hand delivered a statement of claim for hardship due to illness, April 2012. Should I send in the paperwork to his office to get the ball rolling to get his office involved in my claim. Original VA disability claim from 2009. Originally rated 50% in 1997. I am now re-opening a denied claim from 1997, plus many new claims. His office has an online form, and is his office is only 5 minutes from my home. I am in the San Diego, Ca. area. Should I give them a little more time to see if they are getting ready to get these calims moving, as shown by movement with a new c&p exam in January 2012, or just finally go for the big guns and try to get more help? My health is really detoriating and I just can't keep playing games... Thanx...

after all my appeals go through, I will comment on any and all ratings, approvals, denials, etc, for the following petro-chemicals: 1-Gasoline (Leaded and Unleaded) 2-Diesel fuel/oil 3-Jet Fuel JP-4 mostly, though I had some contact with JP-5. 4-Trichloroethylene -cleaning printing presses. note: I not only was exposed, but was soaked in these chemicals daily. U.S.A.F. 1 (AFSC) (Fuels Specialist) - Fuels for vehicles and aircraft, storage, transfer, distribution, testing, etc... 2 (AFSC) (Reprographics Specialist) used chemicals to clean printing presses all day every day.. Short write-up on getting sick on active duty: While working with fuels, I got sick with severe headaches, swollen limbs, gastritis. The doctors determined it was the chemicals, they removed me from working with chemicals. I spent a few weeks doing anew job in communication, in a weather squadron. After just a few short weeks, I got new orders to work in repro-graphics, and had to work with chemicals all over again. The same symptoms came back and got worse, with my limbs swollen, sometimes so bad while I cried in pain, tremors, shaking, limbs swollen so bad, the skin broke and streams of blood ran down my arms.. I was unable to sleep and would scream in at home.. I go to sick call and lay in the waiting room crying in pain... i had to leave after the U.S.A.F. 4.5 years, because I had lost 2 jobs, and could not get another job, they just refused to give me a job with no chemicals. Have been sick with swollen limbs since discharge, EDEMA, Bad Leg and/or knee (chondromalacia), from jumping in and out of fuel trucks. Degenerative disc disease, Intestinal disease, Shaking tremors, distal polyneuropathy, Dystrophy, muscle wasting, no Teeth (intestinal disease destroyed teeth). Current rating 50% headaches. 6 Issues on appeal. NO decision on 3 issues after DRO hearing 2010. Currently dying from Necrotizing Pancreatitis (after operation to remove 5 inch pancreas cyst, and 6 months in a hospital bed), no cure, and many complications and more cysts. Neurological diseases, Eye diseases, more,,, and more, and more.. I have little money, but I did find a specialist, a doctor in Toxicology, whom I had to pay for an IMO on Fuels and chemicals, and add to my appeal. If i had money I would also get a specialist in neurology to write an IMO also. I had Kaiser medical insurance for a few years int he l ate 1980's and early 1990's had several operations. All those records are with the VA. The VA has been treating me for 15 years. All my medical records are with the VA.

I will think of the questions,,, give me a couple days,,, thanx..

I have several documented cases of TBI while on active duty also, but have so many issues, I maybe end up filing for it, if they keep screwing me, and don't get all my other claims approved... but there will be a point where I will just say I have enough and can't or will not live through one more claim...

one note: I myself find it useful when people who post in these threads say what it is they are claiming.. not complete details but just a little so we can see if it is a complicated claim, or normal claim, like normal injuries, or others.. I think the info helps everyone,, so we can gauge what it is that the VA like to screw with people and why... (yes they are screwing with people.).. if they were not screwing people badly, there would be little need for Veterans forums, full of thousands of Vets begging for help and justice,, if they were treated decent there would be forums praising them instead of saying they suck... IMHO

When I went to the DRO hearing in 2010, with 6 issues... I brought up that they overlooked a bunch of evidence, and laid out all the evidence their either ignored or overlooked,, my SMR's, ,y DD-214, and my Medical records all together had it in black and white, yet, since they overlooked it, it counts as new evidence. That makes no sense to me, at all, it's they they screwed up... if they had read it I would not had had to ask for a DRO hearing,, the DD-214 showed my job history, and what the jobs were. My medical records reflected the job illnesses and injuries,, I did not add anything that was not already there. So, that's is just plain wrong to say it's new evidence, but apparently it is new evidence if something is brought to their attention, even though they missed it. In my case doctors order my commander to move me out of jobs that required chemical exposure, yet, after being removed I was ordered back to a new job with more chemicals. Then the illnesses re-emerged. I had to go more in depth on all the chemicals, even re-stating my IMO, about each chemical. Also showing the SMR's medical records as they matched the dates of my jobs. I also had to state that they had these records the whole time at the VA. None of my records were from any other sources. Any outside source records had already been sent to the VA 15 year previously. The DRO hearing to this day has never given an answer to 3 out of 6 issues... they owe me three more decisions. That is also what my VSO told me, so I am not thinking all on my own. The IRIS response was all garbage so I will not bother with trying to copy it here, it's as if morons are working those and sending them out,, really, I am being kind to whoever runs that system... The last bit of hope is that since they decided to give me one more c&p exam back in January 2012, means they might be actually thinking of making the last few decisions. MY form nine appeals actually went out in 2009, and re-affirmed in 2010 at the time of the DRO hearing. Which means it could be in the coming month or in two more years, and may never get an answer for the 3 unresolved issues, it appears they can kick the can and are not required to give decisions at the DRO according some other vets who didn't get decisions (yet). My wife had less restraint and tried asking/pressing the DRO guy about time frames, but eh was as slippery as an eel, and refused any type of answer, except that people are in front of me,,, but I find that extremely mean and rude, a simple but pleasant and honest answer would have been better than the B.S. he passed off... but you guys already knew what I learn... They must be under pressure to obscure information and just keep the line full.. job security... Cynical but more than true. So, when you say new evidence, evidence they neglected is new? You would think there would be a system in place to catch evidence they neglected and penalize the people responsible for screwing up the cases. This total malpractice on the part of the VA. The BVA should be sending in investigators to find out why the VA claim people are so incompetent. New evidence sure is looked at differently, than I would have expected... shining light on overlooked evidence will pass as new. I would give anything to see my medical records brought in on hand trucks to the and dollies to the desks of the people who need to read my records, and I don't feel sorry for the headaches they will get, as they have an idea the hell my life has been which created the records..

VA Disability Claims BackLog makes it to DrudgeReport ! http://nationaljournal.com/congress/va-s-disability-claims-backlog-pushes-900-000-20120419 this forum keep butchering the www link, and i can't fix it,, I am so sorry,, I don't know why it ruins the link yes, I found this story when reading: http://www.drudgereport.com/