retiredat44

Maybe if they were taken off salary and put on commision they would work better.. maybe an incentive... you would think..

I have my DRO hearing date Dec. 8, 2010 I have my VSO from the American Legion representing me, and my wife may come, if it will help.. I just need to stay out of the hospital until then... thanx all!

My VSO says my Hearing should be coming up by the end of the year, and sayd she gets a list of upcoming hearing each month.. she says my hearing is not ont he list yet, and says, maybe it wil be ont he next list in a few days. One of my DRO hearing requests was from Oct. 2009, the other was September 2010. They were combined into one DRO hearing request in Sepetember 2010. I find it odd that she expected it to be on the upcoming DRO, or that it is not yet been scheduled. Maybe the DRO review is causing it to be delayed? Maybe they are considering al or part before a hearing? Maybe it is still coming in the coming days, and I am freaking for nothing? The last update I got was that they are still working on my file, etc,, etc, the same letter they send to everyone saying they will get to it when they can.. blah, blah, blah.... I see lots of people request a DRO hearing and thyey get a hearing date a month of two after their official request... Since there seem to be no other people from the San Diego VA Regional Office in these forums, I have no way of knowing how long it takes for anything.. Does anyone know what they could possibly be doing? note: when I sent my last DRO hearing request I listed the reasons for my request and listed the evidence they ignored.. maybe they are going back over my Claim with the possbility of approving al or part with the evidence I listed ?? Thanx.. just going crazy.. every day I just lay here sick wondering if it is my last and they win.. while they delay..

In my case the VA did not use these guidelines and lied, disregarded, and manipulated evidence,, as I provided probative evidence and they did not respond to all of it.. I will in fact prove they lied when I get my claim approved.. it is too bad when they try to lie, they have no penalties, and no one is held accountable at the VA.. they should pay dearly for causing sick/disabled veterans so much pain and grief. IMHO

I have a friend who races dirtbikes and plays in a band, and I can only lay around in bed.. (unless you call walking the dog around the block before collapsing an activity..) http://www.veteranst...2%80%99s-story/

no such thing on the website that I have logged into..

One year wait here for one DRO review and hearing, and 30 days for 2nd DRO. The DRO requests have been combined, so basically I have waited one year, since October 2009. I am in San Diego

I see this, but see no other way to message anyone.. https://www.myhealth.va.gov/mhv-portal-web/mhv.portal?_nfpb=true&_nfto=false&_pageLabel=spotlightArchive&contentPage=spotlight/November%202010/spotlight_vet_story.htm

When I get my other claims through, I wil pursue back claims. But, with degenerative disc disease, they will probably say it was a pre-exisitng condition... they have made me so angry, I wil go through every condtion I have... I would have stopped at just the 6 conditions/diseases, that I am fighting for, but since they are all out total scum for making me go through appeals for everything,, I will push many more conditions.. The anger is pushing me.. I know I will die before they lgo through (am pretty sure I will, as people with pancreas disease usually do not last long..).

the DRO hearing letter is suppose to be any day now according to my VSO.. I wonder why she says she expects it by the end of this year, and she also says they usually only give about 3 weeks notice... I wonder if they first review it to see if even need a hearing,, and if it doens't maybe they just approve all or part of it, then call a hear to resolve any left over parts.. or maybe they just hold the hearing without trying to resolve it first... and do the reviewing after the hearing... in any case, I hope I live long enough to see the damned hearing,, I have been so sick I called the damned hospital, and I told the cal center I need to leave a message for my doctor, after waitng 20 frakkin minutes, they answers,, i told them I need to leave a message for my primary care doctor.. I told her my pancreas was very swollen, she told me to stop and talk to a nurse.. I was mad because she just clicked some buttons instead of letting me leave a message (I always leave messages for my doctor.. I always have..).. She witched me to some nurses phone, and it rang for 5 minutes. I finally got pissed and hung up.. when one has pancreas diesease and you are sick with it swollen it is pure hell! Horrible! it feels like your guys have a red hot pocker jammed in it and goes out the read.. and the muscles, rip anhd pull at the burning organs.. I don't want to go to the emergency room, as I don't want to go through the hell.. of admission, what I want is a few tests to make sure soemething real bad is not going on... I can only tell when it's swollen, but cannot tel if it is a new tumor, cyst, or what.. as of now I have many small cysts on the pancreas, and there is nothing thast can be done the surgeons say if I get more fevers or sick again, they wil remove my pancreas.. no amount of morphine helps, and food and drink only make it worse.. welcome to my life! I wish I could put it in a syringe and jam it into the claims people!

I also have a knee problem, but a doctof took xrays and said the muscles are weak. I had phsical therapy 20 years ago for it. In the USAF the doctors could not find the problem. But at least I reported pain often. It turned out I had degenerative disc disease.. one question: I had a six month stay in the VA hospital and I want 100% pay for it, as I am only rated at 50% for the time being until I can get my claims through for 100%. I asked my VSO about putting a claim in for the ful 100% for the hsoital stay, but was told that since I am not rated for the condition which I was hospitalized for, I cannot put a claim in for that hospital stay. That I need to first wina claim for that condition. I read that you only have one year to file for the hospital stay. I have had new claims in for the condtion before one year was up.. I then plan to file again for the 100% once I get my claims approved. I have a DRO hearing coming up very soon. I was in the hospital for pancreas disease, but so far, I am only rated 50% for headaches.

hore$hit! the damned claims people don't even use the IMO's we give them.. this is just blowing smoke up our butts..

i hasve skin problems, not only welling kin and swelling limgs from edema,, but I also have the moles. The dermatolgist at the VA is concerned with mine and I have al these irregular moles al over.. they removed some.. and I cant tell you even though they give you a numbing shot, after that wears off it is two weeks of pain hell. the skin moles are a ll kinds of shapes and colors.. it is very scary and every time I see a new one (moslty on my back) but I also have them on my legs and stomach), I freak out.. they seem to be more and more every few weeks... mine can be flay, or scaly, and some can bleed if scratched.. I have a history of skin problems from my work with petroleum chemicals.. I will probably file for those if/when all my other claims are finished, if ever.. they are taking years to go though and try to win..

Thank you, and you sound like me, same situation,, I get sick and have to break for periods of illness while I speak.. The only thing I don't understand is if they actually review my case before this hearing.. and if they can actually approve any part of it reviewing it before the hearing. I was unaware you can ask for extra time.. as I am sure they will use up my time to read bs before it starts... This is actually my 2nd DRO, the one I had from 2 years ago went to some other position, so I had to start over again building a relationship.. That threw me, as I don't like changes.. I have only known this VSO for a few months.. I have around 6 issues in my claim,, so I am not sure how that will lengthen the time needed as al the issues are all linked together anyways. I hope my VSO knows enough to guide me.. as they know from experience what must be done and said..I feel extremely confident I have enough evidence.. (maybe that sounds like I am crazy.. but I really feel good with my evidence..) I have told my wife she is welcome to go... I believe my VSO told me there wil be another representaive for me who will be with us who does the hearings.. so I feel I have good legal representation. All my questions i have left are questions no one here can answer.. like how many people with conditions like mine, and how they beat the system and won.. and what they said.. I just wish I knew how long before this damned hearing.. as my VSO is pretty positive it is very soon, in the coming weeks.. Thank you,

my Story is now at: http://www.veteranstoday.com/2010/10/26/chemical-exposure-one-veteran’s-story/ thanx all S!

I have two NOD's which then a DRO hearing request was placed in about October 2009. My VSO said my DRO should be by tthe end of this year 2010. My question are: Do they acutally do a DRO review, then a hearing? or do they just hold a hearing? I keep reading all kinds of different stories. Is it possible they may do a review without notifying me and use the evidence they currently have, and if I meet the conditions they can approve me without a hearing? Or will they hold the hearing regardless? I have around 6 issues in my DRO hearing request. They all went through the claim, then NOD, the DRO hearing request process. Then all of the NOD denails were all combined into one DRO hearing request. I am in San Diego sorry if I already askied this in other threads/forums. it is just that the answers never fully staisfied my dense brain. Thanx,

the publisher of the story about the toxic chemicals has said he is willing to publish my story about my exposure and illness from toxic chemicals.. I wil check when it is published... I basically relpied to his email,,, and he siad he can, and I said ok.. I will let him publish my first name, but am not ccomfortable at this time with my full name, as I am worried about how it might affect my claim in a negative way if I piss someone off at the VA..

reminds me of my nightmare story with fee basis. I was int he hospital for 5 months, they finally said go home .. I was waiting at home, after having home nhursing care and 5 months at the hospital, revovering from pancreaticc surgery and thrombobis.. I went to my doctor's checkup at the local VA clinic and I was really feeling sick, very very could barly stand and could only walk 20 feet, I was determined to never go back into the hospital.. I walked in, barely amde it to the dek, then sat down, waited for my doctor.. when I got to the nurse and they took my blood pressure they did several checks, and called 911.. an ambulance took me to the local hospital.. my blood oressure was way too low.. While they they said I had a blockage in an artey in my liver, because of the portal vein thrombosis and pancreas disease... they tried ot transfer to the VA hospital the next day but there wer eno beds available.. I had to stay 3 days.. it was pretty nice, quiet, no roomates, carpeted floors.. on the thrid day, at night, they wheeled me out and I went back tot he VA hospital for 4 more weeks.. I had already spent 5 months there int he prvious months.. I started getting bills form the hospital they took me to. I continued to get bills for one year.. I kept sending them to Fee Basis and they rejected one saying they would not pay for the third day.. I had to explain to them I did not puposley stay the thrid day, and that the VA sent me there and would not let me return to the VA hsopital for 3 days because there were no beds available until the thrid night.. Fee Basis was trying to say I stayed without authoriazation.. after I explained all.. and after that they paid for everything,, but I had bill collectors calling for one year because Fee Basis took one year to pay the bills.. fee Bais is hard to work with, but they will give you phone numbers addresses and fax numbers.. but you must do al the legg work, send them copies and explain with letters... I had to have several appeals.. plus you can nevert see anyone in person, it is only through mail and pone.. warning to those with only part 'A' Medi-Cal, that will not cover anything... you must have and pay for part 'B' if you want to make sure you are covered, luckily, the VA covered al my esxpenses and I can say that I would probably owe millions... $$

sorry, I should have put this in the toxic chemical thread.. oops.. I wasn't thinking.. While in the USAF, and working as a fuels specialist, we were told and given a huge spray container and filled it with Jet Fuel to kill weeds... this happned all the time while I was stationed at Grand Forks North Dakota (SAC) (during anytime there wasn't snow and ice..).. we sprayed all over the runways area and also killed the gohper by filling the gohper holes with Jet Fuel. This was done at the request of our superiors.. we had a large pump station not far from the runway and taxiways..

I posted my story and toxic chemicals on their website with the story,, so far my post will not show up.. In the USAF, as a Fuels Specialist, I was soaked in Jet Fuel, Leaded Gasoline, Diesel Fuel, and Trichloroethylene daily, skin and clothing. I moved billions of gallons of fuel through storage, transfer, etc,, etc.. I got sick, my skin bled from breaking becuase my limbs had swollen very large. The skin broke open and I had stremas of bodily liquids and blood running down my arms. the headaches were excruciating. The Headaches were horrific migraiens that left me crying and screaming for days and nights. I had tremors with my hands and arms shaking. The base command finally removed me, placed me into a new career. I worked a couple weeks in a weather squadron, in the Communications squadron. , aways from toxic checmicals, per the doctors order to be crosstrained to not work with any more toxic and petroleum chemicals.. The communications squadron took me again, and moved me to repro-graphics. That is the job of using offest printing presses. I had to use inks and the chemicals like trichloroethylene to clean the rollers. Again, the petroleum chemicals caused massive skin swelling. Massive edema. I have since suffered greatly from intestinal disease, tremors, shaking, neuroligical disease. I suffer from edema. I suffer from pancreatic disease. Currently from necotizing pancreatitis. I have many otter phyisical problems. I have not been able to work in 20 years. I have spent most of the time suffering tryingot eat, on morphine. I have suffered through many operations. My last stay was for six months for a pancreas operation. In the 1990's they only gave me 50% for headaches. They have refused and denied me further disability and am in the appeal stages. My marriage was ruined, I had lost my home and could not work 20 years ago, my life crashed down around me. 20 years of laying down mostly. Morphine helps. I gave them almost five years int he USAF, and had to leave because I got sick so many times, I had already gone through two jobs, had been hospitalizerd in the USAF for pnumonia, gastritis, had a concussion, and suffered from severe toxic petroleum chemical poisoning. Thye appeals process has no yet given me one hcace wo a face-2-face meeting to tell them my story. I got an IMO (Indpendent Medical Opinion) from a toxicologist doctor with tons of information and research bgacking up my illness and toxc chemicals. Ever day I just lay around sick waiting for the damned appeal to let me talk to someone face to face to tell me my story and ask why. As they can only send denials and put me on hold. I have not even gone into specifics, and all my problems. This is only part of the horror show.

I was literally soaked in many toxic chemicals every day (skin, clothing, and breathing) and they will not recognize them has having part in my pancreas disease and tremors and shaking, and skin disease.. So, they will not care if a base had toxic chemicals..