JamesBreckenridge

EP 010 or 110 are for original claims. EP 020 is for subsequent claims. (This is a gross oversimplification- EP stands for "end product". Think of an "EP" as a "particular claim" that goes in your claim file, and over the course of your life, you may file many claims, each of which has to be tracked). When a claim is rated in full, the EP is cleared. If some stuff is granted and other stuff is deferred (perhaps it needs an examination or some other development wasn't complete), the Post Team is supposed to "interim the EP" and keep it running, so that when the examination/medical opinion or whatever caused an issue to be deferred finally comes in, the case can be rated and the EP closed out, and the station gets to take credit for station production.

Sometimes, though, the EP gets cleared, just as if the whole claim was decided, and the station gets credit. Maybe somebody make a mistake and accidently cleared the EP when they authorized the first part of your rating (the non-deferred issues). Maybe that particular claim (date of claim was February 26, 2008) was over one year old, and they wanted it off the books as a 1 year old claim, which makes your station's numbers look better to upper management. For whatever reason, the EP was cleared, and to associate those deferred issues with a claim, an EP 930 may have been created (that's what EP 930 is for... the station doesn't get credit for working it, but the rater at least gets credit for working it).

So, either they mistakenly or on purpose took credit for completing your claim when it still had a couple of deferred issues, but those issues have now been decided and it's just waiting on the Post team again to finish promulgating the rating, and you'll just have to be patient. That's one likely scenario, I suppose other things are possible, but that is my guess. I wouldn't worry too much about it. The end of the month is near, and all the teams have quotas to meet, including getting ratings promulgated.

Here is the rating schedule for hypertension.

7101 Hypertensive vascular disease (hypertension and isolated systolic hypertension):
Diastolic pressure predominantly 130 or more 60
Diastolic pressure predominantly 120 or more 40
Diastolic pressure predominantly 110 or more, or; systolic pressure predominantly 200 or more 20
Diastolic pressure predominantly 100 or more, or; systolic pressure predominantly 160 or more, or; minimum evaluation for an individual with a history of diastolic pressure predominantly 100 or more who requires continuous medication for control 10
Note (1): Hypertension or isolated systolic hypertension must be confirmed by readings taken two or more times on at least three different days. For purposes of this section, the term hypertension means that the diastolic blood pressure is predominantly 90mm. or greater, and isolated systolic hypertension means that the systolic blood pressure is predominantly 160mm. or greater with a diastolic blood pressure of less than 90mm.
Note (2): Evaluate hypertension due to aortic insufficiency or hyperthyroidism, which is usually the isolated systolic type, as part of the condition causing it rather than by a separate evaluation.
Note (3): Evaluate hypertension separately from hypertensive heart disease and other types of heart disease.


Nowadays, the doctors aren't going to allow your blood pressure to get crazy high; they will throw all sorts of medications at you. Systolics predominately in the 160s would get you a 10 percent.

I'm in Florida, but I can represent Veterans anywhere. :) I would recommend a good VSO or Veterans Attorney close to wherever you ware, however, to try and keep costs down; it's one thing for me to drive to St. Pete and crash on my sister's couch when I have a DRO or BVA hearing.... but it's quite another if I have to fly to California and stay in a hotel and rent a car or taxi to get around. Since I bill my clients if we win, I try to keep costs down. I know I'm good at what I do, but I have a hard time believing I'm the absolute best or the only game in town. :) The National Association of Veterans Advocates can probably hook you up with a more conveniently located attorney to you. :)

Long time no see, y'all.
First the important bit: http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/includes/viewPDF.cfm?id=2743
If it works like ALS did, then effective dates will be from the date the regulation goes into effect. Meaning, if you've been fighting an appeal for years, they may grant on a presumptive basis effective the date of the new regulation,. Hopefully, however, you can get the right evidence and medical opinion so that you can win on DIRECT though.
Now, the other thing.
I used to be a VA adjudicator, and from time to time I would poke my nose in here, trying to help where I could. I got super busy with work as I tried like hell to help as many Veterans as possible, as well as trying to carve out a career path from RVSR to DRO to BVA judge. VA "declined" to help me with my law school student loans ($130k worth!) even though they have a program just for that, and the certs kept busting on USAJOBS, and I had lay people telling me, a licensed attorney, that I was wrong because their policy newsletter somehow outweighs a judge and the US Code. So I split after five and a half years. A very large plaintiff's law firm (mostly personal injury, workers comp, med malpractice)  has decided to get involved in a ton of practice areas, and they expanded the Social Security section to include VA benefits. So, I get to be on the ground floor of a new practice area at a major law firm (un-named for now because I don't' want to look like I'm trolling for clients). Also, this isn't my real name, because I didn't want the VA coming after me when I worked there.
I'm still super busy as I try to handle an enormous caseload, and help design our workflow so that we don't wind up in the same boat the VA is in. I won't have time to spend all day on Hadit. I wish I could though. I eat sleep and breathe this stuff, and I'm really passionate about it. I will try to become more active and help out where I can with some advice.
(edit: spelling)

Long time no see, y'all.
First the important bit: http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/includes/viewPDF.cfm?id=2743
If it works like ALS did, then effective dates will be from the date the regulation goes into effect. Meaning, if you've been fighting an appeal for years, they may grant on a presumptive basis effective the date of the new regulation,. Hopefully, however, you can get the right evidence and medical opinion so that you can win on DIRECT though.
Now, the other thing.
I used to be a VA adjudicator, and from time to time I would poke my nose in here, trying to help where I could. I got super busy with work as I tried like hell to help as many Veterans as possible, as well as trying to carve out a career path from RVSR to DRO to BVA judge. VA "declined" to help me with my law school student loans ($130k worth!) even though they have a program just for that, and the certs kept busting on USAJOBS, and I had lay people telling me, a licensed attorney, that I was wrong because their policy newsletter somehow outweighs a judge and the US Code. So I split after five and a half years. A very large plaintiff's law firm (mostly personal injury, workers comp, med malpractice)  has decided to get involved in a ton of practice areas, and they expanded the Social Security section to include VA benefits. So, I get to be on the ground floor of a new practice area at a major law firm (un-named for now because I don't' want to look like I'm trolling for clients). Also, this isn't my real name, because I didn't want the VA coming after me when I worked there.
I'm still super busy as I try to handle an enormous caseload, and help design our workflow so that we don't wind up in the same boat the VA is in. I won't have time to spend all day on Hadit. I wish I could though. I eat sleep and breathe this stuff, and I'm really passionate about it. I will try to become more active and help out where I can with some advice.
(edit: spelling)

Long time no see, y'all.
First the important bit: http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/includes/viewPDF.cfm?id=2743
If it works like ALS did, then effective dates will be from the date the regulation goes into effect. Meaning, if you've been fighting an appeal for years, they may grant on a presumptive basis effective the date of the new regulation,. Hopefully, however, you can get the right evidence and medical opinion so that you can win on DIRECT though.
Now, the other thing.
I used to be a VA adjudicator, and from time to time I would poke my nose in here, trying to help where I could. I got super busy with work as I tried like hell to help as many Veterans as possible, as well as trying to carve out a career path from RVSR to DRO to BVA judge. VA "declined" to help me with my law school student loans ($130k worth!) even though they have a program just for that, and the certs kept busting on USAJOBS, and I had lay people telling me, a licensed attorney, that I was wrong because their policy newsletter somehow outweighs a judge and the US Code. So I split after five and a half years. A very large plaintiff's law firm (mostly personal injury, workers comp, med malpractice)  has decided to get involved in a ton of practice areas, and they expanded the Social Security section to include VA benefits. So, I get to be on the ground floor of a new practice area at a major law firm (un-named for now because I don't' want to look like I'm trolling for clients). Also, this isn't my real name, because I didn't want the VA coming after me when I worked there.
I'm still super busy as I try to handle an enormous caseload, and help design our workflow so that we don't wind up in the same boat the VA is in. I won't have time to spend all day on Hadit. I wish I could though. I eat sleep and breathe this stuff, and I'm really passionate about it. I will try to become more active and help out where I can with some advice.
(edit: spelling)