Testvet

obviously I have never given up I fought the good fight since Oct 2002 they have beat me down for years yes they have had be down and ready to quit many times over the years but the good people here Philip, Joh, Pete, Berta, T Bird, Carlie etc have given me the encouragement to keep pushing I was burnt out after the BVA award back in June 2009 ans that award basically ensured my wife of DIC benefits if I die from cardiac related causes which seems more liekly than me dying from PTSD although we even discussed that a bit tonight she hasn't been feeling good, she has fibro and she has been in pain for the past week and she made the comment tonight that if I hurt that bad everyday she doesn't know how I keep getting up everyday and dealing with it, like I told her I do it to make sure the government will pay her the benefits I have earned and am entitled to, I want to make sure I leave her better off financially than her father left her mother he was a retired SFC Army who served in Korean War and Vietnam she was one of the widows who got the 35% SBP survivor benefits instead of getting the 50% they were promised she was lucky that Congress did correct it a few years ago and increased the payments 5% a year over 3-4 years until they got up to the promised benefits of 50% and so she is better off now than she was right after he died. This nation has broken a lot of promises to veterans and retirees and their survivors medical care for life if you spent 20 and retired then they claimed at the Supreme Court there was never anything in writing that guaranteed those benefits that recruiters made those promises but they were never in the contract BS they made them and we all were told them from WW2 until about 1982 then they reneged and came up with TRICARE and denied medical care for retirees and their families I haven't really spent much of the other back pay they have paid me I got that first back pay in 2005 and the second in May 2006 both of them are in CDs paying a pathetically small amount of interest and then there was the larger back pay when the BVA granted the CAD and hypertension back to Dec 2003 in June 2009 I know I have been lucky over the years and the comp checks do not make life perfect nor do they give me my health or my life back but I could still be homeless and totally broke so things are better but I have no intention of going back to being penniless again I will take the money and spend some on my wife and maybe a little on me but the majority will be saved for rainy days and leaving it to her to help pay off the mortgage so she won't lose the home when they reduce the checks when I pass and they reduce the VA to DIC and cut the SSD benefits as we know they will. I am not going to hold my breath on that 30 grand in back pay if there is a way to deprive us of it they will find a way now that I do have faith in they are great at throwing road blocks and denying benefits now that is the VA agency I have learned to expect and have experiences since Oct 2002 If I did something stupid like buy a pontoon boat to go fishing then someone will claim I am not disabled, if I can fish for fun why can't I join the BASS tournament and make money fishing for a living forget I sux at it and do it for enjoyment they seem to find a way to twist everything but I will find away to enjoy it I am sure my ex wives and kids can help with ideas on how to put it to use and I am sure I will disapprove of them as well they have years of experience at pushing my buttons maybe I can purchase a giant Pez collection that should pizz of everyone or I can invest it in Goldline Glenn Back says it is a great investment rofl

For you regular Hadit members, you will recall I have OCD and I have a tendency to write letters to elected officials and to the VA when I get the feeling I have been chit on or lied to by a government official and this letter writing has gotten me in trouble with the DRO and his screaming at me and my wife back in 2005 at an informal meeting after they cancelled my DR hearing because I wrote President Bush in Dec 2004 so they changed my hearing to a "meeting" on 5 Jan 2005 and I was told off I also went home and sent a e mail to then House VA Ranking Member Lane Evans that was when they first tried to give me 50% for PTSD and denied my CAD again. I have had my problems with the local VARO like many of you but I realize my compulsion to write letters usually ends up causing me problems. Last week I learned that a VA person who was caught lying to Senator Craig in October 2005 about me NOT being used as a human test subject at Edgewood Arsenal in 1974, she claimed my records showed that I was sick and the Army sent me "home" on 10 July 1974 and there fore none of my medical problems could possibly be related to any type of exposures from Edgewood Arsenal, and she hoped that would be the end of me pursuing this line of claims. I sent Senator Craig a copy of my intake and exit papers from Edgewood Arsenal which show I arrived at EA on 25 June 1974 and yes I was sick and I was sent from Aberdeen Proving Ground Hospital back to Edgewood on 10 July 1964 but I was not sent back to Fort Lewis until August 22 1974 at the end of my scheduled TDY trip with the other 9 Fort Lewis soldiers. So yes my medical problems may possibly be related to exposures at Edgewood regardless of the VA officials claims. The VA Official was shortly after this removed from her position as Director of Compensation and Pension, I was under the impression she had left the VA oh hell no I read a news article where she was just given an award for "Ethics" as she is a lawyer that works for the VA, and General Shinseki had just given her an award. So naturally this pizzed me off and set me off to writing another letter so he would know that this person has no problem lying to a sitting Senator so I didn't think much of her ethics and he shouldn't be putting his reputation and the VA on anything she may produce ad she seems to NOT check all documentation before uttering statements to Senators let alone veterans and I think he needs a a more trust worthy person in a position like this. I wrote the e mail to a person who I knew worked for Sec Principi back in 2002 when I first filed my claim. On Friday I got a call from the local VARO it seems that this perspn had sent a copy of this new e mail to the VARO to double check on my statement about the letter I sent to Principi in Nov 21, 2002 should have been used as an informal claim date and my effective dates for my PTSD and CAD should be Nov 21, 2002 and not the Dec 2003 date that was used after I revoked my POA from that useless VSO that worked for the Governor of SC at that time as he had told me I could only file one claim with one issue at a time, which led to some major problems with my claims over the years and caused me a lot of problems. The extra year of back pay would be nice and I think I should get it but it would also help towards the 10 year goal for SC so my wife will be entitled to DIC an extra year earlier if I die from something that is not SC like the PTSD or CAD or hypertension which are the only things I am SC for. He told me he went thru my entire file and he can't find a copy of my letter to Sec Principi from Nov 2002 nor the response letter I told them I got from the Director of the VARO in Montgomery Alabama dated 6 Dec 2002 that tells me I don't have a valid claim in the VA system and that I needed to file one before they can do anything. A couple of things I didn't live in Alabama and have never been treated by a VAMC in Alabama so why did Montgomery Alabama respond to me? He told me if I can find those letters and submit them with the request for the earlier effective date based on these documents it shouldn't take them but 2-3 weeks to process the earlier effective date and send the retro. I laughed at him and he was like whats funny and I said I have never seen the VA do anything in a few weeks especially since this will be a check for somewhere around 30,000 since I should also be SMC S from Dec 2003 back to either Dec or Nov 2002 since the letter was dated 21 Nov 2002 I think the benefits should be effective from Dec 2002 so it is either 11 months of back pay 12 or 13 I don't know how they figure that stuff out I do know I am SMC S effective Dec 2003 I had to quit working in June 2002 due to my heart condition and the VA heart cath in October 2002 was when the doctors told me I was totally disabled and file for SSD and any VA benefits I might be entitled to. That was when I went looking for answers to what caused me to have the health and body of a 75 year old man at the age of 47 in 2002 and I learned the entire story of the Edgewood experiments, after I left in August 1974 I never really thought about it again we had been promised 25 years in Leavenworth for violating the National Security Acts we were told to never tell spouses, doctors or anyone about it. In Oct 2002 when I first came here I was a few weeks into my research about the human experiments and I had found the EPA superfund sites and the 77 toxic substances in the drinking water, that they had used 254 various substances chemical weapons and drugs on the 7120 enlisted men and women used at Edgewood Arsenal between 1955 - 1975 when the experiments were stopped when the DA IG Report on Human Experimentation was released and Congress was looking for people to hold accountable but I was in Korea and none of the Congressional hearing made it into Stars and Stripes and heard nothing about the MKULTRA investigation and th hearings where they had DR Sidney Gottleib of the CIA testifying to the Senate about the LSD experiments they had used the Army to conduct. I have been lied to, lied about accused of taking other peoples records and changing them to put my name on them to make it appear I was used at Edgewood etc, I have been told that I claimed I was used in "secret experiments that never took place" etc BS I have never claimed anything but the truth Edgewood Arsenal was classified but it wasn't exactly "secret" was it the facts are 75% of the men used there are either dead or disabled that comes from a March 2003 IOM Report based on data they gathered under false pretenses in FY 2000 saying they were just doing a follow up health study on us when in fact the study was strictly done and only focused on sarin exposures and none of the other substances and it was for the purpose of holding down the presumptive conditions that would be linked to the Gulf War One veterans they ignored mustard agent exposures as they know that the mustard agents are linked to pulmonary and cardiac issues which would put them on the hook for hundreds of billions in compensation payments for the nearly 1 million troops that went thru SW Asia from 1990-2001 mustard agents linger in soil, wood and concrete for years the VA and DOD have gone to great lengths to ignore claims for mustard agent exposure even though the ammo dumps at Kamisayah held more mustard agent weapons on March 1991 than they did Sarin filled weapons when the Army ordered the ammo dumps exploded on site rather than destruct the chemical weapons in a safe manner like they do now at that old Army base in Alabama near Anniston or other chemical weapon storage areas they burn them in specially designed high temp furnaces in Iraq in March 1991 they just blew them up and the winds blew that chit everywhere. When they say it ain't about the money they are lying it is always about the money I hope the guy was telling the truth about the earlier effective date I am sure I or my wife can find a way to use that extra money since I am going on Monday to submit them I already dug them out I will also go ahead and file the claim for the K award it's what 96 a month now? They haven't given us any COLAs for 2 years that 96 would make a nice COLA lol The phone call did surprise me though heck them having someone go thru my entire C file trying to find the Noc 2002 Principi letter shocks me my file is not exactly little he mentioned 5 volumes.... most of the documents are dated 2003 and after and there are a lot of them think I will see the money or are they just pulling my chain again?

there are normally 2 wards for mental health the "lockdown" ward and the regular ward, I would guess they are on the lockdown ward they wouldn't even let us have matches or lighters on that ward and the aide would light our cigarettes when they opened the smoking patio usually the minimum stay is 3 days if he asked to be hospitalized then they will normally let them leave if they were out in there because of their attempt against their will then they probably won't be let out until the doctor says it is safe but I would think it is 72 hours in Georgia, if they are still suicidal or acting up on the lockdown ward then they will be there longer than 3 days I have 3 attempts I am glad now I couldn't do it right as I look back I realize now that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem as bad as things seem they can always improve but when you are dead then there are no better days I hope your friend gets the real help they need thats the most important thing right now

the VA time clock ticks very slowly patience is needed and we have all been there many of us waited years for our claims to finally be heard on appeals just do not give up no matter what they throw at you they win many times just because veterans give up in frustration it's not a good system but it's the one we have to deal with and you will have plenty of support here most of us have walked this walk

all I remember about that question during my C&P was how did I manage my funds I told the female C&P doc that I had it direct deposited and my wife paid all of the bills and I didn't have any money management issues there was always thousands in the checking account at the end of the month and I had no problem with the way she handled it, the C&P examiner busted out laughing and said I had it under control then so the C&P report stated I had no money management issues and was competent to handle my own affairs. :) But I agree with Jim Strickland any of us could get bit by this if the VA decides to turn our checks over to a "fiduciary" regardless of our objections and it sounds our appeals falls on deaf ears at the VARO level we all should pay attention to how this case turns out one day our names could be in a case like this

financial hardships are not a basis for them to speed up your claims process I know where many people think by claiming it the VA "should" move quicker of your claim but the bottom line is they do it when they get around to it, the only thing that will help your claim is the diagnosis of PTSD by a VA mental health provider, a stressor that is verfiable and current treatment notes as you have heard by now the VA currently has one million claims back logged and they still do most of their work with paper files just like they did in Vietnam, Korea and WW2 they claim they are moving to a digital records system which will stream line the process you need to make some type of arrangements for a place to live and eat while this process goes thru it's motions, this is not something that will be done in a matter of days or maybe even months it could take a year or more, my PTSD part of my claim took from Dec 2003 until May 2006 before they finally adjudicated it properly and granted my 100% P&T just on the PTSD issue then the cardiac issues took until Feb 2009 when I got my BVA hearing and April 2009 when the Judge granted my CAD and hypertension as secondary to my SC PTSD and it was June before the VARO sent the award letter and rated the CAD and the deposit was made June 4 2009 7 years from start to finish there is nothing fast about the comp claims process just do not miss any of their deadlines for you to file appeals etc

I know this is not what you want to hear but you are not alone many of us have lost everything, vehicles, houses, and some even our families, in some cases the spouses couldn't take the stress of the financial problems, nor the problems from the PTSD so they took the kids and left, some of us have found ourselves on the streets or the basement of our parents home before the VA ever got our claims straight. Then there is the stages of getting your life back together in some cases SSD will be approved before the VA claims will be or vice versa and then you have a minimum standard of living while you still "fight" for your entire benefits package I was fortunate my SSD was based on my cardiac problems and the only medical records I had was the VAs as they did my triple bypass and 2 failed stents and then they did the heart cath in Oct 2002 that showed it had all collapsed and was not operable again and they deemed me as a "medicate only " patient, which means the other surgeons won't fix my other problems herniated disks L3, L4 L5 and S1 so they give me pain pills which mitigate the pain but do not fix anything but SSD was approved in 4 months based on the VA records the VA denied my SC for CAD and hypertension from Dec 2002 until April 2009 when a BVA Judge granted my CAD and hypertension as secondary to my already SC PTSD which had been granted in stages inn May 2005 they granted 50% which I appealed the very next day as my treatment records and doctor statements plainly stated I was totally and permanently disabled solely by the PTSD symptoms and it was their opinion I would never be employable again finally after a DRO hearing in Jan 2006 they set up another C&P which lated about 10 minutes and in May 2006 they granted my PTSD at 100% P&T we used the large back pay checks to get"our life back" we bought a home and a new "used car" we bought a 2009 with 14,000 miles on it for about half the list price of a new car we will never get that 7 year period from hell back and fighting the VA for benefits you know you deserve is pure hell it makes many of us question why we ever went in the military to begin with many couples end up in divorce during the fight for Veterans benefits my wife tried to work back in 2003 and the stress it caused me to be left alone caused more problems than her working "fixed" so she quit working to stay home and care for me luckily we got the SSD approved quickly the VA comp claim did turn into a marathon however and then the ratings came in stages spread out over many years before we finally got the "brass ring" due to the severity of my cardiac problems we felt that the CAD needed to be SC since I had already had a stroke and 7 heart attacks and the failed bypass surgery and failed stents and my death will more likely be caused by coronary problems than by PTSD so we needed the SC for her to be eligible for DIC benefits and CHAMPVA medical care soon I will be at the 10 year mark for SC and then it all becomes a moot point anyway after 10 years of being SC it doesn't matter what causes the veterans death the spouse then gets the DIC benefits now my goal is to live as long as possible and keep cashing their checks my health will never improve but as long as I keep breathing each day is a victory sooner or later hopefully sooner you and your husband will be in this position and I hope then you both will find some happiness in the years ahead that you have together and that this period will be just a bad memory and that you will find yourselves being able to help the new veterans and their spouses that you will encounter in the future and remember that how bad it was for you and to be able to help guide the newbies thru this ugly azz obstacle course. Hopefully when they get to a digital file system the claims process will improve myself I am not going to hold my breath as long as people are involved in the determination and rating there will always be problems yes there are people out there trying to committ fraud as long as money is available there will be some people attempting to defraud the government out of it, but not everyone is and we all should not be treated as if we are committing fraud, and yes it seems that is what we are all going thru we have to prove we were harmed by our service and we have to find the proof the government does not go out of their way to help us find it. I hope your financial circumstances improve soon we were down to 14 dollars when my SSD was approved and owed the land lady 2 months rent she knew my SS claim was pending and we had to find all the food pantries in Augusta from June 2002 until April 2003 when we got our SSD catholic social services has the best food pantries and they actually gave you enough food to last a few weeks not just a few days and would help with utilities and even offered a lawyer to handle our SSD appeal if necessary pro bono which can save a family a lot of money that 25% of back pay can add up but going into this process I knew nothing about food pantries or pro bono lawyers I had always worked and paid my bills since 1970 so to find myself as a "bum" in the fall of 2002 was quite a fall from the middle class life I had always lived my father was a retired auto worker he retired in 1963 after 40 years at GM so all I had ever known was a "good life" being broke was a new experience and one I hope to never have to live again. Times will get better and the people here are some of the best I met while I went thru this journey as many of them have walked the same path, we are here to help show you how to navigate the systems and hopefully show you that there is light at then end of the tunnel, T BIRD, Berta, Pete, Carlie amd J Basser are just a few of the many people that helped keep me "sane" thru this long process, and then the ones who have left us, Alex and many others Flip is still here even if he does keep changing his name lol he even came to town and spent a few hours with us and we went to a shrimp place to eat there are some great people here with decades of knowledge these people have walked the walk and we all benefit from it may 2011 be a great year for your family

you will need to find the CFR 38 rules that were in effect in 1969 you can not use the rules that are in effect today to base any type of complaint about remember in 1969 they did not even recognize many of the conditions that are service connected today all agent orange related issues, PTSD etc so you need to find the old manuals from 1969 and see what they stated about veterans and their being able to obtain medical care from the VAMCs and how could they deny access to veterans discharged with known medical issues in 1969 I was still in high school and had never heard of the VA myself. But it would seem to me that would be your starting point since you are 100% now I don't understand your concern about 1969 but if it is about an earlier effective date for your claim and an attempt to get retro you are beating a dead horse and will just cause yourself more aggravation have you discussed this with a veterans lawyer that knows their stuff? They would have more knowledge if you have a snowballs chance in hell of getting anywhere with this.

some will never be happy it's that simple I like many here have been getting GREAT health care from the VA medical system do I like the way the Regional offices handle the claims process hell no it only took me 7 years to get the benefits I had earned despite the overwhelming evidence to approve the claim from the get go, the RO made it feel like a never ending night mare and it took a BVA Judge to finally end the nightmare yes there needs to be changes in the system but I don't blame every person at the VA because of it and believe it or not some people deserve the bonuses so more power to them the ones who get them based on friend ships not so much but no system is perfect and life is what it is like my mother used to say life is like a rose bush it has thorns in it deal with them some times you get the flower and some times you get stuck by the thorns like most of you I got tore up by the thorns before I ever saw the flowers now I stay here to try and help others vets find their own flowers without getting stuck so much by the thorns

being a "combat vet" really is not the issue when it comes to PTSD it's do you have the diagnosis from a VA doctor, and do you have a "stressor incident" that you can verify a plane crash severe injury if you were assaulted while in service does your medical records show the attack was anyone court martialed because of it? There are many ways to get PTSD mine was from an attempted murder and robbery 4 men went to Leavenworth over it, that was easier to prove than the DMZ incidents in Korea or the many vehicle accidents at NTC where people I knew died and live rounds (short rounds) wounded etc they will not pay you back to when you were discharged or even when you sought treatment years ago the effective date will be the day you actually filed the claim my stressor one of them happened 5 Feb 1975 my PTSD effective date in Dec 2003 when I actually filed my PTSD claim the only way to get paid back to a discharge date is for veterans who file claims within a year of ETS then the VA will go back to their discharge date for the rest of us it is the day we file the claim. Not all VSOs are good at what they do as you seem to have found out some are chair warmers you can't micro manage what they do but you can file your own documents and get them date stamped etc many veterans file their own claims but most do not understand the system and it usually is best if you use a good VSO from one of the veteran groups or county veterans agencies my wife and I did mine after I revoked my American Legions SOs POA in Dec 2003 and filed my own claims I got 100% P&T for PTSD but I did have to get a lawyer to help with my BVA appeal for CAD and hypertension which I was granted in 2009 in spite of myself sometimes you just need a good rep either a VSO or an attorney before 2007 we could not get lawyers until the appeal went to COVA now you can use them after the first denial which is good for veterans. Letting a lawyer deal with the VA can be worth it if you have a complicated mess and the VARO is denying you and seems not to be listening learn some patience there is nothing fast about compensation claims and there are no dumb questions if youcan think of it ask it the only dumb question is the one you have that you didn't ask

Congrats this has to be a huge relief after 5 years better to be 100% now regardless of what date they use than still be at a lower level and still waiting for the 100% hopefully you will see the retro check before New years have a Merry Xmas

Because not all doctors are idiots some actually do care, the doc has no say in what the VA raters do, the fact that he indicated that he supports the TDIU is good as long as that is what actually ends up on the report the VARO has a way of making things mean opposite than what reports actually state, never believe anything until you see it in writing and I trust them more after I see the money in the bank my GAFs were 30 and 35 for more than 3 years before they raised me from 50% to 100% I have never done an in patient program either mainly because they refused to admit me to the domicillary I think you will get the TDIU personally I think they should just rate you 100% P&T and be done with it most vets rated TDIU for PTSD should be granted the 100% rating it would also help if you can get your doctor to state that they do not think you will ever improve to become employable again so you can get the P&T rating hell given your age they should do that after age 55 none of us will likely ever find a job again none paying more than minimum wage heck Wal Mart can only hire so many door greeters

I have a good idea it was based on IHD and AO he has been one heck of an advocate on AO issues for years though< I am happy for him and Glenda they deserve the break finally

I have gotten them on Tues and Wed they come as soon as the VARO releases the authorization for payment you can not begin to guess what date the VA will send out retro checks if you have direct deposit then it will be there if not the check will show up in the mail one day I have gotten the award letter and then the money and then I got the money and then the award letter but they show up within days of each other I hope it show up before Xmas for you but if not they have some great sales right after Xmas

John I am pretty sure this is just the vets since 2001 they have never attacked the Vietnam and Cold War era PDO discharges before why try now? The VVA is trying to be the vet group that shows they are progressive and will fight for the new veterans and like all Vet groups they need new members to pay their dues and keep the group going cynical azzhat ain't I?

where are the other BIG groups at on this issue AL, VFW and DAV are they supporting the VVA or just letting the VVA carry the entire weight of the fight? As well all know this has been an issue since Vietnam it has just again been forced into a major issue with the amount of Army soldiers and Marines that have been discharged after their combat tours have been done but before they are discharged at their regular ETS time, instead of medically discharging the affected military members and having to give them a Chapter 61 retirement due to PTSD they have been diagnosiing them with PDO and tossing them out onto the streets with no benefits from the VA let alone the now required 50% rating for PTSD and the Chapter 61 retirement which DOD would be on the hook for, let alone any VA benefits. It's always about the money

wal mart can usually fill them cheaper they charge 4 dollars a month for most meds if they are for a SC issue you still have to see a VA doc to prescribe the meds the civilian doc wants you on if the VA has them in the pharmacy I know it would be easier if they just took the reg docs scripts but they are anal that way they want VA docs to write scripts for their pharmacy

check and see if there is a VET center in your town or in a town near you maybe the counselors there will be easier for you to talk to private mental health care is usually expensive and most insurance policies only pay about 50% of the bill and not all mental health types know HOW to deal with PTSD patients I know they are supposed to know how to treat mental health but like everything else there are specialty areas and PTSD is not a generic area they need to know what they are doing in order to help you most of it is finding a way for you to cope with your issues, this isn't something they can talk out of you they can help you find ways to cope there are meds that can mitigate the symptoms but there are NO cures and no pills to make it go away if there was they would demand that we all take them and then quit sending us compensation checks but there are no cures and they know it just ways to help us mitigate the effects

I have never had a C&P doc change the diagnosis from PTSD to anxiety disorder before your big problem is the high GAF score he gave you that 70 is a merciless score the 47 from your treating doc would put you in a 50% award area but that 70 you are likely to get 10% or even a 0% how long have you been in treatment and do you have a verifiable stressor? You will more than likely HAVE to do a NOD or a formal appeal to the BVA to get the PTSD award granted hopefully you have months of treatment records from your VA doc that will back your appeal for an higher percentage and will have documented the symptoms and issues that you are having and the full extent they are having on your social life, home life and occupational aspects of your life my VA doc would NOT write any letters to specifically address my claims but his treatment records were excellent and have been since I started seeing him in Jan 2003 without his treatment notes I would not have won my appeal and had my initial award of 50% done in 2005 raised to 100% schedular P&T in May 2006 with an effective date of Dec 2003 but every Feb he also wrote a simple statement in my records "it is my belief that Mr Bailey is totally and permanently disabled solely by the symptoms of his PTSD and it is my opinion that he will never be employable again, this would lave him disabled without any consideration of his other health issues" he has been doing this since 2004 and he still does it and I expect he will continue doing it until I die or he retires which I expect I will die before he retires. That high GAF is your worst issue

nope I have a regular 30 year mortgage that was done in Jan 2007 I never expect to live to pay it off I have enough insurance that my wife can do what she wants pay off the house, sell it and keep all the money etc either way she will have choices which is all I have ever wanted to provide her with I doubt if she will want to keep a 4 bedroom house it seems huge now with just the 2 of us in it but with the market as bad as it is we are not willing to lose 30,000 just to sell it we liked it when we bought it in 2006 and we still like it but back then we had her daughter and 2 grand kids living with us and we needed the room, they have since moved out and are on their own we like the room but it is large to large for 2 people and I know nothing of VA loans we did it thru our local bank I last used a VA laon back in the early 80s about 4 houses ago

CONGRATS maybe you will get the letter explaining it soon as well but you HAVE the important part the CASH keep some for a rainy day big checks will be few and far between from now on unless you happen to hit the lottery and I haven't read here on the board where anyone has done that yet either that or they ain't saying lol the money will never make you "whole" but it damn sure helps make life easier knowing that you have the benefits you earned thru your service and being harmed while in service coming in now and knowing that they will keep coming in until you pass away it makes living a little bit easier to deal with living with no money sucks losing the house, the car and the family really sucks many of us have gone thru this getting our benefits approved and making life financially easier makes waking up every day a lot easier and it is stressful dealing with the VA on a claims process many will tell you that is you didn't have a stress relayed problem before filing a claim by the time it gets approved and paid you might end up with PTSD from all the BS the Regional Office throws at you enjoy the holidays now you deserve it

you are normally DFR'd after 30 days dropped from the rolls and you would not go back to your old unit you would go to a Personnel Control Facility back then they were at Fort Ord, Ca and Fort Dix NJ for determination of what to do with you some people got non judicial punishment and then re-assigned to a new duty station others were court martialed served their sentence and were then either discharged or re-assigned and others were just chaptered out of the Army which seems to be what they did do to you but as others have pointed out the Board of Corrections does not usually do anything in favor of the veterans I have seldom seen the upgrade discharges to help veterans obtain compensation benefits a few have been able to get a status where they get VA medical treatment but nothing else how they did it I don't know my brother can't get his upgraded and he was given a Chapter 10 in the early 80s it was either that or go to prison the Chapter 10 was his best option and he has paid for it for a long time and he will pay for it the rest of his life. He made a lot of bad choices as a Drill SGT at Fort McClellan he threw away 14 years due to his stupidity. I hope you have some good lawyer helping you on your appeal to the Board of Correction on your discharge upgrade you will need a good one and that does not mean it will be upgraded just it will improve your shot at it to try and do it yourself is like going into court without a lawyer don't do it most chapter discharges are not done by a board it is a paperwork drill for the G1 and approved by a Battalion or Brigade Commander and half the time the NCOIC signed for the officer

This is a normal response to an "I don't know if they will rate it as being SC" since he was inducted presuming a "sound body and mind" and he has already fulfilled 10 years of military service I can't see how they can NOT service connect the issue. What I am more concerned about if they just place a "bar to re-enlistment" and just run the clock out on him and then at the end of 13 years military service they toss him out the door, that is why I suggested a trip to JAG to see what if any rights he does have. Since his "mental health issue" is not PTSD which requires a mandatory of a minimum of 50% retired amount if the service member is found to be medically unfit, I ask this because a vet on another board who is Navy who has been diagnosed with PTSD is now being given the run around with the Navy saying he is fit for duty despite his PTSD diagnosis and who also has 10 years in , he wants the medical retirement and has submitted his resume everywhere and anywhere and has gone on job interviews all before he knows it the Navy is going to medically retire him. In his case he has been advised to stop trying to jump from the navy to a private company for the day after he leaves service, he does still have time on his enlistment also about 3 years he is caught between a "rock and a hard place" the rock being the Navy and the new job as the hard place

when did he re-enlist last and how long before his enlistment runs out? They might just bar him from re-enlistment and run the clock out on him, I suggest you talk to JAG and see what your options are if this is the route they decide to take it would seem after 10 years of service they would have some responsibility........but I have been out since 1991 active duty I have no idea what they are doing these days but I saw plenty of dirty tricks back in the 70s good luck and keep asking questions it is your life and the kids as well as your husbands future you are dealing with there are no stupid questions at this point

the way that reads to me is that they haven't diagnosed you with anything yet they put the R/O in front of all of them I don't know the procedure where you are at but the VAMC where I go they do not let any doc make the diagnosis by themselves the PTSD team a shrink, a psychologist and a resident do the tests, the interviews and it was a 4 month process for me to get them to decide I did have PTSD and OCD and then they took the R/O out of my treatment records from May 2003 and used PTSD/OCD from then on I have lost 60 pounds and they still haven't taken obese off my list of medial problems either but I am well under 200 pounds now the VA does nothing fast add or delete things you might want to ask your shrink exactly he does have you diagnosed with because if you file for them and they come back and say you aren't diagnosed with any of them then you will have the VARO with opinion that you are a compensation seeking vet and you don't have any real issues that they should compensate you for you do need to get your doctor to clarify things for you better to go forward with a good plan than half armed just my 2 cents I spent 9 years fighting with the VARO because I didn't have a "good" plan