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Testvet

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Everything posted by Testvet

  1. Tonio I don't know about implants they do make bridges and dentures, I got a new set of dentures from the VA dentist about 3 years ago, I don't know how much you know about the quality of dentures but at the civilian places there are basically 3 grades of dentures 600 (cheapest makes you look like you have a softball shoved in your mouth) 800 ( okay but still not quality) 1400 (nicest dentures I have ever seen The dentures the VA doc made for me are the 1400 quality if I had to pay for them from a civilian place Remember this is probably the last time you will ever see a LARGE amount of money like this, when it is gone it will be gone, do not let friends or relatives talk you out of it, I bought 2 15,000 dollar CDs I used another 30,000 for a down payment on a home, and 3 thousand for a down payment on new car this was back in 2006 we took a couple of trips, so we didn't just sit on all of it we had some fun and put some to good use and we still have a nice "rainy day fund" I made a packet up for my wife that tells her what formsafter I die and where they go so after I die she can file her DIC claim and apply for her portion of my SSD, I have seen where some spouses have a real hard time when a vet passes and she doesn't have a clue on what to do, help her out and put it all together with the insurance paperwork etc how many copies of the death certificate she will need and hopefully she will have enough in the bank after that day happens so she doesn't have the utilities cut off, or the house repossessed, I have seen some of these widows fight with the VAROs for more than a year. I know some of the things I said were downers but hopefully you want your spouse taken care of when you will no longer be here to do it. Congrats on the 100% P&T check with your state and see what benefits are available to you and your family due to your new status some states have great benefits for 100% vets and then again some have very little.
  2. denials need to be approved also never get your hopes up expect the worst and wait until you get something in writing I prefer the deposit slip from my bank you can not spend a phone conversation and sometimes wrong things get said then they will later claim they were reading the wrong file etc, calling the 800 number is a 50/50 chance they will tell you the truth or even know how to find it, patience is required in dealing with a Regional office on any claims I have seen some handled right in 5-6 months and get awarded properly I have seen them get low balled and the vet spends 2-5 years in appeals, they grant some issues then defer others then the issues don't get acted on and more than a year lapses and the VARO will close the claim as abandoned it is the veterans claim do not depend on a VSO to make sure something has happened to the deferred issues in the 365 days since the award was made. Then they want new evidence or a new claim so they won't have to pay the back pay there are all sorts of ways paperwork gets lost just make sure you make a in writing letter asking for the status or action on your pending claim I had to fight me heart issue from Dec 2002 in June 2007 when they allowed us to retain lawyers to appeal VARO decisions to the BVA was I able to get one and in less than 18 m months she got a new C&P exam a hearing and the award was issued in April 2009 by BVA in Washington my lawyer said it might take a year to get my file back from DC for the RO to rate it for percentages it didn't on June 4 they deposited the difference of 100% and SMC S about 20,000 dollars in my account. The money was nice but it wasn't about that with my severe heart problems I needed the CAD service connected to ensure my wife will get DIC if I died before the 10 year mark I never thought it would take me almost 10 years of fighting the VA for it, I just refused to quit, but I had at least one date stamped piece of paper from them about the heart issue for the entire 9 years the claims have to be actively worked and trust me after about 4 years I really wanted to quit the fighting was stressful just what I need with my SC 100% PTSD but it was worth it. It took me from Dec 2003 - May 2006 to get the 100% rating for PTSD they first granted 50% in Feb 2004. I have heard it stated that if you did not have PTSD before dealing with the VARO's you will have before it is over. I think they could make the Pope swear
  3. I have had back problems for years surgery on L5/S1 in 1994 reinjured my back in 2000 used heat pads then I had a heart attack in June 2002 that caused me to have an ejection fraction of 25% and the VA docs told me to file for SSD that I could not return to any type of work that also put me on their "we ain't operating on you anymore list" the back pain was pretty bad at that point and my PC doc got a new MRI on my back it showed L3, L4, L5/S1 all herniated she did put me on percocet since I had quit driving and my wife drove me everywhere knock on wood I am scared they will try and stop them now with this new push to get vets off of opiates, but my medical condition has worsened over the years. After the last major heart attack in April 2011 they told me I could NOT use my hot tub any longer, the heat supposedly is not good gor my blood/oxygen levels yada yada yada I quit listening as to why it was one of the last real enjoyments I had in life, but I can still use my pool and I have found that if I get in and float on a big fat noodle or 2 of the smaller ones it takes the weight off my back and just let my legs dangle for about 20 - 30 minutes twice a day that it helps keep the back from screaming in pain down from make a "noise and I will kill you feelings" I have tried everything known to man I think TENS unit didn't work acupuncture didn't work heck I offered to let them operate on my using an epidural to stop the pain they refused to attempt it the only surgical procedure they did was place a pacemaker/defib in Sep 2011 that risk was acceptable because of the defib function not all emergency vehicles have the heart attack paddle units in them in our area the police chief has one but there is no guarantee he is the car that will respond and not one of the deputies one time I passed out and he was there a good 5 minutes before the ambulance showed up that was about 4 years ago. We bought a house that had a pool because the VA told me I could only use theirs for 5 minutes three times a week it wasn't worth driving there for that with my own pool I can go in every day and as often as I like Oct to May is to cold to use and heating it would be to expensive I do miss that hot tub good luck finding some relief back pain sux
  4. John, they issued me a BiPap back in Nov after a trip to ICU and they didn't have one at Dorn VA so they found one available at Lexington Medical Center across town and they asked if we objected to them transferring me there for treatment, of course not it is about 5 minutes from my house thats where I go when I have a heart attack for emergency care and fee basis ends up paying the bills I prefer Lexington to Dorn, but my carbon dioxide levels keep soaring and making me lethargic, I have been on O2 since June 2011 24/7 2 liters, I have a connection from my air machine that hooks into the bipap when I go to bed. All of us are different I have major issues sleeping due to nightmares, bad back sicatica, oxygen problems etc a lot of factors, if I try and sleep with no medicinal aid I might get 45 minutes lucky I will get 2 hours, if I take 2 mg of clonazepam I can get about 6 hours, but I wake up feeling like I am lost, I found the best med for me is a generic from K Mart diphenhydrmine HCL they are 25 mg tablets and I take 4 about an hour before I want to sleep/lay down I do this normally about 1 am then my wife has to put the BiPap mask on me I can't work my fingers on the back of my head to hook the clasp and she switches the oxygen line from my air hose to the machine, I am able to pop the clasp when I wake up about 5 or 6 if I am real lucky I might actually sleep until 7 or 8, she puts my glasses and the air hose on my computer chair so after I take the mask off I can switch the hose from the BiPap back to the compressor line normally she is up half the night on her computer about 4 feet from the hospital bed I sleep in that is in our computer room I know taking the antihistamine is NOT recommended but 2 of the pills don't enable me to sleep but the 4 do, the doctors gave me 5 months to live in April 2011 and I have been using these sleeping pills for more than 10 years I prefer to take the risk and get some real sleep that helps me than to be cautious and not take the antihistimens they have some that add aspririn I won't take those it is to much aspirin but the bottle I get is 400 pills of 25 mg labeled smart sense and cost about 8 dollars to me 8 bucks for some real sleep for 3 months is cheap I am not recomending YOU do it, I am telling you what I found that works for me 2 might work for you or 3 might work ask your doc and then you make up your mind what you are willing to do in order to sleep those masks come in 3 sizes from the VA small medium and large I found I do have to shave the beard messes up the seal sleep is something I found I need 4-6 hours is better than 45 minutes but then there are those nights no matter what I only get one or 2 hours but they seem to be few and far between. talk to your wife and your doc before you do it if you decide to try it your wife may appreciate you getting some sleep too :) I am less cranky lol
  5. all I can do is give you an idea of my timeline had my BVA Hearing in Feb 2009 got letter from BVA Judge notifying my claim had been granted for CAD and hypertension. It was being sent back for the VARO to rate the percentage I was entitled to, on 4 Jun I got the retro deposited and on the 5th I got the VARO award letter in the mail I have never used e benefits all I see is people complaining about it my lawyer told me I was lucky she said she has seen it take as much as a year for some to get their award after the BVA Hearings, and teleconference or person to person at BVA or the vet going to DC for the hearing which sounds expensive and I haven.t seen where that makes the process any faster bottom line is the lawyers think normal is about a year from hearing to award letter my lawyer only practices VA LAW she teaches VA law at the University level
  6. The last time I was in ICU the hospital gave me 2 choices either let the social worker set up a home health care aide or go directly to a nursing home upon discharge, I am 100% SC and the VA pays all my bills but under Medicare A they pay for home health care and there is no co-pays I told the social worker the VA pays all my bills but I was covered for 60 days and they are doing the paperwork now to extend it for another 60 days with the VA picking up the cost it's cheaper for any of them to pay this cost than have me back in ICU, the nurse was here today but I only have help 2 days a week, they authorize based on medical needs and not desires I had the nurse and a physical therapist for the first 60 days good luck on your surgery but you need to talk to your clinics patient advocate to arrange this stuff and to get your primary care doc to order it they know what needs to be done
  7. Yes I was exposed to chemicals in fact the EPA list for Edgewood Arsenal shows 77 toxic substances in the water wells the Army used until 1978 when they were ordered to cap them by the EPA and the Army had to pipe in water from the White Mountains for the base and town of Edgewood as the entire aquifer is contaminated. The War Department started using Camp Edgewood as the nations chemical weapon center in 1917 and they moved it out of the DC area to Edgewood. They are known to have poured waste into pits, buried wooden barrels and metal barrels for decades. The Army denies anyone was harmed by these exposures. All of my medical issues caused by exposures are service connected as secondary to my SC PTSD, CAD and hypertension. I have been on O2 since June 2011 due to my congestive heart failure I used a lawyer as soon as the VA allowed it beginning in June 2007, that took a lot of the day to day stress of my wife and I, I had been fighting the claim since Dec 2002 they just kept denying anything I said about toxin exposures except one time they stated in one of the denials that I could not prove what toxins I had ingested in the water while I was there. They never addressed what I was intentionally exposed to in these experiments http://www.edgewoodtestvets.org/ I have 2 100% ratings a 60% rating and a 10% rating PTSD, ICD device, CAD and hypertension I am paid at SMC L rate these rating ensure my wife will keep her CHAMPVA and get DIC payments, I am done fighting with them. File the claims get it started as soon as you get the first denial from the regional office then contact the lawyer you should have located by then to handle the claim, do your research and find a lawyer that you are comfortable with that is VA law approved it is a specialty area of law and not any lawyer will do, if they do not know VA law I don't care how smart they are they can mess up the claim. this is my BVA results http://www.va.gov/vetapp09/files2/0912815.txt focus on making your last days together as happy as you can, which I know is hard but at least leave the stress of dealing with the VA to a lawyer, you can still proceed with the claim after he passes and there are benefits that you will be entitled to I have put my wife thru hell the past 2 years I had a major heart attack in April 2011 that put me on O2 and a wheel chair as my ejection fraction is now 10% I was in ICU for a month between 1 week in Columbia at Lexington Medical and they transferred me to MUSC for a evaluation for a heart transplant that is when they also determined my lungs were shot and I really need a heart and lung package transplant but due to the severity of my problems I am not patient they will put on the transplant list as they don't think I would survive the ordeal, they told my wife to take me home and make my affairs are in order and medicate only they said it was end stage heart failure, 2 years later I am still here, I spent 3 months of the past 6 in ICU units, I have had doctors push me to sign a DNR and I refuse, my wife and I have discussed our options and pulling the plug the day I go into a CHF episode seems idiotic, the last time I went to the ER they tried putting me into hospice and my wife thru a fit and refused she then handed them a copy of my legal papers giving her all my decision making authority. that pissed off that one doctor so I will not be going back to Dorn VA again, we can't trust them. That was in Jan I have been hospitalized 3 times at Lexington since then and the VA pays the bills since it is a SC issue. I see a primary care doc in Augusta. do what is best for you and your husband the lawyer that did my VA claim came to my ICU room and did the will and documents for my healthcare decisions in my wifes hands then she refused to let my wife pay her for doing it, some of these lawyers are great people. She has since moved but she still practices VA law only and she teaches it also. Just don't give up and let the VA win keep the appeal going and get everything you are entitled to.
  8. most congress critters like being seen voting annually for the COLA for veterans it allows them to go to the vet orgs and say see I voted for you I care about you vote for me if they make it a permanent deal then there will be no annual vote for vets some how I don't see congress passing a permanent increase those voting records help them stay in office
  9. most doctors will not sign off the paperwork for the placards on a mental condition, handicap parking is meant for physical handicaps, in south carolina you can get the license plate if you are 100 P&T the plates are good forever, the placards usually are only good for 3 or 7 years. My ex wife's son used his grandparents car which has handicap plates and he used a HC spot with out them with him and the fine was a 1000.00 I doubt if he ever does that again
  10. phone calls are not written contracts until you see it in writing it doesn't mean anything regardless of whose mouth it comes out of I trust them even more when I see the cash in the bank
  11. does your primary care or shrink support your stopping work? without their support your claim is not going to go very far, you need the medcial evidence and medical support yo get the rater to support it, and frankly I have to say you are the first person I have even seen get 70% with a GAF score of 60 we all know GAF scores are a snapshot and they can vary from hour to hour but in a C&P exam that appears to be high for a rating of 70. the NOD can or BVA appeal can take a year to 4 or 5 years right now there is nothing easy about it if you have a spouse and kids are they covered by health insurance where you work now, if you quit what are they going to do for health care until your appeal is granted if it is granted? It's your choice but it can get a better award or it can make things worse there are no guarantees
  12. anytime you reopen a claim for any reason they can review your entire file and do C&Ps on all your SC issues, if you know your condition is worse and have it documented in your treatment records but if you just "think" it should be higher and don't want to work so you file for 100% or TDIU there is no guarantee the VA will grant it, yes they can reduce it, there are far more increases granted than reductions, just make sure your documents support the increase.
  13. that might be faster I got mine thru the ILP program in Voc Rehab after they determined I was not capable of ever working again. The ILP program got me a lot of things
  14. Lets see your husband has been getting denied for more than a decade in June 2007 the VA changed the rules to allow veterans to obtain lawyers to assist them in their appeals after being denied on their initial claim. They only get paid if they WIN the case, and the fee they charge is supposed to be 20% some veterans get lawyers that have them sign for larger percentages 25 or 30%, that is their mistake they should use a reputable ;awyer or law firm that specializes in VA law and not a local lawyer referred by a friend that did a car accident for them. 80% of a win is better than 100% of nothing if you lose again I went thru several VSOs from various veteran groups that just wanted me to sign up for lifetime memberships,BS, in 2006 I fired the last one and kept my appeals alive until we could hire a lawyer, since my claim had been denied before June 2007 the lawyer took the case pro bono, which was great for us, but I would have gladly paid the 20% for the 100% award I was granted I slept better after I turned it over to the lawyer so did my wife......
  15. new homes or making your existing home wheel chair accessible Benefit The SAH and SHA benefit amount is set by law, but may be adjusted upward annually based on a cost-of-construction index. The maximum dollar amount allowable for SAH grants in fiscal year 2013 is $64,960. The maximum dollar amount allowable for SHA grant in fiscal year 2013 is $12,992. No individual may use the grant benefit more than three times up to the maximum dollar amount allowable. How to Apply To apply for a grant, fill out and submit VA Form 26-4555.the Application in Acquiring Specially Adapted Housing or Special Home Adaptation Grant. You can access this form by: Applying online via VA Form 26-4555, Application in Acquiring Specially Adapted Housing or Special Home Adaptation Grant and mailing it to your nearest Regional Loan Center. Calling VA toll free at 1-800-827-1000 to have a claim form mailed to you Visiting the nearest VA regional office. Find the office nearest you by visiting VA Regional Office Locations or calling VA toll-free at 1-800-827-1000 Need more information or have questions? Contact a Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) staff member via email at sahinfo.vbaco@va.gov or by phone at (877) 827-3702. I am pretty sure they will make me go thru another C&P exam for this despite the fact my A&A C&P last year noted the fact that I am wheel chair bound and that walking is not possible due to the severity of my SC heart disease and the fact my ejection fraction is 10% and I have end stage congestive heart failure and have spent 3 months in ICU so far this year. What we really need is the mortgage insurance that being approved for this grant makes us eligible, we can not buy mortgage insurance due to my SC medical issues I am more than willing to pay whatever the charge is for it, I just hate the idea of my wife being forced to sell her home, we are still to the good side but the property value is still down about 30,000 from 2006, besides to rent a decent apartment or even a smaller home in Columbia SC would cost her about as much as our current payments. I still think they should make mortgage insurance available to all disabled vets regardless of how badly disabled they are if their SC conditions prevent them from being able to purchase insurance from private insurance companies. Has anyone else dealt with this program before and how long and difficult is it to work with?
  16. my SSD was based solely on VA treatment records CABG x 3, stroke, 7 heart attacks by June 2002 ejection fraction of 35%, SSD was approved in 4 months, the VA claim took until a BVA Judge granted it in April 2009, during the period after I filed the cardiac claim I was diagnosed with PTSD I was granted 100% P&T by the VA for my PTSD and they kept denying my cardiac claims on the NODs and DRO hearings, I also changed the cause or nexus of the cause of the cardiac issues, I started out blaming it on toxic exposures at Edgewood Arsenal while I was a human test subject and the water weels we used have 77 toxic substances which cause every known medical issue there is, but the VA and DOD refuse to discuss it, so my 2007 my lawyer changed it to my already SC PTSD aggravated my cardiac issues and used the lab results going back to 1974 to show the progression and she got a prominent cardiologist to write that elevated triglycerdies and cholesterol were the beginning of my severe cardiac disease, since 2002 I have had a few more attacks and am now after my 11th heart attack in a wheel chair and have an ejection fraction of 10% and have a aicd/defib both of which are on their own 100% ratings lol I am now paid at SMC L level and am grateful for every day I wake up and am capable of spending the checks they send. I am not saying you will win your claim but I am saying be prepared for a long fight very few things are a gimmee with the VARO
  17. why file for issues that can NOT be a cause of death you added no additional money to your compensation check, you open up all other claims you are being compensated for, sometimes it is best to let sleeping dogs lay. I am sorry you have to go thru this but words of warning about reopening claim files are all over veterans boards
  18. yes the VA has doctors that are licensed accupuncurists most of them are already MDs and the VA pays them to go get trained in the needle treatments. I have used accupuncture before and it has worked it did not however work on sciatica or other pain related to 3 herniated discs you have nothing to lose except maybe an hour of your time if the pain is that bad I suggest trying it
  19. have you kept seeing doctors or shrinks about your medical condition since getting your SSD granted? Because if you quit all treatment after getting the check that won't help you need medical evidence to show you are still disabled by your medical problem like philip said the younger you are the closer they look, supposedly 55 is a safe age who is going to hire a 55 or older person Wal Mart can only hire so many door greeters.........
  20. whenever I re-enlisted I was given a DD214 to account for the previous 3 years and then the 6 years where they listed Honorable discharge for purpose to re-enlist and it has the date on it all the rest of the form is filled out showing medals, time served, good time and lost time etc even my Gulf War service got a DD214 for the active duty time and a couple more medals (love those you were there medals) It would also help that you can show your medical condition actually started during your "good time" enlistment and was not part of the re-enlistment time that you got the OTH for, I am trying to help my older brother now, he had 3 3 year good periods of service he took them 3 years at a time me I took the 6 years and the bonus money he was working it to where he could stay in Korea worked for 7 years before they sent him back to CONUS then he got in trouble as a drill sergeant but his medical problems are from Korea as I was there when one of his incidents occurred but he was there for a lot of things that happened on the DMZ from 72-79 it's getting them past the bad period to look at the good time for his eligibility he's getting to old to keep living in the woods or on the streets I help him with the forms and tell him what he needs to do but like a horse and water you can lead them there but you can't make them do it
  21. yes you can get CAD/IHD etc to MDD or PTSD etc as a secondary condition, I did it back in 2009 but you can not send in that study as a basis for your claim or as justification, you still need YOUR doctor to write a nexus letter showing how YOUR CAD/IHD was caused by your MDD or if you are already SC for MDD how it caused or aggravated your CAD/IHD you still have to show how your problems pertain only to you, I was initially rated at 60% for IHD this year they raised me to 100% for CAD this was after another heart attack that dropped my ejection fraction to 15% and the VA implanted a pacemaker/defibrilator the only thing I am waiting on now is the A&A claim that was deferred and they did the C&P 2 weeks ago I also spent Thanksgiving week in the VA for a bout with CHF they had me hooked up to a heart monitor and IV lasix they served a GREAT meal down to shrimp cocktails with large shrimp I was impressed and the food was good they sent me home Fri afternoon. Yes this type of claim can be won but the Regional office usually will not grant it you have to appeal to the BVA that is my experience with it
  22. the retro should be from the date you filed the claim not the award date you can go to the rate tables and see the difference between 60 and 80 per month and then multiply by the months since you filed and you should have a proximity of how much it will be if you have direct deposit it should be deposited within days congrats
  23. you should be paid at the SMC S rate from when you filed your claim for the 2nd 100% issue they pay S rate for vets with 100% plus 60% and above you'll go up to about 3250 it all adds up I am SMC S and I filed for A&A due to the amount of daily help I need to get by I had the C&P about 2 weeks ago so we will see.....
  24. now regardless which senator was playing the "hold game" it is now a moot issue and our checks will be correct for next year, I know it's not a lot but it is better than nothing one or 2 meals or a tank or 2 of gas remember the fed employees are held to )% raises or a .5 % in 2013 they are hoping to get it retroactive to Jan 1, the mation is being told we are takers and don't need raises we all have prepaid for our compensation and injury checks they are not "giving us anything" we have earned it.
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