Vync

When I was originally SC, they did a CT scan and found blockage to be 100% on one side and 75% on the other. Still need to dig through my mountain of med records to see if I have it documented.

Congratulatioms!!!

Yes, it's deviated. I cannot remember if it was from trauma or not. I will need to dig through my medical records again to find out. I hope your DRO claim goes well.

Sorry, I forgot to note that this is for an increase request, not an initial rating. §3.400 (o)(2), see below: (o) Increases (38 U.S.C. 5110(a) and 5110(:D(2), Pub. L. 94-71, 89 Stat. 395; §§3.109, 3.156, 3.157): (1) General. Except as provided in paragraph (o)(2) of this section and §3.401(:o, date of receipt of claim or date entitlement arose, whichever is later. A retroactive increase or additional benefit will not be awarded after basic entitlement has been terminated, such as by severance of service connection. (2) Disability compensation. Earliest date as of which it is factually ascertainable that an increase in disability had occurred if claim is received within 1 year from such date otherwise, date of receipt of claim.

VA letters are always a source of confusion. Last year, I received a denial letter. The next week they sent me a letter saying they are still working on my claim. I called the 1-800 number and they confirmed my claim was still active. Go figure... The VA could save a lot of money by sending emails (to those who request it) telling them their claim is still being worked on...

You might want to call your local VOC REHAB counselors. Often times, they can explain the way things work a whole lot better than anything you can find on the VA web site.

Inferred claims/effective dates This might be a bit wierd... Regarding inferred claims and effective dates, I understand that if you seek medical treatment within 12 months of your claim request, then the EED is the date when treatment was sought. Given this hypothetical situation, what would be the effective date? Jul 2007 - Office visit, condition diagnosed, prescribed monthly medication to treat condition {insert 3-4 VA telenurse refill calls} Aug 2009 - Office visit for condition Oct 2009 - Filed claim for condition The medication refills were requested every month and renewed via VA nurse line as needed. Would the effective date be Jul 2009, Aug 2009, a VA telenurse refill call between Oct 2008 and Jul 2009, or by oldest date where refills were received? I'm curious if the VA defines the inferred date based on an office visit, telenurse refill calls, or merely because the Vet was receiving medication for the condition (i.e. receiving treatment). Thanks

Congratulations! Definitely fight them about the denials...

If the Chief of Psychology diagnosed you with PTSD, Chronic, make sure you have a hard copy of the diagnosis. If the chief told you verbally, then there is no evidence of it occurring.

Their request for additional information is usually sent out initially on some claims. The letter I got gave me 30 days to submit the info or I could sign a form and they would go ahead and process the claim. This sounds like grounds for a reconsideration at minimum. If your service treatment records, regardless of whether it came from military or civilian doctors, diagnose you with a chronic condition, it should be rather self explanatory. Look forward to seeing the complete text of your denial letter.

In celebration of the pollen season, details first, questions second, rating tables third... Details: I am SC for allergic rhinitis (max rating, with polyps, -10% for pre-existing condition) and also have a very long documented history of sinusitis while on active duty and have had periodic flare ups annually ever since. Condition is visible on x-rays. I require near constant medication to keep the allergic rhinitis and sinusitis under a resemblance of control. They both are pretty bad all the time, but it becomes much more of a problem during pollen season. It impacts all of my sinus regions. I also have enlarged turbinates and a deviated septum, which add to the problem. Symptoms: Sinus congestion, white-yellow drainage, headaches, pain/tenderness, periodic bleeding, upper respiratory/sinus infections Daily medication: Loratadine, Nasonex steorid spray, Phenylephrine antihistamine spray, Saline spray, Saline rinse Periodic treatments: Benadryl, presnisone steroid cycles, 2-4 week courses of antibiotics (bactrim, augmentin, septra, etc...), pain medication for accompanying headaches Bed rest: Not typically required Questions: 1. Is it possible to also be SC for sinusitis or would that be considered pyramiding? 2. Based on the description of my sinus history and treatments, what estimated rating would I fall under? Schedule of Ratings tables for Sinusitis and Allergic Rhinitis: 6510 Sinusitis, pansinusitis, chronic. 6511 Sinusitis, ethmoid, chronic. 6512 Sinusitis, frontal, chronic. 6513 Sinusitis, maxillary, chronic. 6514 Sinusitis, sphenoid, chronic. General Rating Formula for Sinusitis (DC’s 6510 through 6514): 50% Following radical surgery with chronic osteomyelitis, or; near constant sinusitis characterized by headaches, pain and tenderness of affected sinus, and purulent discharge or crusting after repeated surgeries 30% Three or more incapacitating episodes per year of sinusitis requiring prolonged (lasting four to six weeks) antibiotic treatment, or; more than six non-incapacitating episodes per year of sinusitis characterized by headaches, pain, and purulent discharge or crusting One or two incapacitating episodes per year of sinusitis requiring prolonged (lasting four to six weeks) antibiotic treatment, or; three to six non-incapacitating episodes per year of sinusitis characterized by headaches, pain, and purulent discharge or crusting 10 0% Detected by X-ray only Note: An incapacitating episode of sinusitis means one that requires bed rest and treatment by a physician. 6522 Allergic or vasomotor rhinitis: 30% With polyps 10% Without polyps, but with greater than 50-percent obstruction of nasal passage on both sides or complete obstruction on one side

Brad, What is the wording of your denial letter? (leave out the specific date/name/personal stuff)

Gent, That's awesome! Woot!

Having some evidence on record of ED treatment is better than having no evidence on record... IMHO

kw34, I hope you get a letter soon that say you won your claim. Out of curiosity, how long have you been out of the military?

Montgomery AL RO 1995 - 2000, ending in a win 2008 - Present, Current appeal

!!!==> BUMP <==!!! Like many others here, I'm in a very similar situation as you. If you submitted your private treatment records, they may have reviewed them in private, when you are not around. Here's my recommendation: - Get a copy of the C&P examination results (all of them). - On the C&P notes, they should indicate whether or not they have reviewed your private treatment records. See what it says. If it does not indicate that the doc reviewed your private treatment records, you might want to consider requesting a reconsideration or a DRO review. - Talk with your current doctor and ask if they can provide you with a nexus/IMO letter saying your current back problems are 'as least as likely as not' related to the injuries you incurred during military service. They will also need to provide some medical rationale. Look elsewhere on this site to get examples. If your doc will not do it, you might need to locate and/or pay another doc to write your IMO (which may not be guaranteed). - Don't let your claim/appeal lapse. There are time limits which could impact any retro you might get.

Since the beginning of the year, my cardiac conditions have been stable thanks to daily medication. There is the occasional 'flutter', but it does not last very long at all. I have an upcoming cardiologist appointment and plan to present my records to him in order to get him opinion. Carlie's right. Digoxin levels make my heart rate very low. If I watch TV in bed, my heart rate is around 35-40.

PR is right! Payment is currently at $96.00 per month via SMC-K. ED is not a percentage that is applied to your combined SC percentage. The SMC payment is separate from what you already receive for your SC percentage. The VA's pharmacy formulary typically only prescribes two levitra tablets per month. They also give you a pill splitter. The VA docs usually have no problems writing a prescription for other meds (cialis, viagra, etc...) to be filled in a non-VA pharmacy. ED medication may also cause headaches in some people.

Looked here: http://www4.va.gov/vaforms/ But it does not appear to be online. Try calling 1-800-827-1000.

Politician (they just sit around all day) There are actually a lot of jobs that could be taken. Accountant, any telephone-type job, etc... It depends on the experience and education your friend has. What are your friend's qualifications? I knew some teachers and lawyers that stayed off their feet, used assisted devices, etc... The sky could be the limit.

Congratulations!!!! Awesome!

Go download malwarebytes anti-malware. install it. run updates. let it do a full scan, which could take a long time.

When I went for one of my C&P exams last month, the doctor described what jbasser said. He also said that the raters are typically GS-5 or GS-6 beaurocrats.

If this is the initial claim, the RO will usually need to obtain medical and/or service records from the national service center. They tend to go ahead and schedule the C&P exam. The doctors use a standard exam worksheet and pass their results back to the RO. When the RO has medical records, service record, and the C&P exam results, they can then proceed to adjudicate your claim. There are a lot of claims, so it could take a while. I submitted a couple of claims in Dec 2009 and had varying results for each. One was finalized last month. I had C&P exams for The rest last month too. My medical and service records from the national service center were already present at the RO, which is why they were able to proceed quickly. I talked with my DAV rep and was told that it could be a couple of months before I hear anything from the RO, other than the usual 'we are working on your claim' letter. It took about a month to get my service records from the national service center. The lady on the phone there said they supposed to respond within 22 business days to all service record requests. My medical records took about two months. I had to request those from the VAMC. Records back to about 2002 were in their electronic archive system. Everything prior to 2002 had to be copied and shipped from the national service center. How long does this take overall? Honestly, it varies dramatically between each RO. G