Vync

According to the Hadit SC calculator, his new combined rating (7 10's + 20 + 30) should be 73.2, up from 52.1. Per the rates at http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/rates/comp01.htm 50% with no children or spouse pays $770/month. 70% with no children or spouse pays $1228/month, an increase of $458/month. $458 x 35 months (May 2007 - March 2008) = $16,030 Note! Those are this year's rates. The rates for each year will need to be calculated individually, as retro is calculated based on the rate of each calendar year where retro occurs. Don't have them handy, but should be easy to look up. Your friend should get somewhere between 14k-16k, which is still very sweet. It's even more if your pal has a spouse or children.http://www.hadit.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=35718&hl=# Hope I got the math right, so someone go double check me...

Tried to ask for a second unit, but they would not give me one. Looking for another option here...

Sounds cool. I hope they offer that as a solution for you. Also, please note that they said it takes 4-6 weeks for it to be delivered. I don't have mine yet, but it totally blew me away that it was offered to me. With the constant noise, any relief is welcome relief.

bump

mac queen, Talking about having or not having sex during an exam is not necessarily a deal breaker. My physical therapist and I discussed it. She advised me of the right and wrong ways. Yes, if your back is shot, it still is possible to enjoy the finer aspects of life with minimal pain.

It makes me wonder. If there are two outcomes (granted or denied), why have five different options?

John, what was your SC disability percentage?

congratulations! Keep up the good fight!

I agree with *Bergie*, but I have not yet lost my job because of seeking medical treatment. I missed about 5 weeks of work last year (used vacation time for 3 weeks, short term disability for 2 weeks). I'm now completely out of vacation time. Each visit to the VAMC consumes at least half of a business day. Here is a sample visit: 1 hour = Traffic to/from VAMC 15 min = Shuttle bus to/from VAMC and parking deck 10 min = Wandering to/from clinics 1-2 hr = Clinical visit 30 min = Pharmacy 20 min = Travel window And that's on a good day. If I go to the x-ray or lab, increase time significantly. If I have to go to the ER, I might as well write off the rest of the day. Also, after jumping through those hoops all morning, I really don't have much energy left to devote toward being productive in my job. It would be great if the VA would authorize me obtain medical treatment at the hospitals next to my home or work, but you have to fill out a mountain of paperwork and hope for approval. That would allow me to only miss an hour or two, instead of half a day minimum. The Americans with Disabilities Act is supposed to protect Veterans too. Corporations today know ways to terminate someone without making it look like it was due to their disability. Corporations also would rather employ a worker who will be productive, not one who is constantly out sick or at the hospital.

Drw, 71M10 is right. You could file for it as secondary, but the VA might state that it is already covered in your existing disability. Exactly what are your back ratings? Half the docs in ER's are residents and don't have much real world medical experience. Also, they are usually not neurosurgeons or orthopedic surgeons. My first recommendation would be to see a neurosurgeon or orthopedic surgeon, as they are specialist in that area. Remember, bone spurs could be temporary or permanent. Sometimes they grow and then get worn down over time. A friend of mine had spinal bone spurs and six months of physical therapy three times a week made a big difference, preventing the need for surgery.

Congratulations! That's awesome! Rofl, escorts...

In my sleep study seminar, they told us we would be issued a CPAP machine immediately if we were deemed positive for OSA. My results were inconclusive, so no machine for me yet.

cannon, Just about anything that generates 'white noise' is supposed to help drown out the whirring. The marsona tinnitus treatment kit is supposed to be superior to just a fan. It also has a battery pack, so you can take it anywhere. Having it at work would be a big plus. Visit the VA audiologist and see if they can get you one. My audiologist was very positive about the benefits of it over a regular fan.

Call the VAMC business office. They are not supposed to charge your private insurance for SC treatment/meds. If they sent you to a non-VA facility for treatment of SC conditions, they are supposed to eat the costs for that too. I had some advanced imaging done at a neighboring university hospital and no charges occurred to me or my insurance.

Hedgey, Yes, that's exactly what I do. If I call them, they put a set in the mail. If I go by the pick up window, they check my VA ID and give me some. One set seems to last me about 5-7 days. I only wish I had two TENS units, so I could treat both sides of my lower and upper back at the same time.

Hey cannon, I appreciate it, but I really did not spend much time at all looking up the info. I recently filed a claim for tinnitus, so I just dug into my research notes. Tinnitus is kind of creepy condition because it can be caused by a number of factors, of course including loud noise exposure. You are not kidding abotu the sound driving you up the wall if you focus on it, but merely going to sleep is so difficult because it's always there. I recommend you visit your audiologist again and ask if they think a treatment kit could offer you some relief. The VA audiologist issued me one, but I have not got it in the mail yet. Supposedly, the premise is that having soothing background sounds present all the time will help distract you from the constant whirring noise. The kit is one of those boxes that plays soothing sounds like ocean waves, jungle, thunderstorm, etc... They offered me a pillow with built in headphones, but the pillow really sucked compared to the one I have at home, so they are giving me small speakers to go underneath it. Even though tinnitus is listed as bilateral, from what I hear it is still considered a single evaluation, meaning the bilateral math does not apply to it. I'm waiting to see what my claim results say, but you could call the 1-800 number and get their scoop on it. Actually, I would say that winning every claim is equally important. For example, the military caused my TMJ problems when they did oral surgery. I am claiming tinnitus as secondary to my SC TMJ problems. If I had not filed for the TMJ and won SC, then I could not have filed for TMJ. With respect to your back, 10 or 20 years down the road, it will probably be worse and you could file for conditions which are secondary to it. It is better to have your bases covered.

If you have never been seen by the VA MH department, your initial exam might have been an intake exam where they do a brief assessment. Afterwards, they will schedule you for a more specific in-depth examination. My C&P MH exam lasted about an hour total. The doc went down a list of questions and typed as I provided answers. The doc also did some cognitive and short/long-term memory tests. You might want to ask for a meal ticket. If they plan on having you there half a day, then they should at least buy you lunch!

postman56, What a coincidence, I had C&P exams for my spine the day before you did, but I am not SC yet. In my case, I specifically asked for a lumbrosacral exam. I have many of the same questions you have. Bravo6 is correct. The x-rays will only show so much. Like you, the docs can see DJD and reduction in space between vertebrae clearly on an x-ray. I have had a few MRI's and they really show how bad your back really is, much better than an x-ray. I made sure the C&P doc looked at them during the exam and the reaction was 'oh my...' I compeltely agree with you. The VA really needs to revisit the spine ratings. Back pain can be a real living nightmare. They base the ratings on range of motion, but don't tell Veterans that use of pain meds and muscle relaxers prior to a C&P exam can create the appearance of increased range of motion by masking the pain. This time, I managed to go about a week without any pain meds or muscle relaxers and they got to see a true baseline of my conditon. Unfortunately, who knows how long it will take for the VA to make their decision on our back claims. I wish you the best of luck to get a better rating.

I did some digging regarding tinnitus. See note 2, below, as tinnitus is a single rating, not bilateral. §4.87 Schedule of ratings—ear 6260 Tinnitus, recurrent 10 Note (1): A separate evaluation for tinnitus may be combined with an evaluation under diagnostic codes 6100, 6200, 6204, or other diagnostic code, except when tinnitus supports an evaluation under one of those diagnostic codes. Note (2): Assign only a single evaluation for recurrent tinnitus, whether the sound is perceived in one ear, both ears, or in the head. Note (3): Do not evaluate objective tinnitus (in which the sound is audible to other people and has a definable cause that may or may not be pathologic) under this diagnostic code, but evaluate it as part of any underlying condition causing it.

Drw, Welcome to Hadit. Surgery is an option, but other routes like physical therapy or epidural pain blocks can give you relief. Yes, bone spurs can grow back. They are part of your body's defense system, ironically. When you go to your specialist, try to see a neurologist. Preferably, not a resident. Ask for a senior staff physician. You don't want a resident poking around in your back. Some doctors prescribe bed rest, but others want you to get moving around. You need to report problems going to the bathroom to your doctor asap. If they gave you strong pain meds, it could be the cause, but let the doctor make that decision. My doctor gave me some laxatives which helped make it easier to go, which caused me less pain. X-ray's can show the presence of a spur, but you probably need an MRI so they can see exactly what is going on in there. You could have just a spur or other problems. In some cases, people develop stenosis or may have other material floating around in the joint. X-rays can only show so much. What are your cervical and lumbar SC ratings for?

Larry, They tried the same stuff with me a while back. They held my meds hostage until I went to see a primary care provider. They said I need to see him annually, because my specialty docs, the ones who actually prescibe stuff for me, don't count apparently. Now I just call the VA nurse line when my meds need renewal. Been doing that for over a year and had no problems so far.

Glad to help. One thing also to know. Some SC ratings are bilateral. If one is, then it actually will say bilateral on it. For example, I am SC for bilateral conjunctivitis at 10%. The Hadit SC calculator does not factor in the bilaterals. My understanding is that you calculate a rating for all bilateral conditions, just like you do the regular ones, then multiply the combined value by 1.1. In my case, the 10% bilateral equates to an 11% rating. Afterwards, the bilateral combined value is calculated in with any non-bilateral values, to produce your final SC rating. Somewhere here on this site is a link to a spreadsheet that is supposed to allow you to do this calculation. If any of your ratings are bilateral,then it is best to go that route instead. You might want to call back to the 1-800 number and check on it. Also, i assume the 60% rating was based on the conditions you just listed (30/20/10/10/10/10). Was the additional 20% from your initial post factored into this or is it separate? If it was factored in (20 lumbar), then your 60% rating is correct. If it is something new or different (not an increase from one of your 10% ratings), then the calculator shows you should have a 70.6% rating. Of course, all of this is if you have NO bilateral ratings.

Hey cannon, Here's the SC calculator here at hadit: http://www.hadit.com/service_connected_dis...calculator.php/ As you see... 60% + 20% = 68% (rounds up to 70%) Call the 1-800-827-1000 number and talk with the puppet on the phone. Ask them to confirm your individual and combined SC percentages.

Carlie, I had 5 C&P exams in the last two weeks. I looked at each of the examination request paper copies, because they were on the desk during each examination. They were all exactly like what Wings posted a moment ago. My C&P appointment letter said for me to bring any additional medical evidence. I did. The examining doctor accepted my evidence and made copies of it while I was changing into a flimsy examination sheet/gown. She came back in and the copies were date stamped. She gave me back my originals. My opinion is the examining doc in your case was a real moron. At the end of each examination, I asked each of my C&P docs what they thought. None of them could tell me specifically the way they would opine, but said they had to review the contents of my thick c-file. They said the results would be posted to my records within 1-2 weeks.

Congratulations!!!!