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schauba
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Posts posted by schauba
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To give a little more info on this case... I put in for an increase back in march 2012 for sleep apnea chest pain( they use some big word with a c) and ptsd....I have done a c&p few months ago for the sleep apnea and the chest pain. Today they were doing a c&p for the ptsd. so I thought well so far they have me at 80% because she said that of I see u have sleep apnea(referring to the paper on her desk)Anyway It seems like these c&p raters get access to special stuff.
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Did a c&p today and the doctor had a sheet of paper on her desk saying I had 80%.... when currently I am at 60% do these doctors have access to purposed ratings?
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Ok thanks john, they called yesterday wanting me to come out next week. i will mention that; thanks:)
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Sorry for the confusion John... yes I have the cpap machine now and have been using it for about 2 years. But still have daytime sleepness. Thanks everybody for your comments and suggestions.
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Just got a call from the VA(primary care doc) in reference to the sleep apnea....I asked her if she read the letter, she said that the sleep specialists would be the ones to contact with further questions or options in regards to being able to drive work etc...As far as the bad news yes the va is doing there job. Been working all my life so them telling me that I can't drive feels like bad news.
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Well due to the fact that I exited the military in 2004 most of my army buddies are not in this area (fort hood area) others I am not aware of their locations. As far as how long I have been 60% percent I would say about 4 years. Currently receive 10%elbow 10%knee 20% back 10% allergies 30% asthma. As far as my army background I served in Somalia Hati and Iraq.
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I am currently not service connected for speep apnea... I have my medical records, but don't recall being treated for this while on active duty(not in my medical records). Would I be able to claim this now?
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Thanks for your comments... also would like to mention that they have me on modafinil 100mg tab. Which says on the bottle take one tablet by mouth daily for excessive sleepiness/speep apnea. Take early morning. I explained to the doctor that this medicine gives me really bad headaches. His response continue to take for one more week to confirm it is this medicine causing the problem. If continues he said he would put me on Riddlin :(
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I have the cpap machine and I use it everyday... I have also had 2 night studies and 1 day study. I am not service connected for sleep apnea so the VA gave me all the equipment and tests at no charge.
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I am currently 60% and work for the city where I live. My job title is driver, so I make a living driving commercial vehicle's for the city. Went to the Va today and here is what he wrote. Mr. so and so is followed in sleep medicine for obstructive sleep apnea with residual daytime sleepiness. Because this condition is characterized by daytime sleepiness, this puts Mr. so and so at considerable risk driving motorized vehicles. We recommend that he refrain from driving any motorized vehicles or operating dangerous equipment indefinitely. We are diligently working with Mr. so and so to treat this disorder and once we see improvement, he may be released to drive again. Please accommodate him in our request. Signed by RN,ACNP-BC(Nurse Practitioner)
I have forwarded this letter to my DAV REP any suggestions on what I should do? Thanks.
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Good to see everybody again.....:)
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Berta, I wrote a detailed NOD 1.5 years ago and am STILL waiting for an SOC. I might have written a one-sentence NOD and saved my detailed arguments for responding to their SOC?! I'd prolly be closer to a BVA appeal had I done it that way! What do you think??? ~Wings
ok i went to that web site you gave me. The one to register for iraq vets and all i could find was this 1-800-796-9699 number to walter reed and nobody picks up. Is this what your refering to?
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WOW Guys, You mean you can actually get the blue sheets??? Berta, Nam Vet, did you get yours sent under FOIA???
blue sheets (is that some sort of slang)?
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This is common. When you file a VA Claim, the Regional Office sends for your military records.
You need to send the RO a Formal Request in writing, asking for a copy of your VA Claims-File or Claims-Folder.
Specifically state: I request a copy of my full and complete VA Claims File. I make this request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Sign and Date your request.
Expext a delay, especially if they are still working your claim.
Keep a copy of all your VA Corespondance in a safe place at home.
ok i don't know much about the va so you have to explain. This formal request in writing can i write this on a blank piece of paper or do i have to do it on a special piece of paper. Do i make it out to the ro or do i need to find out this person's name.
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your SMR will have them in it I have mine from the Coast Guard in May 73 and the Army from Oct 73, the CG enlisted me then after I got to Treasure Island they decided I was to blind to stay in and I needed a hernia operation, O went home had the Hernia Operation at March AFB and was there when they brought the first of the POW's home. I had to get a waiver for my eyesight and the hernia surgery before I could enlist. But when I got my files from Saint Louis in Jan 2003 there everything was. So you shoul;d be able to see what it says when you get them.
ok i tried to get a copy of them from st louis but they said that the va has them? Have you heard that before. St louis sent me a letter saying they didn't have them.
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I tried to find a copy of a current induction physical but had no luck. If the question was "Do you currently have asthma?" and you answered "No", then I'd file my claim. If the question was "Did you have childhood asthma", I might file anyway but I would attach evidence of full remission: lletter from Doctor or Mom. Maybe you have original copies of your enlistment exam???
no sorry i don't have copies of my elistment exam. I came in the army did some time and then i got out. Because i was in a light infantry unit we always deployed so i got out and went to the reserve. Then after i caught my breath(was burned out) came back in the army, so i would have two enlistment exam's which neither i have.
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Most VA Claims are "tuff", even under ideal conditions. You must decide: Am I sick now because of something that happened while active? If so, trust your instincts, follow your hunches, go see medical providers, gather evidence. If you do not have enough evidence now to prove your claim, the VA is required by law to tell you what you need to prove your claim. You can always appeal the VA's first decision, gather evidence and apply again! You can always re-open your case years later with new and material evidence.
Ultimately, the choice is yours to fight - or not. Others can assist, give direction or point to strengths and weaknesses in your claim - but the fight must come from you. This is a hard fight against the VA for disabled veterans. Sometimes the cost is great: family and friends don't understand and you feel alone - so we gather together here to ease the burden. Each man or woman must carry their own rucksack, but we carry them together.
Think about it for awhile. You have a year to appeal their 1st denial of SC, after that you can only re-open with new eveidence. ~Wings
well when i entered into the military there was a question do you have asthma well of course i checked no. At that time i believed that i didn't have it. They always said you will outgrow it so this was what i was thinking. It is like he said i had a child hood asthma and i should have told them. Then they could have so oh ok, let us test you to see if you have it now. That would have been the right thing to do, but what i did was wrong. Yeah i served our country but filling a false claim would be wrong.
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Schauba,
The information I have given you is good, it's what you do with it that matters!
At the time of your enlistment, the DoD standards for enlistment were probably most nearly the same as they are today. Do the research. The military HAS relaxed some standards for Asthma as well as ADD (attention deficit disorder), BUT the fact remains that reporting your medical condition at enlistment is a legal requirement.
If you had ACTIVE or CHRONIC Asthma at the time of enlistment, it was your responsibility to report that medical condition.
You said that in 10 years of military service, you were treated ONCE, in the field, for Asthma related symptoms (chest pain). You were discharged from the Army with NO diagnosis of Asthma.
You would need medical evidence of diagnosis and treatment for Ashtma while active duty to show that Asthma was incurred while active duty. Otherwise, the VA will simply say: SMR's (service medical records) do not show Asthma.
If you claim that the Army aggravated your Asthma, then you will need to show medical evidence of pre-existing childhood asthma - and than explain why you ommited these facts to gain enlistment status!
Your ONLY valid claim, that I can see, is to gather medical evidence that would show CURRENT Asthma is related or secondary to your SC (service-connected) medical conditions.
If your childhood Asthma was in full remission at the time of enlistment (so says your Mother), then gather your childhood medical records, gather your SMR's, gather your current medical records - - and get a medical doctor to state as much! Tell the VA exactly what you have told us. Show the VA the DoD induction regulations and argue your case.
I stuck my neck out and gave you the Benefit of the Doubt. I would do that for any veteran. You say you served 10 years in the Army and were discharged Honorably. In my opinion, you have earned your VA benefits, use them wisely!
Added to this thread, and in other discussions at the board, you seem to be reporting a HOST of other medical conditions: Prozac for mental health issues, snoring, sleep apnea, etc. I see that you are asking board members to explain how they got to 100%. It is time now for you to take an solid inventory of your medical problems and be pro-active in getting help and claiming those conditions which are related to military service. It doesn't matter if the help comes from VA doctors or private doctors: most of us have used both!
Your DAV Service Representative should sit you down and explain the ABC's of filing a VA Claim.
You served in the Iraq war. You say you were in a rear detachment and did not see combat; however, you are a combat veteran in that you served in the field during a time of war. You should research current regulations to gain the benefits you have earned. Combat veterans returning from the war have 2 years of free medical treatment for any medical condition. During this time, and with assistance, you need to determine which of your medical conditions are the result of active duty service.
There is no time limit on filing a claim! Using Agent Orange as an example: if you learn 5, 10, 20 years down the road that the Iraq War exposed you to chemical agents that later caused problems, then you can file a claim. This is why I suggested you get on the Registry. Talk with other Iraq veterans and keep up with the news!
You served 10 years Honorably. Be proud of who you are! Don't do anything that would bring discredit to yourself. Your Honor and your Word is solemn - - and, in the end, one of the most abiding treasures.
God Bless.
I went over to iraq and that is when i started suffering the chest pain. I came back early because of ets. You know it is a tuff decision to make. I went to fort drum and never had a problem with astma. It is a tough decision i think it would be better not to file a claim for asthma.
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Maybe that is why some say there is an "underground" telling veterans how to get bad claims approved, but then again like almost everyone already knows the VA monitors these sites so they know who is who and what is being written, so I am sure the file has been notated. There is no such thing as anonomimity, if the govt wants to find out who is who they can get the info real easy from the ISP's. I have been on this board for three years and I don't need you to tell me how we behave here, people like me show their back sides occasionally and you can choose to ignore me or you can keep inflaming the issue like you did this morning.
well i not here to make anybody mad. here is the story when i was a kid like 5-8 i had asthma real bad. (This is what my mom said) but when i got older it got better. When i joined the army they asked me if i had asthma and i said no. At that time i felt that i didn't have it, becasue the doctor said i would outgrow it so that is what i thought. I went through basic training and ait and had no problem. According to wings she the reg says anybody after 13 years old who hadn't had an any astma problems would be ok.
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a civilian doctor
i use to go to the va all the time but they never really helped. The dav said if there not helping you go to a civilian doctor. That is what i have been doing any problem that i have i go to a civilian doctor.
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It depends on your approach I suppose.
1. How long have you been out?
2. Did you ever go to the doc for acid reflux?
3. Were you overweight in the Army?
4. Do you have access to your lab slips?
a. It may just be there is a clue to the condition, should you have it, burried in your lab slips in the area of high Co2 in your blood. That is not a sure thing to connect but a part of the puzzle.
b. look for any inregularities on the slip, google them, and see what gives.
5. Did you ever get in trouble for sleeping during duty hours?
6. Can you get statements from people who knew you then, can you get it from very well respected ones?
These are all just suppositional on my part but it seems a good thing to do.
i got out june 2004. I went to a civilian doctor and he has mean of medicine for acid reflux. Overweight no. Well other than my wife and my friend who was with me in the military. Both of us snored are brains out in the field so he is the only one that is still in the area. I got in trouble for sleeping on duty hours but nothing like an article 15 or anything on record.
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I have a sleep disorder called hypopnea. This is a condition where I stop breathing at night. This causes me to wake up a little bit and start to breath again. It is something closely related to Sleep Apnea which is when either a physical blockage of the airway is present, or your brain doesn't sned the signal to your diaphram to work. In either case it is a potintialy life threating disorder that get progresively worse if untreated.
The best way to determine if you have this disorder is to take the Sopworth sleep test, I may have misspelled the name but you can Google it. IF you snore a LOT and are tired in the day these are also indicators pointing towards a sleep disorder.
Then you go to your provider and tell them your symptoms and hopefully thye order up a sleep test. THERE IS NO WAY to fake it through the test. The test lasts overnight and generates up to 600 pages of data. So then a specialist looks at the data and if you need it a CPAP machine (provides air to you on a contant basis and again you can goolge it).
Then to have it service connected I had my service doc, I have TRICARE, wrote a letter saying how the symptoms of the condition for Sleep Apnea/Hypopnea exsister while on active duty. I have to also say I have other symptoms, all service connected already, such as high blood pressure, asthma, overweight, large neck etc. I also went to the Dr a few times to say how I was very tired all the time and the Dr said I was just "lazy" BUT he used the medical term Malaise.
So that is how I did it. If you have questions please ask and I will do my best to answer.
ok from what your saying it sounds like the same thing. I have a friend who is getting out of the army and he was diagnosed with sleep apnea. I snore so loud that i have to sleep in another room because my can't sleep and i also have to wear ear plugs so i don't wake myself up. I never new that i had this, if i never went to sick call in the army can i still get this service connected?
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First off I have to say I have not received the paperwork from the VA, but my service rep at the PVA called me to let me know.
I am not sure of the date for receipt is correct however, as I am just a little over one year out from my retirement date I'm not sure fighting it would be worth the hassle. There is a point to be made, and some money but I am happy just to have my medical conditions recognized and service connected.
I just did what most everbody on this board said to do. I did make one fairly unique approach which I believed would work in my case. I took my second copy, the first is left alone in case I need it later, and I seperated each and every visit to the Dr into stacks accoring to the reason for the visit. Then when I made my list for consideration I indexed the letter to the individual ailments with coresponding Dr notes for each one. Figured it would make the case that much easier for the reviewing individual.
My areas of largest claim I beleive are Sleep Apnea/Hypopnea, Asthma, rt shoulder, Neck, knee and both ankles. Then there is a host of smaller 10%'s
How do you get sleep apnea sc? what is hypopneaa? I am new so if you could please explain.
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Yeah, Ok. Who prescribed the Prozac?
a civilian doctor
C&p Today
in Veterans Compensation & Pension Exams
Posted
Another thing that I remember when she told me to take a seat. She looked at this paper on her desk and said oh I see u have sleep apnea.....(and she mention the 80% thing when I am only at 60%) I put in for sleep apnea in march 2012... so she sounded like I already have it. My first reaction was to say nothing thinking it was some test.