deviant

I think I will just sit with what I have for a bit, if they take it then Im back to square one and will lose the family home. However my daughter is 16 years old and quite possibly one of the smartest, sweetest, and perfectly mannered person I know. The VA sent her a paper after her birthday talking about her education benefits. It just scares me that I might not be able to give her what she deserves, thats all I was trying to do when I got roughed up in the first place. Thanks for the info

Havent posted in awhile, had my re exam but all kids of weird stuff came from the VA about drill pay and stuff was what was used as the reason? Weird but the exam said the same as the last one and my benefits are intact. Social Security benefits were approved about 8 months after TDIU was granted all thanks to some people pointing me in the right direction, thanks again folks. But the SSD said that the evidence showed in 2007 and the VA said 2009. Basically my question is since the ssd came through and the re exam showed the same results as before should I file for P&T now? should I even bother about the 2 year gap which was very real for me at the time but Im getting by now so it sounds just greedy to me? IDK any thoughts would be appreciated

Got my IRIS response, it was a PDF file with the change of address/cancellation of direct deposit form? Still scratching my head on that one? Going back to the federal building tomorrow, dont really know what else to do. And the amount paid to whom ever isnt mentioned in my file nor is there any records of it ever being paid to me through Department of Defense or the Department of Veterans Affairs nor into my bank account. I guess thats the good part, The bad part is that a NOD on a claim pending for over 5 years has vanished into thin air.

Finally got IRIS to work, sent off a message dont know how long it will take for a response. Guess I better get out my wading boots for the awnsers Im going to get, the guy at the 800 line hung up the phone on me when I asked him who submitted the paperwork for drill pay into my file and not even the DOD or Treasury Department can tell me whos account it went to? Ive been around enough to know that perscom and finance doesnt just give away money to ghosts or print BS orders and when it comes to money someones name or a unit is always attached. Sometimes I think they just believe we all fell off the back of the short bus and landed on our heads with the stuff they try to pull.

SSA was approved for the same conditions, called the 800 number back and they said they ordered the C&P exam because I received drill pay which I never have? Ive never even been in the guard or the reserve nor can they tell me the unit or the time period? And as for the claim the RO told me about, the 800 people say I have nothing pending? This is getting shady on all levels

Im 33 and Ive had it for a year 8 months ago Social Security was approved, The top of the exam said the reason was for OTHER, went to the federal building and they said it was for an older claim from 2005, called the 800 number and they said it was for a review and that I had no open claims? Who do I believe? These people are starting to test my patience again

My TDIU wasnt permanent and total, Just got a letter saying they are scheduling another exam. Should I be worried? During the past year I havent worked and social security was approved so I dont really know the next step. Havent been on here for awhile, have been helping a couple friends that were combat wounded. Gave them a place to stay, put them in the direction of the same people that helped me get my stuff done. One ended up TDIU and the other at 70% with a decent job. Having three people in a house that all have the same issues was comforting in a way, everyone knows what the deal is so none of us were looking at each other like lunatics. Getting someone to go to walmart was a pain in the ass but you cant have it all :) Anyway I just thought Id ask if there should be any problems

Wow something else to scare the sleep outta me

Great news indeed... They called me in and explained my family benefits, WOW! evidently my exwife will be backpayed the family benefits side and money for the children monthly as well... thanks everybody

I have read more on this website than any other, Ive tried to help others with the things that I have knowledge with. And guess what, knowledge is power... that and alot of anger management/ptsd meetings/medications... At any rate I emailed Mr. Bob Goodlatte, who is my representative after initial denial and explained the situation, sent very curt emails to Social Security and filed for reconsideration on Sept 11th I believe, and today I was told about a direct deposit. I cant thank HADIT enough, also cant thank my Republican representative enough, never thought Id say that, but times are changing. This all started during a BII inventory in the states when a fluke accident disabled me in the motorpool after my last tour, Neck was severely injured. Doc said I was lucky not to be a quadraplegic, Me being me I went and got Lucky tattooed across my shoulders and tried to stay in the military... Needless to say a much beloved Seargent Major who had nicknamed me wildman :) reluctantly told me it was time I went home for good and thanked me for my service and said he wished he had a battalion just like me, and then I was MEB'd out. I think that hurt more than it made me feel better, because the military gave me everything I ever had and I was bound to give everything I had in return. I constantly worried what others would do without me but one monkey dont stop no show. 7 years later my country is actually taking care of me like I was promised. I guess my journey through the system is over for now, There is hope people, so dont give up. Im a true believer that god helps those that attempt to help themselves, that and maybe I truly am lucky, Sorry if I rambled on but needless to say I have a wave of emotions going through me that I cant really put the brakes on... Thanks again everyone

I posted a timeline for my TDIU in the success forum, but at the same time I had been fighting since 2003 after getting an MEB and only awarded 10%, took until 2009 to get my ratings high enough to even file for TDIU. But the time has varied from claim to claim so its the old Hurry up and wait.

The DAV people are good people, and they do help out alot. Only problem I had with them was for awhile the turnover rate in my DAV office was so frequent and fast that not only did it seem like they didnt care but in actuality I think they just really didnt even know what they were doing that might be whats happening with you, hard to say, but the bunch they have now in the Roanoke VARO are more like the ones that got me to pay for a membership. Try to get with an officer and sit and talk to them once and tell them to let you know if they are being transferred to a different region or job that way you can get back in and get with the new one as soon as possible so they actually have a face to put with a name when you call and they have some idea of why your calling. That should be a given but its a crazy world, they helped me out when I first started my claims back in 03 and Ive got my TDIU now.

Ah no discouragement at this point my social worker at the VA said he has me covered as well as my crazy doc as I call her, Ive come to see it this way... if they have denied me that fast atleast they didnt take 3 to 5 months of my time to do it. Just thought once I got tdiu that this would be a given, thats what I get for thinking :)

I waited on the"ptsd/mood disorder/major depression" depending on which doc I had my mental problems had a different name, but my c&p exams covered all of my service connected injuries not just the ptsd /depression alone although thats all I filed for my tdiu for, and I never once mentioned any Non service connected injuries I.E. a bum knee. I kind of agree with the others though if you give the c&p examiner a reason to blame it on non service connected injuries it might be a hard fight for tdiu. Just my opinion, but if your rating comes right then I say yes file for it.

Got on the Social Security website and checked the status of claim... checked on friday and said at reconsideration and at dds awaiting a decision, checked today and it says a decision has been made? I havent even had a chance to turn in the right evidence however they had all the right evidence to begin with? is a 5 or 6 day decision on reconsideration a good thing it cant be right? I did email my state representative, and had to have a meeting with the supervisor at the social security field office, Now Im just confused

Congratulations, and the roanoke office must have had a fire lit under them somewhere because they were pretty quick on my claim as well

You say it would be better for us to recover? I also know there is no magic cure, but after youve given up say 7 years to destroy your mind and body then the military gives you an MEB against your will and sends you home ... and for me I watched everything I ever cared about either get destroyed, or get taken away from me till I was homeless throughout the next 7 years. The only way I provide for my daughters is with TDIU, and as for ever being employed again after having an outburst or flashback or whatever you want to call it in the workplace a couple times who would ever seriously consider giving a job that would pay me even a percentage of my TDIU? Factor in a trashed credit score which means you will likely never own the home you always dreamed of, or anything else of significance... And what do you really have left but your benefits, what are we suppose to do? Go homeless then get our benefits to get them taken away because someone says we are recovered then you find out your not and try to get a job but no one will hire us because we are a liability, go homeless again then wait till we are 50 or so and file for them again and wait another 2 or 3 years till we maybe get approved? Doesnt sound very appealing does it... Bottom line is if you dont want killers then dont build them, Sometimes they have a malfunction and have to be looked after regardless of age... Because in the end run there is no reset button.

Oh damn I missed my whole point of why I wrote all that out... I too am only 32, was unemployed since 2007

I left Vocational Rehab on my own accord, after I took the test at Varo they told me I could pretty much go to college for a bachelors, PTSD was a big issue couldnt be around all those people, Went directly home and let my mental health clinic know that there was a serious problem, My GAF score when I do have a breakdown or what they call a flashback was at 40 for being suicidal/homicidal when the TDIU claim was filed it was at a 45, After that I got my ex employers letters that basically stated that things got to the to the point the sherriffs dept was called to remove me finally. All of that added to keeping my appointments at mental health above all else plus a god C&P examiner statement... I was denied the first time because I honestly think the VARO lost something, but on appeal it went right thru. My rating ended up like this 70% mood disorder 30% neck injury 10% median nerve damage= TDIU. Thats how mine worked out but the best advice I can give is stay in your treatments at mental health above all esle

Got approved for TDIU back in febuary... thanks guys, great site I contribute alot of what I accomplish to the info on this site, and the fact that once Ive been angered I hang on like a pitbull. 1. Ive got 2 daughters are they eligible for champus healthcare, or any other type of healthcare with this benefit? Because it is surely needed 2. can I get the infamous "tan card" have seen alot of contradictory awnsers on that one 3. And last but not least, the P&T eligibility. So far the only real control I have over things is self induced isolation, some people would think that this is a bad thing but with my mental health issues so far its the only thing that gives me peace of mind and since Ive started it Ive had almost no violent episodes, which Im very proud of. However all the rest of the foulness still haunts me and I dont sleep hardly at all and cant keep any type of schedule and I still freak out when people are watching me, whispering around me or just generally following to close...on foot or even worse in a vehicle, and rarely will I go out in public. Neck and back pain have gone from severe to moderate since tdiu was granted. So should I file for P&T with the description I just gave because my mental health provider would definately back that description up for me? Would I have a real chance of getting it? I know it sounds crazy to ask questions like these but the varo isnt exactly throwing a benefits info pack at me for plain old TDIU

Well I read a bunch of ssd posts on here last night after I posted this, and in one it mentioned contacting a congressman and having them get involved... I wrote a nice email stating my position, my service record, my 100% service connection and the fact that ssd qualifications for mental disability written on there own website were all met and exceeded clearly in my service records and VAMC records and were totally ignored by disability determination services and that my feeling of the Wounded Warrior program was being used as nothing more than a way to fast track qualified veterans to a denial letter so they can just shift us into the regular system and make us wait. For what other reason would you do that to a 100% service connected veteran with absolute proof in almost the exact phrasing of the mental health stipulations that qualify you for ssd? This was sent to my state representative as well as to the Social Security office as well as a statement telling them that I felt as if my military service and my injuries were not taken seriously, almost to the point of feeling like they had just spit in my face and that I was almost ashamed of my government and my country for letting such things happen and if I had to go to my social security branch office since no one else will stand up to them, and show them a combat veteran with issues, then see if they would suggest putting me back into the workforce. That part was in both emails as well------------ By 2:30 this afternoon it had reverberated for the representative office, to the main Social Security office in Roanoke out to the branch office in my hometown and I was called in for a meeting with the manager of that field office and I talked sensibly to this man because when I spoke to him I had studied their eligibility requirements and their Wounded Warrior program to the point I knew them better than him, and thats not me just talking I really did have more info in my head than he had in front of him. Once he figured out I was an educated madman instead of just a roughneck making threats and that I had caught them in a clear case of what I called fraud, he was more than willing to help me, made sure an appointment was made to see a doctor this time, gave me a complete copy of my ssd file on cd rom and told me if I had anymore problems I would be dealing directly with him and he would insure things would be done right. Score one for the good guys I hope

That sounds alot better I just hate the fact its rigged, No lawyer= No money it seems... And I hate having my hand forced to pay out for someone to say and forward all the same things I would but since he passed the bar they listen

Ive got my VA social worker guy that calms me down real good guy. Im in meetings now, And suicidal Im not. In the moment of anger I just thought to myself that a place has to be crooked somehow if you have to have an armed guard to protect employees who arent even handling money? Just goes to show that they know they are flatout jerking people around and people evidently have gotten tired of it . I feel as if they disrespected my military service and also made light of my injuries by denying me what I have earned by telling me I need to go find a mystery job somewhere that pays well below the poverty line and that my 100% service connection means nothing to ssd... Im just sick and tired of being sick and tired. But I will let the fine gentleman keep his sidearm and I will do my best to fake normal to keep the ball rolling...or to keep it sitting over in the corner going nowhere... thanks yall, ouch... 2 years is a helluva hump. You would figure after scrapping it out with the VA and you actually got that magic 100% that it would carry weight even with those people... guess not, God Bless The U.S.A

Got my TDIU approved back in feb 2010, now the letter comes back from SSD saying that is okay for me to work in a limited fashion that is considered gainful employment so i was denied? WTF is this? I mean really? the VA flat out says severe ptsd, intermittent explosive disorder, major depression, paranoia, anger and violence issues along with extensive history of very poor impulse control that I am a liability in any workplace. Basically my mindset does not allow me to deal with people totally strange to me at all anymore, and only friends and family to a certain degree for safeties sake, if I dont want to talk to them and if they keep pushing the issue with me, or a whole host of other triggers it has ended in violence and someone getting hurt and me going either to jail or ending up on a ward at the VAMC. Hence the tdiu, and once I got that things started getting better for me and I deal with my issues by using isolation and for the most part Im content with that and few family gatherings a year. I feel safe, and I have some control, I grocery shop at 3am but still have issues with people staring, whispering or following me too close all of which still get a reaction out of me towards them but to a lesser degree because I know once Im home alone I feel safe for the most part. WHERE DO THESE PEOPLE COME UP WITH THEIR CLAIM DECISIONS? I mean to hear them tell it I should just head on down to BurgerKing and work there till I lose it and maybe severely injure an employee or customer or myself? Im half tempted to walk in to my branch office and disarm the guard and then have my say, and on the flipside I can ask any of them if they wanna work with a guy like me, or even be in my AO, bet you would have a different awnser than this denial letter I got... I just cant believe these people and Ive gotten to the point of seriously considering the above statement. Some help please, I just want to get this over as quickly as possible without me being the one to have to take a stand against this ignorance and ending up on the news somewhere. PS I think SSD and the SSD lawyers are all wrapped up together just to get 25% of your backpay. I mean seriously what in the hell kind of agency will give you the numbers to the lawyers who sue them and withhold the money for the lawyer ? Im just think Im about done playing these peoples games that they have somehow gotten away with for so long in government just raping veterans out of their benefits and money and giving it away with a quickness to some junky or welfare recipient. Complete shock, and an absolute act of violence is the only thing that ever gets these idiots attention to cause change, damn shame it has to come to that. IF YOU ALL KNOW HOW I CAN GET THRU THIS IM LISTENING

I waited until I got my rating, to file now could send your file from the R/O back to the beginning... its just what I did, altogether my wait wasnt bad considering,