slangpdx

For the first time ever I learned about the Mission Act through a random phone call to a help line. I went to the local VA hospital (Portland) and did a session with a counselor who then said someone would call me about getting help in the community. I went in earlier that week and was told it would be months before I could be seen. Tomorrow will be the 3rd business day since doing the intake. How long should I wait before going back and asking what is going on? I am 70% SC, in spite of what my profile says, was awarded it in 2011.

I will add my experience since I have 70% VA SC since 2011 and was granted SSD in 2018 on the first try with no appeal, which only happens in about 10% of cases. You should apply first without a lawyer, since if you win you will not owe them their 25%. You will be doing all the work anyway filling out two lengthy questionnaires that lawyers will not know the answers to. My application took 7 months to be approved. SSD pays going back one year from date of application, if you state that the date of disability is at least back that far. Try to apply if possible in person at an office so you can ask questions if necessary. Give names and addresses of all doctors or practitioners of any kind, SS will contact them and by law they have to provide all relevant records at no cost to you. Having your VA determination should no doubt help. My disability was based on mental condition, same as my VA SC. I had to go to a psychologist exam, about one hour. I was sure the guy was baiting me to get my claim denied. Turned out he wasn't. I got my electronic record of everything submitted for my claim from all practitioners and he didn't even mention some things that were discussed in the exam. My case may have been a slam dunk because of 30 years worth of records, also my age which was 62 at the time. SSD supposedly awarded more easily the older you are, after 60 supposedly much easier (someone here mentioned that being called the "grid"system). You can get your electronic record of the proceedings including all records submitted by practitioners after the ruling, but you have to specifically request it and it costs $38, it will be in the form of encrypted files on a disc. Re SSDI: everyone always mentions this but it only applies if your SSD award is below the SSDI minimum payment, about $800. So if your lifetime SS benefit is currently above that (you can either see it online or you may have yearly statements SS sent you) you will not get SSDI . Example: Your lifetime SS benefit from earnings is $400, you will get $400 SSDI to bring you up to the SSDI minimum. If your lifetime SS benefit is $900, you get $0 SSDI since you are above the SSDI minimum. SSD benefit amount is what you would have gotten by waiting until age 66 rather than the earliest possible retirement age of 62, so it will be 32% higher. Additional info: I used lawyers to file the claim but fired them when I realized I was doing all the work. I had to file a request with SS within 15 days of the disability ruling to get their fee refunded and got hostility from three SS workers for it (it was none of their business of course). It took 11 months but I got the $5300 back. Also: there was a provision in the Build Back Better bill to raise SSDI minimum by 50%, long overdue. Apparently it did not pass.

Didn't answer the question. Wasn't asking about opinions. If the law firms aren't vetted and recommended why are they allowed to advertise on here?

Tx for responses. On another note, I see there are law firms that have placed ads here recruiting to help veterans . Since the forum is knowledgeable about vet issues, it is of course vouching for the credibility and competence of these outfits. Correct?

Don't know where else to post this so am picking this forum at random. I keep getting email from donotreply asking to donate because hadit is going broke. Then the only option for donating is Paypal. I do not use that because I have been hacked twice on it, once when I didn't even have an account but someone created an account in my name and then put my stolen credit card number on it. Fortunately both times it was discovered by the company but they still weren't able to safeguard their computers to begin with. I suppose there is a reason hadit will not allow donation by credit card but I will not be donating by Paypal. Can this site not set up a gofundme funded by credit card or some equivalent? It seems if it really needs money it will look at other options, possibly also a nonprofit grant, or trying to recruit a deep pocket donor. There may be many state or federal grants possible. Just suggesting. I am 70% SC for 11 years, have not applied for 100% because don't trust the system.

I was not asking about whether it is automatically pulled/ gathered. I was asking about the fact of the determination having been made by SS. I am including it as part of the TDIU applicaiton.

As posted in these forums: Five Year Rule) If you have had the same rating for five or more years, the VA cannot reduce your rating unless your condition has improved on a sustained basis. All the medical evidence, not just the reexamination report, must support the conclusion that your improvement is more than temporary. I was granted 70% SC for mental condition on Feb 18, 2011. Date of application was January, 2010. In either case it has now been over 10 years regardless of which date is used so SC status is secure, though rating percentage is not. I was granted SS disability in 2018 for the same reason as the VA SC rating, on the first try with no appeal. Does SS determination create an automatic presumption against lowering of rating, or greatly argue for not "improved on a sustained basis?" I have put off applying for TDIU for a while but believe I should now. I have an application with the county rep prepared and ready to go. I am 65, have not worked since May 2016. The SS determination is included as part of the TDIU application.

hello I first applied for SC status Mar 1, 2010. I was awarded 70% SC on Feb 18, 2011. Does my 10 years start running from date of application in 2010 or the date of the decision/award in 2011? thanks for any help

My rating is 70% and am pretty sure I don't have VA dental coverage. After many phone trees I got through to the Delta VADIP people, it is $45 a month for pretty much the same coverage I have now under Delta PPO, all the same dentists are in network. Met Life supposedly also a veteran plan. Crowns cost $450 after insurance payment with my current Delta, that has been the same for all 10 years or so.

Does anyone have the VADIP dental insurance for veterans through Delta Dental and can talk about it? I have had Delta Dental PPO for 12 years. The VADIP is about $48 a month vs $72 for what seems like similar coverage, but I am concerned with finding dentists in network, i.e. would they be in network for VADIP if they are for PPO, etc.

Thanks for info, I will wait to see, please advise if you can when you get the ruling.

I received 70% SC decision after an appeal with IMO in Feb 2011, Portland Oregon. The case has not been reviewed since then. I passed the ten year mark in Feb 2021 making the SC determination permanent though the rating percentage could still be changed. Reason was aggravation of high functioning autism (there was psyche “counseling” and a potentially dangerous med prescribed on active duty on a remote desert air base when I was 18-19 yo). Was awarded SSD in July 2018 on first try with no appeal needed, reasons were high functioning autism (same as VA SC award reason) and “poor impulse control”, both conditions rated “Severe” by SS. I filed an intent to file for TDIU in Feb 2019, then rolled it over to another intent to file in Feb 2020. I contacted vet rep in October to file the TDIU. I asked him to mail me the docs for review to make sure they were accurate. Never arrived, I called and he said they were delivered by trackable mail on Nov 3, they weren’t (should have asked for the tracking number, I believe there isn’t one). I called the county vet rep supervisor. They reviewed the case and found that I had applied for TDIU after the 70% award which I did not remember doing and that I withdrew that request in July 2011. (I worked for the next six years averaging $60,000/year, high year was $107,000, have not worked for four years). That makes my current claim request an “appeal” even though no VA determination was made because I withdrew the TDIU request at that time, according to the supervisor. That means the intent to file in Feb. is not the date for an award increase therefore wiping out 9 months possible back pay. Supervisor instructed my rep to get on phone with me and I got him to email me the filing documents. I then saw that VA wants a list of all jobs applied for or training received since the date claimed as onset of 100% disability for TDIU. The date placed on the form was 5-1-2016, same as SS disability date. From May to Oct. 2020 I was in the VA voc rehab program where they were paying me to apply for 20 jobs a month, and I also took two VA-paid classes in 2017-2018 (easily discoverable since they were under VA auspices) . All of which would have to be included on the form since the TDIU date is listed being prior to the job apps and the training (or attachments of the scanned pages which I sent to voc rehab). Rep wanted me to send it through as is. Wording at bottom of form says I am certifying all to be true under penalty of prosecution for fraud to get government benefits. So I cannot agree to the application as is. This was the reason I wanted to check the docs to begin with, to make sure there were no such problems. Rep knew I was working with voc rehab though didn’t know the details. Part of the TDIU application is a letter from state voc rehab dated this year saying they have no more help available to offer (it was meaningless to begin with; at my last meeting with them the two employees couldn’t wait until I got out of earshot to start mocking me, I am sick of going anywhere or to anyone for help at this point). I took my case to a psychiatrist retired from 20 years running the local VA regional office last year. After a $230 session (discounted non insurance price) he said he couldn’t make a determination on my chances of retaining the 70% rating (my concern on filing for TDIU) and wanted to charge me to review my hundreds of pages of docs for further analysis. Not going to do that. Point is, I have gotten all the help or advice possible. One useful comment was that it was “highly unusual” for my case to have gone unreviewed for 10 years. Likely indication my condition has been determined permanent and not likely to improve. He also said his office only did the comp exams, the ratings determinations were done elsewhere and were a mystery to him. I believe waiting till past the 10 year point was the right decision for filing for TDIU for peace of mind purposes since I would at least retain the SC determination even if the rating is still vulnerable. My concern is the risk of a rating reduction. Questions: - Can we just list the date of TDIU as the current date, which will then be after the job applications and training, therefore no need to list them? Is there any benefit / requirement to listing TDIU date as same as SS disability date? Don’t know why vet rep did that. If this has to be an appeal with no back pay, there is no benefit to listing anything other than current date that I can see. Goes without saying I do not trust the vet rep at this point. (Only other option would be DAV, they will not let me past the receptionist unless I agree to change power of attorney and start over, not going to do that either.) - do the job applications and training work for or against me for TDIU? That is, does looking for work show you are still trying to work and not “retired” or does it show you think you can work therefore should not get TDIU? I will be 65 in December, I was told by a different county rep that that age point helps in getting TDIU. Is the vet’s mind set a factor? At some point it seems to me it doesn’t matter, if you can’t work because you can’t find work or whether you have trouble functioning on jobs, whether you “think” you can work or not it would add up to the same thing. - is the view that my current application would have to be an appeal accurate due to the prior TDIU application withdraw? - vet rep asked if I had lost any time on job due to disability. Answer no. Is this a major factor? Thanks for any help.

Yes I am struggling with all those types of decisions, I got SSDI two years ago on first try with no appeal, on pretty much the same grounds as my SC determination was. I have not worked in 4 years.

I have been 70% SC since Feb 2010, just over 10 year mark now.