shrlee

It is located in Tulsa Oklahoma.

My husband has been attending a bi-weekly PTSD Group Meeting at our local VA for the last eight years. When he attended yesterday he noticed they have installed camera's which were scanning the room. He asked the phychologist if they were on and yes they were. About ten or twelve vets are in the group. The vets are uncomfortable with the cameras and several of them has quit venting and are careful of what they do say and most don't talk at all. The phychologist, whom the vets respect and trust, now also is careful of what he says. Were we behind times or is it common to have camera's in the PTSD Group Meetings?

What reg change? Does it have anything to do with missing SMR's reportedly lost in the St. Louis Fire?

My father-in-law passed away February I filed for DIC and AA for my 81 year old mother-in-law. We received the papers yesterday they granted her the DIC but denied Aid and Attendance. She lives alone. She has what her dr has described as memeroy loss, which I think is putting her condition lightly, considering she has accidently overdosed on her meds.(E.R. visit) because she forgot she took her meds or she forgets to take them. We try not to let her cook because leaves the gas burners on the stove (burning her pots and pans), forgets to eat and forgets she ate, leaves frozen food out until it thaws then returns it to the frig. She calls at least six times a day for us to adjust her central heat and air because she continuously turns it way up or way down. My husband and I cook her meals and administer her meds twice a day. We do her house cleaning, yard work, shopping and paying of bills. All of this was reported to VA along with her dr's letter, stating memory loss, breathing problems, arthritis. If you meet her you would think she was a shy elderly lady, but if you spend time talking to her you will see she doesn't know the day, month, year, how old she is, etc. or the conversation she had two minutes earlier. I am not complaining, she's our mother and we will take care of her needs. But I was looking forward to her receiving the AA comp so we could hire someone to give us a break a few times a month. I am aware we can appeal their denial but at this time I don't have the energy to fight.

Berta, This is a fight I have taken over for my brother since his wife passed away last year. They have been filing since 1987. He is a Korean Vet injured in a fall in 1959 injuring his back and ankle. Granted 10% for ankle. His SMRs have been reported as having been destroyed in the 1973 fire. We filed lay statements, buddy statement,Dr. Reports as of 1987,(trying to get medical records from fifty years ago is impossible) and a fantastic IMO whereas the Dr. really knew what he was doing. When we filed the IMO the SO told us our local RO would not take into consideration the opinion from that specific Dr. he said if they denied it to go to our local congressman. Well they denied the claim and never gave my brother the hearing he requested (the denial took us by surprise since we were still waiting on the hearing)or referred to anything in the IMO. We are getting ready to appeal and I was hoping to contact the congressman's secretary to see if it will help. We did receive a SOC letter in which they itemized each condition and in essence stated, The VA Examination does not give a diagnosis for conditions as secondary to residuals. The IMO stated diffently. And to make matters worse he doesn't have the best or most helpful SO.

When contacting the President and Senators do you have to send copies of any specific papers (Evidence,IMO, Denials, etc.) or just tell them of the many years of constant denials? Our SO told us to contact our Senators Secretary do we need to take anything with us? Shirley

Cavman My husband is also 70% IU P&T compensated at 100%. Recently Oklahoma passed a bill exempting 100% disabled vet's from property tax and sales tax. My husband contacted the VA and asked what he needed to do to apply. VA sent him a letter stating his percentage at 100% making him eligible. We submitted a copy of the letter to the county assessors office for property tax exemption, which went into effect Jan. 06 We also submitted a copy to the tax commision office where as they gave him a sales tax exempt card. Downside: Don't know how long it will last, the politians are yelling the state is losing too much money! Shrlee

Thanks I will send a FOIA request. Yes, Berta he HAD a SO, that is the way he found out it was at the RO. His So called him asking why he had sent it to the RO. My brother told him he hadn't sent it to the RO. The PCP's office was suppose to call him to come in and pick it up. The SO told him he would be getting something in the mail, nothing arrived. He waited a week called his SO, the SO was on vacation, he waited two weeks called again they told him the SO had resigned. It's okay, he has been fighting the VA since 1987, so if something can go wrong it will, I think by this time he kinda expects it. For Example: He went to his C&P last week (ankle 10% SC) the doctor told him to set his cane down and stand on the scale my brother said "I can't stand on there and balance myself with my feet that close together." The C&P doctor assured him he could. So he get's on the scale, his ankle buckles, he starts falling, grabs the scale, the scale starts tilting, he lets go of the scale and grabs the closest thing to him, yelp, the doctor, they both end up in the floor, the nurse is banging on the door yelling "Dr. X are you alright?" The doctor yells out "Yeah, we're alright, his ankle just buckled and he fell" He turns to my brother and asked him if he was alright, my brother replied "Hell no I'm not alright, I told you I couldn't stand up there like that." The doctor handed him his cane and had him to climb back up on the scale. I'm sure none of that will be mentioned in his C&P. Shirley

Thanks Berta and John What I am in need of is a copy of an IMO my brother had done by his PCP. The PCP's staff sent it straight to the RO instead of sending it to my brother. The PCP does not have a copy. So now we have no idea of what is stated in the IMO report. Shirley

We filed a NOD last month on my brothers claim, If we request a copy of his C-File will this interfere or slow down his claim? Shirley

Thanks Carlie, Pete and Berta for your response Carlie, I will check that site out Pete, we have an appt. Sept. hope to connect the knees to the ankle. I made copies for the Dr. and SO of all medical records and Rating Decisions pertaining to his back, ankle and knees. Hopefully they can connect it all Berta, Mom didn't keep the letters, only the picture, which was submitted to VA in 1988. In 1995 they finally granted 10% on the ankle. Along with the picture a notorized Buddy Statement was also submitted in 1988. If we resubmit the Buddy Statement with the NOD will they accept it. I wonder if the buddy statement is still being considered after so many years or if it was lost in the shuffle. Thats the partthat confuses me, If they granted SC for the ankle due to the buddy statement why didn't they SC the back? The vet and his wife did try NARA to locate his records themselves with no luck. The dr. who did the knee replacements would not be much help. The first knee replacement was contaminated which led to a class action lawsuit, two additional replacements and a knee worst off than before surgery. Long story Yes he gets SSD for his back, knees and arthritis. I don't know the last time he tried to get additional Buddy Statements, I will get his unit and other info. and try the link Carlie posted. Thanks for your help, Shirley .

My brother injured his back and fractured his ankle during a fall while on manuvers in Korea 1957. He applied for comp. in 1985. His records were one of the many they claim are missing due to the St. Louis fire. The only proof he has is a Buddy Statement and a picture that was taken while in Korea with his leg in a cast. After years of denials in 1995 he received 10% for the fractured ankle. Although the Buddy Statement stated he injured his back AND left leg they have never given him a service connection on his back. My brother and his wife had been working his claim, she passed away last year. In April he received his letter denying an increase on the ankle ( he has had 3 knee replacements on that leg since 1999, private doctor) and a denial on SC of the back injury. After I got to talking to him I found out he never attempted to get an outside medical opinion. His original claim is for the ankle, back and arthritis. I want to add his knees as secondary and tinitus to his claim. Left knee is the one with replacements right knee dr says needs replaced. When my husband filed his claim he had three fantastic service officers, although I have been lurking on this board since 1998, this is a new to me and I don't want to $crew him up anymore than he is. We went thru boxes and boxes of papers, and made copies of his medical papers and rating decision for the dr. and SO. I made him an appt. with a dr. for an evaluation letter, there was not an opening until Sept. Should he wait until he gets the drs evaluation letter before he sends in the NOD? He has no new proof until he receives a letter hopefully connecting the knees to the ankle and stating as least likely as not the back was injured in the fall. Should we wait to file the knees and tinitus until after there is a decision on the NOD? If we file the additional claims will they slow down the original claim? He only has one Buddy Statement would it help if the family wrote statements concerning the letters he wrote home about the injuries? We are going to contact a service officer to file the NOD but I don't know what he can do until we get more proof. I applogize for such a long post, trying to get 20 years onto one page is difficult. Thanks for any input, Shirley