Sapper

Hi berta, I just have a quick question. For the Caregiver Stipend Benefit, will I have to do another C&P or do anything that will effect my rating? I'm currently at 100 percent P&T and I don't want to mess it up.

Hello once again all of my Hadit.com friends! I just have a couple of questions that I was curious about. If you have seen my earlier posts, I was found 100% P&T for PTSD last year. I have begun to notice that I have many of the signs and symptoms for TBI. When I first started going to the VA clinic in 2008, I saw a doctor about being screened for TBI, and I believe they said I wasn't positive. They did however enroll me in speech therapy, in which I went to a few sessions, but due to the distance it is to drive for every appointment, and no compensation for the mileage, I couldn't afford to go. I was still in the service at this time and did not want to get discharged, so I think I might not have been as honest as I could have been. I feel that it's very possible I do have TBI, so I am asking them for another appointment. Note: This is not a C&P appointment, I am only trying to see if I do have TBI, and if I can get it service connected, and recieve treatment for it. My question is, what will they look at to screen me for this? What point do I need to get accross to them to make them see that I do have it? I have memory loss, depression, bad attention span, headaches and migraines, sometimes I have slurred speech, I lose my balance, have tinnitus etc. I believe it is service connected because we had a tanker truck fire, I was running around it to get to the injured personnel by the front of the truck, when the tanker exploded and almost knocked me over and jarred me pretty bad. Any help or advice or personal thoughts on the matter is greatly appriciated. Thank you all for taking the time to read my post.

Congrats Carlie! I haven't been on here in months (My Bad) and I just saw your post! You deserve it!

Hi Everyone, It's been a while since I've posted on here, but I just dropped back on to see how everyone's been doing, and I see some new faces. About a half of a year ago, I finally won my battle with the VA and was awarded an increase from 80% for PTSD, Neck, Back, and Tinnitus, to 100% PTSD. I just wanted to give some encouragement to everyone again to keep pushing for what you believe you should be rated at. I know it's strenuous, and can take a toll out on you and your families, but if you keep going for it, good things can and usually will happen. If it hadn't been for this website, I would have been lost on my claim, and would not have done nearly as well as I did. I've also been recommending this site to fellow vets through my counselor I see every couple of weeks, and they've said it has helped them tremendously also. So in summary, push for what you believe, and do your best to stay positive. Also, A BIG Thank You to all of the Hadit.com members, you all help others more than you could ever know, just by typing advice and sending positive comments. I'm proud to be a Hadit.com member, and I will contiunue to send other fellow vets to the site for advice and help. Thank you all, and HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY! -Sapper-

From what I understand, they will give you a rating of PTSD with signs of Depression. That's how they rated me. I was told I have severe anxiety, depression, and PTSD, but it's all rolled into the PTSD rating. Good luck!

I don't usually like surprises, unless they're deposits in my bank account. Congrats!

Envelope arrived today! Deposit was made last week, but now it seems I have everything I need. A nice letter from the VA saying that my 100% is P&T, and a little chunk of change in the bank. Most of all though, I had all of your support through all of this. Thank you again Hadit.com members! I look forward to helping other vets as you have all done for me. Thank you again! Sapper

Congrats on your victory with the VA! I recently was just awarded 100% P&T also. I just recieved the award letter today in the mail, and the money hit last week. I'm sure you'll be seeing a nice little deposit in your checking soon. Also, everyone on here has been great at giving advice, so I'm positive others will chime in with some benefit answers for you. Take care and congrats once more! -Sapper-

Many do not understand what some veteran's spouses have to go through. (Sometimes it seems like they're worse off than the vets) Without my spouse, I honestly do not think I would have made it through all of this.

Just a new update. Recieved backpay in my bank account as of Midnight today. It's finally feeling true, as I feel like I've been in a dream for the last couple of days. I'm surprised at how fast things are going for me now, after such a wait for the process. I'm finally going to reward my wife with a couple nice things she deserves for being able to put up with me -Sapper-

Very nice replies, this post really is going to help me in the near future I think. Thank you all for the replies and advice! -Sapper-

The American Legion told me the decision was made on the 24th of February. Then they didn't want to give me an answer on what the decision was until it was posted on their network, which it was on the 1st of March. I found out on March 1st, but still no envelope. They say 10-40 days to recieve it, so we'll see. I'll let you know when I do get it in the mail. Hopefully you get your answer soon!

Hopefully a week or so. I have my fingers crossed :)

What I heard was within the last month or so, the VA's had to go back and re-evaluate a TON of claims due to pesticides and herbicides from 1985-91. All of the claims had to be re-opened and decided, quadrupling the VA's rating board workload. (This information coming from my American Legion Rep) Although this is no reason for 6 months at a rating board, it does justify some delay I would think, since some of these vets have been waiting so long for their claims. I filed my claim in June of 2010, and just recieved an answer this week. Hopefully things will pick back up for you. If you have a representing agency, I would give them a call and see if they can check into it for you. Take care and god bless!

It's normal I believe. I did my C&P in Minneapolis, and had to do the test before my first PTSD C&P. (The one where they ask if you wish you were the opposite sex 17 times or whatever, right?) Pain in the ass, and I know what you mean about anxiety during it. Same questions, rephrased, like they're toying with your mind. I know your frustration with it. Keep your chin up!

I see that the state of Wisconsin gives a tax credit for your property taxes, so you pay them in, but get them back at the end of the year. I wasn't able to find abything on getting a tax free card for purchases though. I googled it and only saw something for Oklahoma. Maybe I'm missing something. Is that a state or federal benefit? :) Thanks for the info Navydoc!

Awesome post VetsLady, very informative! I'll be sure to check into all of these things. My CVSO said I should be getting a ton of information soon in the mail on many things, but I still like to hear from everyone on benefits because sometimes benefits are overlooked. Thank you!

Thank you, I'll look into that. What does the S stand for? You're at 19999 posts, reply and get your 20k! :D

Well after 8 months of messing around with all of this VA stuff, I recieved a call from the American Legion today, just about 30 mins ago. I'm euphoric now, we'll see how long it lasts for. Instead of rating me TDIU, the VA actually rated me 100% for PTSD, and denied my migranes. The great thing about this is, they rated me 100% with no future examinations, so in other words, P&T. After all of this messing around, waiting, and appealing past decisions, I've finally arrived here. I'm amazed that I got it, especially with P&T. I really don't know what else to say, I guess I'm still in the moment. One big thing I can say, is that the American Legion was awesome during all of this. Their rep called me as soon as she found out what the decision was, and really went the extra yard for me, and was probably the nicest person I spoke to over the phone about this. I highly reccomend the American Legion if you're in the state of Wisconsin. Also, last but not least, I want to thank all of the members here on Hadit.com most of all. Without your input and advice, I never would have gotten this far, would never have known about filing for SSDI, and I honestly do not think that I could have pulled through with all of this. Thank you Hadit.com for all of your help, and even though it looks like my fight is over, I know that the fight for many of my fellow soldiers will keep going. I will keep posting on the website whenever I can give advice. Don't ever give up, and keep your chin up through it, and you'll eventually be successful. Thank you, Thank you, Thank YOU Hadit.com Members!!! -Sapper- (P.S. It sure felt great typing in my new rating ;-)

Thank you for the advice Kelly. I finally got a phone call from the American Legion today, and my paperwork as finally gotten entered in their system. They have backdated me until July 1st, 2010, and have awarded me 100% P&T with no future exams. I'm in disbelief. I read so much on here about people fighting for P&T, I can't believe I got it on the first go around. Actually, I'm still in disbelief that they rated me at 100% for PTSD, instead of giving me TDIU. I'll be posting on the Success Stories later on today. Thanks again for your reply!

Hi Everyone, I filed for TDIU for my PTSD/Migraines/Neck/Back/Tinnitus problems. I am currently at 80% total. 70% PTSD, 10% Neck, 10% Back, and 10% Tinnitus. My claim as been going since June 28th of 2010. I have just found out from my American Legion rep that my claim is in the notification phase. I couldn't quite squeeze the answer out of them yet, so my anxiety is going through the roof. I called this morning and spoke to a gentleman, and he told me that "some of it looks really good" He let me know that my migraines were being deferred to being service connected, but he did say that it stated something about being eligible for Chapter 35 benefits. It sounds like they're going to grant me TDIU. I know I'm counting my chickens before they hatch, so I will keep calling them every day this week until I find out the Award Letter has been submitted. It has been a long road (even though it's really not compared to some veterans) but I'm glad it's close to being over. I'm doing my best to keep positive until I find out the definite answer. Another question I do have, is that I am recieving SSDI, which I submitted to the VA in support of my TDIU claim. I have read that it is possible to get a TDIU to backdate to your SSDI award date. Is this really possible? I asked the American Legion rep about this, and his response was, "The VA will not pay back to the SSDI date because the TDIU claim was not submitted before the SSDI award date, so it would only backdate to my TDIU claim date of June 28th. My SSDI award date backdated to July of 2009, so that's a big pay difference. As I stated before, I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but my stomach is in knots, and I'm sure I won't be able to sleep even as good as I can with the pills until I find out my definite answer. I will keep all of you posted, and hopefully I'll be posting in the success stories area by the end of the week. Thank you all for your input, and for giving me a kick in the rear to get the paperwork going to the VA and SSDI. Without everyone's help, I'm sure I wouldn't have filed for SSDI yet, as I didn't know I really could. Thank you all, Hadit.com members! -Sapper724-

What Carlie said, copy and repost on a new thread please. :)

This is so bizarre, because this is what I JUST went through. I'll let you know what I did. First off, my credit scores were lower than the 620 median we need to get a loan for a home here. I paid off what I could, and set up auto-pay on my loans for the credit history. I had a realtor that wouldn't give me the time of day because my scores were too low, so I tried through my credit union, and voila, they were eager to help me. I ordered my credit report through all 3 bureaus, which is free once a year. Then, I disputed just about everything that had 30 day or later payments listed, collection agencies, etc. I disputed by just telling the truth, either I was out of the country on deployment during the billing, doctor bills were sapposed to be covered by insurance and were sent to collections before I could pay them, etc. The Results... Trans Union deleted 6, yes 6 things off of my credit report. (This by the way was my lowest score) Experian deleted 3 negative things off of my credit report. (This was my highest score) Equifax deleted 1 collection agency off of my credit report. (This was my median score) When lenders are checking out your score, you could have a very high score with one credit bureau, and a very low with another. The bank usually will go off of your median (middle) score. For example, I had my Experian score at 688, but my Equifax was at 618 and my Trans Union at 604. My median score was 618, which was too low to get an average mortgage for a house. After disputing these items, my credit bumped up quite a bit. I'm still waiting to find out my scores for the after results, but already my median score with Equifax was at 649 after pulling just the first thing off. When they pull things off your credit, your scores can instantly jump. NOTE: DO NOT dispute anything that has a long credit history if it only has 1 or two 30 day late payments listed. Payment history is the key to credit, and sometimes the length of the credit outweighs having one or two late payments. About VA Home Loans: I spoke with my loan guy through my realtor, and it depends on the lender on how high your score needs to be for a VA Home Loan. In my instance, I need to get a Median score of 660. I still don't have one high enough to get one through this lender, so I am going with an FHA loan, unless of course, my credit did bump up that much. It appears to me that a VA Home Loan seems harder to get than an FHA loan, and they are also a lot pickier about the house you buy. It may be different for new construction loans, although I have also heard that they haven't been giving out new construction loans unless you have excellent credit. So after all of this, which took about 6 months to work on and get some things fixed, I was pre-approved for a home loan this month. We put an offer in and were accepted. We are moving at the end of March. (Now hopefully my TDIU claim will come through and everything will be just right. Stick with working on your credit, it can be fixed I promise. If you are not successful in working on it yourself, which can save you a TON of money, you can hire a "Credit Consultant" These cost about $600 for a 6 month term, and they will try to find loopholes in the collection agencies and credit reports to get them removed, as there are about 200 laws they have to follow to post a negative on your credit. As Broncovet has stated, they have to remove negative items in 30 days if they cannot verify them. It's worth a shot to do yourself, and save a few bucks. If that does not work well enough, go with a Credit Consultant and see what they think. Also, all of these disputed can be done right online, after verifying your identity, and I was actually very surprised that 2 out of 3 of the credit agencies didn't even take the full 30 days to finish the dispute process. Experian was the longest, taking 40 days. (If you dispute from your free annual credit report, they can take up to 45 days, instead of the regular 30. Keep your chin up, and things will work out, just stick with it. After dealing with the VA, credit reports seem like a piece of cake. ;-) Take care and good luck!