vet2010

During my C and P exam I can remember the doctor stating my Lower Back ( spine) was the worse he ever seen in a person my age. I have tried everything from steroids, Epidirals, Discesectomy to one of the strongest Narcotics they (pain managemet) have to offer (Exalgo) and nothing works. I am worried when I go to my initial VA appt tomorrow they (VA) will take away my 100% and put my family in financial hardship. I hear of all these stories where the VA reduce your percentage for no reason and you have to fight to get it back. I am 50% depression, 40% prostatis, 50% Sleep Apnea and a host of other issues however those are the major problems. So, whoever state they cannot be service connected for depression do to other medical issues should look at my situation. I retired in Oct 2010 and since that time I worked for two weeks and I had to quit because of my issues, luckily I have a supporting wife that work and assist me every day. vet2010

What does ROM stand for, I looked under the abbreviations but it wasn't there.

Yes I receive full retirement pay and 100% pay from the VA. I filed for SSD in March 2011 I am still waiting for a decision, I have an appt on 15 June with the SSD medical. My initial appt with VA is 13 June, I will be filling for P and T sometime in the near future. My civilian pain management doctor suggested I accept the 3 level fusion of my Back however he also stated because of my age (39) he is against the proceedure. vet2010

I get No, None, 0 relief for my Back. I injured my back while in the Army, my MOS was Infantry for 20yrs. Ground pounding for 20yrs woud make anyone go crazy let alone injure themselves. If you know anything about the Infantry the one thing you DON'T do is go to sick call for an injury, especially when you are in a Leadership position. Unless you have a bone sticking out somewhere you better not go to sickcall. vet2010

My story is a mirror of what yall are going through. I am rated 20% for Lower Back and 50% for depression. My depression consist of not being able to join my kids in a swimming pool, can't lay down or sit for long periods of time, Can't sleep (sleep Apena 50% w/cpap), must use a walking cane (somedays) to get around. I am 39 yrs olds and feel like 50. I recently retired form the Army in 2010 and I am rated at 100% sc, i would suggest when yall see the doctors make sure you state the truth, if you use to do it and you can't now what the heck. I use to make love to my wife however because of my back I can't anymore, I use to run and jog 4 miles a day but I can't now. Its not that I am getting old, its because I gave everything to the Army and Now its time for them to give it back. I take over 12 pills a day and thats not including the pills I take as needed (cialis), I take Exalgo a hydramorphine for my back and when I do I can't drive, watch my children or clean my on damn house. Stick with this site and claim what you deserve. Oh, I also take sleeping pills (lunesta) just to get a few hours of sleep. also combine Zoloft with the coctail of pills I already take and buddy I am a ticking time bomb... Anger has consumed me to the point where I call my wife from work atleast twice a month when I feel I am in danger of F*cking someone up. Sorry for the language. I call her because we have four small children that I must look after all day, one spill of a cup and the fuse has been lit... vet2010

I filed two separate claims, Insomnia and Sleep Apnea. I will read over my C and P results and give exactly what was said tomorrow. I must tell you they (VA) stated my insomnia was caused by my Chronic Back Problems which I filed for also.

I have been on sleeping pills for Insomnia for over two years and I was given a 0% rating. I was given a 50% rating for Sleep Apnea... Hope this help...

If I am rated at 100% however I only received a 20% rating for my Lower Back (pain and surgery), can I file for P and T because of my Lower Back? I can no longer work... vet2010

If I am 100% however I only received a 20% rating for my Lower Back (pain and surgery), can I file for P and T because of my Lower Back? I can no longer work... vet2010

I was awarded 50% for depression, once I received my packet (Brown Envelope) in the mail it did not state or have a GAF score. How do I obtain this info? Vet2010

I am Sc'd for the following, 1. 50% Depression - VA Letter state this may improve... 2. 50% Sleep Apnea 3. 40% Prostatis - VA Letter state this may improve... 4. 20% Lower back 5. 10% Tinnittis 6. 10% Gerd 7. 5 more claims rated at 10% each.

I am 100% Sc and I am working toward getting P and T?

Question, I retired from the Army in 2010 and was awarded 100% in Feb 2011, my first VA appt is next month. How often do and will the VA schedule a new C and P exam? This is my first VA visit...

A friend contacted me on Thursday of last week and stated that he received a call from the VA. He stated the person (VA) told him that his claim was in its final stages after 11 months of waiting. My friend retired in May 2010 and the VA just contacted him last week. On saturday my friend called me and stated that he received his Brown Envelope and he stated that he was granted 30%. Here is the Question, included in that letter was a statement attached to it saying that his claim for his kidneys has not been decided and they are still gathering more information from his doctors. I told him do not believe the VA and that they (VA) included his kidney claim with that 30%. Can the VA rate you while still gathering information on additional claims? this is his initial claim since retireing in May of 2010. vet2010

I am rated at 100% Sc with three claims rated above 40% each. I filed for SSD with no word back yet, I received my initial claim Feb 2011. What do I need to do to file for P and T? I tried working after I retired from the military however I was only able to last for two weeks. My initial VA appt is next month (June) however I am seeing numerous Speciality Civilian Dr's because of my ongoing problems of which several have recommened Surgery for my Lower Back, however for me that is not an option. I would rather live with the pain versus getting cut on again. I take several medications a day of which one is a hydraMorphine pill (Exalgo), that pill in itself is a pill from LA la land, combine that with Zoloft and I am a walking Zombie. Advice needed for applying for T and P? Thanks Vet2010

I was awarded 10% in Feb 2011 on my initial claim for a scar that I received back in 1992. I received a deep laceration on my right pinky finger from a field excercise. It still hurt to touch, i was told the laceration did not heal correctly and that is the reason for the raised skin and the discoloration. vet2010

I have an upcoming apptt with VA on June 13th, this will be my initial appt since retireing from the military. My appt I suspect is an overall or general visit because it only state that I have an appt with an outpatient clinic. Can VA reduce your conpensation based on this first appt? Also should carry all civilian records (records since retireing) with me to this appt? vet2010

I am wondering has their ever been a case where someone have received an increase from 20 to 100% do to chronic back pain? vet2010

I was diagnosed with Depression and Anxiety, However after I retired and started seeing a civilian doctor, I am now diagnosed with PTSD. Who is right?

I have read a lot of post pertaining to Depression, Anxiety and PTSD. I was in the military for 20yrs and recently retired, my MOS (Job) was 11B / 11M for the entire time. I entered the military Aug 1990 and retired Oct 2010, what I am about to say may shock a lot of you, even though I was an Infantry soldier / Leader for 20yrs, I never deployed to Combat. I know thta may seem hard for some to understand and a lot of you maybe thinking I somehow ducked out on combat. The truth is, I was Mis-diagnosed several times with having Cancer, Prostate Cancer to testical Cancer. I was airborne for several years and hurt my back and had several Back surgeries, also I underwent several surgeries pertaining to my testicals. I stated that to say this, I was granted 50% for depression / anxiety and 50% for my prostate. Many seem to think the only way you can file for depression is by having served in a combat zone however I am here to say that is not the case. Imagine being told you have cancer (several times) and your brother succombing to cancer at the age of 39 and your dad going to Chemo all at the same time. Vet2010

Yancy, I wanted to chime in here, I was diagnosed with Severe Depression, Anxiety, Sleep Apnea, and a number of other ailments. I recently retired in Oct 2010 and I visited a Psychiatrist 3 months before retiring, my illness went undiagnosed for over 3-4 years that is including the sleep apnea, depression and anxiety. I went to my C & P exam and I was honest with the Doctors, I take everything from Lunesta sleeping pills to Zoloft for my depresson. I guess what I am trying to say is, claim what ever you feel is wrong with you and worry about the service connection later. I bet somewhere in you medical records you went to sick call for a particular illness and that illness probably went untreated for a number of years and that probably caused you to have more problems. Stick with this site and ask every question you may have, I had no clue about theVA until I came across this website. I can honestly say, because of this website and with the help of putting my ear to ground and listennnig to folks talk is what got me 100% my first time around. The most important thing is to take care of yourself, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE continue to get the help you need. vet2010

I am awarded 50% depression and Anxiety however I am seeing a Civilian Dr. who prescribed me meds and diagnosed me with PTSD. I am already rated at 100% but not P & T. My next appt with the VA is not until June and I am trying to get P & T, my question is will this (PTSD Diagnoses) help me with the P & T? thanks for the help. vet2010 50% Sleep Apnea 50% Depression / Anxiety 40% Prostatis 20% 10% times 6

I wanted to give everyone an update as to what is going on. I recently retired from the Army (31 Oct 2010) and I was awarded 100% from the VA on 17 Feb 2011. I recently filed for SSD and hired a lawyer to represent me throughout the process. I am 50% depression, 50% Sleep apnea, 40% Prostatis, 10%Tinnitus and a bunch of 10%'s for various other reasons. My Depression 50% will be reavaluated in June along with my 50% Prostatis, both claims are getting worse and I don't think they will improve anytime soon. I will be filing for T & P in may, hopefully everything will work out. I am seeing numerous civilian dr's to include a Pschyiatrist and I recently was told my liver test reading came back high, I am currently undergoing more test to figure out that problem. For those out their who are discourged or down because the VA is slow or not treating you fair, Keep your head up and whatever you do, ASK / POST YOUR QUESTIONS ON THIS SITE AND I GUARANTEE SOMEONE WILL HAVE THE ANSWER OR THEY WILL POINT IN THE RIGHT THE DIRECTION TO GET THE ANSWER. V/r vet2010

I'm sorry, 31 Oct 2010.

I retired from the Army on 31 Oct 2011 and I had a complete Physical given by the Army to include Lab work. I also had a complete check up C & P from VA. My question is, I recently went to see my PCM and after all lab work came back she told me the level readings in my liver was high. How could a Civilian PCM detect this and both the VA and the Army miss it? Can I file a claim for this? She also stated this could be do to the medication prescribed by my previous doctors. vet2010