georgiapapa

Kate, I think you are right. It should be an age discrimination issue. I am amazed that veterans service organizations just sat by and watched this happen when the Caregiver Program was first proposed. I know there are veterans on this website who know and talk to some of the VA disability attorneys. Perhaps they might ask the attorney(s) if they might consider filing an age discrimination lawsuit against the VA on behalf of pre 9/11 disabled veterans. GP

Also, Google the salaries for U.S. Senators and U.S. Congressmen. Do you really think senators and congressmen are going to let VA employees or any other federal employees make twice what they make? Open the Books website is BS. JMO GP

Google "2015 GS payscale" and you will see the information on the Open the Books website is BS. Even if they added benefits with salaries, the figures would still be exaggerated. I would guess that most of the employees working for the VA regional offices range from GS 5 to GS 12 and the supervisors are GS 13s and high echelon managers at the GS 14 and GS 15 level. I worked for the federal government for over 25 years and I am familiar with the the pay systems used by federal agencies. There is additional locality pay added for employees in cities with high cost of living but this additional pay would not add anywhere near what is shown on the Open the Books website. There are also special payscales for certain professions such as doctors. I seriously doubt you will find many doctors, if any, working for the federal government making what is shown n the Open the Books website. Now don't get me wrong, I am not a defender of VA salaries. I think a lot of the employees at the VA are overpaid for what they are doing but if I am going to criticize the VA, I do not want my criticism to be based on something I know is total BS. JMO GP

Congratulations. This means free Champva healthcare and Chapter 35 DEA educational benefits for your eligible family members. For you it means free VA dental care, etc. Good luck and take care. GP

Travel pay is not automatic. You have to complete a form and submit it to the VAMC travel office. Also, your claim may have closed yesterday but your effective date is probably the date you actually filed your claim. You have to be priority 1 (50% or higher) for the copays to be waived on VA appointments and prescriptions. GP

rootbeer22, Someone may have already suggested it but if not I would email Undersecretary Hickey ASAP. Contacting her would probably result in the records being added to your claim and possibly speed up the processing of your claim. JMO allison.hickey@va.gov Good luck. GP

I agree with Vern. Send the email to Ms. Hickey. GP

yoopergirl, Go to the Hadit home page and click on the VA Training Letters on the right side of the page. Scroll down to "TL 07-01." This is the VA training letter on TDIU. It also shows how the VA determines the effective date on TDIU claims. Good luck and take care. GP

Congratulations on your award. With a 30% rating, you are now entitled to travel pay for all VA appointments. You can also request retroactive travel pay back to the effective date of your claim. You should have already received travel pay for all of your C & P exams. Good luck to you. GP

yoopergirl, You are right. Pre 9/11 vets are sol. In my opinion, this is a form of discrimination and should be considered illegal. I guess it is not illegal because we are not being treated differently because of race, gender, religion or national origin. Whether illegal or not, it stinks to high hell. JMO Take care GP

Jean, Seeing your message about your husband being ok made my day. A lot of other Hadit members will be thrilled with your message. I am glad to see your husband is recovering from what could have been a terrible tragedy. I am sure you and your daughter have to be emotionally drained and need to take a little time off to recover from the past couple of days. It takes strong women to stand by men with PTSD and your husband is lucky to have two strong women in his life. Take care. GP

Great to hear some positive news for veterans. GP

Jean, I hope we get a post from you soon saying your husband is ok. I think a lot of Hadit members are sitting on edge right now hoping everything turns out alright. I know this is really hard and my heart goes out to you and your daughter. We consider your husband to be part of the Hadit family. You and your daughter are now under the umbrella of the Hadit family and you have Hadit members ready to help if they can. We have your family in our prayers. Stay strong. Please keep us posted. Georgiapapa

You are welcome.

Dick, I seriously doubt you will receive EMG or NCS tests at your C & P exam. My exam for peripheral neuropathy in my lower extremities consisted of an NP breaking an oversized Qtip in half and jabbing me in the feet and legs with the Qtip while asking "can you feel that?" It was a joke. Fortunately, I had brought copies of my EMG and NCS tests reports to the exam that were performed by my private doctor. I think bringing copies of all of your relevant medical records to your exam can help. My examiner did review the records and used the info to complete her questionnaire. Do not depend on the VA providing the examiner with your records. Personally, I do not think an NP is qualified to perform an exam such as yours. If the exam does not go your way, I would suggest getting an IMO from a private specialist to countermand the C & P exam report if necessary. JMO Take care. GP

Oiler1995, Now your eligible family members can get Champva healthcare coverage and Chapter 35 DEA educational benefits. These are great benefits. You now qualify for free dental care, base commissary and exchange privileges,etc. Good luck and take care of yourself. GP

You can file for compensation but the diseases identified by the VA as possibly associated with the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune have not been classified as presumptive diseases by the VA. As a result, veterans still have to provide evidence showing a nexus between their diseases and the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune in order to receive compensation. At the current time, veterans or family members who are diagnosed with any of the diseases and were on Camp Lejeune for 30 days it more between 1957 and 1987 are eligible for free medical treatment of the diseases by the VA. More info on this subject can be found on the VA website. GP

Tom12, It could take a few days or a couple of weeks depending on the RO. GP

vet90, If you had your C & P exams at your VAMC, you can go to the "Release of Information" office at your VAMC, complete a form and possibly get copies of the reports while you wait. You may want to call first just to make sure. JMO GP

It does depend on the RO but I don't have any info on which ROs updates Ebenefits faster than others. Take care. GP

Periodically start checking "VA Letters" in your Ebenefits account. In "VA Letters," click "Benefits Summary Letter." Your rating will probably show up here before you receive the BBE. Good Luck. GP

Navy4life, The example provided by Buck from the USVA website would be a better example to use and to take to your dentist. GP

Navy4life, I don't know what happened to the IMO sample on Hadit. I could not find it either. Go to the following website: veteransinfo.tripod.com Do not put www in front of the website name. Once on the website, Click on "Veterans Benefits & Information" on the left hand side, and then scroll down to "Nexus Letters." Nexus Letter is basically the same as an IMO. It is a written opinion showing a nexus or connection between two things. In your case the letter would have to be written to show a connection between your eating disorder and your damaged teeth. The letters written by Dr. Quack are basic samples of what an IMO must contain. Other info on nexus letters/IMOs can be found on this same website. If my recollection is correct, these are the same sample IMOs/nexus letters previously shown on Hadit. If I find any additional IMO samples I will let you know. Good luck. GP

dd1775, If you could actually post a copy of the letter with your personal info blacked out, Hadit members would be in a better position to offer suggestions and advice. GP

Congratulations saxman. I am happy for you. Take care. GP