georgiapapa

Buck, I agree with the good advice given by Sgt. Wilky. Definitely type it. If this is for your PTSD claim, make sure you also get a statement in support of claim from your wife and any others who have witnessed your PTSD symptoms. GP GP

I hope her replacement is as responsive to veteran's inquiries as she was. She has helped a lot of veterans who contacted her for help when all else failed. JMO

This is not unusual and this question comes up often on Hadit. It happened to me and many others. Completion date constantly changes and the VA requests documents you already provided. However, if you do not have any proof you already provided the requested documents to the VA and you want to be on the safe side, I would resubmit them again by VA date stamped hand delivery or certified mail return receipt requested. JMO Good luck to you and thank you for your service. GP

I agree with Buck. Provide the records yourself. Do not rely on the VA to provide the records. If the VA does not provide the records or leaves out records supporting your claim, you will probably be denied and possibly end up in a lengthy appeals process. This can be avoided by making sure you have file copies of all of your medical records (military, VA and private) so they can be provided on request and you can control exactly what is provided. If you don't have copies of the medical records supporting your claim you should obtain copies ASAP. Go to your VAMC or private medical providers and get copies. In response to your question as to whether the QTC Doctor is required to review your medical records prior to your C & P exam, I can tell you from personal experience that VA examiners who conduct C & P exams are not always required to review a claimant's medical records prior to conducting a C & P exam. Good luck to you. Take care. GP

Congratulations and good luck to you and your family. Take care. GP

high octane, Good to hear you had a positive experience. Undersecretary Hickey has a good record of responding to requests for assistance from veterans in a timely manner, including several Hadit members. Her efforts have frequently resulted in positive outcomes for the veterans. I hope the same holds true in your case. Semper Fi, GP

jbasser, My heart and prayers go out to you and your family. I can tell by your comments that your grandfather was really special to you. I lost my paternal and maternal grandparents by the time I was twenty years old. It left a big void in my life, especially the loss of my granny (paternal grandmother) who had helped in raising me from the time I was born. Take care and God bless. Georgiapapa

broncovet, Great story about an inspirational teacher. If we just had more teachers like this in all of our educational institutions, we would see more patriotism and more respect for our active duty military and our veterans. Too many people in our nation, especially young people, take our freedoms for granted. JMO Thanks for sharing this wonderful story. GP

drewski84, Excellent advice given by Buck and Navy. GP

glukowicz, I am glad you were able to find some useful info in the BVA decisions. You will definitely need a strong IMO from your doctor supported by reasonable medical rationale supporting the doctor's opinion in the IMO. The IMO needs to follow a format as shown in the sample IMO letters on the Hadit website. I believe Berta is the source of the sample IMO letters on Hadit. As Berta stated, sarcoidosis is not an AO presumptive. You and your doctor will have to show a direct connection between your sarcoidosis and your exposure to AO during your military service. Take care. GP

glukowicz, Go to the BVA appeals website and click on the "search decisions" section. In the "exact word phrase" section, type in the words "sarcoidosis and agent orange." You should get some hits on claims previously filed by veterans for agent orange related sarcoidosis. You will have to sift through the decisions to find the claims decided in favor of the veteran. To save time when sifting through BVA decisions, I usually scroll down to the end of the decision where the decision of the BVA is stated. Conduct a thorough review of the favorable decisions and you will see the type of evidence given the most weight by the BVA as well as the law applied in making their decision. You could also review the unfavorable decisions and see what failed in previous claims. This should give you some ideas as to what you need to succeed with your claim. Good luck to you and thank you for your service. GP

Congratulations on your partial award. I hope you win your other 8 contentions and ultimately end up with a 100% P & T award. God luck and thank you for your service. GP

You are welcome. GP

Theresa, I was hoping when we heard from you again it would be to report you had finally found some service medical records or military personnel records that would correct the error in your father's medical records and leave no doubt with the VA that he sustained an injury to his right leg in service and not his left. In your post above, you mentioned two medical opinions which concluded that your father sustained severe trauma to his right leg but apparently did not opine as to the etiology of his leg injury. An IMO, as Berta suggested above, may be needed to get your father over the final hurdle. Also, as Berta suggested, the IMO would have to be supported by reasonable full medical rationale. The IMO or IMOs would need to be from specialists who are experts in diagnosing and treating the type of injury your father sustained. The IMO should follow the format of the IMO sample on the Hadit website. Other than the suggestions I gave you last March and the above suggestions given by other Hadit members, I can not think of anything else that would help your father with his claim. I hope your father eventually receives the compensation and other benefits from the VA that he deserves. Please keep us posted. Take care. GP

Tj, Please follow the advice given by the above Hadit members. They know what they are talking about and they want to help you. Provide the information requested by Berta and all other relevant information you have. The more information you provide, the easier it will be for Hadit members to assist you with your claim. If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask. Do not give up. You deserve your VA benefits. Good luck to you and thank you for your service. GP

Congratulations on your award. Excellent advice given by USMC_VET. Good luck to you and thank you for your service. GP

Georgia is 100%. The laws vary state by state and in some states county by county. To my knowledge, there are no federal laws governing real estate property tax exemptions. GP

bluevet, Also, please consider making a small donation to support the Hadit website. Although your donation would not be tax deductible, it would help T-Bird keep this wonderful website up and running. A lot of vets and their families have benefited from the info they received from other Hadit members on this website. Just a thought. Take care. GP

bluevet, I do not know if you had a disability rating prior to your 100% award so disregard this message if you were already aware of the content of this message. Since you now have a disability rating at 50% or above, you can receive VA healthcare and VA prescriptions totally free of charge, no copays, for any medical condition, service connected or not service connected. In addition, you can also request reimbursement of any copays you already paid for VA appointments and VA prescriptions retroactive back to the effective date of a disability rating of 50% or higher. You can request this reimbursement of copays at the business office of your local VAMC. Also, any ratings of 30% or higher qualify you for travel cost reimbursement for travel to any VA appointment. You can also request reimbursement for travel cost to all previous VA appointments retroactive back to the effective date of a disability rating of 30% or higher. You can request this reimbursement at the travel office of your local VAMC. Take care of yourself. GP

Congratulations on your award. The 100% P & T award qualifies you for Champva healthcare coverage for your eligible family members. Great insurance. Your eligible family members will also have Chapter 35 DEA educational benefits available to them. Base exchange and commissary privileges available to you and your family. Depending on your state, you may also receive substantial reductions on property taxes and/or ad valorem taxes, free disabled vet auto tags, free business licenses, hunting licenses, fishing licenses, etc. Check with your state. Good luck to you and your family and thank you for your service. GP

ladyleatherneck, Others have used Dr. Jerry Bush in Griffin, Georgia for IMEs and IMOs. Although he specializes in toxicology and pharmacology, he is an internal medicine doctor and reportedly does IMEs and IMOs for many conditions. He is familiar with the requirements of the VA and has a website at www.jerrybushmd.com Good luck to you and thank you for your service. GP

James, My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family in your battles with MS and the VA. I hope you get your 100% rating in the near future and collect 100% compensation for many years to come. Good luck and thank you for your service. GP

T-Bird, I preferred the old version but I understand why you had to change to the new version. There was a Hadit members list on the old version but I have not found it on the new version. Please let me know how to find it. As I have gotten older, I find it harder to accept change and it will take me awhile to get use to the new version but I will eventually get use to it. Thank you for the Hadit website and all that you do to help veterans and their families. Georgiapapa

Congratulations on your award and thank you for your service. GP

Navy, Congratulations on a long overdue and well deserved P & T award. Time to relax and Just take a break. I wish the best for you and your family. Take care of yourself. GP