georgiapapa

Hard to say for sure but I would start checking ebenefits daily for your AB8 letter with your rating decision. Also check your direct deposit account for your retro pay. Hopefully you will have your rating decision notification within the next couple of weeks or sooner.

That's great news.

Congratulations and good luck to you.

Ditto.

Georgia tried to pass a medical marijuana law last year but it failed. They plan to introduce a new bill this coming year which is primarily directed at using medical marijuana to treat seizures, especially in children. The bill is expected to pass.

Stretch, Kiosk is a small structure located in the check in area of medical facilities where you use "touch screen" technology to complete "check in" and/or "admission" information upon your arrival. The computer screen provides "step by step" instructions for each page during the "check in" process. Sometimes the instructions aren't as clear as we would like them to be.

I have to agree with jbasser. In my opinion it is not worth risking a reduction in your rating. Of course, this is a personal decision you have to make. Good luck to you

Good luck to you with your claim and your treatment.

Keep checking your direct deposit account. I received my retro before I received official notification from VA.

The January 1st date is probably the date of the last COLA increase. Your actual effective date will be the date your claim was received by the VA.

It is possible they wouldn't be correct if your most recent rating has not been entered into the system when you checked ebenefits. However, once a rating decision has been made the updated rating information is usually entered almost immediately. Sometimes address information may not be correct if the veteran has moved and has not notified the VA.

Good information. Thanks...

Fat, Your post brings up an important reminder. All of us who know someone currently serving in the military should make them aware and stress the importance of having all medical conditions (regardless of severity) documented in their SMR. Also advise them to go for medical treatment for any condition that could become a problem later. Last but not least, get a complete copy of their SMR prior to being discharged.

I think they know how veterans would respond on the surveys and they would be afraid the survey results might be leaked to the news media.

If this actually happens it will be good but it seems that federal agencies in this administration (IRS, HHS, BATF, FBI, DOJ) have no problem ignoring requests from house committees, especially when it will probably make the administration look bad. Hopefully the politicians of both parties will keep in mind that veterans vote and there are a lot veterans in their districts who want the truth to come out.

Keep checking for your AB8 letter and keep checking your direct deposit account for retro. I actually received retro before I received my official notification from VA. Good luck to you.

The VA needs little or no evidence to prove the death of a veteran when it is financially beneficial to the VA. However when a veteran's widow applies for DIC, they would not even think about granting benefits without an actual death certificate. Again, I think the VA should be required to pay penalties and interest along with the funds withheld when they cause a financial hardship to a veteran or his/her family due to the VA's negligence and incompetence.

His military medical records only show two bouts of non-chronic sinusitis in 2006. He was discharged in 2007 and did not seek any treatment for the sinusitis again until 2009 (three years after his previous episodes). His doctor will not provide a nexus or complete a DBQ. Just my opinion but I believe your neighbor will have an up hill battle to prove a nexus. Good luck.

Hard to say. It could be good or bad. I don't know how much retro you anticipate but it is my understanding that any retro over $25,000. requires review and approval from a higher level employee in the RO. Hopefully you will hear good news. Good luck to you.

Sounds good. Good luck to you.

There are too many layers of bureaucracy in the VA disability claims process. In my opinion, the biggest problem with the VA disability claims system is communication or the inability to communicate with a live person who has immediate access to your file and the ability to answer any questions (without reading scripted responses) you may have regarding your claim. This would resolve so many problems that currently exist.

Ebenefits is unpredictable. It just depends on when a particular regional office decides to update your claim status. My last claim showed "gathering evidence" for several months then went to "preparation for decision" one day and the next day the status was listed as "preparation for notification." About ten days later, my retro showed up in my direct deposit account and my AB8 & AB3 letters showed up on ebenefits. A few days later I received my official notification in the mail. Different people have had different experiences with ebenefits but most will probably agree that you never know what to expect with ebenefits. Good luck.

BlastDaddy, Sorry for your unpleasant experience during the sleep study. However, for your own good, please follow their advice and go see your psychologist. The psychologist is there to help you with your anxiety. At a minimum, please call your psychologist on the phone and let them know your thoughts and concerns. Listen to what they tell you. We do not want you to get to the point where you want to hurt yourself or anyone else. You deserve good care and we want to see you get it. Good luck to you.

In the last sentence in your post you stated you need to see a back doctor ASAP because your back is getting worse and the VA never notified you of the results from your exam. I hope they scheduled a back specialist appointment for you in the near future. If it is not scheduled within the next 30 days, request an appointment with a private back specialist. In the contentions section of your report it stated you were requesting an increase for bilateral tinnitus. If you are already rated for tinnitus you should already have a rating of 10% which is the maximum you can receive for tinnitus whether it is in one ear or both ears. Good luck to you.

Congratulations and good luck.