georgiapapa

rentalguy, It is a gamble. As you are aware, you never know what the VA will do. You are about 3 years and 5 months away from your 10 year P & T date when your family would receive benefits regardless of cause of death. If you feel like you can make it until October 2018, you might want to leave things as they are. If you don't, definitely file for the condition(s) that may cause your death. You could also have a claim(s) package ready to be submitted in the event you take a turn for the worse. Regardless of our opinions, you are the one who knows your health situation better than anyone else. Good luck with whatever decision you make. GP

Chuck is correct. All candidates with a history of mental disorders are reviewed on a case by case basis. It will depend on the opinion of the mental health examiner as to whether they think your mental disorder might impair your judgment or cognitive functions, or may interfere with the essential job functions of the position for which you have applied. Of course, any position requiring the carrying of a firearm and/or responsibility for the safety of others requires more scrutiny. This would include all federal law enforcement positions. Keep in mind federal law enforcement agencies usually have a lot more applicants than positions so they are very selective. I worked with the U.S. Marshals Service which is part of the Department of Justice. At one point in my career, I was part of a three person team traveling around the country interviewing Deputy Marshal candidates. We would interview about eight candidates a day and usually voted out more candidates than we voted in. If we had candidates with a history of physical, mental or other problems that could pose a problem in the future, we usually voted them out. When considering the Deputy Marshal candidates, I would always ask myself, "Would I feel uncomfortable having this person with me on the job in a life threatening situation?" If the answer to my question was yes, I voted for the candidate not to be hired. Of course, I retired from the U.S. Marshals in 2004 so hiring policies may have changed, Good luck to you. GP

Art2005, Your rating places you in group one of the VA healthcare system. This means free VA healthcare for any condition (service connected or non-service connected) and free VA prescriptions. No copays for appointments or prescriptions. You can also request reimbursement from your VAMC business office of all VA copays you paid back to the effective date you were rated 50% or higher. You are entitled to retro pay back to the effective date of your award. Keep checking your direct deposit account for your retro. The wait for retro pay varies. On my last award, I received my retro in my direct deposit account before I received my actual VA award letter in the mail. Good luck to you and thank you for your service. GP

mmbe8870, Congratulations to you and your husband. I wish all VA claims were processed as quick as your husband's claim. Good luck to both of you and please express my appreciation to your husband for his service. GP

Sparky, Peggy is the name given to the persons answering the VA's main telephone number 1-800-827-1000. Usually they are not much help but it doesn't hurt to call and see if they can answer your questions. Good luck on your claim and thank you for your service. GP

Your buddy statements are evidence which should be submitted at the same time you submit your FDC claim. Remember to submit all of your evidence along with your FDC claim. GP

tcannonsr, Congratulations on your well deserved award. Good advice given above. I agree with your attitude of paying it forward to other vets. Helping our fellow vets and their families is an admirable endeavor. Good luck to you and thank you for your service. GP

I agree with Buck and with add55p. I could see where a VA rater might give a lower rating when the BVA finds the evidence is 50/50 and the veteran is given the benefit of the doubt, especially if the VA rater did not agree with the BVA opinion. JMO GP

Leon, Review the Schedule of Ratings for Mental Disorders in 38 CFR part 4.130. Whichever percentage block contains the majority of the symptoms more accurately matching your symptoms listed on the C & P report would probably be the percentage level awarded. If you have five symptoms in the 50% block and three in the 70% block, you would more than likely be awarded 50%. Compare your symptoms and see for yourself which percentage block more accurately matches the symptoms on your C & P report. JMO GP

ihateliver, Excellent advice from Hamslice. More than likely the VA has your service medical records in your c-file. If you get a copy of your c-file and do not find the service medical records, you can get them by going to the National Archives website and filling out and submitting the appropriate form requesting the records. Their website is Archives.org Good luck to you. GP

fmfdoc, Congratulations on your new award and increase in combined rating. You should be receiving some retro back to the effective date of your sleep apnea award. Keep watching your direct deposit account for the retro. Are you under consideration by the VA for 100% TDIU? If not, you are eligible to apply if you are unable to work in significant gainful employment (less than approx. $12,400. Per year). If you are unable to work, you also may want to apply for SSDI. JMO Good luck to you.

Congratulations and good luck to you and your family.

bruinboy, Yes. Also, any claim filed within 12 months of discharge will have a retroactive effective date back to the date of discharge. Before you file your FDC, make sure you have all of your evidence to submit with your claim. Anything you submit after submission of your FDC claim will cause your FDC claim to be converted to a standard claim which takes much longer to process. If you have any doubts or questions about your FDC claim, post them on Hadit and get answers before you file the claim. Hadit members will be glad to answer your questions. If you feel comfortable doing so, post as much info about your diagnosis and claim as possible. The more info you provide, the easier it will be for Hadit members to help you. Don't make the mistake many veterans make where they file a claim and then realize they forgot to submit something or needed to submit something else they just became aware of from others, etc. Take your time to get your claim right. Like I mentioned in my first paragraph, as long as you submit your claim within 12 months of discharge, your effective date will still be back dated to your discharge date. Good luck to you and thank you for your service. GP

Warone, Congratulations on your award. Welcome to the 100% club. Good luck and good health to you and your family. GP

sharkpen, Congratulations on your award. Take advantage of all the new benefits available to you. Free VA dental, Champva healthcare benefits and Chapter 35 DEA educational benefits for eligible family members, base commissary and exchange privileges for you and your family, etc. Depending on your state, other benefits may be available including substantial reduction in property taxes, free disabled veteran auto tags, free hunting license, free fishing license, free business license, income tax reduction, etc. Good luck to you and your family. GP

Coastie, I hope you continue to do well. Keep us posted on how things are going with you. GP

Well said Buck. GP

flipxpelon562, Congratulations on your increase and good luck with the TDIU. Take care and thank you for your service. GP

notapb1, Congratulations on your increase and permanent and total disability status. Don't forget to take advantage of all the local benefits for 100% P & T veterans. Depending on the state, you might receive a substantial reduction in your property taxes, free disabled veteran tags, reduction in state income tax, free hunting license, free fishing license, free business license, free entry into state parks, etc. Check with your state veterans affairs office. Good luck to you and your family. GP

Kim rider, Lowes and Home Depot policies are a little confusing, even to their employees. According to Lowes website, you have to show your VA identification card (VIC) to receive the 10% discount anytime and veterans without the VIC can only receive the discount on Memorial Day, Veterans Day and the 4th of July. However, I went to purchase a bathroom vanity at Lowes last week and they would not give me the discount until I showed them my DOD identification. They would not give the discount with the VIC. GP

Navy, Congratulations on your new awards. I still believe you should have received P & T. Perhaps you will have a better shot at P & T once you have been TDIU for five years. I think the VA also may have used your age against you when they didn't award P & T. I hope your health situation improves in the future. I wish you and your family good luck and good health. Keep up the fight. GP

bassrunnin, Congratulations on your award. A lot of great advice given in the previous posts. Also check out your local benefits for 100% P &T vets. In my state, I received a substantial reduction in my property taxes and get a free Disabled Veterans auto tag with no ad valorem tax. I could also get free hunting and fishing licenses, free business license, etc. Some states also offer income tax breaks. My wife and mother both have Champva and it is outstanding insurance in my opinion. If your eligible family members do not have any other insurance with pharmacy coverage, they can get free prescriptions through Champva Meds by Mail program. They would also not pay any premiums for Champva. It is totally free and only has $100.00 annual deductible for family or $50.00 annual deductible for spouse only coverage. Good luck and good health to you and your family. GP

Leon, The c&p exam responses definitely appear to be in your favor for service connection. GP

Shay, The only good thing about having a C & P examination for a specialized medical condition by a VA general practitioner or nurse practitioner is you know an IMO you get from a private specialist will more than likely trump a negative opinion by the VA examiner. Only the VA can get away with using incompetent medical personnel to conduct C & P exams. JMO GP

You are welcome.