Carl the Engineer

Your math would seem correct at 60%. Not sure why you are only at 50%. Call Betty and ask. 20+20+10=42 42+10% bilateral factor = 46.2 rounded to 46 46+10=51 51+10=56 56 rounded up to 60 60% I did not include you clavical in the bilateral and I could be wrong on that. But that would only make the number bigger. Anyway, your are correct and you are not rated correctly by the info you have given us. Did this just happen and could the fix be in the works yet? Hope this helped, Hamslice

Buck52, Thanks for the info. Maybe I should submit a claim for GWS. If it gets denied at least 30 years from now when something happens, I will have a denied claim from 30 years ago. Buck, When did they first say the words "agent orange" for you Nam vets. I know the claims did't get through until later, but when was it first spoken? Just curious, Hamslice

My best advise to anyone who is service connected for hypertension, is to immediately start a claim for heart disease secondary to hypertension. The VA will not make to association on there own. Trust me, I know. I just claimed and won heart disease (LVH) 30% (2016) secondary to hypertension 0% (2008). They VA had the evidence at the time, but I was too specific when making the claim. From now on all my claims will be scatter shot. Let them consider all that is related. Even though I think they should have done the "connect the dots" when I made the claim for hypertension, they didn't. "duty to assist" is really "duty to resist" when it comes to the VA. Bottom line is hypertension causes heart disease. Just sayin, Hamslice

Vync, Thanks, I have been reading some of them, but not that one. I deffinetly have more evidence of a heat illness than he did, but I did not fall, hit my head etc. I think I can make the jump to high blood pressure, heavy sweating and slight memory loss. Will see, Thanks again, Hamslice

All, Just was looking at injuries/illnesses caused be going to Iraq in Google and came upon the gov site (VA I think) and there they list a bunch of things that a Veteran could have or be experiencing, etc. Anyway, it lists heat stroke, and when I was in Iraq (2003), I was medivaced to Kuwait City hospital (I have the records, and so does the VA, not that that matters) for a heat injury and was in the hospital for four days. One of the residuals from heat stroke is amoung others, high blood pressure. I did have high blood pressure when I returned from Iraq and I was treated and it is under control through medicine. Another residlual is intolerance to high temperatures, which I do have and and have been reporting to my doctors, both civilian and VA clinic for the last 12 years. From what I can read, I think I could possibly get a 10% for the intolerance to heat. Maybe. I did get service connected for HBP at 0% in 2008 (when I got out) and more recently 2016, secondary for Heart Disease (LVH) at 30%, which I should have claimed from the get-go, but thought the VA would have figured that out with "duty to assist". LOL. Anyone have any experience with heat stroke and or heat intolerance and a VA claim? Thanks for playing, Hamslice

john999, Lucky you, my Grandfather came from Prussia! A recent DNA test proved I'm 25% Irish, so maybe I could visit you for 3 months in the summer. I think a better solution would be to put all of Congess (all government workers to include school teachers) into the VA health system (mandatory enrollment). Now there would be a wake up call. I think our VA health system is a Pinto (no offense to Ford) compared to their Cadillac plans.. Just sayin, Hamslice

As always, the hard copy letter in the mail over rules anything you see on eBenefits. However, as bronco states, the "letters" section will sometimes show in advance of the mail. I have had the letters beat mail by about a day, and I have had them both arrive on the same day. You can also look at your "disabilities" on the left of the claims screen. I did get some info (one claim denied, one referred) looking at that a couple days before the mail. So that might help. I do like how they give your estimated, long term, date of completion is out 6 years from now. Would be neat to see how that algorithm works, as in if everything fails at every level every time, etc. As a "Army" engineer and have had used the Gant chart system, this would be interesting to say the least. Good luck. Hamslice

I am 20% right shoulder because of ROM, I was first 10% for arthritis and then filed for increase because of ROM (pain). This was an in service event. Service connected. I am 10% left shoulder because of arthritis. It was rated secondary to my right shoulder. Not injured in service. Service connected secondary to my right shoulder. One caused the other over time, etc. Two points, 1. From my experience, ROM will get you more than 10%. Arthritis (by x-ray) and pain gets you only 10% every time. Talking joints here. 2. For me, the big money is in secondaries. Again, over time. As your body falls apart. I started out with 4 10's (40%) all primary service connected. Now I have an additional 3-20's and 1-30, all secondaries. Plus a couple more 10's from new claims. My 30% (secondary) is secondary to a 0% service connected disability. So 0%'s mean something, don't forget that. Keep plugging away, Hamslice

Winner winner chicken dinner!!! Hamslice

I may be wrong, but if your surgery is service connected related, you can submit a claim for 100% while you are out of work. You would need a letter (note) from your doctor for the time you missed work. I have no experience with this, however, that is what I read. I would think you would get the 100% percent until you recovered and went back to work. However, it after surgery, you were not able to your current job again, then you could file for IU. Someone on here with more experience will hopefully have be more help. You could also contact your local Vet rep. I use my local CVSO (County Veterans Service Officer) for questions also. Good luck, Hamslice

All, I found this site when I first got out of the service and started working on my claims. It did take me a little bit to figure out the name and when I typed in hadit into google it would take me somewhere else, then I started typing hadit. with a period and it would bring me here. Now its an Icon on my home screen. Honestly, it took a day to get "I had it", as in I had it with the VA, but I was probably thinking too much. I didn't post for a while, as is the norm, then after a while joined the conversation. I enjoyed my posting with Carlie and miss her commentary (help) still today. I enjoy most if not all whom I engage on this site. I even enjoy a couple of the grumpy guys who's target is the same as all of us, however, their trajectory can be questioned from time to time, and the back and forth is always a good read. Lastly, I rely on this site for a lot, and for that I am indebted to you, Thanks Tbird, Hamslice Here's to another 20!!!!!!!

Has anyone tried the new Vets.gov site? eBenefits has a tag for it and says it will not impact current claim if you try it out. I'm too scared, Hamslice Not afraid, just scared....LOL...

Watch out, Berta's on the prowl.. I agree, read your ratings when you get them, come up with a plan or not. Then take a break. Then after some time, read the rating letter again and look at your evidence you sent in and see if it fits. And as Berta says, don't forget the deadlines for appeals, etc.. Got my last claim back three months ago. Should be pulling it out and getting ready for the appeal. Hopefully the c-file gets here by then, Good luck Berta, Hamslice

Nice, did you get paid back to 2014? Hamslice

Having children is never free, Just saying, Hamslice

Thanks, that make some sense now. Oh, boy, might be a wake up when the checks stop coming and the garnishing starts! Hamslice

Someone must have added a zero to the $ amount for effect. Can't see the 300K. Something is missing from the story. Hamslice

Actually did not get to hearing. My lawyer (legal aid actually) ran it by the judges staff and they made a early deal. Came a couple weeks after my wife signed the agreement. Hamslice

Sounds like you did good. My wife's SSDI was denied, denied, win (with legal rep). I think it is a scam, because of the wait for medicare, 2 years or whatever it was. Our lawyer actually settled early (withing 4 months, Wisconsin is a 18 month wait for a judge) and we agreed to SSDI payments back to when we filed, but no Medicare until the full 2 years etc., we had private insurance, so we agreed. Lawyer took 20-25% of $6000.00 or there abouts, and then the checks started rolling in. By the way, you can register online with Social Security and see the whole show. Anyway, hope your lawyer is on target, Hamslice

Under normal situations, you have to apply for SSDI within 5 years of leaving work. So, get on it now. Also, SSDI is different than VA in that its all or nothing. You're either disabled or not. And, don't be surprised, but most get denied at the first claim and the appeal, but win when it goes to a judge. A lawyer helps at that level. Its just the way it works. But it doesn't work if you don't apply, Hamslice

It has happened to me at least three times. And twice for the same claim. In one instance, I had a C&P for plantar warts. Then I went back to gathering evidence and another C&P. When I went to the second C&P they measured my scars (from the removed warts). In the end I was SC'd for both plantar warts and scars. I had the exact same thing happen with acne. I claimed for acne, had the C&P, went to prep for decision then back to gathering evidence with another C&P, again measured scars and again, SC'd for both acne and scars. Mind you, all four of these were rated at 0%. Which is fine with me. If I die from acne, plantar warts or scars my wife gets DIC. My last claim had multiple contentions and it went from prep to gathering and I received one decision and two where referred. So, anything can be happening, you almost always have to wait for the snail mail to get the straight skinny. Hope I helped a bit, Hamslice

63Charlie, Thanks for the info. Looked it up. Sometimes I find it hard to read what actually happens in our Gov. That is just terrible. If I participated in an armed robbery (??????????), I would be too ashamed to show my face much less have/hold a government job. I have a local gov job and I come in early and leave late and feel extremely lucky to have the job. Just unbelievable, Thanks again 63, Hamslice

From what I have been reading is that anyone worth a grain of salt did not want the job because they see it as a big mess. And Trump did not want the political hacks that wanted it. Don't know enough about this new guy to comment. Time will tell, Hamslice

AJones Here is my best guess. One of the 30's is not being counted, why I am not smart enough to tell you. Maybe pyramiding? Anyway, the vet had 80 before the 3-10's. 40+30=58+30=71+20=77 which rounded = 80, leaving one 30 out of the calculation. Ad the 3-10's and you get 40+30=58+30=71+20=77+10=79+10=81+10=83 which rounded = 80, again, leaving one 30 out of the calculation. Thats my first guess. Also, I think you may have some bilaterals related to the lower extremities, i.e., left and right, etc. Anyway, a call to the VA to get the correct scoop is needed. And, I do not have any experience of how they list the disabilities on ebenefits when you have pyramiding. I think maybe they list them as you have the disabilities and each are rated, however they only count the higher number. Maybe someone with pyramiding can opine. I have no experience in that regards. FWIW, Hamslice