Asthma Disability Question

[line6slinger]

Hello,

This is my first post on this site, first of all I think it is wonderful that people take time out of their lives to put together a community where vets can help each other, not for profit, but just to help a brother vet. Good stuff. Now my question. I ETS Sept 1, 2007. I was always one of those guys to "tough" it out and not go to the doctor so I don't have that many visits. But a couple months ago I had alot of breathing problems while running, they did a Pulmonary Function Test on me and concluded it was Asthma and on the doctors notes, after reviewing test results and his impression on me he called it "Severe". I have been to the emergency room twice in the last couple of months gotten a steroid shot in my rump once and put on a nebulizer the other time, it's also noted in my medical files that I have to use my albuterol 3 times week due to asthmatic attacks. My question is, I have my appointment at the little VA center where I am at on May 22, for a BDD (Benefits Delivery at Discharge) meeting with a counselor. Does someone have some experience with doing claims for asthma? From what I read on the VA schedule rating website there is 10%, 30%, 60%, and 100% for just asthma. Recently it was also added I have Allergic Rhinitis. Just trying to have a compass to go by so if I get rated too low I know what I need to do. Other things that aren't associated with asthma but I will be claiming is a Radioactive accident in which I was exposed to include a full report, but not a high enough exposure dose, Dermatitis in my feet, and as noted by the Doctor "Chronic Mid-Back Pain" which I had an X-Ray that showed abnormalities and an MRI that really didn't show anything and nothing else was done. If someone could give me some ratings information, it would definintely be appreciated.

I know that all figures are ball park but just wondering what I was looking at as I have no idea what I am doing with this.

***I sincerely apologize for the multiple post, I hit the enter button to move down a paragraph and it said something about flooding, my apologies***

Regards,

Soldier

Edited May 6, 2007 by line6slinger

[Scottyp65]

Soldier,

I have asthma and have a 30% rating. My rating was based on the need for daily Advair and Singulair to control symptoms. Still have difficulty breathing, especially in moldy, damp, and cold weather ares. pulmonary Function Studies showed FEV-1 to be 93 percent predicted and fev-1/FVC to be 74 percent predicted. The interpretation shows mild airway obstruction with significant improvement after bronchodilators.....

For and evaluation fo 30%: "for forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV-1) of 56-70 percent of predicted value; or .... (FEV1/FVC) of 56 to 70 %......or daily inhalational or oral bronchodilator therapy: or inhalational anti-inflammatory medications. A higher rating of 60% is not warranted unless there is FEV-1 of 40 to 55 percent predicted; or FEV-1/FVC or 40 to 55 percent: or at least monthly visits to a physician for required care of exacerbations; or intermettent ( at least thre per year) courses of systemc (oral or parenteral) corticosteroids.

Mine is basically because of the daily meds I have to take. In my record is a letter from the Allery doc and the pulmonary clinic on how the "refused" to give me a histamin challange test as I had over a 25% change in FEV-1 with a bronchodialator..... i.e. they might have killed me by inducing an asthma attack. This is strait from my award letter, on the Blue sheets.

Hope it helps.

[line6slinger]

Thanks all for the continuing flow of information. It always helps to hear everyone elses situation and what they went through so I can predict what I have to possibly endure.

Scotty, They only did phase one of my testing as well as they said if they did a methacoline test it could trigger a dangerous asthma attack. It was noted in my records that I had a severe increase in airway function after use of the brochodilater. It will be interesting to see what comes from it. I am not some money hungry thief like unfortunately I've had to witness some people act like, it would just be a blessing if the military covered all the medication I needed to get by in life. Again thanks for the info brother and sister vets.

Soldier.

[Hoppy]

Soldier,

I am not sure as to how the legal profession views the adaquacy or necessity of protecting an individual with asthma from triggers in the work place. If you continue to have prolems in work environments, you might consider researching this both with online support groups and talking with doctors.

I had extream difficulty with employment and my condition. When you tell an employer that you have a medical condition that has put you in the ER the employer gets real nervous. I had a college education and work experience in school administration by the time my angioedema became life threatening. I applied for jobs and told employers I had this condition. I went over a year without getting a job. I was sent to specialists by the State of California who told me that I was making an argument for total disability. I was not interested in going on SSD and just quit telling people I had this condition.

I worked for fifteen years until I was injured in a car accident at work and had to have surgery under workers compensation. I told the vocational rehab people after the accident I had a life threatening medical condition. They wanted to keep me in rehab and failed to note in their reports that I told them about the condition.

Eventually, the rehab people sent me into a work environment that would have put me a great risk. I complained to my workers comp attorney that we needed to develop a plan that would not put me at risk. When my attorney read the medical reports on my angioedema he took me out of vocational rehabilitation and told me that no employer was qualified to provide me with the protections I needed and told me to apply for SSD. MY SSD attorney was ready to battle to get me SSD. However, I did not work enough to get SSD. I was getting a Non Service connected pension from the VA. The VA fought me tooth and nail for 7 years before awarding me 100% service connected. I was of the opinion that everybody involved in the VA system was so far out of the loop as to how labor law views people with life threatening disabilities that I actually started submitting legal opinions along with my medical reports to the RO.

Angioedema may not be as easy to control with medication as asthma. Thus, you might not have as much difficulty with employers. I really do not know. This is a situation you might want to research.