Interesting 1800- Va Call Responce

[jecsb4]

Hi All,

I apolize for all of my posts lately, but my case is at a critical stage with me just receiving the VA SOC form my NOD.

Anyway, here is my boring background, prior to my NOD, I was rated 10% left foot hamertoes / bunions, Right Foot 10% (same issues as left foot) and 10% wrist severed liganment, )0 hernias and 0% pes planus (flat feet, etc) and faciitis bilateral. That govees me 27% rounded up to 30% per the Hadit spreadsheet and also per what the Va is compensating me for.

Well on 5/31 I receive the VA SOC...basically, my flat feet go from 0% to 30%.

I went on the Hadit site and did the VA math and it comes out to 48% rounded up to 50% when you calculate my 3 - 10%'s and add in the new 30% for my pes planus.. Well I called my SO and didn't get anywhere and so I emailed the Irus VA email info site and asked for them to inform me of my new % and Retro pay.

It's been over the 5 day's, and I still have no answer for VARO. So I call the 1800 # and for a change a very nice lady said that she can't tell me what my new disability % is and will have to wait for the award letter.

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I told her that I calculated 50% and she said it should be higher than that, but would not tell me what it is. I infomed her that I am using a VA excel spread sheet. She stated that my feet are calculated differently as they are a major catagory.

Bottom line I want to be optomostic, but I think overall I am rounded up to a 50%. Not that I am not grateful, but I have 3 seperate Dr's letters that say I am significantly disabled due to my feet and this has effected my employment.

Basically, the VA should have given me the max of 50% for my feet which would have given me a 60% overall.

So what gives, do I believe the Hadit excel spreadsheet or be obtomistic and think I am getting a higher rating.

Thanks.

Joe

[Pete53]

Joe:

Feel fortunate that the lady is trying to assure you that you will get more than 50%.

You have waited this long what is another few days.

[Ricky]

The excel spread sheet has nothing to do with the rating VA has given you. It is simply a tool for veterans to use in calculating their overall disability rating. Given the percentages you have posted your rating is 50 percent.

Now since the "nice VA lady" said it should be higher then maybe it will be. You will simply have to wait on the award letter but please do not misunderstand what the excel calculator is for.

[jecsb4]

Pete & Ricky,

I do understand what the calculator is for , and yes I come up with 50% also. But the VA Rep cted like it would be higher than that, I will have to wait for the award letter. If this is true, how can the VA give a Vet a higher rating than what they explained in their SOC to me?

Joe

[tdak]

Joe,

Just remember this is the VA and an 800# you are calling. If you call back another "nice person" may tell you something different. Just wait til the NOD comes in. That is the what counts. It should be any day for you now. As for the higher rating, maybe it is like the nice lady said, because your feet are listed under the major catagory, i'm not sure, but figure your looking at 50% on the low side. So anything above that is an extra for you since you never expected it.

Good luck.

[Guest jangrin]

jecsB4,

I told her that I calculated 50% and she said it should be higher than that, but would not tell me what it is. I infomed her that I am using a VA excel spread sheet. She stated that my feet are calculated differently as they are a major catagory.

When you talk to the nice 1-800 number lady, she was probably thinking about the "bi-lateral factor" when she told you the above statement. When the award letter finally came to our house. It took almost four weeks from the time the adjuster called to tell my husband his award was determined and when it got to him in the mailbox.

To be really honest. We all call the 800 number, hoping that we will get some little "tidbit" or "scrap" of information from these people because we are soooo tired of waiting for answers.

You and I and most people here at Hadit, probably know more about the claims process than the people who work for the VARO's who are answering the phone or for that matter rating the claim. Hang in there it won't be to much longer. Jangrin

Edited June 9, 2007 by jangrin (see edit history)

[jecsb4]

Well that is someting, the VA make take 4-6 weeks to send you an award letter, but we only have 60 days to sumbitt the Form 9 to appeal. Kind of hard to do when you cant see in writting what they have offically awarded you.

Another factor in their favor.

Joe

[stillhere]

Well that is someting, the VA make take 4-6 weeks to send you an award letter, but we only have 60 days to sumbitt the Form 9 to appeal. Kind of hard to do when you cant see in writting what they have offically awarded you.

Another factor in their favor.

Joe

Joe, don't if this will work for you but in my case when I went through my recent round with the VA I just happened to have an appointment at the VA dentist. To make a long story short they had my info up on the screen while doing the eval and said I see you are rated 70% (at the time I was only 40%) so I said where do you see that and they showed it to me. I then left and went to the records release in the hospital and had them give me my current records from a couple of days before to present and sure enough there it was 70% and broken down all nice on the print out. I did not recieve the official notice for at lease 2 months.

Stillhere

[Pete53]

Stillhere:

I am curious how you are seeing the Dentist unless you are in Voc Rehab? In Dallas they are very strict about who can see Dentist?

[stillhere]

Stillhere:

I am curious how you are seeing the Dentist unless you are in Voc Rehab? In Dallas they are very strict about who can see Dentist?

Pete, Washington dc va mc will see you if you are over 50% and diabetes 2 connected because diabetes 2 you need to keep your teeth in gums hygien in control also.

My brother actually gets all his dentist work for nothing (Nam 70/71) and he is only 60% but 50% of that is DB2. I tried and they will only give me a cleaning and emergency work, go figure.

Hope this helps.

stillhere

[Pete53]

Stillhere:

That is good news. Being proactive is good and diabetes and gum infections are bad news. In Dallas we are only allowed one cleaning a year.