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Question For Alex

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jessejames

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I have been working for the spouse of a 100% P&T (for 15 years) veteran who died on Memorial Day 07. Everything has been filed, but the Death Certificate wasn't really plain on cause of death, it said number 1 cause was Uncontrolled Seizures and one secondary cause was Diabetes mellitus for which he was S/C. I got the letter below from the attending Physician and today submitted it as additional evidence for a service-related death claim for burial benefits. Do you think this should nail the claim?? Thanks

To Whom It May Concern:

I was the attending physician for........... during his hospital stay wherin he recently died. The cause of his death was uncontrolled seizures. The patient was in a Nursing Home setting when this seizure activity started. He was found to be profoundly hypoglycemic at the time due to his very brittle diabetes mellitus. He was transferred to our facility in ........... where he was admitted to ICU.(THE VAMC REFUSED TO ALLOW THE NURSING HOME TO SEND HIM THERE< JJ) We tried various combinations of anti-epileptics on ....... to no avail. In his case, I do seriously believe his brittle diabetes mellitus contributed to the cause of his death.

Most Sincerely,

........., M.D.

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I am not Alex -of course-but since the DMII was already service connected and the MD said it contributed to death via the hypoglycemia and the seizure was more than likely (my opinion) not in the MDs report-due to the DMII hypoglycemia complication-

the widow should receive DIC based on this medical fact as well as the 100% P & T for ten years or more prior to death.I see no problem with the DIC claim and both basis for direc SC death award should be raised in the 21-534.

(sounds awful to me that this vet got to the point of severe hypoglycemia while hospitalized-he was probably dehydrated too-how old was he?)

I have had problems with my access to hadit and the WIE program will lose my post if I try to find you some info and hyperlinks -

Try to see under Google if seizures can be a direct result of hypoglycemic state-

I am sure they are but the doc didnt say that and VA might question that- one good internet printout from a good med site (like John Hopkins or Harvard U Med school or even Merck which VA uses also would certainly cover that )

I see two ways of SC DIC here and there really should be no problem whatsoever with her claim.

Thanks so much for helping her.

Widows often never get all of the help they need.

GRADUATE ! Nov 2nd 2007 American Military University !

When thousands of Americans faced annihilation in the 1800s Chief

Osceola's response to his people, the Seminoles, was

simply "They(the US Army)have guns, but so do we."

Sameo to us -They (VA) have 38 CFR ,38 USC, and M21-1- but so do we.

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