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Soc Do You Send A Written Reply

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SEJones

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;) I received a SOC dated 11-1-05 from the DRO. It said Decision increased from 10% to 80%. As I said in the other post, there was much information attached about my rights to appeal to BVA and to file a form 9 within 60 days. There was also a TDIU form attached with a "note" stating that if I signed it would be considered "quickly." Yesterday I call the 800# and am told that I never accepted the SOC and that I needed to do something. What was not answered. Is this 800# BS or is there a step I MISSED? I went to the VARO the day after I received the letter and did file the tdiu form with supporting docs. I had the same job for 15 years and was terminated after exausting all sick leave and benefits after becoming too ill to work. The DRO had to know this since the court record was in my c-file about not being able to keep job longer to keep benefits and the 2001 SSDI award letter. (yes all about the same 1 s/c condition)

Is there a step I missed? If I did how long to I have to correct it? My treating private docs and one VA doc are writing letters on my behalf to errors in the SOC. I thought I might need them just incase they decline my TDIU. You all said be ready for anything from the VA, including a deline on a perfect claim. So Berta I have my ammo but still don't know where the enemy is hiding. There are never any names on these letters.

Will the DRO process the TDIU since he/she has my file "on their desk" or is it just like any new claim.

Running out of time

SE

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Berta

I hope you are right about the TDIU form. It was attached to the SOC. I hand carried it on 11-4-05. So I hope that it just wasn't considered since I had not applied. But all of my docs thought I should have been a straight 100%. It seems that the VHA and VBA use different codes for illnesses. So they are still bickering about how to code the illness. The VHA wants my illness coded for billing and drug issues and easy of paperwork for the hospital. The VBA is rating out symptoms instead of the unerlying illness. I feel that some how I got short changed but if I get 100% I don't care. Some of the things they rated as symptoms are in my opinion secondary illnesses, like the thyroiditis, and diabetes. i just hope they will back date it to my original application date and make life easier on all of us.

Do you think any of these ideas are worth appealing. I just think if I get to the BVA they still will not have a code.

Thaks for your support.

SE ;)

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I forgot that it WAS attached to the SOC- good -they did their job right there-

SE -I think the award letter will let you know the best way to go next-

I sure hope it comes soon and is detailed enough to see what else you should do-

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Hello all. I am new to this, but let me offer up what I have done and my success.

I have never filled out the forms they asked me too. I was medically discharged in 1997, and I applied for VA when I was out. I just sent a letter to my local office and they started the paperwork. They scheduled exams and such and gave me a low rating for somethings, and a 0% rating for my back (the worst problem). They gave me an xray that said nothing was wrong with my back. I sent them MRI that showed all the problems and wrote a letter stating I wanted a higher rating. They agreed without any exam. My total was 30%. My condition grew worse andbtween 2002 and 2005 I had three back surgeries. The last being a fusion of the lower three vertabrae and two disks removed. Between the second and third operation I wrote a letter and asked for an increase. They gave me an exam and gave me an increase to 60%. this took 4 months from my letter to receiving increase in money. I told them at the exam that in 4 months I was having my fusion done. After the fusion operation I wrote another letter stating I wanted another increase and requested 100%. I didn't specify PTIU although I hadn't worked for 9 months. After 8 months they said that I had been decided, but they wouldn't tell me over the phone what they decided. They said it was being held up by accounting because they originally figured my payback amount wrong and that once that was straight I would receive a letter. During this time I applied for VOC Rehab, since I didn't know if I would win. I got a call from the nice lady at voc rehab and she asked why I was applying for this since I was awarded 100% ptiu. I told her that I didn;t know and I applied for both just incase. About a week later I received my letter and saw alot of money go into my bank account. Currently i'm 70%, but 100%ptiu. I'm not really sure about what all the terms mean here. I never fill out the forms because they ask for releases of all my medical records. I want to be in control of what they get. I alway write letters. This has always worked. I call once a month, and when things take too long, I write and say I'm living off my charge cards, they are about maxed out and I don't know how much longer I can go. Seems to work for me. No hassles. And I deal with the Baltimore office which is pretty busy. I've been happy with them.

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Mardela welcome aboard-

I think that is the VARO my kid would need to go to if she files a SC claim-

This is the 2004 data on this VARO-from Knight Ridder-

I am glad you had a good experience- their error rate is higher than average-

but mine VARO (Buffalo- was at 16% in 2004 and when 2005 figures come out -I think my claim alone had 16% of their errors in 2005) What a mess.

Regions

Click on a city name to see info on other VA regional offices.

Albuquerque, NM

Anchorage, AK

Atlanta, GA

Baltimore, MD

Boise, ID

Boston, MA

Buffalo, NY

Cheyenne, WY

Chicago, IL

Cleveland, OH

Columbia, SC

Denver, CO

Des Moines, IA

Detroit, MI

Fargo, ND

Fort Harrison, MT

Hartford, CT

Honolulu, HI

Houston, TX

Huntington, WV

Indianapolis, IN

Jackson, MS

Lincoln, NE

Little Rock, AR

Los Angeles, CA

Louisville, KY

Manchester, NH

Milwaukee, WI

Montgomery, AL

Muskogee, OK

Nashville, TN

New Orleans, LA

New York, NY

Newark, NJ

Oakland, CA

Philadelphia, PA

Phoenix, AZ

Pittsburgh, PA

Portland, OR

Providence, RI

Reno, NV

Roanoke, VA

Salt Lake City, UT

San Diego, CA

Seattle, WA

Sioux Falls, SD

St. Louis, MO

St. Paul, MN

St. Petersburg, FL

Togus, ME

Waco, TX

White River Jct, VT

Wichita, KS

Wilmington, DE

Winston-Salem, NC

Baltimore, MD

Here's a profile of the VA region headquartered in Baltimore, MD. Click on another region at left to see other region profiles. Click on a comparison or an ailment below to compare VA regions. Definition of terms Comparison This region U.S.

Error rate on benefit rating 15% 13%

Percentage of cases granted 84% 80%

Average monthly disability payment $665 $701

Percentage of veterans waiting 1 year or more for a decision 29% 19%

Average days pending, appeal 288 440

Veterans satisfied with the process 58% 59%

Veterans who said claim handled 'fairly' 52% 54%

Veterans who appealed decision 18% 20%

Veterans who said VA 'not at all helpful' 9% 7%

Disability levels for ailments

Veterans are given a disability rating by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The higher the rating, the higher the monthly payment. The colored bars below show what percentage of the veterans have the highest possible rating, the next highest, and so forth. Put your cursor over a bar segment to see the percentage of claims represented. Key

$2,299

$1,380

$1,227

$1,056

$839

$663

$466

$324

$210

$108

$0

Adjustment disorder

Cases Disability levels

This region 217

U.S. 18,096

Bipolar disorder

Cases Disability levels

This region 174

U.S. 8,359

Dementia associated with brain trauma

Cases Disability levels

This region 168

U.S. 13,408

Dysthymic disorder (depression)

Cases Disability levels

This region 122

U.S. 9,016

Generalized anxiety disorder

Cases Disability levels

This region 761

U.S. 79,042

Major depressive disorder

Cases Disability levels

This region 597

U.S. 36,057

Post-traumatic stress disorder

Cases Disability levels

This region 2,734

U.S. 242,507

Schizophrenia

Cases Disability levels

This region 227

U.S. 18,962

Schizophrenia, residual type

Cases Disability levels

This region 164

U.S. 9,311

Schizophrenic reaction, paranoid type

Cases Disability levels

This region 472

U.S. 33,170

Diabetes

Cases Disability levels

This region 2,994

U.S. 191,518

Flatfoot, acquired

Cases Disability levels

This region 1,228

U.S. 85,687

Hemorrhoids

Cases Disability levels

This region 1,600

U.S. 138,421

Hypertensive vascular disease

Cases Disability levels

This region 4,039

U.S. 226,549

Intervertebral disc syndrome (back injury)

Cases Disability levels

This region 1,652

U.S. 138,361

Knee injury

Cases Disability levels

This region 3,407

U.S. 259,498

Limited motion of the ankle

Cases Disability levels

This region 2,019

U.S. 109,823

Lumbosacral strain (back injury)

Cases Disability levels

This region 3,081

U.S. 199,694

Scars, disfiguring

Cases Disability levels

This region 1,261

U.S. 99,508

Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)

Cases Disability levels

This region 4,239

U.S. 327,397

Source: To arrive at the number of ratings by diagnosis, Knight Ridder analyzed a 2004 Department of Veterans Affairs database containing information on active veteran disability compensation claims.

Notes: The payments listed here are for single veterans; payments are higher if a veteran has a spouse or dependent children. • A veteran with more than one disability gets a check based on a blended rating; the veteran does not get a check that merely totals the two disabilities.

16% of cases

$0 monthly

84% of cases

$108 monthly

9% of cases

$0 monthly

91% of cases

$108 monthly

61% of cases

$0 monthly

32% of cases

$108 monthly

5% of cases

$324 monthly

1% of cases

$663 monthly

45% of cases

$0 monthly

46% of cases

$108 monthly

8% of cases

$324 monthly

2% of cases

$663 monthly

40% of cases

$0 monthly

43% of cases

$108 monthly

13% of cases

$210 monthly

4% of cases

$466 monthly

34% of cases

$0 monthly

52% of cases

$108 monthly

11% of cases

$210 monthly

3% of cases

$466 monthly

52% of cases

$0 monthly

38% of cases

$108 monthly

10% of cases

$210 monthly

48% of cases

$0 monthly

42% of cases

$108 monthly

10% of cases

$210 monthly

38% of cases

$0 monthly

46% of cases

$108 monthly

11% of cases

$210 monthly

5% of cases

$324 monthly

36% of cases

$0 monthly

48% of cases

$108 monthly

11% of cases

$210 monthly

5% of cases

$324 monthly

14% of cases

$0 monthly

30% of cases

$108 monthly

25% of cases

$210 monthly

15% of cases

$466 monthly

17% of cases

$839 monthly

11% of cases

$0 monthly

33% of cases

$108 monthly

26% of cases

$210 monthly

15% of cases

$466 monthly

15% of cases

$839 monthly

34% of cases

$0 monthly

62% of cases

$108 monthly

3% of cases

$210 monthly

28% of cases

$0 monthly

68% of cases

$108 monthly

3% of cases

$210 monthly

91% of cases

$0 monthly

8% of cases

$108 monthly

1% of cases

$210 monthly

93% of cases

$0 monthly

6% of cases

$108 monthly

1% of cases

$210 monthly

53% of cases

$0 monthly

37% of cases

$108 monthly

1% of cases

$210 monthly

8% of cases

$324 monthly

2% of cases

$663 monthly

51% of cases

$0 monthly

37% of cases

$108 monthly

1% of cases

$210 monthly

8% of cases

$324 monthly

2% of cases

$663 monthly

7% of cases

$0 monthly

11% of cases

$108 monthly

72% of cases

$210 monthly

7% of cases

$466 monthly

2% of cases

$839 monthly

1% of cases

$2,299 monthly

6% of cases

$0 monthly

10% of cases

$108 monthly

75% of cases

$210 monthly

7% of cases

$466 monthly

1% of cases

$839 monthly

1% of cases

$2,299 monthly

5% of cases

$0 monthly

8% of cases

$108 monthly

9% of cases

$324 monthly

9% of cases

$663 monthly

10% of cases

$1,056 monthly

58% of cases

$2,299 monthly

4% of cases

$0 monthly

7% of cases

$108 monthly

7% of cases

$324 monthly

8% of cases

$663 monthly

9% of cases

$1,056 monthly

65% of cases

$2,299 monthly

8% of cases

$0 monthly

16% of cases

$108 monthly

14% of cases

$324 monthly

11% of cases

$663 monthly

9% of cases

$1,056 monthly

43% of cases

$2,299 monthly

3% of cases

$0 monthly

13% of cases

$108 monthly

15% of cases

$324 monthly

5% of cases

$663 monthly

6% of cases

$1,056 monthly

59% of cases

$2,299 monthly

5% of cases

$0 monthly

9% of cases

$108 monthly

11% of cases

$324 monthly

10% of cases

$663 monthly

9% of cases

$1,056 monthly

56% of cases

$2,299 monthly

4% of cases

$0 monthly

9% of cases

$108 monthly

8% of cases

$324 monthly

10% of cases

$663 monthly

6% of cases

$1,056 monthly

63% of cases

$2,299 monthly

12% of cases

$0 monthly

7% of cases

$108 monthly

20% of cases

$324 monthly

20% of cases

$663 monthly

22% of cases

$1,056 monthly

20% of cases

$2,299 monthly

11% of cases

$0 monthly

5% of cases

$108 monthly

20% of cases

$324 monthly

20% of cases

$663 monthly

15% of cases

$1,056 monthly

29% of cases

$2,299 monthly

20% of cases

$0 monthly

17% of cases

$108 monthly

27% of cases

$324 monthly

18% of cases

$663 monthly

12% of cases

$1,056 monthly

6% of cases

$2,299 monthly

19% of cases

$0 monthly

17% of cases

$108 monthly

24% of cases

$324 monthly

18% of cases

$663 monthly

12% of cases

$1,056 monthly

10% of cases

$2,299 monthly

26% of cases

$0 monthly

35% of cases

$108 monthly

19% of cases

$324 monthly

9% of cases

$663 monthly

4% of cases

$1,056 monthly

6% of cases

$2,299 monthly

32% of cases

$0 monthly

35% of cases

$108 monthly

16% of cases

$324 monthly

7% of cases

$663 monthly

4% of cases

$1,056 monthly

7% of cases

$2,299 monthly

15% of cases

$0 monthly

24% of cases

$108 monthly

31% of cases

$324 monthly

16% of cases

$663 monthly

9% of cases

$1,056 monthly

4% of cases

$2,299 monthly

12% of cases

$0 monthly

34% of cases

$108 monthly

29% of cases

$324 monthly

16% of cases

$663 monthly

3% of cases

$1,056 monthly

7% of cases

$2,299 monthly

10% of cases

$0 monthly

30% of cases

$108 monthly

20% of cases

$324 monthly

13% of cases

$663 monthly

8% of cases

$1,056 monthly

19% of cases

$2,299 monthly

9% of cases

$0 monthly

29% of cases

$108 monthly

17% of cases

$324 monthly

11% of cases

$663 monthly

1% of cases

$839 monthly

3% of cases

$1,056 monthly

32% of cases

$2,299 monthly

16% of cases

$0 monthly

10% of cases

$108 monthly

18% of cases

$324 monthly

16% of cases

$663 monthly

20% of cases

$1,056 monthly

20% of cases

$2,299 monthly

13% of cases

$0 monthly

10% of cases

$108 monthly

17% of cases

$324 monthly

20% of cases

$663 monthly

16% of cases

$1,056 monthly

25% of cases

$2,299 monthly

27% of cases

$0 monthly

29% of cases

$108 monthly

21% of cases

$324 monthly

11% of cases

$663 monthly

4% of cases

$1,056 monthly

9% of cases

$2,299 monthly

18% of cases

$0 monthly

32% of cases

$108 monthly

23% of cases

$324 monthly

12% of cases

$663 monthly

6% of cases

$1,056 monthly

10% of cases

$2,299 monthly

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