ptsd Help Please

[hurryupnwait]

My best friend is dying of cancer, the doctor gave him about a week to live. He is service connected at 70% for PTSD. The doctor said that the cancer is not one of those related to agent orange. I know his wife submitted for an increase in his rating in about April, but I do not think they have a decision yet.

What does she need to do now to have some compensation continue?

Edited January 21, 2008 by hurryupnwait

[free_spirit_etc]

I'm not Berta - but I am throwing in my two cents...

First and foremost, I am so sorry to hear about your friend. And how great of friend you are to be there right now for him - and to help make sure his wife is taken care of.

First - if they have ANY evidence that needs to get to the VA on ANY claim - get it there -- for the accrued benefit claim - anything that might be due to him(so it was IN his file).

You might want to send in SOMETHING - even an IRIS - to CLAIM the cancer - and will still have time to pull it all together formally later (as another doctor might be able to link the cancer to AO / the service even if it isn't on the presumptive list).

I'm not sure about benefits continuing - there might be a gap - but she might be able to get them again.

Not sure about Pension - that is also a possibility.

Also Social Security..

My thoughts and prayers are with you..your friend..and his family..

Free

My best friend is dying of cancer, the doctor gave him about a week to live. He is service connected at 70% for PTSD. The doctor said that the cancer is not one of those related to agent orange. I know his wife submitted for an increase in his rating in about April, but I do not think they have a decision yet.

What does she need to do now to have some compensation continue?

[Josephine]

My best friend is dying of cancer, the doctor gave him about a week to live. He is service connected at 70% for PTSD. The doctor said that the cancer is not one of those related to agent orange. I know his wife submitted for an increase in his rating in about April, but I do not think they have a decision yet.

What does she need to do now to have some compensation continue?

Paul,

I am so sorry to hear about your friend.

My prayers are with you.

Always,

Betty

[LarryJ]

Notify your U.S. Senator or U.S. Congressperson, they have a person(s) that handles things like this and they really can get things moving along, especially in hardship cases, which this certainly is. It would really put some incentive into this if you had the doc's report to show to the Senator/Congress person's VA liason person.

Just a thought.

[Berta]

It seems hard for me to answer this- because this vet is not dead yet-

The wife should clearly know his wishes as to being an organ donor unless he has this info on his license-

even with cancer he probably could donate in his death- his eyes, bones, skin or other organs to the Organ Bank.

Their call comes withing hours of death so she should be prepared to tell them if he is to be a donor.

If they use a lot this necessitates cremation- also the Organ Bank needs to have ME perform autopsy- and -in my husband's case- I never got an autopsy bill because the Organ Bank ordered it.

The autopsy was critical years later in proving my claims-it might be for her too-

She should contact the American Legion ASAP after death if he is having a National cemetery burial and if she wants full military honors at the services/burial site.

She should make sure his obit is correct and I recommend that she take his DD 214 to the undertaker and have him list this veterans awards etc in the obit- all vet orgs he was member of, etc-

She will then have to fill out the 21-526 form- she shoud get a Vet ret to help her-and check off service connected death is being claimed.

The list of AO cancers are here somewhere- just saw them the other day under the hadit search feature- there are about 35 medical types of AO cancers-

what might appear on the death certificate might well be a SC cancer if it is a Soft Tissue Sarcoma-

The VA and many Reps dont have a clue on these medical terms-so my point is he might have an AO cancer that no one has identified with the 35 cancers on the AO list.

VA will only pay DIC if he dies directly due to or with SC contributing.

If he has claim pending at time of death she myust re-open it-it starts at day one again and she will have to continue to support it with evidence.If any vet rep tells her the claim died with the vet and does not tell her it can be resurrected-let me know and I will enlighten this rep.

Only if she re-opens within one year after his death- only then would VA pay her any and all accrrued benefits that he should have received in his lifetime.

I dont think she should think about this DIC info now- she should be praying for him-

but the Organ donation stuff is something she has to be prepared to deal with within hours of his death.

"The doctor said that the cancer is not one of those related to agent orange."

Unless the doc is fully versed in the AO regs- I would not accept this and check the actual medical records myself-

there are 35 different medical terms for AP STS cancers that reps and even the ROs overlook.

Edited January 21, 2008 by Berta

[Pete53]

Sorry about your friend it is always hard to lose a buddy specially under these circumstances. I know that you wnat to help but I think Berta is correct that you should wait. There is really nothing that can be done about DIC.

Just cause his Doc said he had the wrong cancer to get DIC who made him a decider of fact?

The pension rarely works cause she would have to have no other support.

Some things I was told by VARO about DIC. It will take up to 4 months to get the award if there are no problems even for Veterans who have 10 years of being paid for service connection. This can mean some months of no money from the VA

I might be going a little to far but I think that you should be there as a friend and recommend a good VSO if you kow one.I am pretty sure that they see a lot more of this than we do.

You and his family will be in my prayers.

[Berta]

Well said Pete- but one other thing-

My re-open for accrued benefits took over 3 years-

a vet with 100% SC for ten years whose dies- the spouse MIGHT get faster award -

in this case the vet I assume has applied for TDIU as he is 70%??? I dont see the 10 year DIC rule helping her here at all-

Any TDIU claim will have to be re-opened and continuously prosecuted by a widower or widow-for any accrued benefits-

that could take months or even many years-