diabetes Bilateral Tinnitus

[supersport62]

Hi to all and a very merry Christmas.

I am looking for veterans who served at Lakenheath AFB in England during the years of 1964-1967. I was a jet mechanic and have been diagnosed with bilateral tinnitus and denied benefits for SC. Also denied for diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, memory loss, also have a carotid body tumor.

My SO asked me to get in touch with anyone who worked on these aircraft back then as the aircraft came from Vietnam and were likely contaminated with AO. We have other veterans here in Southeast Texas who claim the same but can't get the VA to acknowledge this.

If any of you were at this Air Base back then, please get in touch with me so we can compare notes. Thanks much.

[sixthscents]

Not to be obtuse but have you looked at your entrance and exit physical? If there is any loss of hearing, then a reasonable claim for service connected Tinnitus can be made. The VA will drag you through an audiology C&P exam, but they cannot really prove or disprove the existance of Tinnitus.

IMPORTANT! If you plan on pursuing this claim, you MUST file a Notice of Disagreement within 60 days of receipt of rating decision. This should be very clear in that you disagree with the decision, and plan on submitting further material evidence in support of your claim in the following year.

IF YOU DONT....the VA will close the claim and then it will take a formal appeal (2-5 years in some cases) to reopen and rexamine it without substantial NEW evidence.

Perhaps you do not have you entrance and exit physicals? If not go to the NARA website and request them as well as record of service ect. These records can give you documents such as: AER's, awards, disciplineary action etc., which could give you names to follow up on. I will state from the get go that I am 100% behind you on this claim, but the Agent Orange link will be difficult. There are a LOT of Guam veterans who are suffering from exposure, and the VA is denying their claims with actual pictures of the defoliant storage area, and numerous statements, as well as extensive testing of ground water. It's a hige can of worms thatthey simply want to stay shut.

When you file your NOD make sure you send it certified mail, so you can show that it was sent and the date.

Sorry if some of this is basic and you already know it, but the steps to making a valid VA claim are pretty similar under Agent Orange, Tinnitus etc.

Bob Smith