diabetes Va Ratings Boards

[George2002]

I was discharged in 02/1988 from the Army with a 10% disability rating. Have not used the VA until July 2008.

In Oct 2008 I had a C & P exam, using VA doctors. I think the Agent Orange/diabetes is a given (?) at a minimum of 20%. Before I started using the VA, I had private health care insurance. Massive heart, artery, kidney problems through the first 6 months of this year. Advised to file Social Securtiy disability, which I did. Still awaiting an answer. It is my understanding that the heart/artery problems are secondary to the diabetes, which is a result of Agent Orange. Is this correct?

I also had a C & P exam for PTSD, again with a VA shrink. The shrink stated that he was recommending that I be rated at 100% disabled. The stressors are in place, i.e. Bronze Star, Air Medal, CIB, hostile fire, 11C MOS, etc.

My questions are:

After the exam, how long will it take the review board to make a decision?

Does the review board normally take the recommendation of their ratings doctors?

Thanks,

George 2002

[Pete53]

George:

Welcome to Hadit. As far as your questions your claim will do best when it is developed to meet the criteria that the VA uses to make decisions. You are in the early part of the VA process to review and rate your claim. You need to show a current diagnosis, a link to your Service and that it has caused you problems since your discharge. You can wait till they give you and answer which will be between 6 months and a year and that is a guess. It could be sooner or later also. Its the VA and no one can tell you with any specificity how long your wait is.

If you really want better results than you should work your claim and use VA Language to get the best rating. If you invest some time here Hadit can help you perfect your claim.

From what you have described so far the answer may be No from the VA.

Good Luck

Edited December 2, 2008 by Pete53

[mobie16r]

George,

Welcome to hadit,and that is some good information from Pete53,and welcome home.

mobie

[john999]

If you had the heart, kidney and other problems prior to the official diagnosis of DMII the VA is liable to deny service connection for these problems even though there is little doubt of the connection between DMII and these problems. If you get 100% for PTSD then you will be in pretty good shape anyway. You need a doctor's opinion that the heart and other problems are secondary to the DMII. The VA denied my peripheral neuropathy because it proceeded my official DMII diagnosis by the VA. I got around that and so can you with those other problems you have.

[George2002]

How can I get around the secondary factors for the heart/artery problems. I had both untreated high blood sugar and high blood pressure/heart problems for several years prior to going to the VA for treatment.

Also, with the VA shrink recommending 100%, does the rating board normally go with the shrinks opinion? We have established the problems since returning from Nam, the stressors that caused the PTSD, etc.

Thanks,

George

[john999]

If you have records from private doctors saying you had high glucose levels prior to get dianosed by the VA that would be proof to help connect the secondary conditions. You want to identify the source of those private medical records to the VA so they can obtain them. What you really need is a medical report from a private doctor to say that in his opinion the high glucose levels and your other problems are as likely as not related to undiagnosed DMII. That would be my best guesss. Are your kidney problems from diabetes? That would indicate long standing DMII, but you need a doctor to say that because the VA does not listen to us mortals.

[poolguy11550]

Claim all the conditions that you feel are secondary and state way you feel so. Send in some medical literature confirming your thoughts (be careful not to opine but simply refer to medical info as being "standard medical thinking"). That by itself should make your claim plausible and invoke the VAs duty to assist. The easiest way to have a IMO.