tdiu Waiting On Claim

[sunfish34]

I HAVE BEEN WORKING HARD WITH MY HUSBAND TO GET HIS CLAIM DONE WITH THE VA, FIRST WE FILED FOR SSD AND HE WAS AWARDED THAT WITHIN 6MTHS OF FILING. THEN WE FILED FOR

HIS VA SC DISABILITY, WE WAITED 13 MTHS TO GET A C&P, WE DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT

TDIU AND P&T WHEN WE FILED, I FOUND THIS WEB SITE AND IT HAS BEEN SO MUCH HELP, MY QUESTION IS SHOULD WE WAIT FOR HIS APPROVAL BEFORE WE FILE FOR TDIU AND P&T OR GO

AHEAD AND GET IT IN NOW, WILL IT SLOW DOWN HIS CLAIM, HIS DOCTOR SAYS ONE OF HIS

DISABILITIES ARE FROM A SC BACK PROBLEM AND THAT IS WHY HE CANNOT WORK, HE ALSO SAID

HE WOULD DO WHAT WE NEED TO HELP US OUT, THAT IS HIS ORTHOPAEDIC DOCTOR, THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP B)

[john999]

Sunfish

Is the claimant being treated for depression? You need a current diagnosis and it is very good to have a record of treatment for the problem. Same goes for the back injury. If you have a record of being diagnosed or treated for any injury in service it is important to get continuing treatment for it to get compensation. If you get treatment for all these problems at the VA you have a record of treatment right there for the VA to see.

[sunfish34]

HE IS BEING TREATED FOR BOTH BY THE VA, HE GETS ALL HIS MEDS FOR DEPRESSION AND

PAIN, BACK PAIN, GERD, AND COPD, I JUST AM NOT SURE WHAT WE DID WRONG OR IF WE

DID NOTHING, THEN WE NEED TO GET A VSO? IS THAT A GOOD IDEA?

[Commander Bob]

I really need to know if we should get in touch and get a VSO there to help us?

Good Morning sunfish34, First of all, don't blame yourselves. Don't fall into that trap. It's a great way to give up. And don't give up. File a "Notice of disagreement" ( NOD ), instead. Yes, you can use a Veterans Service Organization ( VSO ) to help you with your husband's claim. In the past I have used the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Military Order of the Purple Heart, and I have gone it alone. All VSOs have National Service Officers ( NSO ), trained to help you at no cost.

Here is my two cents...If there is nothing closer to your home, when you go to the VA Outpatient clinic in Grand Rapids on Tuesday, seek out a VSO in the area and file a NOD and ask for the "statement of the case", etc... Some counties have Service Officers also. I don't know about MI, and I am not familiar with you area. Take everything you have. Let them make copies, and you keep your original stuff, so everything that gets lost, you can replace. My first VSO choice may not be the best choice for you in your area. I hope other members of Hadit that are familiar with Michigan, will post here and give you some insight on which VSO is the best in your neck of the woods.

Edited January 11, 2009 by Commander Bob 92-93

[sunfish34]

Thanks we will file a nod with the VSO on tuesday, what do we need to take with us, All him medical records again? Where do we get a copy of his C&P and his medical records, they are saying his back is not sc because they cannot find any records, also he was treated for severe depression while on active duty and still being treated, we did not file for this so we are going to

file a new claim for that, have been working on that today, He tried to harm himself while on active duty he was so depressed will they not let us claim depression because of this? Can we claim

that as a stressor for PTSD, He has all the symptoms of that also, I really want to win this claim for us but also so he can get some medical help he needs, instead of just getting pills shoved at

him all the time from the VA, well thank for listening to me, and thank you again for this great site and all the great people here.

[john999]

File for the depression and for any other injury or illness he sustained in service. Do you have a copy of his service medical records that document these injuries and illnesses? That is all you need since he is being seen for these problems at the VA. File claims for all these conditions. Like Bob says file an NOD for the denial of the back injury. I say when in doubt file the claim. They will never do anything until you file a claim.

[sunfish34]

How or Where do we get a copy of his complete medical file?