Forget It

[Jayg]

Forget it. B)

Edited June 8, 2009 by Jayg

[john999]

Idiopathic means they don't know the cause. If they are saying your PN in your feet is idiopathic then they are trying to weasel out of connecting to the flat feet. Considering how much pain you are in for all these things I would get a lawyer for my IU claim. Going from 10% to IU is a big jump and you have a lot of loose ends to tie up. I understand very well how foot pain can morph into so much pain you can't work. If you can't walk it is hard to exercise so it is easy to put on weight which makes the feet and back and knees worse. It is a feedback loop of one condition aggravating the others. You have to break the loop somewhere. My foot problems led indirectly to my losing my good job. It went from miserable foot pain to being sedentary to getting more depressed to back problems and on and on.

[Pete53]

Shoe inserts hurt. Funny as it may sound the best thing I have found are crocs sandals.

[rentalguy1]

I'm 40%, 10% pes planus, 20% ankle, 10% tinitus and bilat hearing s/c but @0%.

They won't award TDIU based upon those ratings. You need to work on getting the knees and spine sc'd secondary to the feet and ankle prior to asking for TDIU. I know people here say that the regs allow for TDIU without the 60/70 rule, but realistically, that almost never happens. I can guarantee you that a TDIU claim is to 10% and one 20% ratings as the basis will be denied, and then denied again, repeatedly, on appeal. You are setting your self up to lose here, and permanently. Once you have exhausted your appeals, then you will have to come up with new and material evidence in the future to re-open the claim. I advise for you to write the VARO and formally drop the TDIU claim TODAY. Then work on getting a higher rating for your feet and ankle, and getting the knees and back sc'd secondary to these claims. Once you meet the 60/70 rule, you stand a much better chance at getting TDIU.

I know some people are going to jump all over this, and this is why I don't post much any more. I prefer to be realistic, and tell a vet like it is, rather than sugar coat something and assist a vet in losing their claim.

[john999]

I agree that you have to get the secondary conditions service connected before you will get TDIU. I also advise you to start to see a VA psychiatrist and get a depression secondary to general medical condition claim up and running. If you are taking methadone then you have something to be depressed about!!!!! Have you applied for SSD?

[rentalguy1]

I also advise you to start to see a VA psychiatrist and get a depression secondary to general medical condition claim up and running.

I second this opinion.

[MikeR]

I would drop the TDIU claim post haste.