tdiu Dr's Opinion Letter For Tdiu Is There Any Specifics

[mom24]

My dr will write a letter saying I am not able to work, but she doesn't know what it needs to say. I would like to send her a sample to use with the exact, or as close as possible, wording the raters will want to see. I'm not really talking about how my condition (ALS) keeps me from working (she can do that part), but all the legal stuff that will be enough evidence. I'll also be including my ssdi award with it.

thanks

[halos2]

mom24, Follow the advice given here, espec Berta's. Ask that they push your claim ahead related to your diagnosis and the presumptiveness. Hang in there, have someone assist you with exercises you can tolerate. To keep your muscle mass/strength. How is your mobility now? Are you using assistive devices? Your doctor can also put in her medical report any assistive devices you may use too. Keep posting here where you have many, many friends here sister Vet!

[mom24]

Berta,

I filed a formal claim for TDIU with my claim for ALS. So when I get the letter from my dr. and my ssdi award letter, I was planning on just filing a new claim. Or maybe I should just use the old one and submit the new stuff as new evidence. I just want to go the quickest route. I'm not concerned about when they establish the EED just as long as I can get it approved. My ssdi claim should have an onset date of 2001 or 2002. I do not know yet which one they chose.

Halos,

As far as having ALS compared to what most people with ALS go through, I am doing pretty well. Now compared to someone without ALS, well that's a different story. I am still mobile and I walk about 1/2 mile every other day. I do stretching exercises with the help of my husband and I get massages when I can afford it which really helps. I do not use assistive devices, unless you count the husband and kids.

The things I have trouble doing are house cleaning, daughter's hair, anything to do with fine motor skills, like typing and writing, or things that require repetitive motion with arms and hands and lifting. I can still do these things, but it takes a long time because I have to stop frequently due to muscle fatigue and then start again. Then I have to deal with the muscle cramping, fatigue and soreness in my arms, hands, back and neck & sometimes legs which follows for a few days, which basically means I deal with it everday just in degrees depending on how much I actually do. My kids are 9, 7, 6 and 4 and I have gradually giving over all the chores except cooking to them. Right now my oldest mops the floors and fixes breakfast & lunch some days and cleans kitchen, the other kids vaccuums and dusts and cleans bathrooms & family room, my husband does the laundry or my 9yo and 7yo will do it. I do try to do as much as I can so as not to loose muscles. It's a balancing act and my home is not as clean as I used to be able to keep it, although I think the kids do a pretty good job. So all in all I'm doing ok. I do not like having to go through any of this especially knowing it will get worse and worse, but since it could already be a lot worse, you really wont hear me complaining too much. I'm a lot more stressed with dealing with the VA than dealing with ALS right now.