ptsd Tdiu Fastrack?

[jjrbus]

Long story, everything with the VA seems to be. Anyway after 40 years I have went from 10% with no kiss. To recently 80%, 50% PTSD and 30% GSW (gun shot wound)R (right) arm.

So I files for IU (individual unemployability for fellow PTSD'ers) July 14th 2009. Sept 10th 2009 I recieve the standard letter stateing they are working on my claim and giving me 30 days to submit further eveidence. That is less than 2 months, warp speed in my experience with the VA

I go to the DAV (Disabled American Veterans) at the FT Myers Fl clinic and tell Larry I have the letter, he gives me a questioning look and says already??

In the last 10 years dealing with the VA, I have never seen anything happen this fast.

Being the eternal optimist, the only thing I can figure is they got a new

"claim denied" stamp and can't wait to use it.

I'm not going to get my hopes up, but my rep says I have a very good claim!

Jim

[Victor_C3]

Not to brag, but the VA offices I deal with in Wilmington, DE have been very fast with all of my request. I did an initial claim for PTSD in on or about 8 JUL 08 and got a decision letter before October 2008. I submitted a claim for increase in rating on 1 April 2009, got my rating bumped from 30% to 70% by about 8 JUN 09.

I recently submitted a claim to TDIU on 9 OCT 09, got the "send more evidence" letter within two weeks, and I'm still waiting for anything else. I don't think my prior employer is going to return their portion of their questionaire so that might slow things down for me, but they've been pretty fast.

Both the clinic and the regional office that I got to in Wilmington, Delaware have been great to me.

[jjrbus]

I did not get the denial from the VA, It was a letter from the Disabled American Veterans, National Service Office notifying me of the VA denial. I really am disgusted.

[john999]

Don't give up on the TDIU. I got denied and I had SSD and a 70% rating. The VA knows that once they grant IU then you will probably never work again. Eventually, you will be made P&T and your dependents will get expensive benefits. The VA looked my three IMO's over with a microscope to find a reason to deny my IU. It cost me another IMO to defeat them. Every denial has in it the clues to a grant.

[jjrbus]

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I was in Tampa yesterday but did not see you ;) I will go see Larry D'Angelo DAV rep at the VA clinic in Ft Myers next week. I know he has been at it a long time and seems like a decent person. But I do not know how competent he is. Is there like some super rep in the SW FL area??

Should I be going to an outside shrink for treatment of the PTSD and an IMO??

I am currently rated at 50% for the PTSD and 20%, 20%, 20% and 10% for a gunshot wound to the right shoulder. So total 80%. 10 years ago I was awarded a Railroad Retirement disability pension for PTSD. Railroad pension is equivalent to Social Security. Would it be better to try and raise my PTSD rating to 70% or file a NOD on the TDIU. Or just do what Larry tells me to do?? I hope the answer is do what Larry says, cause all this is way to much for me. I cant even seem to ask a question without retyping it 7 times. JIm

[Berta]

Is VA aware of the Railroad Pension for PTSD?

It will be good to see the actual denial letter.

Does the DAV have a copy of it by now?

or do you?

My former rep got word a vet of his got 100%,but He didn't read the fax or whatever it was from the RO correctly.

He called the vet up ( a friend of his) and told him he was awarded 100% SC for a Personality Disorder!

When he read the actual notification again- it was award for NSC pension.

He called me up crying the blues (I should have dropped my POA before this even happened-was this a red flag or what?)

I explained to the REP that VA NEVER awards SC for PD.

He had vets permission for me to look at his stuff and asked me to turn the claim into PTSD.

After extensively interviewing this vet and considering every single record he had from Mil and the VA- I gave the file back to the rep and said he probably had a PD and definitely not PTSD at all and I only saw possibility of some SMR notations as basis for a different type of claim.

Maybe that is why this vet rep continually buggered my claim.And he quit when I complained about him,.

[Pete53]

Since the VA routinely does a search for Income on most Veterans I would suspect it would be hard for them to deny that they were aware of the railroad pension. Use FOIA to see if they looked at Income for the Pension.