ptsd Taking Away Service Connection ?

[SANDMAN]

Can the VA take away service connection altogether , if they feel you have gotten better.

Example You get rated 30 % for PTSD, 2 years down the line they say your doing much better.No more disability for you. I guess what i'm asking is would it go to 0% because possibly it could flair up again or would they say you are no longer service connected period.Maybe i'm being paranoid , but being a newbee you hear all the horror stories.I would just hate to have to go thru the whole process again.

Thanks SGT SANDMAN

[Vync]

John, you can be rated 100% and be employed and, possibly, make a million dollars a year, for the next 20 years, and, after the passing of the 20 years, you'd be "protected".

No rules about being 100% and not being able to make your million bucks. Matter-of-fact, the VA is our country's largest employer of 100% disabled veterans, of course, none of them are gonna make $1M next year!

Hmm... I don't know about that. Check out some of the folks who are high up in the organization and make policy. I'll bet a few of them make a million bucks a year. That's probably one of the reasons why the RO and BVA constantly ignore evidence. They have to take care of thier own first...

[hawkfire27]

Can the VA take away service connection altogether , if they feel you have gotten better.

Example You get rated 30 % for PTSD, 2 years down the line they say your doing much better.No more disability for you. I guess what i'm asking is would it go to 0% because possibly it could flair up again or would they say you are no longer service connected period.Maybe i'm being paranoid , but being a newbee you hear all the horror stories.I would just hate to have to go thru the whole process again.

Thanks SGT SANDMAN

Hey, something I was just thinking of.... If they do take away your VA comp and your on SSD then you need to be really careful or they might take away the SSD as well. If they don't take away your SSD then you can probably use this fact in an appeal with the VA for your SC. It is my understanding that once you are SC'ed for a disability you have that for life, the rating though is subject to change. So it will just go to 0% compensable. Which basically means you have PTSD service connected but it does not significantly impact your life so you can't be paid for it. If it flares up again later in life this prevents the VA from having to do massive amounts of paperwork again. However while at 0% you get no comp payments.

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

Good luck.

[SANDMAN]

That's kind of what I was thinking , but I'm not the expert.

Sgt

[Pete53]

Fact is you can count the amount of decreases from VA on fingers in the time I have been here. My opinion is that they can but they usually don't once you have an established rating.

Same goes for Social Security. A rating of 30% is a pretty limited amount anyway although it can be a stepping stone.

Instead of trying to figure out what the VA is going to do to you it might be better to try and get your rating increased. Most of the 30% ratings for MH are low balled in first place.

[Berta]

The VA can propose to reduce a rating whenever they feel there has been sustained improvement- but I agree with Pete that it doesn't happen often.

This is one reason a vet should maintain a paper trail on their treatment and meds-

if they dont-the VA could say they have significantly improved and try to reduce them.

[carlie]

I just want to add that if the VA should schedule an

appointment for a re-examination and the claimant fails to

show up for it -- they have automatically set themselves up

for a proposal of reduction in compensation/benefits.

Always continue treatment/therapy for all SC'd disabilities.

This will also help cover you if you should have a SSD review.

There aren't many that have reached their 20 year mark for

protection, without following this train of thought.

jmho,

carlie