tdiu Ssdi For Bipolar, Applying For Va....comments / Helpful Answers?

[ZenLife]

Hi everyone. I'm Jay, long time viewer, first time poster. I've been wading through these forums for a while, as well as dozens of other sites, and I have a couple of questions / concerns. Maybe someone can give me an idea if I have a claim or not, and if so, what to expect. Sorry if this post is a little long, it's hard to sum up 6 years in a paragraph!

Here's my Sit. Rep.:

Served USMC '99 - '04

• Didn't know it at the time, but I'm Bipolar, then and now, it's life long.
  
  • Had several disciplinary actions throughout 5 yr. service, nearly got discharged 2 months before my EAS because of repeated infractions. Got lucky, and squeaked out with a "General Under Honorable". Discipline / poor impulse control is common for Bipolar people in general, especially having the first episode after a major lifestyle change or around age 20 (i.e. entering the military at 18). I'm not certain if this would help or hurt my claim.
    
    • Diagnosed and treated one time by MACG28 BAS for Depression / sleep disturbance in 2003. Bipolar disorder is often initially misdiagnosed as Depression. Medications were ineffective and worsened my situation - I didn't want to be discharged, so I did what a lot of us do - dealt with it as best I could until my EAS to preserve the benefits I'd worked my butt off for.
      
      • I'm not certain if either of the above could help provide service connection or not - input would be most appreciated.
        

      Currently I recieve SSDI for Bipolar , the only condition I intend to apply for w/ VA

      [*]
      I bean receiving treatment early 2005.
      [*]
      Applied for SSDI in Dec. 2005.
      [*]
      Awarded Benefits May 2008.
      [*]
      Award states that I've been disabled since June 22, 2004, the day after my last day of active duty.
      [*]
      Three evaluations with average GAF's of 55 from three Dr.'s were partial basis for this award.
      [*]
      Award included documentation from my military medical record concerning the diagnosis of Depression.
      [*]
      No other medical claims or job history.

      I currently receive care for my condition, and have been receiving care since Jan. 2007

      My questions are:

  [*]Do I have service connection based on the in-service diagnosis, since depression is the precursor to or misdiagnosis of, bipolar?

  [*]My Dr. is willing to write a letter for me to serve as a nexus. He is concerned over his legal liability - is there any in this case?

  [*]If his letter is disregarded by the VA, would my SSA award serve as a nexus, since it includes the early in service diagnosis?

  [*]Since the SSA considers me disabled, will the VA look at it similarly and give weight to my award?

  [*]Do I apply for TDIU with my initial application?

  [*]Would my effective date be that of my award letter in 2008, my last date of employment in 2004, or the date I file, in a couple of days?

  Any and all input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read this. And a special thank you to all the men and women who take the time to help others navigate the VA/SSA jungle!!!

  Semper Fi!

[Berta]

I think tomorrow I will start staying in the sub forums for TDIU, PTSD, FTCA and DIC Pete.There is plenty of great help in claims research forum.

I was surprised I missed this post-I checked my calendar and realized during the very same week in Jan I got tenative diagnosis of a life threatening disease.The specialist was positive I was facing some inevitable stuff.

I believe I was here sporadically for about next 2 weeks as I had to check my will and my death file and make some plans to deal with that possible situation. On Feb 4th a medical test ruled out completely this erroneous diagnosis.By then I too had researched enough to know the specialist was probably wrong.I am no where near being on Ice with a tag on my foot yet.

Maybe that is why I missed this.I feel very guilty that this vet didn't get any welcome or responses at all. Based on the info the veteran gave us here-this claim is one of the best claims I have ever seen.

I am familiar with bi polar claims.

Hopefully he didn't need our input at all. He deserves 100% VA SC.

We all deal with a lot.

[carlie]

To all,

When ZenLife joined I am positive they received an email from Hadit.

I believe I also sent Zen a PM - but can't access my sent PM's right now.

Anyway - in reading this thread I just need to remind myself that we are all volunteers.

[stillhere]

WOW i posted on this thread yesterday but did not realize the date or the amount of views!!

Like you Berta I hope he got help awarded and help somewhere.

[LarryJ]

For some reason, I never saw the posting.

I have no idea why, for bi-polar is one of my "zingers" and would have surely elicited a response from me, especially considering the obvious (he entered service without a word on his entrance exam vis a vis any type of psychological problem(s), etc.) ease of his apparent claim (I likes de e-z ones)!

As some form of excuse, from me, my Wife and I had skipped the country during that period of time (we were in Haifa visiting the Daughter/Son-in-law). BUT, I thought I checked my messages and the Hadit board when we returned.......................

[justrluk]

Good morning, and thanks for all the interest this seems to have generated. I, as a junior member, do not expect any elder to sit in front of their computers waiting for new posts. You all have lives, etc. I just happened to be looking for others dealing with bipolar issues, and found this post. I took my best shot at answers (thanks to all for clarifying/expounding with your experience). I just know that when I'm hitting a 'valley', this is where I come for hope. I'm still trying to get used to the new me, and hope others with bipolar issues can share.

I wish my VSO was as aggressive, helpful and showed as much concern as the folks in this forum regarding responsiveness! On average, it takes my VSO 20 - 30 days to answer a question via email. Example question dated 6/24/10: "The eBenefits site shows an issue has closed, but I don’t know which issue it is, and can’t seem to find out by calling the support center. Do you have visibility, and if so, what the issue was and the outcome?" Answer on 7/19/10: "Your appeal is for psoriatic arthritis. You have a claim for increase of the psoriasis." No mention of the recent tests and IMO for GERD, or when I might hear about it, which should have closed recently. When I called last week to try and get clarification, I was told I could not leave a message, but have to hope to catch her when she's free = never...

I don't know what 'good' looks like for a VSO, so I can't be critical; she's helped me get to where I am percentage-wise. I just get anxious like everyone else waiting for the sausage to come out the other end of the DVA ratings process.

Long story short, you folks do a great job of responding, helping those of us still not used to the nuances of the DVA system, and being patient while reading our long-winded (me) posts. Be kind to yourselves - much respect from one former warrior to many others.

[Tbird]

I am moving this topic to VA Claims Research to get more eyes on it.

Remember even if you don't have an answer for a veteran, a word of encouragement is always helpful, perhaps a similar experience or a coping mechanism that works for you that may help the veteran.

Hang in ZenLife.