Term Lv In 2 Weeks! Requesting Help For Filing Initial Claim [long Post Warning}

[MDB1968NM]

Hi Folks,

I will TRY to cut to the chase as I spend more time talking with doctors now than I do with my family.

BLUF:  I will be on Terminal Leave starting in 2 weeks...12 Feb is my last day on Active Duty (terminal leave starts then).  My retirement date is 31 May.  I will be applying for the BDD (benefits delivery at discharge) program here within the next month.

Let me first state that this is going to be a LONG post....a bit embarrassing for me at times but I am looking for assistance here.  You all have been SOOOO helpful in research and support and I am here asking for some more of your time.

I have probably SCREWED up according to many people including my flight surgeon by NOT pursuing MEB/PEB actions.  I want to state up front...this has been MY CHOICE 110%.  When I entered the military, I wanted to serve my country and I entered into service:"that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter, so help me God."  The reason I did not want to pursue such actions (MEB/PEB) is because I came into the service on my own terms AND want to leave this way as well.

So now that you know my rationale for my decisions, here is a disjointed summary (I am unloading a bunch so if it is too much just ignore it):

I underwent 6 knee surgeries on my knee due to an ACL blowout in 1990 while on Active Duty.  I have had multiple revisions to that and this ultimately ended up in a total knee replacement 7 months ago.  Three years ago I was in an aircraft severe turbulence incident that knocked a molar loose and separated both of my shoulders.  After a year and a half of sucking it up/complaining/trying to remain on flying status I finally demanded to have MRI's done on them.  Both shoulders had significant labral tears that have resulted in surgery on both of them within the past 17 months.  In 2004 I had an aneurysm one of my eyes that resulted in a blind spot in my central vision....not huge but just out of my direct field of view.  I was allowed to remain on flying status after much persuasion to the flight docs.  My other eye compensated enough to pass all my visual acuity tests, but the blind spot remains.  This has been documented on my amsler grid testing with a couple of times being either mis-annotated on my physical OR was something I really could have cared less about at the time...just get me in the air.

Fast Forward to the past 15 months....the USAF placed me on several drugs to get rid of the pain that I was enduring (and still do).  The list is long and distinguished...Oxycontin was the horrible part.  I was referred to a civilian pain management doctor to help wean me off of it so I could undergo my total knee replacement.  That was a success, however, the pain in my shoulders/lower back/plantar fasciitis remained. (all of these conditions are being treated still by civilian providers).  After the TKR, 7 months ago, my pain has increased twenty-fold.  Pain management has performed injections in my sacral region and more to come in my groin due to torn tissues in the pelvic region....WTH is going on????  I am also on morphine sulfate and percocet 6x daily to get through the day.

I referred myself (after discussion with my flight surgeon) to the Mental Health clinic for Chronic Pain problems and help with dealing with them.  I apologize for being disjointed but the treatment at mental health began when I started on the narcotics over a year ago.  The support that I have been receiving from them has been 100% incredible!  The psychiatrist literally saved my life....for things that I simply cannot get into here (I 'coded' and 'left the Earth' while at WHMC in 2006).  I have also been seeing a colleague of my MH doc who is a psychologist and has been prescribing Effexor for help in dealing with the pain receptors and my ability to deal with the pain.  I have also been on multiple drugs for insomnia due to the constant pain I am in.  They have agreed to continue seeing me until the issues are resolved even after retirement (I AM GRATEFUL FOR THIS)!

Three months ago, my flight surgeon did a battery of blood tests that showed that I have a "strong" possibility of having an auto-immune disorder.  Will all the issues I have been having (too many to list tonight) he stated that it was time to see a Rheumatologist.  What has transpired since, has been a medical nightmare for my flight doc/pain doc/rheumatologist/gastroenterologist.  In December, chest pains that I have been having for a few years caught up with me.  My blood pressure shot up to 160's over 110's and my resting heartrate was over 110 beats per min.  After rounds of meds, we have found that HCTZ/Norvasc/Atenolol combination has reduced both the BP and HR to normal levels.  However, the pain in the chest persists as well as dry-heaving a few times per day.

A priority endoscopy was ordered just before Christmas and my esophagus is 'sloughing' off tissue in the entire lower half.  My stomach looks as though there is a cup of 'salmon eggs' coating the bottom to a depth of about 1/4" (as far as I can tell) and there is a ring of tissue right below my sternum that has restricted the size to less than half.  I have been treated with multiple proton pump inhibitiors and zantac to try to stop the esophagitis/gastritis that is happening.  The drugs have been of no help to date.

A month ago my Rheumatologist discovered that I am not making/absorbing Vitamin D and has stated that I have 'osteomalacia' which is in my terms "mushy bone syndrome".  Basically my bones are soft due to the deficiency and we are attempting to treat this now.  The Rheumatologist thinks that this is why my plates failed in my knee prior to the TKR and why the TKR is so awfully painful now with increased swelling.

Last week some of the 20 vials of blood 'donated' in the same week have come back to say that I have no measurable testosterone in my body.  I am awaiting an appt next week to see what we can do about this......geeze what else can go wrong?  Has my "warranty" expired...LOL....at least I have my humor right?????

There are a litany of  other 'issues' that pale in comparison to what I am going through now that are at the "bottom of my list":  Migraines 2-3 times per month with loss of vision for the past 18 months, numbness in the arms/hands, a shoulder that needs another surgery, herniated calf muscle, foot injections that have not worked (huge bone spurs perhaps???)...I could definitely write a novel.

SOOOOO....where am I going???  I have put off the retirement stuff to the very last minute (began the checklists/outprocessing/benefits briefs/reports/decorations for others) and I am in the final stretch.  I realize that my "date" to participate in BDD is rapidly approaching.  I have not yet contacted a VSO to help...but I will in two weeks.  I have a partial copy of my SMR's (2500 pages as of 6 months ago) and have been looking at them, albeit briefly.  My sole job now is to finally take care of MYSELF and figure out how to do the claim.  {{BDEWEY if you read this, you are the ONLY exception to this....whatever you need let me know}}

Any suggestions on how to proceed would be invaluable to me.  I will NOT be working after retirement.  I have decided to volunteer with the local canine shelter AND the Airman Family Readiness center.....time to give back to a hugely personal cause and to help others that have served as I have.

Thanks for all the help and at least letting me put a few things on the table.....I guess this my way of finally asking for some help.  I promise to 'pay it forward' and you can take that to the bank!

Regards,

Mike

NOTE:  I have obtained all of the MRI/CT SCANS/X-rays with reports from the civilian providers AND the VA (our Med group is co-located with the VA...I am still on Active duty until 31 May).  I have never been in the reserves/guard as some may ask.  20 years Active.  I was DNIFed in March 2008 due to vision loss from migraines and then the multiple surgeries on shoulders/knee.  Med Disqualified from flying 12 months ago finally.  My Commander (as well as a confidant/friend who I will admire for eternity), his wife, my docs....are all some of the most loving and caring individuals you could ever hope to know.

I have made my decision long ago to retire from the USAF and be with my family after 20 years of faithful service.  I want to retire on my own terms and NOT be retired due to some medical 'issues'....again many will think I am crazy, but it is what I will do.

[cowgirl]

Good post Berta, you are a wealth of information and great example. Still trying to define the acronyms I use with my posts, the VA and SSA have different languages than military services.

Yes, unemployability applies to most discharged servicemembers, retired or not. Check with the local powers to be.

Outprocessing Caution note: A 'non' VA breifer finished his info early, told his 'discharge' 'non-advice' story and how he got all VA benefits due. Some of us vets thought, wow, followed his 'non-advice' and a bunch of us got lowballed claims to rework afterwards.Grrr. Sure needed Hadit then.

The ONE good thing, part of the 'non-advice' was to list all suspected chronic condiitons and injuries, even when in doubt, because it could set the possible service connected condition effective date for compensation.

Best to ya,

Cowgirl

Edited February 2, 2010 by cowgirl

[MDB1968NM]

Outprocessing Caution note: A 'non' VA breifer finished his info early, told his 'discharge' 'non-advice' story and how he got all VA benefits due. Some of us vets thought, wow, followed his 'non-advice' and a bunch of us got lowballed claims to rework afterwards.Grrr. Sure needed Hadit then.

The ONE good thing, part of the 'non-advice' was to list all suspected chronic condiitons and injuries, even when in doubt, because it could set the possible service connected condition effective date for compensation.

Cowgirl....thanks for the tips...will check back in the A.M. after a long night of gathering questions for the benefits brief/DTAP tomorrow!

I am certainly grateful for finding out about HADIT a while back while undergoing the possibility of MEB/PEB proceedings...

I am a 'trust but verify' type of person and by no means take what someone states as pure gospel unless it is backed up with something 'official'!

What do you mean on the 'non-advice' by stating:

"List all suspected and chronic conditions and injuries, even when in doubt, because it could set the possible service connected condition effective date for compensation"

I am curious as to how much I should put down on the VA form....I have so many recent issues (over the past 3 years) that everything else seems trivial at this point.  I just want to know what is happening to my body over the past three years (and of most concern...the past 3 months!).  I have over 2500 pages of SMR's (the unofficial copies a kind friend made while I was attending TAP classes in Sep).  It is mind boggling the information contained.  Hell, I have really forgotten about 70% of the information in there....LOL!  

I am still awaiting the full SMRs (hopefully Friday).  I was able to get my dental records (they indicate my aircraft 'incident' three years ago as well as my unofficial SMRs), my mental health records (as of two weeks ago), and my civilian pain management records.  I also have received the civilian laboratory blood work (still have many tests pending though).  Is it best for me to just haul my butt to the civilian providers to obtain copies of their treatment OR do I have to wait for the VA to request them 'officially' for my claim????  What is frustrating to me is that many of the treatments received over the past year are not in the copy of my records that my TAP friend made for me.

Thanks for the information!  I wrote a longer post earlier today but for some reason it did not make it here (99.99% sure it was operator error...the other .01% is probably due to my crappy laptop).  I want to make sure that I do things the RIGHT way when filing with the VA and not encounter some of the problems that folks here have experienced....

Mike

[cowgirl]

During my outprocessing, the non-VA rep, thnk he was social security rep and retired vet, shared his 'story' er, advice, but deny he ever did because that wasnt his speciality. Said best thing he ever did was list everything he thought was chronic or eligible for service connection on his initial claim.

A few other vets and I attempted to do similar but unfamiliar with VA wrangling in those days, got little to no service connection at all. Very disappointing. Instead I felt the rating decision made 'light' my valid medical conditions list and being depressed, tossed me deeper into a pit.

I only mention that because I felt duped. After some years of study, maybe I'm slow to 'get it' I found out that the way to get a somewhat correct VA disability rating is to have a good Medical Opinion for a chronic medical condition well documented for 'in-service' dates. Other Hadit members helped me use correct medical descriptions to get disability service connections due me (and my family), Thank God!

Wishing you well.

Hope that makes sense,

Cowgirl

Cowgirl....thanks for the tips...will check back in the A.M. after a long night of gathering questions for the benefits brief/DTAP tomorrow!

I am certainly grateful for finding out about HADIT a while back while undergoing the possibility of MEB/PEB proceedings...

I am a 'trust but verify' type of person and by no means take what someone states as pure gospel unless it is backed up with something 'official'!

What do you mean on the 'non-advice' by stating:

"List all suspected and chronic conditions and injuries, even when in doubt, because it could set the possible service connected condition effective date for compensation"

I am curious as to how much I should put down on the VA form....I have so many recent issues (over the past 3 years) that everything else seems trivial at this point. I just want to know what is happening to my body over the past three years (and of most concern...the past 3 months!). I have over 2500 pages of SMR's (the unofficial copies a kind friend made while I was attending TAP classes in Sep). It is mind boggling the information contained. Hell, I have really forgotten about 70% of the information in there....LOL!

I am still awaiting the full SMRs (hopefully Friday). I was able to get my dental records (they indicate my aircraft 'incident' three years ago as well as my unofficial SMRs), my mental health records (as of two weeks ago), and my civilian pain management records. I also have received the civilian laboratory blood work (still have many tests pending though). Is it best for me to just haul my butt to the civilian providers to obtain copies of their treatment OR do I have to wait for the VA to request them 'officially' for my claim???? What is frustrating to me is that many of the treatments received over the past year are not in the copy of my records that my TAP friend made for me.

Thanks for the information! I wrote a longer post earlier today but for some reason it did not make it here (99.99% sure it was operator error...the other .01% is probably due to my crappy laptop). I want to make sure that I do things the RIGHT way when filing with the VA and not encounter some of the problems that folks here have experienced....

Mike

[cowgirl]

Oh, mention of civilian providers reminds me, most medical offices, Xrays, etc, only retain records for about 7 years before cleaning the files. If you could request a copy for yourself thats important, maybe free for now. But the VA if (did I say if) given the correct information, Name Address Point of Contact Telephone Number etc etc, will request the records. For my records, it took nearly four months to get records copy from six city blocks away. Some civilian providers charge and arent sure how to proceed, so they wait it out. Least thats what happend to me. Also HIPPA played a part, if I recall, signing my permission to release copy of my records to support my claim for compensation for my injuries, whew.

Er, Rome wasn't built in a day, least what I heard, take a few 'off days' from processing claims is good idea to keep health best as can be.

Cowgirl

p.s. Keep reading Hadit, lots of answers and experience here.

[MDB1968NM]

Cowgirl,

Thanks for the information.  I attended the Vets Benefits briefing this AM but started getting a friggin aura and I know what comes next within 45 min....you guessed it....sitting by the throne with a bag of frozen peas.  Good thing that I keep and "emergency" vial with my needed scripts in it and was able to stave off the worst of it by popping a zoming and a naprosen.  Feeling a bit better the past hour so figured I would post.

What was awesome is that the woman from one of the VSO agencies was at the briefing.  I chatted with her for a min or so during the brief in the back of the room She asked me if I would like to set up an appt with her to start my process.  I explained to her that I was recommended to her by one of the VA folks that is actually using her to help appeal some ratings from the Desert Storm timeframe (apparently the VA person did not have a very good situation with another VSO agency in town and she told me point-blank to use this woman from this agency).

I carried as much as I could from my medical records in my backpack....it was full and weighed a ton.  I was pretty nervous because I have problems asking for help.  I am getting over this rapidly, as I most certainly need some assistance with this pile.  She indicated to me to 'remain calm' and don't be 'anxious'.  I explained to her that I truly need some help sorting through all of this and that the backpack did not contain all of my information.  She was VERY "to the point" and set up an appointment for the third week in February.  I asked  her what I needed to do to 'prepare' for the appointment and she stated that I should just bring ALL of the information that I have.  I stated that I could review all of my stuff and list what I think are my most troubling conditions.  She stated that we would go over EVERY PAGE of my SMRs and civilian records.  I should just to fill out the VA Form but to not date it OR fill in the claims.  I recall asking her, aura from the oncoming migraine was happening, if I should tab them etc....she said if I wanted to that was OK and would help a little but she really has to go over it all with me.  She blocked out the entire day for this.  I was surprised at how much time she wanted to spend....makes me feel a bit better that she REALLY seems to take her profession VERY seriously!  Good vibes/first impressions go a long way with me and my gut says that this VSO is one I will be able to work with very well.

I cornered a young airman that had just turned in his requested package (by the VSO) and she was going to present it to the VA today.  I asked him how he felt about using this VSO.  He stated that this VSO was THE best that he could have ever had assist him.  Again that made me feel very good.

I am relieved that I have finally gotten up the courage to get some assistance.

My plan of attack is to get my "official" SMRs on Friday (that is the date the office stated they would be ready).  

1.  I will have two copies AND the 'unofficial' ones my friend made.

2.  I will list all of the things that I consider most important and then tab the records themselves with sticky notes color coded referring back to each mention of anything related to the conditions.

3.  I will also create a 3 ringed binder that will contain my notes on each subject with references to each of the stickies.

4.  I will make copies of each of the pages that I have tabbed so that I have another set of "just the facts ma'am" for my own sanity.

5.  One of the "official copies" of my SMRs will be put in our firesafe where we keep all important docs.

6.  Soon I will make another copy or two of the "official SMR" and have them kept with my parents....just in case something were to happen to my 'fire safed ones'.

Some may call me a bit paranoid, but after seeing some of the things here on HADIT, I want to be extra safe.

Any recommendations or advice on my "plan"?????

Regards,

Mike

[Berta]

This is great news and you have an excellent plan of action in my opinion.

Once you get the information in order -you will sure have some peace of mind here.

It is a lot to deal with,I know, but once we manage to get our claims and paperwork organized, it can make things go less stressful.

Sounds like you will receive excellent help.