Few Questions

[CooterBrown]

I am 40% Service Connected Disability from back injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident that occured while on Active Duty in 1994. I have sciatic problems that begin from point of injury and shoot down my legs. I only filed for this issue in 2006 and I got 20% for back and 10% for each leg where the sciatic nerve pain is shooting down.

My question is, during my examination, the doc told me that I have noticable arthiritisin my back that was unusual for a 31 y/o (35 now). He said that it could possibly be from the motor vehicle injury. When I got my decision back, I was rated for the conditions described above but nothing about Arthiritis. Is the arthiritis an eligible condition to claim?

Also, while I was in, I was picked up by the SP's twice for drinking under age. For six months after my accident, I was all but bed ridden and being in relatively remote location (Eielson AFB, AK), we didn't do much but play video games and drink. I've always had a drinking problem since then not to mention other mental health issues! I was very social and well liked in H.S. and while I was a social drinker, I didn't have issues with drinking. I went to mental health counseling while in the military after the two under age incidents. I hated that place with everything in me and was miserable for three years. I was liked enough in my shop that my NCO and 1st Sgt went to bat for me during my hearings and I was lucky enough not to get booted and eventually got myself together enough to finish my enlistment. However, since then, I've been in and out of marriage counseling and psychiatric help before and after I quit drinking because I still have anger issues and depression problems. I did eventually quit drinking which obviously helped my ability to control some of my issues but I still have episodes of anger and depression. I pulled my records for the mental health visits while I was in the air force because I was embarrassed by them. Can I file a claim for depression, anger, alchoholism and submit those records to support my claims? I'm embarrassed and regretful of my actions back then and sometimes today but while I wasn't in a war time situation, I was miserable and depressed constantly while I was up in that frozen hell. I wanted to be a lifer like my father, grandfathers and great grandfather but within a couple of weeks of being in Alaska, I wanted nothing more than to get out.

[jbasser]

I take it is rated under IVDS. Arthritis is rateable under Traumatic Arthritis, Most lkely post fusion to get TA. Your diagnosis of Spyndolosis would be considered pyramiding as the VA can only rate each bodily segement. Both IVDS and TA are rated under ramge of motion with a separate rateing for the effected nerves.

J

[CooterBrown]

I'm sorry.. I've googled and looked in the forums but I don't understand IVDS. Also, what is post fusion and pyramiding?

So under range of motion, if I was already rated under range of motion for my back injury and the Arthiritis is also rated with range of motion, how are both conditions rated?

[Pete53]

CooterBrown

Welcome to Hadit.

[CooterBrown]

Thanks Pete53

CooterBrown

Welcome to Hadit.

[CooterBrown]

Can I be rated for bipolar disorder even though I've never been diagnosed? I believe I'm bipolar. i had rage while in the military and was arrested a few times for drinking. Now, I'm employeed and have kept a job for a long time but my home life is always a rollercoaster. I've been to marriage counselor after marriage counselor and have been to a Pschy. He said I was ADHD but I'm not sure that's my only problem. ADHD doesn't give you a hair trigger temper from the research i've done.

[john999]

You could be rated for depression as secondary to the back injury. You can't get rated for "anger" or "alcoholism". You were seen by a shrink in the army. What do your SMR's say about your psychiatric care in the service? Did you get a DX of depression?