tinnitus What Are My Chances?

[hulamatt]

I have H1 hearing loss with tinittus, due to shooting rifle without hearing protection i was retarded and there were no ear plugs....i know 10% for tinnitus, it is recurring i have to sleep with a fan on or something of the sort to drown it out. what about the H1 hearing loss, dont know what it is but its in a SMR, also have lumbago, not sure exactly what that is besides lower back pain, had it after basic never went away, i notice it every other week, shooting pains through my toes, anyways going to see the doc on the 27th and going to ask for an mri of the sort to determine what exactly is going on, should i even try for it or just forget it? its not debilitating, but it sucks when those shooting pains happen, never really had my back do as much work as ruck sacking, so i attribute it to that, but who knows...also within a year of discharge

[Commander Bob]

... should i even try for it or just forget it? its not debilitating, but it sucks when those shooting pains happen,

...also within a year of discharge

Yes...

[Commander Bob]

I have H1 hearing loss with tinittus, due to shooting rifle without hearing protection i was retarded and there were no ear plugs....i know 10% for tinnitus, it is recurring i have to sleep with a fan on or something of the sort to drown it out. what about the H1 hearing loss, dont know what it is but its in a SMR, also have lumbago, not sure exactly what that is besides lower back pain, had it after basic never went away, i notice it every other week, shooting pains through my toes, anyways going to see the doc on the 27th and going to ask for an mri of the sort to determine what exactly is going on, should i even try for it or just forget it? its not debilitating, but it sucks when those shooting pains happen, never really had my back do as much work as ruck sacking, so i attribute it to that, but who knows...also within a year of discharge

Thanks for the tip regarding the tinnitus, 'hulamatt'. I use a TV, at night. The History, or Discovery channel, with the 30-60 min. sleep button on. (it resolves the ringing in my ears issue, and it helps lull one to sleep...JMHO)(I know everything about ancient Egypt, and the planets,...etc). When I was on active duty, we never used hearing protection. LOL.

Look, you are young, and since you are only out less than one year from your discharge date, you should consider securing a "Service Connection" now.

Good Luck.

[Commander Bob]

P.S. Don't forget your teeth,'hulamatt'.

Have you been to the dental den @ your local VAMC yet?

[hulamatt]

P.S. Don't forget your teeth,'hulamatt'.

Have you been to the dental den @ your local VAMC yet?

teeth are fine..ive only really got 3 issues on my SMR's or anything that i feel i should be service connected for, tinnitus my back(no where near as bad as most vets) and my psychotic disorder of schizophrenia, tinnitus would be good to get 10%, as long as my back is 0% im fine because it can be rated worse later, and i dont even care about the rating just as long as its SCed in case i might one day not be able to deal with it, and need surgery...didnt even know u can get a disability for your teeth, but i guess if you have none you can, maybe some kind of disease i dunno, not much i can claim, if its not in my smrs, or diagnosed, im not going looking for things, so who knows, my main disablilties are MH, which i feel are the worst injuries, i dunno though, i mean a life threatening thing is pretty bad, but living with being crazy, drives you nuts...lol i wouldnt wish this on no one, hard to tell reality from delusions, fighting to keep your sanity, is an everyday struggle for me, not to mentioin the loss of my military career, my life and friends, and the pain i have caused my family, lots of regrets

And cant go to VAMC, because i was crazy and went awol over my paranoid delusions, took an OTH discharge, instead of fighting it being cleared due to mental disability, and getting benefits, so im waiting for an upgrade to go to VAMC, and ive tried twice 2 go, once i was told i didnt have enough time in, second time i was told my OTH prevents me from beeing seen at a VAMC, funny cause they also diagnosed me as schizo while on active...

Edited August 22, 2010 by hulamatt

[broncovet]

This is "classic" VA runaround. The VA will try to say that your hearing loss did was not due to military service, instead trying to blame it on genetics, or "other" loud noises such as loud band noises. They will also try to deny you if you wait, claiming that it was "too long ago". The VA tried that with me even tho my audiologist stated, "Veterans hearing loss is most likely due to noise exposure during military service". It Doesnt matter to the VA what the law says, they often try to deny you anyway and put you on the appeals hamster wheel for sometimes decades while I lost my home. Supreme Court Justice Roberts even said the government (VA) takes a position that is "substantially unjustified" (against the Veteran) 70% of the time. Source: http://www.veteranst...ified-position/

You may get lucky and get a "good" regional office that does not do that as much, but I got a "bad" one..one of the worst.

Noise induced hearing loss, and related tinnitus, typically deteriorates your hearing about 2-5% per year. Source: I am HOH, and have worn hearing aids since 1997. I have also attended the seminar "Living with Hearing Loss" put on by my state government. I am currently rated at 10% for hearing loss and 10% for tinnitus, even tho my hearing loss falls into the "severe" category, and I can not watch a TV show/movie without Closed Captioning. The rating scales for hearing loss are heavily weighted in favor of the VA.

Solution to problem: Get ready for a fight. Keep copies of everything you send the VA, certified mail, return receipt requested. Have 10 years source of income to supplement your fight, as the VA loves to "starve you to death", making you wait, sometimes for decades, and then be happy when they lowball you so you dont appeal. Study the posts on hadit, ask questions, and be your own best advocate. File your NOD's ON TIME (within 6 months if Shinseki gets the "benefit improvement plan" he wants.

Edited August 22, 2010 by broncovet