Deacon 2011's first post

[Deacon 2011]

OK Vets... this is my first posting so I am hoping that I do not butcher this. All of your comments are interesting, I've been slugging out the TBI battle with the VA for almost a year. I've gotten so frustrated from the variety of reasons why the claim has not been completed that I initiated a Congressional Inquiry. In efforts to get some help physically and psychologically, I requested copies of all of the examination reports from the VA which revealed the following:

Chronic headaches, imbalance, vertigo, dizziness, hypersensitivity to light and sound

Trigeminal neuralgia

Sleep disturbance

Difficulty with executive functions

Cognitive impairment

Physiatric complications (irritability and restlessness)

Neurobehavioral changes (frustration and anger)

Tinnitus and right ear pain

The list goes one however; with all this said I am being told that despite these diagnosis (from the VA) it is difficult to complete my rating... anyone been down this road before? HELP!

[Deacon 2011]

I understand, and yes, everything was well documented in my SMR. They are not contesting if i have a TBI, just the severity and secondary conditions of it. My reasoning for the Congressional stemmed from receiving a request from the RO to provide information regarding a claim that i never submitted. Of course, I had the standard 30 days to reply, they indicated the claim was submitted in May of 2010 by me however, they (the RO) failed to take action.... I have never received any consistent information regarding the status of my claim, from anyone.

OK... not understanding what was happening, I submitted three IRIS request, spoke with three call center operators and emailed the director asking if someone from the RO would contact me to explain; its been about 45 days since my initial request, no one has contacted me from the RO. A call center operator contacted me more than a week ago and attempted to decipher the notes that she could see that were associated with my claim. Her last remarks were, "someone has made an error here, and failed to have you to complete some C&P exams that should have occurred months ago, therefore, don't be surprised if you are never contacted by the RO"... again, no contact; my rep from the DAV suggested that I initiate the Congressional ASAP.

I agree- Nov to Feb isn't such a long time to wait for a decision on a claim like yours.

Is the proof of the cause of the TBI in your SMRs?