in 2007 I was awarded 10% for a cervical strain, 10% for shoulder strain and 10% for DDD. I had a flare up of issues although I have always hurt. I have a copy of all my PT while I was in from 2001-2005 and I was seeing a VA PT for 2 months, doing traction and stretches. One day I woke up and I was in sever pain a few days later I couldn't feel my R arm or pinky and ring finger. So I went to the VA ER , since it is service connected. BIG MISTAKE! I had an MRI done and they said I had nothing wrong with me, in the ER paperwork he stated I had pain whil unrinating, never even talked about urinating and didn't have any pain when I did pee.. So I got the next day and get a copy of my MRI because I know something is wrong. I get it as well as the MRI report. It says I have bulging at C-7/t-1 so I make an appointment with a orth sport medicine doc to see if he can see something. He puts me on lyrica while I await an MRI of my brachial Plexus. I do that and everything looks ok but I am still in pain going on 8 years with severe pain going on about 5 months now. He can't do anything for me since I have done it all, all anti-inflammatory, pain meds, chiropractor, massage, you name it I have done it. So he sent me to the spine hospital and I went yesterday and he told me I had an annular tear at C5, which no one has ever said anythign about and it is causing the problem. He said I have most likely had it all this time and it has not healed on its own and I may need surgery, we did an epidural injection yesterday and I am dying today and my arms were numb all last night.
My question is should I file for an increase on the claims I already have or file for a new issue and how do I even go about doing that?
These decisions have made a big impact on how VA disability claims are handled, giving veterans more chances to get benefits and clearing up important issues.
Service Connection
Frost v. Shulkin (2017)
This case established that for secondary service connection claims, the primary service-connected disability does not need to be service-connected or diagnosed at the time the secondary condition is incurred 1. This allows veterans to potentially receive secondary service connection for conditions that developed before their primary condition was officially service-connected.
Saunders v. Wilkie (2018)
The Federal Circuit ruled that pain alone, without an accompanying diagnosed condition, can constitute a disability for VA compensation purposes if it results in functional impairment 1. This overturned previous precedent that required an underlying pathology for pain to be considered a disability.
Effective Dates
Martinez v. McDonough (2023)
This case dealt with the denial of an earlier effective date for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) 2. It addressed issues around the validity of appeal withdrawals and the consideration of cognitive impairment in such decisions.
I met with a VSO today at my VA Hospital who was very knowledgeable and very helpful. We decided I should submit a few new claims which we did. He told me that he didn't need copies of my military records that showed my sick call notations related to any of the claims. He said that the VA now has entire military medical record on file and would find the record(s) in their own file. It seemed odd to me as my service dates back to 1981 and spans 34 years through my retirement in 2015. It sure seemed to make more sense for me to give him copies of my military medical record pages that document the injuries as I'd already had them with me. He didn't want my copies. Anyone have any information on this. Much thanks in advance.
Caluza Triangle – Caluza vs Brown defined what is necessary for service connection. See COVA– CALUZA V. BROWN–TOTAL RECALL
This has to be MEDICALLY Documented in your records:
Current Diagnosis. (No diagnosis, no Service Connection.)
In-Service Event or Aggravation.
Nexus (link- cause and effect- connection) or Doctor’s Statement close to: “The Veteran’s (current diagnosis) is at least as likely due to x Event in military service”
VA has gotten away with (mis) interpreting their ambigious, , vague regulations, then enforcing them willy nilly never in Veterans favor.
They justify all this to congress by calling themselves a "pro claimant Veteran friendly organization" who grants the benefit of the doubt to Veterans.
This is not true,
Proof:
About 80-90 percent of Veterans are initially denied by VA, pushing us into a massive backlog of appeals, or worse, sending impoverished Veterans "to the homeless streets" because when they cant work, they can not keep their home. I was one of those Veterans who they denied for a bogus reason: "Its been too long since military service". This is bogus because its not one of the criteria for service connection, but simply made up by VA. And, I was a homeless Vet, albeit a short time, mostly due to the kindness of strangers and friends.
Hadit would not be necessary if, indeed, VA gave Veterans the benefit of the doubt, and processed our claims efficiently and paid us promptly. The VA is broken.
A huge percentage (nearly 100 percent) of Veterans who do get 100 percent, do so only after lengthy appeals. I have answered questions for thousands of Veterans, and can only name ONE person who got their benefits correct on the first Regional Office decision. All of the rest of us pretty much had lengthy frustrating appeals, mostly having to appeal multiple multiple times like I did.
I wish I know how VA gets away with lying to congress about how "VA is a claimant friendly system, where the Veteran is given the benefit of the doubt". Then how come so many Veterans are homeless, and how come 22 Veterans take their life each day? Va likes to blame the Veterans, not their system.
Question
2vetsin1home
in 2007 I was awarded 10% for a cervical strain, 10% for shoulder strain and 10% for DDD. I had a flare up of issues although I have always hurt. I have a copy of all my PT while I was in from 2001-2005 and I was seeing a VA PT for 2 months, doing traction and stretches. One day I woke up and I was in sever pain a few days later I couldn't feel my R arm or pinky and ring finger. So I went to the VA ER , since it is service connected. BIG MISTAKE! I had an MRI done and they said I had nothing wrong with me, in the ER paperwork he stated I had pain whil unrinating, never even talked about urinating and didn't have any pain when I did pee.. So I got the next day and get a copy of my MRI because I know something is wrong. I get it as well as the MRI report. It says I have bulging at C-7/t-1 so I make an appointment with a orth sport medicine doc to see if he can see something. He puts me on lyrica while I await an MRI of my brachial Plexus. I do that and everything looks ok but I am still in pain going on 8 years with severe pain going on about 5 months now. He can't do anything for me since I have done it all, all anti-inflammatory, pain meds, chiropractor, massage, you name it I have done it. So he sent me to the spine hospital and I went yesterday and he told me I had an annular tear at C5, which no one has ever said anythign about and it is causing the problem. He said I have most likely had it all this time and it has not healed on its own and I may need surgery, we did an epidural injection yesterday and I am dying today and my arms were numb all last night.
My question is should I file for an increase on the claims I already have or file for a new issue and how do I even go about doing that?
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