Sleep Apnea And Bypass Surgery

[red]

One of the rating I have for my t&p is sleep apnea, which was determined to be caused by a injury and is service connected. Now, I am 100% t&p, but I did not receive the free insurance. This I guess was my fault. I pay over 100.00 a month for a policy I have had for 40 years. My question is this. I have been told that if a doc would state that the bypass could have been caused by sleep apnea, that I could get a new rating.

I know that I would get no more money, but it would be nice to get the 20,000 free insurance and drop the other that I have. Could anyone give me their thoughts on this and if this would be true, could you spell out how the M.D. should write the statement so that it would fly with the raters. I have been told it would pretty much be a given if a doc wrote it up correctly.

Also, would this open up anything that would hurt my p&t? I could not do without it. Thanks to a wonderful bunch of folks on this board.

[john999]

You have to have a new disability and file for the insurance within two years. You only get 10,000 free insurance. The other you have to pay for the next 20,000 if you want it. If you were rated high enough for the heart you might be able to get extra money in form of SMC such as housebound.

[Pete53]

I am not positive but if you are over 65 I think that the insurance will not work. If you could get an earlier effective date who knows. Anyway it is worth a try.

If you use a CPAP and you need any kind of surgery take it with you. I think that when you are medicated and don't have CPAP you are at a great risk.

I hope that you can get it but have you considered getting one of those term policies with no pre existing conditions?

[red]

Pete, I am 71, been t&p 11 years. I do use a cpap and have for about 12 years, service connected sleep apnea, nose obstruction with 40% breathing capability in one nostril. I just wonder if anyone would insure me at 71, heart bypass 3 years ago and va disabled. I do not know how I let the insurance slip thru the cracks on my last rating, which was around 11 years ago. Thanks for your response and also yours John.

[john999]

You might be able to get insurance but it would be very expensive. Why not just put the money away to buy your wooden box. The VA supplies the head stone and the ground. 20-30 grand is not much money if you have to pay 200 bucks a month to get it. Get the heart SC'ed and if that kills you then you get buried for free or almost. The money from VA insurance is just a burial policy in this day and age. My mother got the same 10 grand 55 years ago when my vet father died. It was a lot them and it is chump change now.

[red]

I know it would be very expensive to get new insurance. I pay 108.00 a month now for 50,000 of life insurance. I guess I am better off just biting the bullet and keep it. They can not cancel me as long as I pay the monthly premium. I have a wife who had a terrible stroke 6 years ago and is incapacitated or I would drop in in a heart beat. I just want to make certain she is taken care of if something happens to me. That 50,000 would help, that is for sure. Thanks again.

[wadedenney]

Red It depends on the type of sleep apnea, there is 3 different types, obstructive, which is block air ways, Central and Combined,. The Central Sleep apnea is rare and is the result of the Brain not sending signals properly as I understand it. The Trick is it occurs mostly after Kidney failure, stroke and Heart Failure. If you had MI's that lead to the Bypass you could make a good case,, that is what I am currently tring. Lot of info on this from the Mayo and Cleveland Heart Clinics. Check your Sleep Study It will tell you the type of Apnea I had 17 events Vets First

with 15 being Central. Good Luck

One of the rating I have for my t&p is sleep apnea, which was determined to be caused by a injury and is service connected. Now, I am 100% t&p, but I did not receive the free insurance. This I guess was my fault. I pay over 100.00 a month for a policy I have had for 40 years. My question is this. I have been told that if a doc would state that the bypass could have been caused by sleep apnea, that I could get a new rating.

I know that I would get no more money, but it would be nice to get the 20,000 free insurance and drop the other that I have. Could anyone give me their thoughts on this and if this would be true, could you spell out how the M.D. should write the statement so that it would fly with the raters. I have been told it would pretty much be a given if a doc wrote it up correctly.

Also, would this open up anything that would hurt my p&t? I could not do without it. Thanks to a wonderful bunch of folks on this board.