ptsd So Lost And Confused About This Va Claim Stuff.

[DrksWife=)]

I guess this is my introduction post. Sorry to just jump right in with such a long post. Also, I am sorry if this post rambles on and on. I will try to stay on topic but it just feels this whole situation rambles on and on.

My husband got out of the Army in November of 2010, he wanted to reenlist again but was told due to all of his medical issues he couldn’t re-enlist (he was told this in July). Instead of med boarding him out they just let his contract end and he ETS like any other soldier. On Dec 10 we went to a VSO at Quantico and he helped us file his claim. My husband complained about his back, shoulders, knees, ankles, hearing, sleep apnea, and anxiety. Also he had Maxillary, mandibular and chin advancement surgery for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea, so he claimed that too. They broke his upper and lower jaw and chin bone and moved his facial structure forward 1.5cm and plated it in place. This surgery was to correct his severe obstructive sleep apnea. At his sleep study he had 148 apnea episodes in one hour. After his surgery he still has sleep apnea and now metal plates and screws.

He had his C/P exam in February (I believe the 9^th) and I think that went really bad. The woman was very quick and confused my husband with so many questions (at this point he had undiagnosed TBI) and she would not let me answer. I can understand why they wouldn’t let me talk but he agitates very easy and doesn’t understand a lot and if you give to many questions he just becomes confused.

Fast forward to August 1 and we have not heard anything. We do not have an ebenifits account as of yet. We were told he can get a myhealth.va.gov acct and once he fills out the in-person verification form ( we are doing that this week) he should be able to see his VA Claim status.

My question to you is how much longer can it be? We were told a claim can take anywhere between 6 and 8 months from when you file. Well we are at the 8 month mark.

Also, now that he is being seen at the VA center we have a lot more things that need to be addressed in a VA claim. As mentioned above he was diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). He was also diagnosed with PTSD, and several other little things that sort of go with his original claim (shoulder and knee issues). Another big issue we have found is due to blast injury he has low testosterone levels (and other hormone imbalances). We were also told his sperm morphology is bad and we will have to undergo fertility treatments to have another child (something we had wanted to do when he got out- but can’t now because we cannot afford IVF).

He is finally getting the medical help he needs and I swear we live at the VA hospital. I think in July alone we were at the VA hospital about 18 days of the month – filled with many appointments each day. My husband cannot work, he cannot stand up for more than 20 minutes, and sitting down can be just as uncomfortable. He is also undergoing prolotherapy to correct his back pain. Last week he had 85 shots in the back and the time before that he had 45 shots, plus 2 cortisone shots to the shoulder.

It just seems the more we get into his treatment the more things turn up. We were told by one person to file a new claim with his other issues. Another person told us not to do that we should file a new claim all together. My worry is either way his original claim will be held up and honestly we need the money. My income just does not help (I was a stay at home mother for 5 years before now) and I don’t see a better job coming my way any time soon. On top of that I can’t work a lot because I have to drive him to his appointments because he cannot drive home after most appts. I also need to be there to listen to the doctors because due to his TBI he cannot remember what they said and what the plan may be. He was told he cannot get unemployment because he isn’t looking for a new job. He is going to school and we do get his housing stipend for that. But we are not sure how much longer he can handle that. He is doing remedial classes now (like basic math and English courses).

So where do we go from here? Should we file a new claim all together and will that hold up the claim that was filed in Dec? Should we just amend the original claim and how much will that hold up that? At this point we are just desperate, we are starting to slowly fall behind in our bills and he I becoming more and more depressed because he feels like he let us all down. Honestly it is all getting to me too. I just want answers.

I know we are lucky, my husband is still alive and he has all of his limbs. But honestly it feels like he is just as disabled as someone who has lost a limb (I do not mean any disrespect to those who have lost a limb). He is completely dependent on me, and has lost nearly all of his independence.

Oh, I forgot to add that when we filed his original claim in December we handed over 100% of his medical records since joining the Army plus copies of all x-rays, MRIs, and ultrasounds.

Megan

[Berta]

The Caregiver benefit only applies to veterans injured post 9-11. This link gives more info:

http://www.caregiver.va.gov/support_landing.asp

[fanaticbooks]

Welcome,

I don't know if this can help, but maybe check out my website. You might find some suggestions on there for organizing or searching for answers. It is free. It was created to try to help a veteran/dependent keep his/her stuff manageable for submitting to the VA.

Others in here of course are great for the VA knowledge. I just wanted to give you a little bit for the organizing side.

I wish you good journey.

(See signature below for site)

fanaticbooks

Wife of a 100% disabled Vietnam Vet

[john999]

If you feel that this is just too much you can hire a lawyer who does VA claims. They get 20% of your retro payments, but at least they have an interest in your winning your claim as opposed to overworked DAV VSO.

[Shellback-]

Ditto on ," fight until you're satisfied!! I have a Aunt that used to work in the VA when I first filed claims back in 1993-She told Me " well we will see how much of Your Dad You have in You" I finally got 0% in 2004 and worked it a little bit from there to 40% to the present- don't give in and give up-that is what the VA wants You to do -info and suggestions to point You onto the fast track of getting all You need are here with these fine Americans-and keep after it- think of this as a limited part time job until You are satisfied "" Good luck to You !!