ptsd Vietnam Veterans Avoiding All Va/government Contact

[BlakePaigeStone]

To: HadIt.Com

From: Sonny

Re: Avoidance Issues, (PTSD-related), of Vietnam veterans ...from all VA/Government contact; even if it concerned a needed time-limit deadline reply.

Has anyone heard anything, (including court cases), of how returning Vietnam veterans ...who suffered from PTSD, wanted to avoid any, and all, associations with, (authority figures), the VA, or any other government agency.

I'm particularly interested in cases where... 'the veteran's condition even resulted in the refusal, by the veteran, to respond to time-limits ...by which a timely appeal is determined?!'

I have just received my VARO-Honolulu notification, after submitting my NOD in May, 2011 ...that they saw my request for a 'DRO review' of my original 'CUE claim,' of May, 2010 ...for initial, (1995), rating-decision increase.

[john999]

A lot of vets suffering from PTSD were DX'ed as personaility disorders because of drug and alcohol abuse. They were self medicating since they were not getting help from the VA.

[Papa]

It took me about 35 years before I would even mention the VA's name. When I got out and filed for nervousness and emotional issues with the VA through VFW (who were not that friendly with Vietnam Vets at that time). Of course it was turned down, and so was the appeal. I lost my job, could not find another one, stayed in front of the TV staring into space. Self-pity is a terrible thing for a man to have. Would not leave the house, but one day, I decided only I can make a change, it may not change things that happened in Vietnam or my my personal life, but I had a wife and three kids to support. How, am I going to support them in this state of mind. Since, no one would hire me after being fired from my last job, and only a HS education, I had to do something. I signed up for the GI Bill, contacted the Texas Rehab Commission who classified me as 100% P&T, and they paid for my education the $325.00 per month from the GI Bill paid for food and rent. I enrolled at the University of Texas at San Antonio and graduated with a BBA degree in 3.5 years. Was it easy? Hell no. Still suffered from shaking and emotional problems, and three active kids, while a blessing did not help much. I still could not find a job in the private sector, so I took a job with the Government. This way you can get lost in the maze of people. No Vietnam Veteran should have to go through this BS. JMHO

Papa

[Testvet]

All I know is that you have to keep your claim active to keep the claim date even if it takes 10 years of appeals, NODs BVA remands etc at a minimum you should have a date stamped letter to the VARO every year asking about your claim or appeals the other thing you have to watch is the "deemed denied" issues this is especially pointed for vets that file claims with multiple issues where the VA grants one of the issues and then just ignores the other issues if the veterans do not put in a request within the year of the award letter then the VARO will deny the issues because they were never appealed.

Even if you have a VSO it is YOUR claim and it is up to YOU to make sure that they don't drop the ball

then there are the Keith Roberts type of cases where the vet gets it in their head that the VA "owes" them back to the date of the incident that caused their mental health issue, I have spent many hours explaining to many vets that they were NOT going to get back pay to 1959 when their ship sank or they were gassed by "mustard gas in Hawaii" during WW2 or any issue that they never claimed until 1999 or 2011

I am SMC S and they are going to be putting in a biventricular pacemaker sometime this month so I will then file a claim for the 100% award for that and for A&A so I will file those 2 issues at the same time the CHF clinic at Dorn just gave me a phone device so they can get my weight and blood pressures every day so they will be able to tell when I am slipping into another bout with CHF so far this year I have spent 3 weeks in an ICU with IVs full of heart meds and antibiotics for pneumonia in April and June was just CHF by itself April I damned near died I was 4 days in a med induced coma then when they brought me out of it here in Columbia they then sent me by ambulance to MUSC in Charleston for a evaluation for a VLAD device (same thing Cheney has) or a heart transplant the doctors all declined to operate on me in any situation I am a medicate only patient except for the pacemaker I have been SC for PTSD 100% since Dec 2003 in June 2009 I was finally granted 60% for CAD secondary to my PTSD which they had to pay me back pay for SMC S back to Dec 2003 (nice check) but this pacemaker is automatic a 100% ratingso even if the VA calls me in for a new C&P before my 10 year anniversary and attempt to reduce my PTSD rating I will be covered by the 100% for this new issue

You have to keep a claim active and to get the VA to agree that you are not able to be responsible to meet deadlines for claim issues is that you would not remember your own name, your birthdate and be locked up in a mental institute then you would not be diagnosed with PTSD but some other mental health issue which they would then claim is not SC since you didn't have these issues when you left the military and use your exit exam to deny your claim.

I don't see how you get them to go back to when you first filed the claim 1995 I am pretty sure that if they do grant your claim it will be to May 2010

[Pete53]

I served Viet Nam Era in Germany and it was 21 years before I went to VA absolutely desperate I might add when I threw in the towel and asked for help

[john999]

About the only way you can get them to go back many years is if you filed a claim and the VA made a CUE in the original decision. This does happen, but be prepared to fight a long hard battle. They don't like to grant 35-40 years of retro for a error they made and will fight fair, or dirty to avoid it.

[Papa]

John,

What puzzles me is that 35-40 years ago when we put in a claim for emotional issues and for tremors, they did not do a C&P examination. Today they do. If, they had done exams back then, maybe more Vets would have gotten the benefits they are entitled to. JMHO

Papa

About the only way you can get them to go back many years is if you filed a claim and the VA made a CUE in the original decision. This does happen, but be prepared to fight a long hard battle. They don't like to grant 35-40 years of retro for a error they made and will fight fair, or dirty to avoid it.