A & A / Homebound

[grent]

I have a question for the forum.

If a veteran is 100% P and T scheduler and he applys for A and A how much more money would he receive per month?

and

If a veteran is 100% P and T scheduler and applys for house - bound how much more money would he receive per month?

if you could answer my two questions thank you.

[Philip Rogers]

My feeling is and has always been that, if you are qualified, you should pursue it. The VA can mess w/you at anytime, for any reason, and can be defeated when they try. These benefits were paid for w/our health. For yrs national organization VSO's have told claimants to be happy w/what they have and not pursue more, as they could be opening a can of worms. If your claim is valid, you should pursue it!!! Not applying is a win for the VA. jmo

pr

[silke]

What is he SC'd for and what percentage levels for each.

You could go ahead and have his doc fill out the 21-2680

and post the results here first - for comment.

I am not posting to NOT file for A&A - I am cautioning that claimants

need to be positive this is what they want to do - prior to having protected ratings.

Some of this caution is due to examples posted by scscrewed.

[MikeS]

My feeling is and has always been that, if you are qualified, you should pursue it. The VA can mess w/you at anytime, for any reason, and can be defeated when they try. These benefits were paid for w/our health. For yrs national organization VSO's have told claimants to be happy w/what they have and not pursue more, as they could be opening a can of worms. If your claim is valid, you should pursue it!!! Not applying is a win for the VA. jmo

pr

AMEN!

Mike S.

[Teac]

I keep hearing the argument don't file for additional disability because the va is going to review all your medical issues. It has been my expierence both as a prior service officer and with my own claims that the va does not go back and look at every issue. I am not saying they can't , I am saying the don't do if very often if at all.

First, the va is so backlogged that they don't have the personnal or time to review pass decisions, secondly even if they did, it would still be a long time before the va could reduce compensation because of due process laws.

Finally, with almost every claim I have filed since 1986, I have had to file notice of disagreements, request for denovo reviews, or appeals almost every time. I have won three cue claims, and I have gone from an initial 30% rating to TDIu and then 100%... with many other claims for adapted housing, auto grants, and smc's. If the VA was going to review every claim a veteran made, my file as thick as it is, would have made a lot of work for some government employee. In my over 25 years dealing with the va I have never seen them go back a review older decisions unless the veteran asked for it....

Bottom line, if you think you have a valid claim, and the medical evidence to go with it then submit it. If I had listened to the nay sayers in 1986.. I would still be sitting with a lowball 30% rating. regardless of how much someone knows about claims, no one had any idea what the va will or will not do. Even the va can't provide straight answers to straight questions...

[Pete53]

My two cents. Teac is right the VA has more than it can say grace over as it stands now. Reducing a Veterans rating opens a whole new can of whoop ass in my opinion. Contyrary to what many feel I do not believe that the VA is looking to hurt Veterans plenty get ground up in the gears for claims but that is the extent.

I asked for a S Rating had a C)P and got it, Many years ago I tried to get service connected for tinnitus and in my denial it was mentioned my service connected was reviewed and no change required.

Most 100% Veterans are pretty much severe cases and over the years over 20 now it is seldom I actually hear or see someone say that a rating was reduced let alone in a review for an A & A award.

Read the regs on A&A and if you qualify there is very little chance that VA is going to reduce a current rating unless they see something that screams at them.

I am speaking from my experience and my opinions. If anyone knows of a claim that has been reduced when asking for a higher rating please tell me.

[Deacon 2011]

I knew nothing of A&A/Housebound until reading this post; I rec'd info from my TDIU claim yesterday and noticed after reading everything in the letter again that I was awarded SMC for Housebound. After reading here, if I am correct, I should now receive SCM S instead of IU at the 100% rate right? Not both?

My two cents. Teac is right the VA has more than it can say grace over as it stands now. Reducing a Veterans rating opens a whole new can of whoop ass in my opinion. Contyrary to what many feel I do not believe that the VA is looking to hurt Veterans plenty get ground up in the gears for claims but that is the extent.

I asked for a S Rating had a C)P and got it, Many years ago I tried to get service connected for tinnitus and in my denial it was mentioned my service connected was reviewed and no change required.

Most 100% Veterans are pretty much severe cases and over the years over 20 now it is seldom I actually hear or see someone say that a rating was reduced let alone in a review for an A & A award.

Read the regs on A&A and if you qualify there is very little chance that VA is going to reduce a current rating unless they see something that screams at them.

I am speaking from my experience and my opinions. If anyone knows of a claim that has been reduced when asking for a higher rating please tell me.