ptsd Howdy Y'all.

[codylt]

Well I googled some stuff on VA disability and found this "hadit.com" and I felt a weight lifted from my shoulders.

For a few years now I've been sitting on the fence about applying for VA Disability, and these days things are just getting worse. Right before I found Hadit I read these words on another website... "You should apply regardless of your income and regardless of your ability to find work. In short: if the military broke it, the VA owns it"... and so i knew then what i need to do.

Howdy y'all I'm Cody T from Texas. I'm a 28 yr old former Marine, been diagnosed with PTSD, its hard to hold down a job with it. Also I have a knee and hip pain and a few other bodily things wrong. I live with my mom and step dad. I could go on but I'm not here to vent.

Can anyone guide me in the best direction to apply for VA Disability? I know its not best to deal with the VA alone because of the dificulty of the paper work. And i cant seem to gain contact with my local " Texas Veterans Comission rep".

Thanks, Cody T.

[Notorious Kelly]

Cody,

You're ahead of the game but I still wouldn't rush to file; many of us here woulda traded a month or 3 in retro pay to have our claims settled sooner/without so much hassle.

That's because we had faith that The System would work as advertised on our behalf or we're just not equipped to fight it.

You really have to become an amateur lawyer and present this as a legal case or throw a dart and hope your VSO does it well for you. You can read cases that seem to be pretty convincing for the veteran yet they are denied or lowballed for not dotting i's and crossing t's.

I recommend listing each ailment and researching exactly how the VA compensates for it and don't forget to include possible side effects from prescribed medications.

An excellent resource for both VA and SSDI is member fanaticbooks' site http://www.howtoassemblevaclaims.com/

Good luck!

[infantry10]

Welcome Cody!!!

[meghp0405]

Sir, the web site provided above is outdated....things have changed a great deal with claims, developing, submission and adjudicating than what is listed on the site. As you were told earlier, you are ahead by having your active duty med records.

you can research each of the disabilities and view how the VA rates them, but if you don't understand the 38 CFR, your chances are high that you will become more confused throughout this whole process.

I'm still advocating, the VA FM 21-526ez, fully developed claim. I've had the opportunity to have submitted over 600 of these the past couple of years. Not only were they successful, but adjudicated within 3-8 months. Several VARO's are taking at least 18 months to adjudicate a claim using the normal processing.

The form is not that difficult to complete. If you come to a blank that doesn't apply, just put n/a in the block and move to the next one. When you complete the disabilities block, list your diagnosed disabilities. Don't put any symptoms into the block, just the diagnosis.

i'm confident that if you submit a FDC, you will still be ahead..

You need to remember that with a FDC, you need to submit a complete copy of your medical records with the submission. If you submit additional documentation after you submit the FDC, your claim then moves out of the FDC category and moves to the normal claim processing..

Edited November 24, 2013 by meghp0405

[carlie]

And I also have a printed and signed paper from a VA psychological doctor saying that PTSD, tenitus, my left hip, and left knee are all SC'd.

I agree with submitting a FDC - but ONLY if it has been perfected.

cody - Just for clarification - you THINK you have the above.

Please post EXACTLY what is states, let the members look for holes to poke thru,

before you go further.

The doctor's themselves have no authority to grant SC, all they have the authority to do

is provide their medical opinions, etc . . .

Whether SC is granted is up to the VA decision maker's.

[codylt]

Thanks everyone. And Carlie ill have to go get my records and that paper to know for sure... man all of this is over welming amd I ain't even started yet. A big problem is since iraq I have a very short attention span and short term memory loss like an alzheimer's patient (literally). So basically I can read and read and research and still don't know what I just read... it just don't sink in and makes me feel dumb cause I know I was a lot smarter before. And cought on to things easily. Now its a struggle.

UGH!!! And these freaking migraines I've been getting a lot here lately!!

Edited November 25, 2013 by codylt

[stillhere]

Well you are on your way almost so sit down and take a deep breath before we start, One thing I like to give the VA when I started filing for SC disabilities is how this disability effects my normal day. I have PTSD and like you I have memory loss short term that is ridiculous. So I told them that and how I am having problems sleeping and being around crowds and even crowds of 4 people! Not wanting to be happy or just waking each morning and thinking hey I made it another day.

I am 100% for my heart disease associated with DB2 so I sent them a letter on how it takes me twice as long to do things as it did before and sometimes I just have to stop and finish at a later date in time. I complained that these were thing I have done all my life and had no problems. Simple things such as cutting my on grass, or shoveling snow are no no's for me, The VA have medical people on board that can read your files but that doesn't tell them how it effects your quality of life so tell them how your worst days are and not your best days. Those days of sucking it up are gone marine.

Good Luck!

Stillhere