Good With Some Bad!

[CHAVO2177]

So back in 2001 i got out of the Marines and had no idea what to do with myself and had no direction. i knew that i had problems from my time on active duty but didnt know what to do or where to go. i finally went to the local VA office and applied for some of the disorders i had. well i got 10% and thought to myself atleast i got something and let thing go because i was receiveing free care from the VA. Well in 2013 I took the time to see why i got what i got and realized that they Really stuck it to me. I have a skin disorder that runs from my Neck to my knees and at times itches like a Sun of a Gun. so i refiled and got a 30% and i was happy again untill I reviewed my records and in my records it shows from my neck to my knees and i am wondering. 1 Why they would not back pay me to the first time i filed and 2. why not back pay me to Oct 23-2008 when the codes were published?

Has anyone else had this problem?

So at this point I am not sure what my next step would be. if anything.

[CHAVO2177]

OK! i will do a comparision.

one thing that really gets me is that when they decided to make actual regulation in 2008 why didnt anyone really know about it without doing the research on their own. even a letter in the mail stateing that hay you with the skin stuff now theres a regulation to double check youself and see if you might be ellgiable for more! But no, not them GOV people they figure that its still a dont ask dont tell kind of world is the way i see it!

[Berta]

Yeah, they sure dont tell vets about any change in the rating schedule that could help them....that is why we bring these new Fast Letters and rating changes here to hadit when we learn of them.

You might have a CUE potential in the older rating but that would depend on the skin regs in affect at time of that decision.I think the older ratings had (as well as the knew skin regs of 2008, a disfigurement clause) I will try to find the old regs for you.

In 2010 when VA determined IHD was due to AO exposure in Vietnam incountry vets...this was something many of us oldtimers in the vet electronic community never dreamed we would ever see happen in our lifetimes.

It even made limited national news for a while.

But it sure didn't reach all Vietnam IHD veterans or their survivors affected by the new regs and probably still hasn't reached them all yet.

Hadit is 17 years old and this is one of the MANY benefits of having this great site....because we try to stay current on all VA comp issues.

[Berta]

This BVA decision contains the skin ratings and regs prior to 2008.

http://www.index.va.gov/search/va/view.jsp?FV=http://www.va.gov/vetapp04/Files2/0418864.txt

This was for cystic acne, and contains 2 diagnostic codes.

I dont know what type of skin disability you have but it could also have an analogous rating to the ones in this decision.

This is quite a case:

http://www.index.va.gov/search/va/view.jsp?FV=http://www.va.gov/vetapp11/Files4/1139982.txt

A long read but plenty of info that includes not only post 2008 ratings, but also the current skin ratings.

It also has different diagnostic codes used....

I have not had time to read it all carefully....however diagnostic codes, if erroneeous to the claimant's detriment, because the wrong code could warrant a lower percentage, can be a valid cause for a CUE claim.

I am quite sure we have the 2008 VA Fast Letter that changes the skin ratings here in our Fast letter forum.

[CHAVO2177]

^{i have tinea versacolor and in my records it states that i had it on my neck, chest ,back, and thighs. sometimes was in all areas sometimes just the chest and back.}

^{still looking for the original paperwork as to why i only got %5. i was givin %5 for tinea versacolor and %5 for chronic uticaria.}

[carlie]

^{i have tinea versacolor and in my records it states that i had it on my neck, chest ,back, and thighs. sometimes was in all areas sometimes just the chest and back.}

^{still looking for the original paperwork as to why i only got %5. i was givin %5 for tinea versacolor and %5 for chronic uticaria.}

Something doesn't sound right as I do no know of ANY evaluation

for percentage, at 5 %.

[CHAVO2177]

Yah thats what i thought after about 7 years of not knowing anything about what i had and didnt have.

so last night i reviewed my mediccal records and like i had said before i had it from my neck to my knees and it was shown on some derm graphs of my torso. only problem i found was that it was at different times. so i never had 1 out break that covered me from the neck to the knees.

on my first decision i got 10% and it was not clear as to the amount of my body that was covered they did state a couple time that it was not more than 20% of my body but for me there were several outbreaks that would have covered more than 40% of my body. it seemed that in the first decision they took each outbreak as minor and not needed more than a certain amount of time to treat so that they could give me a lower rateing.

My reapply in 2012 was raised do to the amout of coverage and treatment time. but the weird thing is that it has always been like this except for a few small changes and that being on my arms and my chest because it covers more now!.

So i am not sure what to do now if anything!