New With Some Questions, Please

[kate7772]

My husband is a Vietnam era Marine Corp. veteran.

He filed for disability for Membranous Glomerulonephritis /Stage 3 kidney disease, depression and tinnitus.

The kidney disease was diagnosed through his private kidney doctor and the tinnitus through VA.

The kidney disease we feel can be linked to the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

Everything was across the board, denied. This was filed through a veterans service officer who seemed a bit clueless to the proper way to do it. There was no Nexus letter included.

My husband plans to appeal or whatever we need to do now (just not sure.) He hasn't asked his doctor to give him a letter yet but will do so this week. Trying to get enough supporting evidence together to show the doctor so he will understand but not overwhelm him. My husband has no other factors to cause the kidney disease. I wonder if it would be a good idea to make an appointment with a VA kidney doctor to review his records also. We probably will get an IMO done also.

The tinnitus was VA diagnosed, so not sure why that was denied.

My husband claimed depression because he just knew he was miserable in so many ways but didn't know why. Now, very recently, he has been diagnosed with PTSD with major depression (still amazed that this could happen so many years after the fact but looking back through the years, there were a lot of clues.) When he took the PTSD test, he was told that he was extremely bad. The diagnosis was made by a VA clinical nurse specialist and clinical social worker. Doesn't it need to be diagnosed by a psychologist or psychiatrist? The nurse said it needs to be someone specially trained in PTSD treatment such as the social worker. They want him to do drugs (which he hates) and therapy. Could PTSD now be added as part of the depression he originally claimed or would it need to be an entirely new claim with a new start date?

I appreciate any thoughts you are able to give me on this.

Thanks,

Kate

[carlie]

Welcome.

On the part,

"The tinnitus was VA diagnosed, so not sure why that was denied."

Read the rating decision over several times.

The Reasons and Bases and Evidence Section, will tell you EXACTLY

how and why a decision was made - the way it was made.

[toddt]

First get rid of that veterans service officer. Next, you need to link his disabilities to his service. For instance the tinnitus needs to be linked to what he did in the service. Usually continuous loud noises, the VSO should have done that. Did you or the VSO request his service medical records?. If you google "veterans administration compensation for Membranous Glomerulonephritis" you will come up with some disapproved/approved claims read them you will learn a lot.

[Navy04]

Agree with the advice given. Good luck to you and God bless

[carlie]

If he had a head injury on ad, that can also be a nexus for Tinnitus.

[Berta]

“Could PTSD now be added as part of the depression he originally claimed or would it need to be an entirely new claim with a new start date?”

Since the depression claim was denied, the new PTSD claim could certainly include the depression as part of the PTSD.

Still he should consider appealing the entire denial.

Can you scan and post the denial here, as to the VA's reasons and Bases . Cover names, address, C file number before scanning it, and it can be attached to your next post.

This seems to be a post from you at another site: but I could be wrong.

http://www.tftptf.com/v-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2638

If so have you attempted to contacted any of the list of doctors there someone suggested for an IMO?

Va 's statement on Came Lejeune disability is here:

http://www.benefits.va.gov/COMPENSATION/claims-postservice-exposures-camp_leguene_water.asp

As of January 2013 the VA had only granted 17 of the Bad water breast cancer LeJuene claims.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/01/18/lejeune-water-contaminated/1846971/

Maybe a few more since then.

As the Statement from VA says, these claims need medical evidence regarding the nexus to service.

That type of opinion is highly unlikely to come from any VA doctor.

The IMO criteria here in our IMO forum should be followed by the IMO doctor who should rule out any other etiology for this condition, and give a clear and strong medical rationale that the contaminated water (including the specific contaminants found), has caused your husband's disability.

Diabetes Mellitus and severe hyperrtension are two of many other possible causes of this disease.

Does he have any other documented disabilities, that could be claimed as due to service, that could also be the cause of the CKD?

Does he have a copy of his complete SMRs?

Was he stationed at LeJeune during the timeframe in the VA link here?

As claimants we can raise as many potential theories of entitlement as we want,if we feel they are strong possibilities to garner SC.

Back to the PTSD.....it appears he has a valid VA diagnosis. He needs a nexus to this claim.Meaning ,unless he has proof of combat awards on hios DD 214 ( PH, CAR,CIB, he will have to prove the stressor event , inservice, that caused his PTSD.

We have a lot of PTSD info in our PTSD forum here.

Post Traumatic means it is a delayed response and can often take many years to manifest itself to the point that it needs treatment.

[kate7772]

Hi Berta,

Thank you, and the others as well.

I don't currently have a scanner (need to get one.)

The rejection basically said "not service connected" for all. I realize now that his claim was very incomplete. As I said, the service officer was clueless but we were even more so. He is no longer there. Not sure why.

We did contact one of the IMO doctors and gathering info to send to him. Also considering contacting Dr. Bash. Would it be a good idea to have two opinions?

We hope my husbands doctor will do one but not sure yet. He's a very good doctor but he is Indian and doesn't seem to understand when my husband mentions the water issue. We hope he will take the time to read the research info we have.

My husband has hypertension also but it seemed to begin at the same time as the kidney issues. We didn't think much of the water/kidney connection until we were researching info on his condition and found references to possible causes being toxic chemicals, including those at Lejeune.

We were floored by the PTSD diagnosis. There were many hints throughout the years but it really manifested after he became unable to work full time due to the edema caused by the kidney disease. Since then, things have really gotten bad. My husband feels guilty about adding another condition to his claim because he sees so many veterans who appear worse off than him. He doesn't feel deserving but I am really concerned because he is having a more and more difficult time working due to the increasing PTSD symptoms as well as the kidney disease. He is only working three days a week now but each week as the time draws closer to return to work, he gets increasingly anxious and recently has started experiencing stomach pain (tests show no known cause.) He works at a job involving dealing with the public and he is messing up a lot and forgetting things.

I was hoping we could add the PTSD to the depression he originally claimed (didn't know what to call it originally, just knew he was extremely depressed.) If he asks for a reconsideration, could the PTSD just be included in that under the depression. I know if takes so much longer to do a new claim.

This whole thing is so difficult to navigate and do things the right way. Then, if you mess up, it only adds to the wait. So grateful there are sites like this available.

Kate

Edited February 14, 2014 by kate7772