I am in the early stages of helping my father file some claims. We received his C-file recently and I went through it very carefully. He spent one year in Vietnam during the late 1960's and retired around 1990.
After having MRI's done each year, my father was recently diagnosed with early stages of dementia and put on aricept. Dementia does not run in our family on either side as far as we have researched.
The only head injury claims in his medical records are detailed below.
1. I found a medical record from Vietnam from a motor vehicle accident. It does not say much, but it does indicate that he was pinned under the vehicle. Back then the records he has are limited to just a couple of sentences. My mother said he mailed her pictures of the crashed vehicle, but he are looking for them in boxes. I don't think it explicitly explains head injury, but one might assume that being thrown and pinned under a vehicle during an accident would result in one. I realize the VA does not think this way.
2. I found another record from the late 1980's where he hit his forehead while walking underneath an artillery cannon. Apparently, he was knocked out cold and transported to the base hospital via ambulance. We also have a nice home video of him removing the bandage to see the nasty wound.
Now here's where it gets tricky...
I also found a number or medical records, especially in the 1980's, where my father was treated for insect bites/stings from mosquitos, bees, chiggers and ticks. In one record, he reported having over 100 ticks on him. Some records also report a large circular-shaped rash in conjunction with being bitten. The medic actually drew a picture on his records. I looked carefully for lyme disease. After looking on on the web, I found that some patients with lyme disease develop memory loss and problems with concentration.
I know we need to get him checked for Lyme disease titer.
I know an IMO would also help a lot.
Are there any other recommendations or ideas?
"If it's stupid but works, then it isn't stupid." - From Murphy's Laws of Combat
Disclaimer: I am not a legal expert, so use at own risk and/or consult a qualified professional representative. Please refer to existing VA laws, regulations, and policies for the most up to date information.
These decisions have made a big impact on how VA disability claims are handled, giving veterans more chances to get benefits and clearing up important issues.
Service Connection
Frost v. Shulkin (2017)
This case established that for secondary service connection claims, the primary service-connected disability does not need to be service-connected or diagnosed at the time the secondary condition is incurred 1. This allows veterans to potentially receive secondary service connection for conditions that developed before their primary condition was officially service-connected.
Saunders v. Wilkie (2018)
The Federal Circuit ruled that pain alone, without an accompanying diagnosed condition, can constitute a disability for VA compensation purposes if it results in functional impairment 1. This overturned previous precedent that required an underlying pathology for pain to be considered a disability.
Effective Dates
Martinez v. McDonough (2023)
This case dealt with the denial of an earlier effective date for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) 2. It addressed issues around the validity of appeal withdrawals and the consideration of cognitive impairment in such decisions.
I met with a VSO today at my VA Hospital who was very knowledgeable and very helpful. We decided I should submit a few new claims which we did. He told me that he didn't need copies of my military records that showed my sick call notations related to any of the claims. He said that the VA now has entire military medical record on file and would find the record(s) in their own file. It seemed odd to me as my service dates back to 1981 and spans 34 years through my retirement in 2015. It sure seemed to make more sense for me to give him copies of my military medical record pages that document the injuries as I'd already had them with me. He didn't want my copies. Anyone have any information on this. Much thanks in advance.
Caluza Triangle – Caluza vs Brown defined what is necessary for service connection. See COVA– CALUZA V. BROWN–TOTAL RECALL
This has to be MEDICALLY Documented in your records:
Current Diagnosis. (No diagnosis, no Service Connection.)
In-Service Event or Aggravation.
Nexus (link- cause and effect- connection) or Doctor’s Statement close to: “The Veteran’s (current diagnosis) is at least as likely due to x Event in military service”
VA has gotten away with (mis) interpreting their ambigious, , vague regulations, then enforcing them willy nilly never in Veterans favor.
They justify all this to congress by calling themselves a "pro claimant Veteran friendly organization" who grants the benefit of the doubt to Veterans.
This is not true,
Proof:
About 80-90 percent of Veterans are initially denied by VA, pushing us into a massive backlog of appeals, or worse, sending impoverished Veterans "to the homeless streets" because when they cant work, they can not keep their home. I was one of those Veterans who they denied for a bogus reason: "Its been too long since military service". This is bogus because its not one of the criteria for service connection, but simply made up by VA. And, I was a homeless Vet, albeit a short time, mostly due to the kindness of strangers and friends.
Hadit would not be necessary if, indeed, VA gave Veterans the benefit of the doubt, and processed our claims efficiently and paid us promptly. The VA is broken.
A huge percentage (nearly 100 percent) of Veterans who do get 100 percent, do so only after lengthy appeals. I have answered questions for thousands of Veterans, and can only name ONE person who got their benefits correct on the first Regional Office decision. All of the rest of us pretty much had lengthy frustrating appeals, mostly having to appeal multiple multiple times like I did.
I wish I know how VA gets away with lying to congress about how "VA is a claimant friendly system, where the Veteran is given the benefit of the doubt". Then how come so many Veterans are homeless, and how come 22 Veterans take their life each day? Va likes to blame the Veterans, not their system.
Question
Vync
Hello everyone,
I am in the early stages of helping my father file some claims. We received his C-file recently and I went through it very carefully. He spent one year in Vietnam during the late 1960's and retired around 1990.
After having MRI's done each year, my father was recently diagnosed with early stages of dementia and put on aricept. Dementia does not run in our family on either side as far as we have researched.
The only head injury claims in his medical records are detailed below.
1. I found a medical record from Vietnam from a motor vehicle accident. It does not say much, but it does indicate that he was pinned under the vehicle. Back then the records he has are limited to just a couple of sentences. My mother said he mailed her pictures of the crashed vehicle, but he are looking for them in boxes. I don't think it explicitly explains head injury, but one might assume that being thrown and pinned under a vehicle during an accident would result in one. I realize the VA does not think this way.
2. I found another record from the late 1980's where he hit his forehead while walking underneath an artillery cannon. Apparently, he was knocked out cold and transported to the base hospital via ambulance. We also have a nice home video of him removing the bandage to see the nasty wound.
Now here's where it gets tricky...
I also found a number or medical records, especially in the 1980's, where my father was treated for insect bites/stings from mosquitos, bees, chiggers and ticks. In one record, he reported having over 100 ticks on him. Some records also report a large circular-shaped rash in conjunction with being bitten. The medic actually drew a picture on his records. I looked carefully for lyme disease. After looking on on the web, I found that some patients with lyme disease develop memory loss and problems with concentration.
I know we need to get him checked for Lyme disease titer.
I know an IMO would also help a lot.
Are there any other recommendations or ideas?
"If it's stupid but works, then it isn't stupid."
- From Murphy's Laws of Combat
Disclaimer: I am not a legal expert, so use at own risk and/or consult a qualified professional representative. Please refer to existing VA laws, regulations, and policies for the most up to date information.
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